Doraemon Test ESS Special: Seeking a Constructive Future in an Unstable World

Presentation: Doraemon Test ESS Special

First of all, I want to say something important.

Uh, I was planning to talk primarily about the spirit of fraternity, but regarding the unstable situation of the war in Iran, I changed the topic dramatically to this adorable character, Doraemon.

I changed it yesterday night.

So hello, and thank you for having me here.

This will be—and should be—a presentation about a constructive topic, but I know mine is a bit different. I will give you some quizzes about this character, Doraemon. So please feel relaxed, and I hope you enjoy it.

First of all, let me introduce myself.

I'm a first-year student at this university. I was living in the countryside until I turned 18, which means it has been only one year since I came to Tokyo. For a long period of time, my wish was to come to Tokyo because, as a student who was born at the edge of this country, Tokyo was a very, very attractive place. This is why I came and entered this university, and to be honest, I really enjoy my life in Tokyo.

I joined many clubs, including this ESS club, the art club, and Waseda University’s Doraemon Researchers’ Club. I would like to talk about this topic: the Doraemon Researchers’ Club.

Since its establishment in 2005 at Waseda University, the Doraemon Researchers’ Club has been a place for university students to share information about the beloved character. Many of the students come from other universities, such as Keio University, Gakushuin University, Sophia University, and so on.

One of the main activities of this club is to create Doraemon tests in three different levels: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. From this year, we will launch another version of the test for English students or English speakers, and I will be involved in creating this new level. So, I need to practice English a lot harder this year.

This is my job.

The advanced version of the test is very, very challenging. No one could pass the advanced version of this exam last year, even though many people who were thought to be masters of the series flocked to the university. I'm a big fan of Doraemon’s personality, and I spent a lot of time watching Doraemon movies, watching animes, and reading comic books; but even so, I took only 15 points out of 100, which means I need four times that to pass this exam. It was pathetic, you know. Today, I want to present to you the English version of the Doraemon test, from very easy questions to challenging questions. So, I will give you some quizzes. Please have fun.

First of all, I will give you T/F questions, which means you should answer whether the presented information is true or not. I will give you five seconds for each question. You don't need to answer aloud. Of course, if you want, you can say it aloud, but keep it in your mind. Some of the questions are very difficult. So, don't be disappointed if you cannot answer properly.

So, here's the first question.

Doraemon is a Virgo. Is it true or not?

The answer is True. Doraemon is a Virgo.

Virgo is the zodiac sign for those who were born between August 23rd and September 22nd. Doraemon was born on September 3rd. This means Doraemon is a Virgo, and personally, I'm a Gemini because I was born in June.

Next question:

Doraemon: Nobita’s Dinosaur was released alongside a Godzilla movie. Is it true or not?

The answer is True.

At the time, for most Japanese movie companies, it was a very common thing to screen children's anime alongside other topics. In reality, in 1981, when the second Doraemon movie was released, it was released alongside a Kaibutsukun movie. In 1983, the movie was released alongside Pa-man and Ninja Hattori-kun movies. So, the very first version of the Doraemon series was released alongside a Godzilla movie. Look at the photo on the right side here. Both Godzilla, Mothra, and Doraemon were shown on the very same ticket. So, it is true.

How about 2003? The 2003 Doraemon movie was released alongside a Pokemon movie. Is it true or not?

The answer is No.

Satoshi is not a "wind master" but a Pokemon master. So, it's a very different story.

Question number four. Look at this character; she’s cute and is a very adorable character. She has a yellow color and a red ribbon. Doraemon has a sibling, right?

Do you think Suneo does not have any siblings? Is it true or not?

The answer is False. Suneo has a sibling. He has a younger brother, and he is living right now in the US.

This is question number five.

Shizuka owns a dog named Pero. Is it true or not?

The answer is True. And it's very interesting that she has some pets: a dog named Pero and a canary named Piiko, but sometimes the canary changed to a parrot for no good reason. In the US version of Doraemon, Piiko was renamed "Sunny" because I think for US citizens, "Piiko" is not a name that sounds familiar. The same thing also happened to many different characters; for example, Shizuka was renamed "Sue."

This one is very challenging, and it's also like a mathematics question.

Since a new movie has been released annually since 1980, except for 2021 because of COVID-19, the 2026 film is the 46th Doraemon movie. Is it true or not?

The answer is Incorrect. Because in 2005, there was also no Doraemon movie. There is a 3D animated feature-length movie called Stand By Me Doraemon, but there were two movies released in 2014 and 2020 respectively. So, even if you want to include these kinds of Doraemon movies, it will not be the 46th or 47th movie. So, that's the answer.

This is the last question for Part 1.

Question 7: Doraemon was banned in Bangladesh. Is it true or not?

