Although popular around the world, Doraemon failed to gain a foothold in the United States, one of the biggest importers of Japanese anime.
Industry experts say they believe that Nobita’s dependence on Doraemon could be seen as ethically wrong and not a desirable trait by Americans, who consider self-reliance to be a supreme virtue.
But in Japan and many other nations, the boy's weakness is the very reason the series is so widely accepted.
“The idleness and the weakness that he represents is one true aspect of human nature,” said Takahiro Inagaki, the 44-year-old author of “Doraemon wa monogataru” (What Doraemon wants to tell), a book that analyzes the series’ messages.
“By seeing (Nobita’s) weakness being warmly accepted and justified by Doraemon, readers must feel some ease and compassion.”