‘No heaven for orphans’ remark in ‘Upin & Ipin’ Hari Raya episode upsets fans in Indonesia (VIDEO)

KUALA LUMPUR, May 29 – Indonesian fans of Upin & Ipin are up in arms over the script of a supporting character in the popular Malaysian animated series.

Following a scene involving Fizi in a recent episode that went viral, Indonesian viewers are demanding an apology from the character for claiming that orphans do not have a place in heaven, Harian Metro reported yesterday.

The scene, which angered fans in the republic was set during Hari Raya where Fizi along with some friends including the titular twins talked about visiting the graves of their late parents.

When their friend Mail brings up the saying ‘Heaven is beneath a mother’s feet’, Upin curiously asks what happens to those without mothers to which Fizi bluntly replies there was no heaven for orphans.

Fizi’s straightforward response not only prompted shocked reactions from his friends but also Indonesians viewers who watched the episode which aired on May 24.

The controversial statement resulted in a social media storm where offended fans wrote phrases such as ‘Fizi is cancelled’, condemning the character in a barrage of tweets.

In Malaysia, ‘Fizi’ quickly became a trending topic on Twitter with over 200,000 tweets.

On Upin & Ipin’s official Instagram page, the scene was also posted, along with the caption “Please forgive Fizi.”

Les’ Copaque creative content director Nur Naquyah Burhanuddin told the Malay-language daily the episode titled ‘Syahdunya Syawal’ aired on the first day of Hari Raya on Indonesia’s MNCTV.

“Suddenly it went viral when viewers were angry at Fizi and it trended on social media.

“This clearly proves Indonesian viewers love and care deeply about Upin & Ipin.

“Because of that, many were emotional when Fizi said there was no heaven for orphans like them,” she said.

Nur Naquyah said she understood that it wasn’t an attack against the production company, just that audiences wanted an apology from Fizi.

Yesterday, the series’ official Instagram page said Fizi would apologise to the twins on video if there were more requests.

She added that the scene was consciously written to ask the question of ‘Where is heaven for orphans’ which still lingers in society.

“During the discussion, the idea came up to trigger thoughts about the topic.

“Our intention is to give the audience a chance to think about the issue,” she said.

Indonesian viewers are currently watching season 14 of Upin & Ipin while Malaysia is one season behind at season 13 which airs on Astro Ceria.

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