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China ripping off Pokemon, Digimon and Naruto in new show photo

China's state-run TV station China Central Television is airing a new show for kids that manages to plagiarize Pokémon, Digimon and Naruto in one big shameless faux-anime package. The cartoon is all about dinosaurs and it "borrows" its plot and character designs from established Japanese creations.

This isn't the first time that China has stolen Japanese ideas. Two notable animations, Crayon Shin-chan and 5 Centimeters Per Second, have been reworked for China with no permission given by the original creators. This is just something that happens in a country that ironically will sue other people for stealing its text fonts. 

China Central Television refuses to acknowledge a problem, stating this is an issue to take up with the animation company and not them, even though they're happily airing it. What's more, a CCTV spokesman won't even admit that the cartoon is plagiarized, going so far as to insult anybody who implies such a thing. 

"This is a rip off?," claimed a spokesman. "What's being called a rip? What's being called a copy? Please think first, then talk."

How can it even be denied that this is stolen? Look at the above header. I have seen some of those dinosaurs in Digimon with my own eyes! Japan should bite back by stealing some great original Chinese entertainment ... I mean, as soon as China's government allows original Chinese entertainment to exist.


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38 comments | showing # 1 to 38

TheLegendaryMan's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:03
TheLegendaryMan
GODDAMIT Jim i was gona cover this story first.
YOu where fast but next time you will not be that lucky.
Chronic Logic's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:07
Chronic Logic
Damn those Chinese, gonna have to chalk up plagarism to their list of evil deeds.
Br0th3rGr1mm's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:11
Br0th3rGr1mm
What are they going to do? Sue them? I think Japans days of invading China every other decade is long gone....
Magnalon's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:13
Magnalon
Fixed:

"This is a rip off?," claimed a spokesman. "What's being called a rip? What's being called a copy? We have nukes aimed at Japan! Please think first, then talk."
Gene Eric's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:16
Gene Eric
Damn Chinese. They can never be as creative to the Japanese so they rip off them and yet they have the nerve to claim the Japanese did atrocities in WWII and be butthurt about it.
PreacherMan89's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:20
PreacherMan89
Wow, how stupid.
Naim Master's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:24
Naim Master
OMG! Does that mean they have electricity in there now?
grasslunatic's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:25
grasslunatic
Damn Communists.
Gene Eric's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:27
Gene Eric
The Chinese are possibly the scumbag nation of the earth, second only to North Korea. I keep wondering why are nations trying to do business with them instead of blowing them to Kingdom Come
MuddBstrd's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:28
MuddBstrd
Not really surprised. The Chinese have been ripping off everything everyone else produces for a while now. For example, its common practice for Chinese research scientists to re-do experiments published in American and international scientific journals and publish the data and experiment as their own idea in a Chinese scientific journal. This would be a problem except for the fact that no one ever reads Chinese scientific journals. Not even the Chinese.
Jon B's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:34
Jon B
Yech, look at all that white space. Someone needs a better graphics designer.
Timmeh's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:35
Timmeh
China rips off just about everything. I guess the Japanese will just have to console themselves with living in a country that isn't as godawful as China.
CelicaCrazed's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:35
CelicaCrazed
Pokemon, Digimon and Naruto??

*starts looking for subs*
Everyday Legend's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:42
Everyday Legend
Lame. Sauce. Special.

That's China's M.O., though - take something richly detailed and preexisting, and then make a watered-down bastardization of the original work made for 1/12 of the cost it took to create the original work. I've seen Chinese animation, and it can be summed up in two words: lens flare.
Spiderpope's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:47
Spiderpope
I've never even seen a full episode of Digimon, let alone Naruto(?) but even i recognise that orange dinosaur thing as being a direct lift from Digimon.
Markusdragon's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 11:59
Markusdragon
A "CCTV spokesman" sounds like a bloke standing in front of a security camera.
Milis's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 12:03
Milis
I like to call this piece throw random anime characters into a show for a poor attempt at Chinese dominance of a Japanese market.
killatia's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 12:10
killatia
Pathetic
Patriot SE's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 12:16
Patriot SE
This actually isn't that surprising for China to do.

They have never been able to innovate for a lot of reasons, chiefly among them the communist governmnet restricting a lot of the rights that enable new ideas.

With technology, they have always been copiers and not innovators...this is just more of the same.
protomark's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 12:21
protomark
communism :D
Los255's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 12:29
Los255
""This is a rip off?," claimed a spokesman. "What's being called a rip? What's being called a copy? Please think first, then talk."

