There was an interesting commentary on the point about the similarities between Gwoemul, the monster in Korean film "The Host", and Waste No. 13 in Japanese anime "WXIII Patlabor", on a Japanese-language Korean journal Chosunilbo.
The reporter says that while the backgrounds of the monsters are rather common ideas, the visual similarities are so powerful, and the issue may linger to people's mind for a long time.
The designer of Gwoemul says he combined all the creepy-looking creatures in the water, but the process to create a totally new life form was such a difficult task, and he was pushed to the verge of losing his mind at times. Director Bong Joon-ho selected the design of the monster among 2000 models created over 2 years and 6 months period.
The hard-and-cold fact is that no matter how hard you try, there is almost no escape from looking like one of thousands of Japanese monsters already created. Stemming from several centuries-old yokai (monster) literature/art tradition, Japan has produced numerous monster movies and TV dramas since 1950's. Korean camp, on the other hand, does not have such tradition and skills, and the challenge of "The Host" was enormous.
The reporter points out that the only monster character in recent films that escaped this Japanese monster curse was "Alien", and the Korean film industry should be aware that they have a long way to go from the international point of view, without being complacent with the success of "The Host" domestically.
The production studio of "The Host" is dismissing the issue as an anti-Korean slur and has not made any official comment, but they seem to be concerned about the less-than-expected box office activities in Japan, according to this article. Despite the relatively low revenue, in "Eigaseikatsu" user rating, "The Host" gets more tha 75 points and the viewers' reviews are generally good.
Another twist to add here is that although "Patlabor" series is one of the best Japanese animations, in terms of both quality and popularity, "WXIII" is considered less-than-standard piece among fans, not being directed by Mamoru Oshii, judging from the various net discussions. So the sentiment among people who claim that Gwoemul is a copy cat, or rather a copy monster, is not so enthusiastic.
All in all, it looks like the common sense and mature behavior of press and fans, such as this Korean reporter, will settle the problem down and fortunately, it does not look to get out of control.
Source: Chosunilbo, Eigaseikatsu
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