​RACE RELATIONS DURING WW2

            Once Bugs is dressed as a Japanese General—looking much like Hideki Tojo—the soldier immediately stops his attack, exclaiming, "regrettably insolence...Not unknowing honorable general" (2:53), showing the importance of rank and authority figures in Japan's military. He immediately becomes vulnerable in front of authority. Furthermore, once the soldier continues talking he speaks broken English, perpetuating Japanese stereotypes. 

            Additionally, the cartoon makes a visual statement about the low quality of Japan's armaments. Later on, the solider gets into a plane, modeled after the Mitsubishi A6M Zeros used until the end of WW2. The plane gets tied to a tree and immediately brakes, losing the tug of war battle. This comments on how Japan's fighter planes were weak and were low quality. By 1944 these planes were severely outdated, but were still used in the front for combat due to design delays and manufacturing issues for newer planes. While the soldier is parachuting down (4:04), bugs hands him an anvil and says mockingly, "Here's some scrap iron for Japan, Moto". This references the economic reasons for Japan bombing Pearl Harbor. Hideki Tojo was responsible for the attack on Pearl Harbor; he established a secret date for the attack if the U.S refused to lift the embargo on raw materials, such as scrap metals, that were being sent to Japan. Bugs reference the anvil as the scrap iron, effectively showing aggressive contempt Japan.

           The cartoon, furthermore, perpetuates sexist ideas about Japanese women to gain support for American military efforts. Afterwards, Bugs is seen painting the Japanese flag (4:19), disrespecting it by using it to tally up his victories.  Seeing the sumo wrestler, Bugs paints a second flag to represent a soon to be second victory.  Bugs, seemingly, looses to the sumo wrestler in a physical battle but mentally endures. He dresses up as a Geisha, perpetuating the submissiveness of Japanese women. This can also be expanded to Japan as a whole, saying that they are weak and vulnerable. Bugs scuttles over (4:54) and speaks in a small, but high toned voice, acting as the shy and submissive Asian woman stereotype. The sumo wrestler goes in for a kiss, continuing the idea that Geishas are sexual objects for men. Once the wrestler gets hit in the head (5:11) a gong sounds and Bugs yells "Timber" further dehumanizing the sumo wrestler by comparing him to a tree. Furthermore by being able to put on and take off his geisha outfit, he shows that Japanese culture is just a costume that can be worn at anytime or discarded. This says that Japanese culture is not authentic and is insignificant.

            After his fight with the wrestler, Bugs sees numerous Japanese ships. He puts on his thinking cap and says, "Japs, hundreds of them, this calls for strategy".  By saying this, he shows that he believes that the Japanese can be outsmarted. He soon can be seen handing off ice cream, filled with grenades, to the troops, calling them racial slurs, saying, "Here's yours bow legs. Here, one for you monkey face...Here ya are, slant eyes". In the end they are all defeated, showing that the Japanese military's strength is reliant on their numbers, but they are not intelligent, and are easily defeated when it is a battle of wits. Additionally, one soldier runs back to get another free ice cream, depicting the Japanese as not only dim-witted, but greedy.

In the end the island is liberated with the appearance of the U.S ship. Bugs stays in what becomes paradise once more, chasing after a stereotypical fetishized depiction of a native Polynesian woman in rabbit form. This shows that the island becomes a place of delight, where return would not be under military terms. In the end all the troops are defeated, single handedly by mental capacity. This cartoon continuously emphasizes perceived physical and mental racial inferiority of Japanese people.