entertainment

Fan-made Nazi anime parody, 'Goeppels-chan,' appears in Japan

71 Comments
By Oona McGee, RocketNews24

There are a lot of things that shock us about the anime world, but this is one thing that we never expected to see.

Fan-made anime "Moe Moe Nachisu Shojo Goeppels-chan" (“Moe Moe Nazi Girl Goeppels-chan”) has made news in Japan recently, sparking concerns about the controversial nature of its content and its apparent lack of cultural sensitivity.

While it’s been billed as a light-hearted parody of Nazism, the series features a moe-fied female version of Nazi Germany’s propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, in the form of a 14-year-old girl called “Goeppels-chan”, who, in her introduction, frowns while saying, “No comment about the Jews!” (photo below right).

“Goeppels-chan” — the name-change being made as it’s easier to pronounce in Japanese — is a child prodigy with a Ph.D. who, like Goebbels, adores “the Führer” and promotes Nazi ideology through propaganda films, anime and radio broadcasts. She competes with her colleagues for the attention of Adolf Hitler, seeing them as love rivals.

While the team who created the anime have produced two episodes so far, they currently have a campaign on crowdfunding website Fundiy to help produce a third instalment. With 33 days remaining, they’ve raised 125,000 yen towards their 400,000 yen goal from 26 supporters, which is 31% of their target funds.

The storyline of the third episode, called “Nazi UFO”, involves flying saucers appearing all over the country and aliens landing in German territory wanting to meet with Hitler. Himmler appears as part of a conspiracy and Goeppels-chan is captured and taken to Venus.

Katsuyuki Ikeda, an independent animator, worked with manga artist Nao Minda to produce the first two episodes. Ikeda supplied an opening song for their series called “Kokka Shakaishugi no Uta” (“National Socialism Song”), which stars famous Vocaloid singer Hatsune Miku singing lyrics like “Communism is scary but state socialism is rational.”

Given Japan’s former allegiance with Nazi Germany and with no large Jewish population in the country, Japan’s view of Nazi wrongdoings remains less critical than in other parts of the world. In 2009, a manga version of "Mein Kampf" was released, selling relatively well with little vocal opposition.

Source: My Game News Flash

Read more stories from RocketNews24 -- Japanese discount clothing chain selling swastika necklaces (also ugly tank tops) -- Upskirt umbrellas are now a thing in Japan -- Concern as hundreds of copies of The Diary of Anne Frank found defaced in Tokyo public libraries

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71 Comments
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[“Moe Moe Nazi Girl Goeppels-chan" is a] light-hearted parody of Nazism

And there is nothing more humorous than light-hearted parodies of Nazism (snark).

8 ( +10 / -2 )

“No comment about the Jews!”

So the Japanese are also whitewashing German history, as well as their own. Nazism is anything but cute, send these manga makers to the museum at Auschwitz.

14 ( +21 / -7 )

Good old Japan. No doubt they'll be 'misunderstood' in about five minutes once this hits the fan.

18 ( +22 / -4 )

And there is nothing more humorous than light-hearted parodies of Nazism (snark).

I hope you say the same of Napoleon or Genghis Khan. Obviously, things like black humor are now considered evil thought crimes and hate speech under the new progressive paradigm. Obviously if people are exposed to the non sequitor humor involved in depicting a moeified Joseph Goebbels they're going to become predisposed to calling for genocide and supporting fascist ideology.

@Alistair Carnell

Hopefully sarcasm, but if you seriously think that this is whitewashing German history, why would the character even mention Jews in the first place? In a rush to be offended, are people really willing to put aside their basic common sense and comprehension?

-1 ( +8 / -10 )

I think their next anime should be about Fat-chan and Boy-kun. Two underachiever atomic bombs that are trying to earn the respect of the world famous physicist Albert Einsten, who shuns them.. They have many zany adventures together. They can bill it as a light-hearted parody of modern warfare.

24 ( +28 / -5 )

Hmmmm. Nothing is beyond being mocked. Nothing. Still, its really hard to satire certain things without being exploitative. In a bad way. Something tells me, the creators of this Anime don't really get it, and are going in for a cheap money grab.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

This article calls it a light-hearted paody, which to me suggests nothing like the black humor others have suggested such material would be more suited to. I seriously doubt there's anything at all critical to it, unlike say Iron Sky.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Maybe next a romantic-comedy parody about abductees in North Korea vying for the love of Kim Jong Il and absolutely loving their lives there? Freedom of speech, right? Parody, right? But of course, you'd have to multiply the offensiveness about 10 times to get the equivalent of what Japan has produced here, and also add in the fact that they ignorantly can't see how it would be offensive, whereas other 'ideas' being floated about here are specifically to try and hammer home the point of how offensive such a comic would be.

