Malaysian animation “Upin & Ipin” produced by Les Copaque is one of the most famous TV series, not only in the country but also around Southeast Asia.
So recently, when an Indonesian series “D.O.A” introduced 2 brand new characters Burik and Gepeng that look very much like the twins from “Upin & Ipin”, Malaysian fans were furious.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SrtfaZtQiOI
“D.O.A” which stands for “Doyok Otoy AliOncom” was adapted from an Indonesian comic from the 80s. However, the new side characters Burik and Gepeng bear striking resemblance to the popular Malaysian animation twins Upin and Ipin.
What sets Burik and Gepeng apart from Upin and Ipin is that the former have darker skin tone, and they’re much taller.
https://twitter.com/HanyaAqil/status/1084599374431154176
Malaysia and Indonesia are known for their love-hate relationship. So when the animation company behind “D.O.A” MPIC Animation Studios introduced the new characters on its Facebook, Malaysian fans started to leave all sorts of nasty comments on the post.
Both Malaysian and Indonesian animation studios have yet respond on the issue.
