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Controversial cartoon coming to America
December 18, 1997 --American TV executives are hoping to duplicate the
success, but not the side effects, of a Japanese cartoon based on a
Nintendo game that recently made international headlines when it sent more
than 700 viewers to hospital.
Summit Media, the U.S. distributor of the animated series Pokemon
(Pocket Monsters), hopes to find buyers in the syndication market and have
it ready for broadcast this fall. An episode of Pokemon,
aired December 16th on 37 Japanese stations, induced convulsions, vomiting
and spasms in viewers from the ages of three to 58.
Further broadcasts of the show have been cancelled, and video copies
have been pulled from rental store shelves.
The phenomena labelled "videogame epilepsy" or "light
epilepsy" is being blamed for the intense reactions of Pokemon
fans. First documented in 1952 in the U.S., it is believed to be
caused by the viewing of bright flashes at a distance of 2 metres or less,
and by colourful and repetitive explosions. While mainly associated with
television, it can also be occur at amusement arcades or in
environments featuring fluorescent lights.
Animation and comic book writer Toshio Okada told reporters that Japanese
cartoons need "intense concentration to be understood", and that
it is common in Japanese homes to watch television from less than a metre
away. In the episode in question, Pokemon characters are
depicted as fighting inside a computer. A "vaccine bomb"
is set off to kill a computer virus, and is followed by 5 seconds of
flashing red light in the eyes of one of the characters.
Pokemon will be introduced at next month's National Association of
Television Program Executives convention in New Orleans. Al Khan,
CEO of 4 Kids Entertainment (a division of Summit) says, "We're
comfortable it won't be a problem. We've taken the problem seriously
and fixed it". Peggy Charren of the advocacy group Action for
Children's Television dismissed the cartoon as "animated junk".
In Japan, TV Tokyo is considering compensation for the Pokemon
seizure victims. Program producer Takemoto Mori said, "I'm
really sorry that the kids got sick watching their favourite
cartoon."
Sources: Globe and
Mail, December 18, 1997, Ottawa
Citizen, December 18, 1997
This Article is taken from The
Media Awareness Network
LINKS
500
people sickened by TV animation in Japan, December 16, 1997
The
Photosensitivity FAQ for answers to frequently asked questions on this Donovan's
Page on Pokemon Seizure including the Video Clip on Real Video you can
download
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