True. There was a certain reason at the time. In 2013, there was only the Hindi-dubbed Doraemon anime, and all Bangladeshi children watched Doraemon in Hindi. The Bangladeshi government thought that it would hinder the improvement of the Bengali language. So, they decided not to air the movie or Doraemon anime at all in Bangladesh. So, it was banned, but after that, since 2014, Bangladesh started allowing the Doraemon animation because the copyright owner decided to create a Bengali version of Doraemon as well.

This is the end of part one, and we are going to part two. Part two consists of multiple-choice questions. I will give you a question and four choices for each. So, you will guess which one is true.

First, number 8:

What was Dekisugi’s initial surname? A: Uesugi, B: Takeda, C: Akechi, or D: Oda. Those four family names sound quite familiar to you because they were the main warriors during the Sengoku period in 16th-century Japan. Can you guess the correct answer?

The answer is C.

Look at this picture on the left side. You can see Nobita explicitly called him Akechi. In September 1979, he appeared in the manga version of the series for the first time, and at the time, his name was Akechi. But from the next month, his name changed to Dekisugi.

Number 9. She is Nobita’s mother.

What is her maiden name? A: Hatoyama, B: Takaoka, C: Nagatsuma, or D: Maehara.

B is the correct answer.

I think it's a very easy question for those who are familiar with Japanese politics. When Nobita's mother accidentally bumped into her future husband, she left behind her train pass where her name was written. Look at the four choices. Three out of four options are ministers of the DPJ government. So, I think if you know the DPJ government, it’s a very, very easy question.

Then, number 10 is my last question for you. This is the author of the Doraemon series.

What is his real name?

Do you remember the Japanese Prime Minister in 2009? Yukio. So, A is not the answer. From 2010 to 2011, it was Naoto, so B is not the answer. From 2011 to 2012, Yoshihiko was the Prime Minister. So, the answer is not C, and D will be the only answer (Hiroshi Fujimoto).

At the beginning, until 1988, his pen name was Fujiko Fujio, and he co-operated with Motoo Abiko.

I watch Nikkei television on the internet every time I have breakfast or dinner. However, the only thing I watch on TV recently is about the war in Iran. Last weekend, Donald Trump announced that the US government, alongside the Israeli Prime Minister, determined to attack Iran, and they actually killed the supreme leader of Iran, bombing Tehran and killing many innocent people. The very same thing also happened in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, and the West Bank. Every time I hear this news, I feel very disappointed about my incapacity to offer any constructive solution or to end those tragedies.

The Middle East is a place where many children are watching Japanese anime and reading comic books, including Doraemon. Ideally, Doraemon would come from the 22nd century to help children using gadgets, but in reality, nobody—including Allah—will help them. They are still affected by missiles launched from Iran or Israel and can do nothing but watch their buildings crashing.

After I came to Tokyo, my life has been fulfilled, and I can tell you that this one year of my life in Tokyo is definitely the best moment I've ever had. I was looking for a way to bring smiles back to those children when I was in high school through volunteering for an NPO. But it turns out that nothing will contribute to society as a whole. My greatest efforts only filled me with self-satisfaction and nothing else.

I don't think that researching Doraemon is the best choice for me, and I still cannot find out how to spend my six years of university life. But I can say one thing: now is the time to find other options that will bring a better outcome. To be honest, I was contemplating presenting to you the fundamental idea of the Japanese foreign policy of the DPJ cabinet in 2009, led by Yukio Hatoyama, until yesterday night. But I scrapped the ideas and concepts and changed my topic to Doraemon. I don't know whether it was a better idea, but I thought it would be more interesting and catchy for you. So, until I realize my real destiny or until I face something I really have to contend with, I will continue the Doraemon Researchers’ Club to make both you and me happy.

That's all for my presentation. Thank you for listening to me. Thank you very much.

Q&A Section

Q1: Why do you love Doraemon so much?

A: It’s very hard for me to answer, but one thing I can say is that a Doraemon movie is released annually, and every time one was released, I watched it alongside my father and mother. That was one of the few ways I could spend time with my parents because they were doctors and were very busy. When I was very young, they would leave home often, and I frequently cooked and ate my dinner alone. I didn't have much time to share with my family. So, I think that's one reason that motivated my interest in the Doraemon series.

Q2: You mentioned that Doraemon was banned in Bangladesh and that there was a Hindi dub. In which other areas of the world is Doraemon popular?

A: It is mostly popular in Southeast Asian countries such as Vietnam and Indonesia, and South Asian countries. These are the places where Doraemon is most famous. In Europe and the US, where most English-speaking people reside, Doraemon is not as familiar or prevalent because the lifestyle is completely different from what we experience in Japan. For example, Nobita's room is a clear example of an "oriental" lifestyle, which is quite unfamiliar to Europeans and Americans. So, East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asian countries are the places where the series is most prevalent.