LOL FAIL

That spokesman clearly feels insulted.
thenooby1's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 12:38
thenooby1
What is everyone bitching about? Pokemon AND Digimon AND Naruto? Sounds pretty epic to me.
TewDee's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 12:52
TewDee
@thenooby1 - Sounds pretty fucking stupid.
Everyday Legend's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 13:05
Everyday Legend
@ Los 255
No, they sound like their entire family will be thrown feetfirst into a set of happy-dragon woodchippers if he were to speak a single syllable against the mighty government's choice of entertainment plagarism. Welcome to China, where 8 million people become homeless because a ghetto is unsightly and the Olympics need to look good for the rest of the world. People get run over with tanks in China. The Dalai Lama is condsidered a terrorist because he will fight you and win with the power of intelligent, thoughtful discourse.

This is not the only country in the world who does fucked up things, nearly every country's leadership is guilty of something at some level. But that place is run by the biggest set of crazies since...well, take your pick.
Smokey899's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 13:13
Smokey899
@Gene Eric - The Chinese government really is scummy on a massive number of levels, but the Japanese most certainly did commit massive atrocities, denying that is holocaust denial level stupid/crazy, getting butthurt about things like Nanking is completely justified.
Cowboy TTop's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 13:19
Cowboy TTop
Nothing to see here. Japanese studios should worry too much. Chinese studios are so limited that they'll do this kind of thing indesperation. Thing is, kids are more clued up these days, and they know a dodge copy from the real McCoy.

This show will only be popular in China, as no sane person would touch it or watch it.

Its a real shame that any talented chinese animators/artists etc, have their talents being wasted pushing out this crap, instead of doing something they can call their own.
Midgetsnowman's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 13:41
Midgetsnowman
pretty much. Art is almost pointless if you cant call it your own.
darkforest's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 13:50
darkforest
So it looks like they are developing a broad spectrum of industries and climbing up the value ladder.

Sure this is the butt of jokes now. But in a few decades, just as none of you seem to know that the exact same bashing and sneers of shoddiness and copycats were applied to everything Japanese back in the 60's, no one will believe the tall tales of irresponsible China told by the then old guys like us.

Now go bash some more.
ace of knaves's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 15:20
ace of knaves
Wait, the ones on the right are from the actual show? Are you kidding me? They didn't even change anything! They couldn't have made that Digimon green or something? Even people who knowingly plagiarize would think this is ridiculous.
shogunu's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 16:54
shogunu
I'm torn apart, i don't know if i should rip China for being dumb-asses or cheering them because those shows suck!
B-Radicate's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 18:05
B-Radicate
Isn't that orange t-rex lookin' thing with horns THE digimon? That's like the only one I ever saw in promos for that show after Fox went all anime-happy a few years back.
tirkaro's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 18:18
tirkaro
lolchina
milo128's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 18:50
milo128
Where's the yu-gi-oh type cards?
Trust's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/14/2009 23:40
Trust
Is this Maple Story?
Rock Handsome's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/15/2009 01:44
Rock Handsome
i'm pretty sure this is how the nuclear apocalypse in fallout 3 starts.
WarZombie's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/15/2009 02:19
WarZombie
Wow, not only is this a rip, but they didn't even bother changing the colors or anything. There is just zero shame here, and to deny that is being really ignorant or just having to say what you need to say to keep your job, because the government always has it's watchful eyes on you. It must suck not just for the Japanese animator getting their work ripped off, but for the Chinese animator that is forced to do this because of the higher-ups making them do it.
DGX Goggles's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/15/2009 12:59
DGX Goggles
@Smokey899
I don't agree with the guy you're responding to entirely, but the problem with what you're saying is that the butthurt over Nanking is justified. I'd agree that people who suffered directly from those atrocities or indirectly is justified, but the people who usually b***h the most about that are the same kids and childish adults who have no problem taking advantage of fellow Chinese, buying Japanese luxury products, etc. They just want someone to blame and hate, because they're simpleminded.
NateT's Avatar - Comment posted on 09/16/2009 16:22
NateT
When I went to school in China, I was in a convenience store on campus when a guy walked in with his friend and had a conversation that went something like this:

A: Man I am hungry. I want some cookies.
B: Why don't you get this big pack? They are really good.
A: I don't want to bring them home. When my roommates see them they all go Commie, and my cookies become Communal Cookies.

This story is the same concept on a bigger scale.

BTW, You have to admire the Chinese for their rip off efficiency. They did not just take one series, but combined a few into one. Now that's value! :D
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