6 ( +10 / -4 )

This is disgusting and has no places in today's society anywhere, The person reasonable should be ashamed of themselves promoting sure nonsense.

5 ( +8 / -3 )

To all those "alarmed" and quick-to-shoot people in here... yes I am referring to you guys.

Look up for the book from the German writer Timur Vermes "Look Who's Back".. don't worry there is a well translated English version, reed it and stop "worrying" or whining so quickly

-13 ( +4 / -17 )

Given Japan’s former allegiance with Nazi Germany

"allies" would be a more appropriate word. they weren't fighting for the same cause nor was germany the dominant nation in their "relationship."

3 ( +4 / -1 )

If another country made a "light-hearted" animated comedy surrounding one of Japan's disasters, they'd be quick to call foul and play the victim. This is disgusting.

8 ( +10 / -2 )

I never met an anti-semite here. Wonderul place accepting of all.

Freedom of speech is important though, so I accept this Manga. The economic factors and the market will decide if it survives.

-6 ( +5 / -11 )

This is not funny at all. I don't know why or how they came up with this stupid idea. Disgraceful.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

And there is nothing more humorous than light-hearted parodies of Nazism - comments

quite.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

So the Japanese are also whitewashing German history, as well as their own. Nazism is anything but cute, send these >>manga makers to the museum at Auschwitz.

Strongly agree, nothing is cute in Nazism, people died for god sake to stop this so we can live today in a relative free workd, this is so insulting at so many levels. Disgraceful.

3 ( +8 / -5 )

I suppose this Film and the book that was based should be banned as "Disgraceful"?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt4176826/

-5 ( +3 / -8 )

Maybe next they can be persuaded to do "Curtis Lemay-chan", a light hearted look at the carpet bombing of Japanese cities, and all the people from babies to elderly being burnt to a crisp by moe moe Curtis. That was the doctrine of "total war". It is about on the same level as the light hearted Nazis.

8 ( +9 / -1 )

I recalled a storm of words exactly a year ago, after the terrorist attack on the "Charlie Hebdo" in Paris - "threat to the freedom of speech", "there should be no sacred cows, no borders to humor, parody and artist's fantasies" etc. So, why to make this manga is bad and distasteful, and making very rude cartoons about religion and human sufferings is a shining example of freedom of speech?

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

@gokai_wo_maneku you know... if you look it up, I think it will already come up something in that matter.

-1 ( +2 / -3 )

There's already moe Enola Gay! lol

http://i.imgur.com/Kmu80tL.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/dZrec3w.jpg

What's next? Let's do ISIS and moe Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi! lol

"No comment about the beheadings!"

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@Asakaze

Because, Charlie Hebdo was something that happened in France central Europe from where people and the mentality of "we-are-the-norm" "we-are-right" "we-are-the-rule" comes from..

Since this thing is from Japan, we have to subjugate to what the all mighty rule-givers dictate

-7 ( +3 / -10 )

Daniel: you seem pretty defensive. Could it be because in your heart you know that a parody of such things is beyond disgusting? How about an atomic bombing parody? A comedy in the aftermath in Hiromshima or Nagasaki? Would you defend it?

4 ( +6 / -2 )

So, why to make this manga is bad and distasteful, and making very rude cartoons about religion and human sufferings is a >>shining example of freedom of speech?

Charlie Hebdo never made the apology of Nazism and for sure never made Nazi propaganda looks cute for appealing to the young generation. There is only "an ocean" of difference between Charlie Hebdo and that Manga having Goebel-chan as the main character.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

@Smithinjapan I think there is some parody about it... why don't you look it up

I am upset because of essentially what Asakaze stated.

And from what I take... you haven't even bothered to see what book or film I am referring to

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Title should rather be : Fan-Nazi made anime parody, 'Goeppels-chan,' appears in Japan

-2 ( +2 / -4 )

@Citizen2012

Yes.. because Hitler was into "Moe" and Gobbles, Himmler and the bunch were in fact in love with Hitler. And the Nazi propaganda was as ridicule so there is no reason to make a satire to begin with.

Once again... your "norm" is the world norm?

-3 ( +3 / -6 )

@Citizen2012

Charlie Hebdo never made the apology of Nazism

Neither did the author of this manga. And CH did not do it only because there is a law in France against it. Every other aspect of human sufferings is a fair game for them. Neveretheless, they are considered champions of liberty and freedom of speech. No logic.

