Really, all the Squirrel and Hedgehog "villains" are pretty much more interesting and better designed than the designated heroes.

I love the fact that the US are portrayed as wolves, 'cause it feels more like a compliment than an insult.

Yeah, that design choice does have an "AMERICA, FUCK YEAH!" vibe to it, doesn't it?

Even the other countries are shown as better than them, one of the earlier ones (Ep 11?) has the Japanese weasels training and even managing to crush a car between them (so they basically remade that with the wolf-flipping sequence)

And they even show the South Korean rats at least going to the beach and enjoying themselves (cos thats EVIL and decadent)

No kidding. I mean, I get it's propaganda and all, but, really, the protagonists are given such a bleh design, especially with the big ol' eyes. Oh, because they're so "innocent".

Yeah, the "innocent", vaguely androgynous and sexless aspect is no doubt what they were aiming for (contrast with how they show the "villains" as vaguely "immodest" (rats going topless to the beach, weasels and wolves training topless and showing their strength, rat secretaries in miniskirts, Lt Vixen's entire design, etc), as they dislike explicit sexuality and "immodesty"

It's just the usual tactic. Make the "good guys" childlike, and it makes the "antagonists" look worse when they want to enslave them. Or whatever the motivation is. I honestly forget.

Oh, and make the protagonists cry a lot. Because it makes them emotional, I guess.

Unless it's 80s Chinese not-so-subtle propaganda, in which case its "Make him cute BUT ALSO A DEADSET KILLER"

Because what's more killer than maintaining that "determined" glare throughout episodes?

As I see it, though, the antagonistic forces working against Flower Hill are villains, in the sense that they are brutal and seek to accomplish goals that would be abhorrent in other contexts (such as the aforementioned enslavement). Of course, this is a series where they conveniently forget that the leads are villains, too. Anti-villains, at best, given that many of them are likely manipulated into their actions. Really, an alternate take could see Geumsaegi as someone who legitimately wants to defend his family and friends, but is (rather tragically easily) used as a tool by his government. Wouldn't that just reflect reality?

Ah, but that's just imperialistic Westerner me reading into this.

Seriously?

Why & How did this propoganda make its way out of NK?

Because This is probably sending the wrong message to foreigners; who ACTUALLY are rooting for the show's INTENDED Antagonists. . .

And As a Result; I Love the show's Antagonists more than the characters that the show WANTS the viewers to root for. . .