The highly anticipated new film, "New Theatrical Version ☆ Sgt. Frog: Revival! Earth's Doomsday Crisis!", which just hit Japanese theaters on June 26th, marks the franchise's return to the big screen after a 16-year hiatus. Initial reactions have been mixed, with many fans noting that despite the "Sgt. Frog" branding, the movie feels distinctly like a Yuichi Fukuda production, leaving some feeling it was "not what they expected."
However, on its very first day, the film's animation studio, Bandai Namco Pictures, dropped an apology bombshell. The studio acknowledged that certain parody scenes in the movie, including those referencing "Attack on Titan," were produced despite the original copyright holder explicitly disagreeing with their inclusion. This major oversight was attributed to a significant internal communication error, leading to the continued production of these segments. The news quickly sparked widespread discussion across social media.
▼ Bandai Namco Pictures has currently pinned the apology statement to the top of its official website.
According to the official statement:
"Regarding the film 'New Theatrical Version ☆ Sgt. Frog: Revival! Earth's Doomsday Crisis!' (released June 26, 2026), produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks and Bandai Namco Pictures, with animation handled by Bandai Namco Pictures, certain directorial and expressive elements within the film contain content reminiscent of other works."
"Specifically, concerning the 'Attack on Titan' elements, despite the copyright holder having clearly expressed their opposition in advance, a significant internal communication error within our company led to the continued progression of the relevant production. We have now confirmed that this issue indeed occurred. We extend our deepest apologies for the immense trouble and concern caused to all relevant rights holders and to all fans who cherish these works."
"As a company that creates and protects intellectual property, we failed to fulfill our fundamental responsibilities and lacked sufficient and sincere consideration. We deeply reflect on this."
"In response to this incident, we will thoroughly review our internal approval and verification processes to prevent similar situations from recurring. Concurrently, we will further strengthen our management system to ensure that content confirmed by rights holders and other relevant parties is accurately reflected in the production process. We once again offer our sincerest apologies to all individuals involved with these works and to the fans who have always supported them."
"Furthermore, we express our deepest gratitude to all relevant parties who, even under these circumstances, have shown understanding and support for the release of 'New Theatrical Version ☆ Sgt. Frog: Revival! Earth's Doomsday Crisis!'"
"Additionally, this incident is entirely unrelated to the production staff of the theatrical version, the original author of 'Sgt. Frog,' or the editorial department." "We also extend our deepest apologies for the trouble and concern caused to all personnel involved in the production of the work. We take this incident very seriously and will sincerely strive to rebuild trust in our company."
While "Sgt. Frog" is known for its parodies, often featuring works from different companies and publishers, the fact that Bandai Namco Pictures proceeded with production despite the copyright holder's explicit disagreement, due to a communication breakdown, is a serious blunder for an animation studio. The apology coming only on the day of release, after such a long production process, has drawn significant criticism.
The news ignited a firestorm on Japanese X, with many users condemning it as a blatant disregard for copyright and questioning how such a prolonged production process could fail to catch such a critical error until the very last minute. Forgiveness, many felt, was hard to come by.
Just one day into its release, "New Theatrical Version ☆ Sgt. Frog" has already stirred up considerable controversy. Between the divisive inclusion of "Fukuda-gumi" (Yuichi Fukuda's regular cast) actors and now this major production oversight and apology, the film's 16-year comeback seems to be off to a rather rocky start.
via： 株式会社バンダイナムコピクチャーズ