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

because Hitler was into "Moe" and Gobbles

I am not liking MOE being into Nazism now, if you are, then fine.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Daniel: because you're only deflecting, Daniel. I don't care about other parodies; we're talking about this one. Lots of people are against what Hebdo did, btw. And how dare Japan talk about freedom of speech when they're dictatorial practices of not even allowing the star of The Cove into the nation!

4 ( +8 / -4 )

@Citizen2012

You seem so concerned about this.. yet you fail to understand

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

And CH did not do it only because there is a law in France against it. Every other aspect of human sufferings is a fair >>game for them. Neveretheless, they are considered champions of liberty and freedom of speech. No logic.

Do you realize you are talking a redaction which had almost all of their journalist killed by some extremist IS's supporters?

Also do you really want me to believe that Charlie Hebdo would have made Nazis looks cute and fun if there were not laws against revisionism in France ?

Charlie Hebdo denounced the extremism in all direction by using Satire. Satire (and Parodies) are made to denounced, like Chaplin did in his movie about Hitler, if you remove the part to denounce then you are left only with the "making apology of" part.

This manga does not denounce anything about the Nazi and Nazism as being bad morally, it does just use Nazi's image and make it look cute to the young audience which have no clue about what happened.

I stand with my comment, there is an "ocean of difference" between Charlie Hebdo and this manga.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

@smithinjapan

wait.. wait

we're talking about this one.

Ok... so... this is a parody made by private poeple (not goverment) and is a parody. That you are unable to understand it is different. There are other examples around the world were the "nazi" parody thing is OK.. but not this?

Funny thing though, after you said

we're talking about this one.

You end up your comment with

btw. And how dare Japan talk about freedom of speech when they're dictatorial practices of not even allowing the star of The Cove into the nation!

Tsk tsk tsk...

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

Fan-made Nazi anime parody, 'Goeppels-chan,' appears in Japan

Does that mean it's ok to make one about Tojo and the IJA? Fair's fair. Japanese people sometimes talk about how terrible the Nazis were, yet have no idea about their own WW2 history

6 ( +7 / -1 )

@Christopher Glen

Sorry.. too late http://www.ss-alpha.co.jp/products/moegd/

they made something about it already

-3 ( +2 / -5 )

Does that mean it's ok to make one about Tojo and the IJA? Fair's fair. Japanese people sometimes talk about how terrible the Nazis were, yet have no idea about their own WW2 history

Aint that the truth! Can you imagine the outrage if a tojo/ija version was made................

I am for free speech, if these fools want to put the Nazi manga out, let them, you cant force people to NOT be stupid.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Daniel: "Ok... so... this is a parody made by private poeple (not goverment) and is a parody. That you are unable to understand it is different. There are other examples around the world were the "nazi" parody thing is OK.. but not this?"

You need to look up the definition of parody. Citizen is right; you just don't understand, Daniel.

"You end up your comment with"

Yes, as an exclamation mark in pointing out your hypocrisy and claims of 'freedom of speech' in Japan while in practice it's only applied in certain cases, and usually when Japan has really screwed up; like with gang-rape of children manga, depiction of black people, hatred of Koreans, and now glorifying of Hitler and Nazi Germany -- you have a lot to be proud of, Daniel. :)

Citizen2012: "This manga does not denounce anything about the Nazi and Nazism as being bad morally, it does just use Nazi's image and make it look cute to the young audience which have no clue about what happened."

Exactly! But Daniel does not understand the meaning of satire or parody, and is just deflecting because he knows Japan is in the wrong with this manga.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

Is being KY becoming a national past time or what?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@Citizen2012

do you really want me to believe that Charlie Hebdo would have made Nazis looks cute and fun if there were not laws against revisionism in France ?

Cute and fun? No, CH is not famous for cute and fun pictures. If there were no according laws in France they would have made rude pictures of prisoners in concentration camps, making fun of their sufferings. No sacred themes for parodies, remember their motto? And they lived up to it, making fun of refugees who drowned on their way to Europe or people who were killed in terrorist attacks. I saw several of their "artworks" , it was something of the lowest level of disgrace, these "artists" badly need mental help.

there is an "ocean of difference" between Charlie Hebdo and this manga

Agreed. But not in the way you mean. There is an ocean of difference between this manga (stupid? thoughtless? may be), but made without intent to offend somebody, and CH with its philosophy of INTENTIONAL offense of others' feelings and poking fun at human sufferings in cynical quest for dirty fame and money.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

Showa Tenno, Mussolini and Hitler were comrades in arms, a fact that seems lost on most of the local populace.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

The historical stupidity of some people here is pretty amazing. I see Visual Kei kids with swastikas sometimes around Harajuku. A guy we met at a music event had a photo of Hitler as his screen saver on his iPhone.

