A robotic cat travels back in time to help a bullied boy; a little ninja befriends a lazy, stubborn kid and protects him from pranksters; frog-like aliens on a failed mission to conquer Earth — welcome to the world of Doraemon, Ninja Hattori and Sergeant Keroro, Japanese anime characters who have not only invaded almost every home but learnt to speak and eat desi too!

Children, adolescents and even their parents in Jharkhand are routinely tuning in to watch Nobita Nobi and his “udta robo” (flying robot) and “shararat se bhara (mischievous), pyara pyara (cute)” Shin-chan, who loves biryani and hates Shimla mirch (capsicums).

That’s not all. In the dubbed versions, Japanese characters often break into Bolly hits. Sample this: a kid in the pool singing out loud Thande thande paani se…

Shin-chan and Doraemon were among the first Japanese animations to be aired on Indian television, giving rise to a whole new cartoon cult.

Hungama beams them in Hindi and several regional languages. Channel authorities say that of 112 million people, 33 million aged four to 14, tune into Doraemon across India. Of the 34 million kids watching cartoons in India every week, more than half watch Doraemon.

Channels, eager to cash in, have lined up new shows. While Hungama has Tokyo Pigs and Ninja Warriors coming soon, Disney XD has launched Digimon, and Pogo has started airing a new series, Mojacko, about a boy who makes friends with two aliens. Animax has announced a new season of Sergeant Keroro from end-April.

“Japanese cartoons have universal appeal. The stories cut across generations and nations. They show kids balancing the pressures of home and school, often with help from supernatural forces,” said Devika Prabhu, programming director at Kids Network, Disney UTV.

Jharkhandis don’t agree fully with Prabhu, but they can’t ignore the Japanese animes either, though not all parents are fans.

“Shows such as Tom and Jerry, Scooby Doo are better. The Hindi versions of Japanese animes are weird, but my son asks me to watch along,” Jamshedpur-based Rakhee Das, mother of Sumit, a Class V student of KPS, Kadma, said.

Nayonika Chattoraj of Ranchi goes a step further. She feels her son Rishabh (7), first grader in Cambrian Public School, is getting spoilt. “Chhota Bheem is better than Japanese animes for its values. I want a ban on these animations as they spoil kids. Shin-chan Nohara, only five, does not obey his parents and upsets his mother. When I scold my son, he retorts ‘don’t behave like Shin-chan’s mom,” fumed the homemaker.

Rishabh disagrees. “I love Shin-chan, Doaremon, Mojacko. They’re fun,” he grins.

Ranchi banker Chitra Bajpayee says Shin-chan is an absolute no-no. “He’s offensive.”

Her son Atul, first grader of DAV Gandhinagar School, is in a fix. After some prodding, he blurted: “I don’t like Shin-chan. Whenever I’m naughty my mother tells me I’m Shin-chan.”

But Jamshedpur boy Harshal Agarwal, a DBMS English school sixth grader, is defiant. Shin-chan is funny. I love Doraemon. Ninja Hattori is nice. I like his friendship with Kenichi.”

Why do you like/dislike anime? Tell ttkhand@abpmail.com