A Japanese animation film featuring Pokemon, which was a big hit in the United States, debuted in South Korea on Saturday amid the country's ongoing loosening of restrictions on Japanese culture.
Many children, some in groups and others with their families, flocked to theaters in Seoul, some of which reported tickets selling out.
"Myutsu no Gyakushu" ("Mewtwo Strikes Back") is based on the adventures of pocket monster characters, which have earned a strong following in the country since the cartoon's television series was dubbed into Korean. The characters have also spawned an array of games, toys, books and trading cards around the world.
Other Japanese movies to hit South Korea include "Kaze no Tani no Nausicaa" ("Nausicaa of the Valley of Wind"), a masterpiece by renowned Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, which is set to debut Dec. 30, according to organizers. Also becoming increasingly popular among South Korea's youth are Miyazaki's latest animation flick, "Mononoke Hime" ("Princess Mononoke"), "Neon Genesis Evangelion," another hit Japanese cartoon series and "Jin-Roh" ("The Wolf Brigade"), a film about a guerrilla girl and a security force.
The popularity of Japanese films has increased here since the government in June allowed the showing of Japanese animation films, many of which have won prizes at international film festivals.
Japanese pop culture, including films and songs, had been banned because of negative public sentiment over Japan's colonial rule of the Korean Peninsula between 1910 and 1945.
In 1998, however, President Kim Dae Jung's administration gradually began lifting the ban, with public performances of Japanese pop music allowed from late June.