US Military publishes Moe Manga....

[generator_g1]

Clicky...some links on page NSFW

The US military has issued a charming moe manga in an effort to win over Japanese sceptical of the value of an alliance costing them billions of dollars and the virginity of countless schoolgirls.
Aside from pressing base-related PR reasons which forced the last Japanese Prime Minister to resign after he broke his promise to the people of Okinawa to relocate a particularly hated US base, the manga celebrates the 50 years which have elapsed since Japan was elevated from colony to puppet.
The story covers rabbit-eared American boy Usa-kun as he “protects” a Japanese household from such pressing threats as cockroaches, whilst explaining the details of the alliance, all published freely online:

Website

[Kanastrous]

I guess rabbits aren't associated with timidity in Japanese culture. Or maybe they are and this was just a plain weird choice for a character to represent a military...

[open_sketchbook]

Heh. I scrolled through the pages quickly; the picture of the soldier in the construction helmet with what I can only discribe as the world's cutest Patriot battery had me giggling.

[montypython]

I guess rabbits aren't associated with timidity in Japanese culture. Or maybe they are and this was just a plain weird choice for a character to represent a military...

If you ever have the chance to read or see 'Cat Shit One' (aka 'Apocalypse Meow'), it wouldn't seem so strange an idea.

[Kanastrous]

I've read Usagi Yojimbo...

[ZGundam]

And of course....

USAGI - USA GI hence bunny americans in Cat Shit One

[AniThyng]

Heh. I scrolled through the pages quickly; the picture of the soldier in the construction helmet with what I can only discribe as the world's cutest Patriot battery had me giggling.

If nothing else, Advance Wars (the GBA/DS game series) demonstrates that one can very effectively moe-fy even the deadliest combat vehicles. The M1's were just so adorable ^^

This isn't the first time the USA has played the manga gambit - they did do a more 'realistically' styled manga about aircraft carriers back when the replacement for JFK (or was it kitty hawk) was in question.

[Admiral Valdemar]

Kawaii. Don't get ANY of it, but very cute.

[Dragon Angel]

Well, I think I've found my new avatar somewhere in there...

But yes, this is very cute! I don't doubt that someone is bound to translate this in the near future.

[Shinova]

And of course....

USAGI - USA GI hence bunny americans in Cat Shit One

Crap I never realized that! LOL!!!

[Edward Yee]

Strangely I recognize the art style as already having been used for "Mari-tan" (imagine the USMC version but spouting Gunnery Sergeant Hartman lines)...

Oh, and Cat Shit One, the 2010 remake. (Having watched the first episode though, it's too bad that it just seems so... "thematically Japanese," if that makes any sense.)

[Skgoa]

So, anyone seen a (scan)lation yet? Also, a link to the carrier manga would be nice.

[adam_grif]

Well it's nice that they're going the propaganda route to maintain an alliance this time, instead of just dropping some nukes.

[Kanastrous]

Aw, we didn't drop the nukes to maintain the alliance, we dropped them to get it rolling.

[Stark]

Hearts and minds, twenty years too late?

[une]

I read this, although the text pieces were very difficult, it's pretty poor in terms of propaganda, IMO.

[XaLEv]

It's not just the same style, there are two Maritan characters in it, Army-san and Jiei-tan. Apparently the military worked with the people behind the Maritan franchise to make this thing.

[Edward Yee]

So it's actual collaboration? That's smarter than I ever expected of Big Army.

[Ilya Muromets]

I guess rabbits aren't associated with timidity in Japanese culture. Or maybe they are and this was just a plain weird choice for a character to represent a military...

From what I've heard, in modern Japanese culture "ridiculously cute" isn't apparently as manliness threatening as it may be in others. IIRC, there are even recruitment posters with mascots just as ridiculously cute as the ones in that link.

[Sea Skimmer]

From what I've heard, in modern Japanese culture "ridiculously cute" isn't apparently as manliness threatening as it may be in others. IIRC, there are even recruitment posters with mascots just as ridiculously cute as the ones in that link.

This is a JMSDF recruiting add.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjAXJaFydwM

A rabbit with the power of blond hair is a psychopathic killing machine in comparison.

[darthdavid]

For those that don't get the joke; the Japanese love making puns in more than one language, usagi is Japanese for rabbit, Usa-kun would be a fairly obvious nickname for a boy named Usagi (though how common Usagi is as a name for males I wouldn't hazard a guess at) and of course Usa = USA. The bunny ears just add to the effect...

[Setzer]

Hearts and minds, twenty years too late?

You can always count on America to do the right thing, after all other options have been exhausted.

[Kanastrous]

^ I think I might sig that, if you don't mind.

[Admiral Valdemar]

I doubt he will, so long as you credit Churchill with it.

[Ford Prefect]

Oh, and Cat Shit One, the 2010 remake. (Having watched the first episode though, it's too bad that it just seems so... "thematically Japanese," if that makes any sense.)

No, that makes precisely zero sense.