Warner Bros Japan couldn't keep their cool when their US division decided to play nuclear dress-up with Barbie. The incident sparked outrage among Japanese audiences for involving the insensitive juxtaposition of the fun-loving Barbie with nuclear imagery from Oppenheimer. Here’s a quick rundown.
Riding high on the box office success of Greta Gerwig's Barbie (scheduled for release in Japan on August 11), Warner Bros faced an unforeseen backlash after the US studio's official Twitter account interacted with social media posts overlaying Barbie with mushroom clouds and fiery explosions from Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer.
This unexpected combination of Barbie and Oppenheimer as a double bill, nicknamed "Barbenheimer", took social media by storm, with millions worldwide viewing the pairing as an ironic spectacle due to their shared release date in the United States and the stark contrast in tone between the two films.
READ MORE: Barbenheimer, Oppenbarbie memes take over the Internet as Barbie-Oppenheimer release draws close
With Barbie riding high on its global success, the studio probably thought they had the winning formula. But little did they know that mixing Barbie's pink glam with Oppenheimer's fiery explosions would trigger a Twitter storm in Japan.
As social media exploded with memes and fanart of Barbie sporting mushroom clouds instead of her usual hair, Japanese netizens fired back with the #NoBarbenheimer hashtag. It was a digital showdown, and Warner Bros Japan wasn't about to let their parent company off the hook. They issued a rare rebuke and demanded some appropriate action, putting "Barbenheimer" on shaky ground.
The hashtag #NoBarbenheimmer was trending on Twitter Japan this morning. It looks like some Japanese netizens belatedly discovered memes that were popular abroad prior to the July 21st Barbie/Oppenheimer release and don't think it is appropriate to joke about the atomic bomb. pic.twitter.com/rOATpDEknY
— Jeffrey J. Hall 🇯🇵🇺🇸 (@mrjeffu) July 30, 2023
Many found the use of atomic explosion imagery disrespectful and made light of the tragic atomic bombings that resulted in the death of thousands of civilians in Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945.
I absolutely can't condone the act of jokingly spreading tweets that make fun of the atomic bombing that killed so many people in Japan. I strongly demand that the related tweets be immediately retracted and deleted. #Berbenheimer #NoBarbenheimer
— からふね™ (@karafune) July 31, 2023
To some, it appeared as if the US studio was disregarding the historical significance and the deep emotional scars these bombings left on the Japanese population.
honestly I didn't need to see her boobs to enjoy this movie I would have rather them show us the same footage they showed Oppenheimer how the atomic bomb disfigured its victims in Japan. https://t.co/45y6YoLstZ
— Unkillable, i'm hibernating in your soil 🪷🫚 (@YMBIBI) July 24, 2023
ALSO READ: Who was Oppenheimer?
The controversy escalated when the official Barbie Twitter account cheerfully responded to fan-made art depicting Barbie in various settings inspired by atomic explosions. The movie's promotional account even replied to a post featuring an image of Barbie with a mushroom cloud instead of hair, stating, "This Ken is a stylist."
原爆のキノコ雲は大量殺人のシンボルです。1945年の8月に起きた2度の爆撃のせいで、何十万人もの命が亡くなりました。
— 500 (@p_fivehundred) July 30, 2023
キノコ雲がミー厶としてポップに消費されているのをみるのは気分が悪いですが、Barbieの公式アカウントがそれに対して好意的なリプライをしているのは酷すぎます。#NoBarbenheimer https://t.co/wvKZI2e7r9 pic.twitter.com/axJBFUM97u
These interactions further fuelled the outrage, leading to demands for the cancellation of Barbie's release in Japan. Many questioned the lack of cultural awareness and sensitivity on the part of Warner Bros' US division, emphasising the need for a deeper understanding of historical events and their impact on different cultures.
In response to the growing criticism, Warner Bros Film Group issued an apology via email, expressing regret over its "recent insensitive social media engagement" and offering a sincere apology. However, the damage was done, and the Japanese audience remained sceptical of the US studio's understanding of the historical context and significance of the atomic bombings.
— 映画『バービー』公式 (@BarbieMovie_jp) July 31, 2023
As if that wasn't enough, the whole ordeal revealed a humour mismatch between cultures. Japanese netizens, attempting to convey their perspective, resorted to making 9/11 jokes, not realising that Americans have a different cultural relationship with this sensitive topic. In fact, if anything, American Twitter seemed amused at all the 9/11 analogies being drawn between the two.
In an attempt to get Americans to see why Japan finds Barbenheimer offensive, Japanese twitter has taken to making 9/11 jokes - completely misunderstanding that Americans love 9/11 jokes. pic.twitter.com/6F5FOf5aTR
— Nick | アラタ・ニコラス (@NickFromTokyo) August 1, 2023
Foreign films about World War II have been shown in Japan without much fuss before, but Oppenheimer was put under the microscope. Japanese audiences wanted a more accurate portrayal of the devastation caused by the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, where it is estimated that up to 2,20,000 people died in the bombings and their aftermath.
If only there was a whole subgenre of post-nuclear Japanese film, including but not limited to:
— Rorschach, son of Thors (@Wincel_8D) July 24, 2023
- Godzilla
- I Live in Fear
- Akira
- Grave of the Fireflies
- Mishima: A Life in 4 Chapters
- The Human Condition
- The Burmese Harp
- The Man Who Stole the Sun
- Battle Royale
In the end, the Barbenheimer controversy showed us that mixing toy glamour with historical tragedy requires more than just a sprinkle of marketing magic. While Barbie and Oppenheimer might be two vastly different blockbusters, their unexpected coupling gave us a lesson in cultural sensitivity and understanding.
Despite all recent outrage in #Japan over the #Barbenheimer meme controversy, followed by WB US public apology yesterday, #Barbie’s Premiere is going ahead right now in that market, with #GretaGerwig attending the event in person.
— Luiz Fernando (@Luiz_Fernando_J) August 2, 2023
The film is set to debut in #Japan on AUG 11. pic.twitter.com/OmHkOEnpHH
If only Japan had an iconic film franchise of its own that could illustrate what they think about Oppenheimer and Truman and what happened in Hiroshima and Nagasaki from their perspective that dealt with the incident both directly and as metaphor...