Sgt. Frog, known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mine Yoshizaki. It was launched in Monthly Shōnen Ace in April 1999. The story follows the attempts of a platoon of frog-like alien invaders to conquer Earth. Sergeant Keroro, the titular character, is the leader of the platoon, but is at the mercy of a human family of three after being captured by them. Keroro is forced to do meaningless chores and errands for the family after his army abandons his platoon on Earth.
The series was later adapted into an anime television series by Sunrise, which ran for 358 episodes from April 2004 to April 2011. A second 23-episode series was broadcast from March to September 2014. In 2005, the manga received the 50th Shogakukan Manga Award for the children's manga category.
Plot
The Keroro Platoon is a group of five, froglike alien soldiers from Planet Keron. They mean to conquer “Pekopon” (their name for "Earth") but fail every time they try. Their leader, Sergeant Keroro, is incompetent and has little interest in conquering Pekopon. Instead, he likes making plastic Gundam models, watching TV, or coming up with schemes to make money. The four other members of the platoon are: adorable but violent Private Second Class Tamama; bellicose yet tenderhearted Corporal Giroro; intelligent but mischievous Sergeant Major Kururu; and disciplined but traumatized Lance Corporal Dororo.
The largest obstacle in the way of their mission is the Hinata Family, who must take care of the Keroro Platoon due to the Keron Army deserting the latter on Earth. Keroro is kept busy with manual labor and constant abuse, primarily from the family daughter, Natsumi. Each member of the platoon finds himself in the care of a human: Giroro's is Natsumi Hinata, whom he falls in love with; Keroro's is Fuyuki Hinata, who considers the sergeant his only true friend; Kururu's is Mutsumi Saburo, who's just as mischievous as him; Dororo's is Koyuki Azumaya, a fellow ninja; and Tamama's is Momoka Nishizawa, who's just as bipolar as him. All are tied to the Hinatas in some way throughout the events in the anime and manga.
Media
Manga
Sgt. Frog is published in Japan by Kadokawa Shoten, serialized in the magazine Monthly Shōnen Ace, and was published in English by Tokyopop. The manga, first aimed at the older audience (teens/adults) from the first to the seventh volume, was toned down after the anime adaption started (since the TV series was a family show). However, the manga still maintains suggestive comedy that only the more mature audiences understand in present volumes. Tokyopop initially held the American rights to the Sgt. Frog manga until 2011 when the company ceased operations. By the time their publication ended, they had published 21 volumes. Their release of the manga have censored nipples drawn in some scenes, in order to get away from the OT (Older teen) rating and maintaining its Teen rating. Viz Media relicensed the manga for digital release on December 16, 2014.
To commemorate the 20th anniversary of the series, the November issue of Shōnen Ace announced the launching of a new manga titled Chō Keroro Gunsō UC: Keroro Robo Daikessen (Super Sgt. Frog Ultra Cool: Keroro Robo's Epic Climactic Battle) on the next issue, on sale October 26, 2018. The manga is created by Yūtarō Shido, while Mine Yoshikizaki being credited as original author.
Anime
The anime series started airing on TV Tokyo in 2004 and ended in 2011. The anime is produced by Sunrise, NAS, and TV Tokyo and has also been aired on Animax, Cartoon Network Japan, and TXN. Seven seasons have been created during its seven-year run. Unlike the manga which is aimed at older audiences, the anime adaptation has been toned down to a level suitable for family audiences.
The anime ran almost year-round, with each season beginning in the first week of April and ending on the last week of March. The first season aired on Saturdays, but the show was moved to Fridays for the second and third seasons. The show returned to Saturdays for seasons four, five and six, and the final season aired on Sundays.
The first English-language dub of the show to be released was entitled Sergeant Keroro and aired on Animax Asia, a pay TV channel received in multiple countries in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand. It premiered in 2008.
In the United States, ADV had previously announced they had acquired exclusive rights to an English dub of Sgt. Frog (for $408,000). However, on July 4, 2008, it was announced that rights to the English release were transferred to Funimation Entertainment.