"The Host" vs. "Patlabor"??

The Korean blockbuster moster/action movie "The Host" was released in Japan yesterday, and the Japanese blogosphere started to flare up on the topic of "striking similarities" between its star monster Gwoemul and "Waste No. 13" from "WXIII Patlabor" (2002), the third feature length Japanese animation movie of the popular "Patlabor" series.

The topic started in a Korean blog.  See the visual comparison here, and the character/story similarities are;

Waste No. 13

1. A secret biochemical weapon made by the US military escaped to become the monster
2. Anti-US message is included
3. Some battles take place in sewers
4. After all, the monster gets burned to death

Gwoemul

1. A biochemical waste of the US military caused the birth of the moster
2. Anti-US message is included
3. Some battles take place in sewers
4. After all, the monster gets burned to death

These people fume that director Bong Joon-ho copied this famous anime character without explicitly saying it, but some people respond they are not that similar, and that these claimers are driven by anti-Korean sentiment.  So far, there is no press coverage or official comments on this point.

I remember seeing a "moster in sewage" created by Russian nuclear waste (or something) in X-Files as well, and it seems to me that this type of monster story is pretty easy to come up with - just a common idea, nothing more.

Source:  Itai News, enjoy Korea

Patlabor series:  "WXIII", "Patlabor", "Patlabor 2" - all Region 1

Comments

[efxyob mjldtsi]

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[lenny]

I love patlabor. There's even a stamp series from Japan post
http://japansugoi.com/wordpress/patlabor-anime-stamps-from-japan/

[Voidditiamera]

I was exactly looking for something like that. I can get boistrous with my confusing observer I have a nice joke. What's a chimney sweep's most common ailment? The flue.

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[Arcturian]

It doesn't seem to me that the similarities between the two films are too close to be just coincidence as some have said. I think that the four similarities cited on this page are quite general and common to a lot of fiction (as some people have already pointed out). I think, for example, the terrible American movie 'C.H.U.D.' ('cannibalistic humanoid underground dwellers') shares all of these similarities as well.

1. A biochemical waste of the US military caused the birth of the moster [a U.S. chemical company or something dumps waste in the sewers of New York, pretty close]

2. Anti-US message is included [an anti-American corporations/political/police message in CHUD]

3. Some battles take place in sewers [the majority of CHUD stay in the sewers and people fight them there]

4. After all, the monster gets burned to death [all of the CHUDs get burned to death when people fill sewers with gas and light it].

[G_man]

映?を見なかったまま捏造を食事するようにしますね.
この文を書いたブルログ主人丈の言葉. ?用する人?がいて憂慮していますね

http://bbs.enjoykorea.jp/tbbs/read.php?board_id=tmovie&nid=94251&st=writer_id&sw=okehazama

http://bbs.enjoykorea.jp/tbbs/read.php?board_id=panimation&page=18&nid=55642

http://kr.img.dc.yahoo.com/b7/data/movie1/mail.jpg (anicapsule)

初めにその文を書いた意?で完全に?してしまっていますね....
私も錯?ですね..
しかし私がどんな媒?に寄稿した文でもなくて
あくまでも個人ブルログだったから深く思うことができgようだずに
その文を?用する人?がいることもできるという考えをすることができなかったことが
最大の間違いだったようです.

[G_man]

HI JAPANAESE!^^
http://bbs.enjoykorea.jp/tbbs/read.php?board_id=tmovie&nid=94251&st=writer_id&sw=okehazama

http://bbs.enjoyjapan.naver.com/tbbs/read.php?board_id=panimation&page=18&nid=55642

[Michi]

Chris, thanks for the insight. Yes, "Japan Probe" sight referred to my blog, and the stuff is quite interesting to read. As you say, I have to watch both movies to determine myself, too, and I just have "Patlabor" from Netflix. I hope I will have a chance to see "The Host" too. And by the way, I am looking forward to watching "Guardian" to find out the "relationships" with "Umizaru".

[Chris]

Now here is an interesting article. Good snag, Michi!!!

It is interesting to read about some of the controversy as well as the reactions to the South Korean film "The Host". For those people who are interested in knowing more about the apparent inspiration for the film's story, I suggest you point your browser over to this site:

http://www.usinkorea.org/2nd/environment/2000/dumping.html

At the US in Korea (www.usinkorea.org) website, you can read about how an American contractor at the US military base in Seoul supposedly polluted the Han River by dumping some 20 gallons of formaldehyde. This amount is a mere pitance when one considers how many thousands of tons of waste that gets dumped into the Han River each year by Koreans themselves. I have some experience with the subject since I was stationed at Yongsan Garrison in Seoul for over four years and a half years.

James over at his excellent blog, Japan Probe, shows the visual comparisons between "The Host" and "Patlabor". Here's the link:

http://www.japanprobe.com/?p=480

I'm assuming that the pictures James uses in his blog are from the same South Korean website that you provide a link to in your entry. I'll have to go over and check it out.

Without having seen either film, I'd have to agree with James' conclusion. On the surface, the similarities are just too close to dismiss as being a coincidence.

Chris
Fort Hood, TX

[Michi]

Good point, Ed. As you say, what is unfortunately too common anywhere in the world is environmental and military pollution - and it makes sense that it takes a similar form of monsters in movie directors' mind.

[ed]

"My monster can beat up your monster"??

Thanks for the heads-up, Michi. Dir. Bong mentioned a real life incident of chemical dumping in Korea, as one of the things inspiring his story. Of course when movie travels to different parts of Asia, we can always count on local interpretations (among them various strains of nationalism, ugh!) For example, in Hong Kong press the SARS epidemic was supposedly cited by Bong as an inspiration too (though HK press are notorious for putting words in peoples' mouths.) At any rate, I don't know why anybody in any country would be proud to claim first dibs on "creating" environmental pollution - which is after all the monsters symbolize.