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Squirrel and Hedgehog

Squirrel and Hedgehog

Part of a series on North Korea. [View Related Entries]

Updated Aug 02, 2019 at 03:22PM EDT by 3kole5.

Added Aug 02, 2019 at 02:44PM EDT by 3kole5.

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About

Squirrel and Hedgehog, also known as Brave Soldiers in English, is a North Korean animated series created by SEK Studio in 1977. Centering on the inhabitants of Flower Hill and their attempts to defend it from the Weasel Empire, it has been a popular cartoon series in the country, though has been noted by the western world for its gratuitous violence, anti-American propaganda and nationalism, and its English dub featuring voice actors such as Dan Green and Mike Pollock. The series has also received

Premise

The story centers on Geumsaegi and Juldarami, two golden squirrels who live in the town of Flower Hill, and their attempts alongside the other townsfolk to defend their home from the evil Weasel Empire. The show's characters are seen by many as an allegory for North Korea and its enemies, such as the squirrels as soldiers and citizens, hedgehogs as leadership, and weasels as South Korea and Japan.

History

The series was produced by SEK Studio starting in 1977. Prior to creating the series, they had created films such as the anti-USA propaganda film Time Bomb, animated films based on Korean fairy tales, and the animated series Clever Raccoon Dog which focused on subjects such as road safety and scientific information. Over a period of 35 years, 32 episodes were produced with a notable gap in time in which a new episode hadn't aired between 1983 and 1997. The series has stopped airing new episodes since 2012 and reruns have not been broadcast since 2013.

An English dub of the first 26 episodes was released by Italian production company Mondo TV titled Brave Soldiers, which featured voice talent such as Dan Green and Mike Pollock, and edits out aspects such as North Korean propaganda, though it remains to be seen if the other remaining episodes will be dubbed.

Reception

On IMDb, the show has received a 4.6/10 rating from 89 users.

Writing for The Daily Dot, Sherry Tucci described the series as "Breaking Bad as a cartoon."

Lt. Vixen

Officer Yeou, also known as Lt. Vixen is a female fox character aligned with the Wolf Unit within the second season of the show. Seen by some as an allegory for the deceptive nature of US women, the character has also garnered popularity with furries especially.

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Nox Lucis
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Nox Lucis

I forget where I read this and all the specifics of it, but it was explained somewhere that there is a values dissonance at play here where the North Koreans idealize mildness, temperance, and subservience as national heroic traits and a part of their self-conception as a wholesome yet vulnerable people in need of protection against a world of evil. This is in play in Squirrel and Hedgehog in how the heroes are cast and also in the villains, who are meant as perverse, disorderly savages. This doesn't translate well as it's presented to western audiences, to whom the heroes come off as puny and desperate while the villains are fun, sexy, and kind of badass.

I haven't seen Squirrel and Hedgehog firsthand, so take all that with a grain of salt. What I seem to recall just happens to strike me as interesting enough to mention.

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