It isn't that some Japanese are stupid. It is that they have not been educated to know better. This is not an apology for adults who should have learned something beyond school. But it is in indictment of an education system that continues to white wash WWII including their association with Nazi Germany.

As for these animators. I think a slap to the back of the head and restricting them until they read the history, watch the documentaries and speak with death camp survivors to understand just how "light hearted" WWII was. If they don't get it by then, put them on a plane to see the death camps in person and maybe give them a taste of what it was like.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

I spent 5 wonderful happy years in Tokyo. Never met or spotted an anti-semite there at all. this is just anime crapazoid created by creative manganoids. harmless. its satire. it is japanese manga humor. made for home market. but i am sure some foreign embassies such as Germany and others will visit japanese officials and register their "disappointment." Some social activist groups in europe and usa will ask ask wtf? but harmless silliness par for the course in history-blind japan. let it be. tempest in a nazi bunker.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

It's really hard to judge this from the article. It's possible the creators made something hilarious based on a real familiarity with history and in an effort to provoke thought as well as laughter, along the lines of The Producers or Life of Brian. It's possible. I SAID IT'S POSSIBLE!

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Just some more tone-deafness from the undisputed champions in that area.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

So if this is so bad then does that mean Hogan's Heroes and the British comedy 'Allo 'Allo are also bad then. I think people are far too quick to be offended these days and then have the knee jerk reaction that this is some how related to the feelings of "all Japanese". Talk about absurd.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

How about an atomic bombing parody? A comedy in the aftermath in Hiromshima or Nagasaki?

This is not a manga about the gas chambers. The US did commit terrible acts such as dropping the two atomic bombs; but does that mean there should not be any parody of the US military? How about parodies of the cowboys and Indians?

And regarding CH, France pretends to be a champion of freedom of speech, but have a look at how their media and government have been treating the French comedian Dieudonne. They’re a bunch of hypocrites.

-24 ( +2 / -26 )

I'm a fan of anime and I'm quite surprised that it took this long to make it into the news. I mean their is an art booklet of all the horrible dictators in the world in "cute" anime moe form. Though pretty sure it never had any captions that went along with the art. Still this is pretty horrible and I hope the person who made this reads up on WWII before they make any more of this junk.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Nazis have been parodied for decades... and that's what it appears to be - a parody, send up, spoof... a joke. It isn't glorifying Nazis from what the article says.

This is a FAN ANIME, and has not been produced or sanctioned by any of the big anime houses... and since when have the actions of a few people represented Japan as a whole? Hmm?

0 ( +2 / -2 )

The British been !lampooning the Germans/WWII for decades.

Just watch Fawlty Towers, etc.

This appears to be a Doujinshi style publication ergo private and not for profit. Doujinshi are self-published and pretty much anything goes. Some Manga Artists even lampoon themselves.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

yes, anything goes as long as its not totally tasteless. the west has lampooned hitler-chan from the producers to springtime with hitler. its all in the intention and the execution. is it art? no its manga. let it be.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

why all the fuzz? the United States talks so proudly about freedom of speech yet when you make a joke they don't like or say the wrong thing they are afraid someone will be insulted and cry "oh no you can't say that it might hurt someones feelings!"

in Japan anime/manga and especially doujinshi just let them be.....people will like them and read or they will not like them and they will be ignored

4 ( +4 / -0 )

This and the idiotic pictures the Japanese made on twitter in response to the isis executions really shows how much they are removed from reality and the horrors of war. Treat war and autrocity as a joke? No wonder noone takes you, or your apologies seriously.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

"...they are afraid someone will be insulted..." @Jim McBride Who's they? Who's insulted? Has anyone actually seen this? I guess it's rubbish because most comic books are. But it could turn out to be another Maus. "...in Japan...just let them be..." Why let them be? Are "they" children? Why not just treat "them" like everyone else? If it turns out they made rubbish then we can call it rubbish. This isn't North Korea for heaven's sake.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This and the idiotic pictures the Japanese made on twitter in response to the isis executions really shows how much they are removed from reality and the horrors of war. Treat war and autrocity as a joke? No wonder noone takes you, or your apologies seriously.

Get over yourself.... Have you ever seen MASH? Hogan's Heroes? 'Allo, 'Allo? Britain was attacked by German bombers yet we still made comedies about it... and we still do. I don't see people moaning about turning the war into a joke here.

