The new "Sgt. Frog" movie, "Sgt. Frog the Movie: Revive! The Earth in Crisis!," which marks the franchise's return to the big screen after 16 years, has been met with a barrage of negative reviews since its release. Many fans feel that despite the "Sgt. Frog" name, the film carries too much of director Yuichi Fukuda's signature style. Adding fuel to the fire, the production team later admitted to parodying "Attack on Titan" without permission and issued an apology, sparking another wave of criticism.
Now, the official team has abruptly announced the cancellation of the "Release Commemoration Stage Greeting Event," originally scheduled for July 2nd. The reason given? "Due to various circumstances, the event will not be held." This sudden news has once again drawn significant attention from netizens, who speculate that with the widespread negative buzz, the creators are simply too afraid to face the public.
This stage greeting event was announced on June 26th, the movie's release day, and was set to feature three voice actors and General Director Yuichi Fukuda. Tickets were required for entry.
However, just one day before the event, the official announcement came: the event was off, along with details for ticket refunds. The official statement offered little explanation, simply stating, "Due to various circumstances, the event will not be held."
The team expressed deep apologies to those who planned to attend and everyone who looked forward to the stage greeting and screening. Refunds for the tickets will be processed, with detailed information available on the official website.
Even on the movie's opening day, the official social media post about the stage event was flooded with angry comments. Many believed the event would inevitably become an outlet for fan frustration, given the movie's plummeting ratings and terrible word-of-mouth.
The last-minute cancellation has only fueled more complaints from netizens, who criticize the official team for not providing a clear reason, making it seem like they're "fleeing." It appears they recognized the sheer volume of fan resentment that had built up over the first week of the film's release.
Currently, netizens have pointed out that on Japanese movie review sites, "Sgt. Frog the Movie: Revive! The Earth in Crisis!" has an even lower score than "Dragonball Evolution," a live-action adaptation widely considered one of Hollywood's worst films. This clearly shows the immense dissatisfaction among fans.
From its opening day, the new "Sgt. Frog" movie has been mired in controversy. The inclusion of "Fukuda-gumi" (Yuichi Fukuda's regular cast) actors sparked divisive opinions, and now, with the apology for production oversight, the film's reputation has gone from highly anticipated to utterly disastrous.
With official events and promotions seemingly falling apart, this theatrical release might just be a full-blown catastrophe...