A robotic cat that travels back in time to help a bullied boy; a little ninja who 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 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.

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…

Fans admit that the translation is poor and the Hindi dialogues often jar, but say that it only adds to the fun. “In one episode, Shin-chan and his family were planning to go out for dinner and his mother said, ‘Let’s go and have biryani’. That sounded so silly!” laughed Mohan Rajagopal, a Class V student at La Martiniere for Boys.

“But Shin-chan is my favourite. I find it incredibly funny. The dubbing often doesn’t match, especially Hindi songs in a Japanese setting or the mention of Indian food, but I can watch them over and over. I prefer them to Tom and Jerry,” said Mohan, proud owner of Ninja Hattori pencils.

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 now beams them in Hindi and several regional languages. According to the channel authorities, 112 million people, 33 million of them 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 a universal quality. The stories cut across generations and nations. They are simple and celebrate universal values such as friendship. They show kids balancing the pressures of home and school, often with help from supernatural forces to keep afloat. It’s wish fulfilment for all,” said Devika Prabhu, director of programming at Kids Network, Disney UTV.

Loyalties in Debdeep Sen’s class are split, but the boys can’t do without their daily diet of anime. “We all have our personal favourites. Doraemon and Mojacko are the best loved. Many of us have Doraemon T-shirts, pencil boxes and other accessories,” said the Class VI student at St. Xavier’s School, Durgapur.

Sarah and Aaron have their mother for company while watching Doraemon. “I watch the cartoons with my five-year-old daughter and three-year-old son and find them a huge stress-buster. They are stories of people like us, only rendered in a funny way. Why must kids be subjected to fairytales, larger-than-life characters and stories with morals all the time?” said homemaker Suvashree Dutta Rebello.

Not all parents are anime fans, though. “The characters scream and shout at each other. The language is bad, full of grammatical errors and kids learn that,” said Sherin Ryan, a clinical psychologist and mother of two.

Agneesh Ray, a Class III student at Cambridge International School, finds some characters “quite strange” and with “shrill voices”. Other common grouses are lack of continuity and the same episodes being repeated. “I hate it when I have to keep watching the same adventure,” Agneesh said.

Channel representatives insist not much is lost in translation and that the use of “colloquial English” is deliberate.

But so what if Shin-chan loves biryani rather than sashimi? The kid brigade can’t have enough of him. “The Japanese cartoons make me happy,” summed up Mainak Sarkar of Class V, La Martiniere for Boys.

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