As for your last part... since when has a fan anime represented what the Japanese people think? You a mass mind reader with spooky powers?

1 ( +3 / -2 )

Vile, disgusting and beyond words insensitive. For those commenters who just shrug this off with an 'Aw shucks' attitude, and for the creators of this insult to those who suffered under the Nazis, I'd suggest asking a Czech, a Pole, a Russian,a Ukrainian or one of the few remaining survivors of the Nazi death camps how funny and harmless they think this is.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Surprising that a fan-made anime can become news, and generate such responses. I wonder if the creator was supported by someone that desired to spark an outcry.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

"...asking a Czech, a Pole, a Russian,a Ukrainian or one of the few remaining survivors of the Nazi death camps how funny and harmless they think this is."

Well, we can't know if it's funny or not until we see it. But Jews have been making hilarious comedy based on suffering, including the holocaust, for quite a long time. I don't know about Ukrainians. Plenty of people laugh at their own painful histories as a way of gaining power over them. However, if this is the idiocy that it's likely to be, then we'll want to call it that. Japanese media products don't have a great track record of being sophisticated or in touch with history, global views, or what's happening in the world in general. But I'll still keep an open mind. If it's not mindless garbage, I'll be pleasantly surprised.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I suppose nobody remembers Hetalia. Short memories.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Asakaze

I have not read anyone here saying the anime should be banned.

Look, the publishers can publish this dreck if they want -- free speech and all. And we can say its in very poor taste -- free speech and all.

Where did you get the idea that free speech means someone can say whatever they want, and we have to say nothing?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Anyone have a link to watch this "evil" anime?

1 ( +1 / -0 )

smithinjapan: To your comment about north korea, google kim jong style.

I come from old school thought: if something offends you, turn the flippin channel. If we banned everything people found offensive, nothing would be printed or on tv.

Lastly, anybody got a link to the videos? Not on YouTube yet.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Favourite scene from Life of Brian;

https://youtu.be/Ep9Vzb6R_58

Let's also not forget "Wholly Moses".

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Holy mother of god. I mean I am a huge otaku, I love, breath, life anime, cosplay, go to cons, and have my entire room filled with posters, figures, everything, but this is just disgusting. I like ecchi, harems, anime grills with big titties and ass, gory anime, cool action anime, but this...

Yuck. Bleck. Puke.

I love girls und panzer, strike witches,etc., but those are not offensive or glorify nazism in any way whatsoever. Same goes for Hetalia - Hetalia is hilarious and fun to cosplay! There is a reason almost every anime fan ever loves it XD

But this... this is just disgusting. God damn it. No words. Send them to auswitch for education.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

The British been !lampooning the Germans/WWII for decades.

It's dying out now. Most of the jokes about WWII were fine when most of the audience still remembered the war, both the privations of living in a war-torn land and fighting at the front and so forth. The Goons, Monty Python and so forth made a lot out of that. These days you have to spend so much time explaining things that the joke loses its relevance, just as with all satire.

It's one reason why I wonder if this series is likely to succeed. If this really is supposed to lampoon the Nazi establishment of the time, then I suspect that the joke may be lost or at least will be misinterpreted in order to actually make it funny to an audience that is likely to be a few generations away from ever being actually involved in it.

The trouble is that, given some of ol' Abe's views and supporters, the whole thing smacks of latent propaganda to me, trying to propagate the ideals of the Nazi pact and the people behind it to a new generation. That troubles me...

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

I come from old school thought: if something offends you, turn the flippin channel.

I am glad some courageous folks did not flip the channel during last WW2 when they got offended by Nazis and instead decide to do the right thing. I would rather say "your freedom exactly stop where mine does start".

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Tone deaf. Completely tone deaf to international, especially Western, sensibilities. Which may justify it to some as being too Occi-centric an objection. This is just wrong.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Citizen2012:

Please understand the difference between offence and injury. I can say you are a [insert word here]...just words. You can respond or walk away. Striking someone is different. Hitler physically harmed people. Colbert and Hebdo offend people. Big difference.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

This cartoon is an affront to those who laid down their lives to defeat fascism in WW2, and those who continue to struggle against it in present day Japan

1 ( +1 / -0 )

It never ceases to amaze me how posters will find ways of relating the work or actions of an individual or group into an attack on the Japanese. I can only assume that it's a form of homesickness. I don't think the cartoon's subject is tasteful but it's a parody and anyway, I'm to old to watch cartoons.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"Fan-made"… Fan of what exactly…?!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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