Sazae-san, a mother, is the primary figure in the story. She shares a home with her parents, husband, and children. The program features classic themes and is the ideal family entertainment.
You may get a fair sense of this show’s mood by picturing it as “The Partridge Family” in Japanese. Expect to witness little to no bloodshed, profanity, or kung-fu action.
The stories tend to have storylines along the lines of “Today, Sazae-san goes to school without finishing his homework.” While the “boring” plotlines and basic artwork sometimes turn off non-Japanese viewers, the majority of Japanese viewers deem the show to be excellent.
As a consequence, it continues to be one of the TV shows with the highest ratings and is one of the few Anime series that adults find appropriate.
| Where To Watch | Crunchyroll |
| Total Episodes | 8333 |
| When Did It Start | October 5, 1969 |
What is “Sazae-San”?
Machiko Hasegawa is the writer and artist of the Japanese yonkoma manga series Sazae-san.
On April 22, 1946, it was originally publicized in Hasegawa’s local newspaper, the Fukunichi Shinbun. When the Asahi Shimbun asked Hasegawa to draw a four-panel comic for their daily, she relocated to Tokyo in 1949, explaining that the main characters had also relocated from Kysh to Tokyo. On November 30, 1949, the Asahi Shimbun publicized the first Sazae-san strip.
The manga dealt with ordinary life and current occurrences in Tokyo until Hasegawa retired and completed the series on February 21, 1974, with the final comic unleashed. In 1962, Sazae-san received the 8th Bungeishunj Manga Award. TCJ’s anime television adaption debuted in Japan.
Why are Europeans unaware about Sazae San?
Sazae-san was a popular newspaper comic strip from the 1940s until the 1970s. It was then relaunched as an anime show, which is still running.
Are you familiar with all of the Western comic strip characters from roughly the same time period? If not, the same reasons may apply. Exposure, marketability, and necessity.
Necessity, Western companies have their own characters that they operate; there is no need to introduce a new foreign character. There is no need to present a new foreign character because Western corporations already have their own characters.
Companies desire marketable characters who can make a lot of money with no pushback. If an American corporation created comic strips featuring a Japanese lady, it might suffer blowback.
Why is “Sazae-San” the longest-running animated show?
The family-friendly comfort program Sazae-San has solidified its reputation in Japan. One of the few programs that have continued since the conclusion of World War II is this one.
Sazae-San was a glimmer of optimism when public morale was plummeting at an alarming rate. It emphasized the notions of kinship and a better future for all families.
Another significant element was airing on Sunday evenings. It was the ideal television backdrop to draw in the family audience just after they got home from a Sunday trip.
The construction of Sazae-San has also contributed to its current longevity. It occupies a relatively small television space because it only lasts for 8 minutes or such.
Because of this, producers are unable to surround the broadcast with any kind of propaganda or advertisement.
Things to know before watching Sazae-san
The first episode of Sazae-san aired in October of 1969. It is the longest-running animated series in history with 50 seasons so far. The Guinness Book of World Records recognized this achievement in 2013.
A program called Sazae-san is about family life. Sazae Fuguta, the main character, is 24 years old. She lives with her parents, siblings who are 11 and 9 years old, her husband, their 3-year-old kid, and their cat.
Additionally, members of their extended family, such as aunts, uncles, and cousins, frequently attend. The narratives of this novel, which range from sentimental to humorous, center on the regular encounters between these many personalities.
The characters of Sazae-san don’t get older, much as in the famous Western television series The Simpsons. For the length of the program, Sazae will continue to be a 24-year-old mother of a three-year-old son. This allows the show to remain episodic and only incorporate continuity when necessary.
A large variety of products is available for the majority of well-known Anime series, ranging from plastic figures and stationery to DVDs and Blu-Rays.
Machiko Hasegawa asked that no products be produced since she didn’t want her series to be shown in this way. After Hasegawa’s death in 1992, this request was still in force.
Because of this, it is challenging for viewers outside of Japan to see the show.
There is no way to view the series outside of Japanese TV because there are no videos, DVDs, Blu-Rays, or other media available. However, as of 2019, the series is exclusively available to Japanese viewers.
It’s conceivable that a streaming service will someday purchase the rights to the program.
Although Anime characters sometimes have themed names, their themes aren’t always obvious to non-Japanese speakers. Characters in Sazae-san are given names based on aquatic creatures and other sea-related objects. They are set up to resemble Japanese names.
In the case of Sazae, the -e at the end makes it appear like a traditional Japanese name even though it is actually the name of a sea snail known as the horned turban.
Fun facts about Sazae-san
Previously, the main type of animation was cel animation, which used see-through film layers rather than computers. But the majority of studios have abandoned cel animation in favor of contemporary technologies.
Sazae-san only employed cel animation up until 2009. The department leader of Eiken, Yichi Tanaka, asserted that there were significant benefits to sticking with this fashion.
He spoke: “The visuals are made warmer by the gentle flashing of the lines. It instills a sense of comfort and familiarity in the spectators.”
The show was the last to still use traditional animation; at this time, all other Anime had switched to digital.
Sazae-san finally used digital animation. Digital animation was first used in the show’s opening animation in 2009, and the remainder of it started using it in 2015.
In the show’s end credits protagonist, Sazae-san might be seen throwing a bean or rice cake upward and then catching it with her mouth up until October 1991.
After intervention from the Tohoku University Hospital and the National Center for Child Health and Development, this was replaced with a game of janken, commonly known as rock-paper-scissors.
They were concerned that kids would imitate Sazae-actions san’s and choke as a result.
Live action version of the show
The original Manga‘s influence may be seen in other forms of media outside the Sazae-san Anime. The franchise has been the subject of several live-action television shows.
Even a radio play, which debuted in 1955, exists. In 1955 and 1965, TBS produced two live-action dramas, and in 1979, NHK broadcast a drama based on the life of Machiko Hasegawa.
Fuji Television released a live-action situational comedy in 2010 that mimicked the Anime’s structure. Some of the young characters even made an appearance in an advertisement showing them 25 years in the future.
Why is it not popular outside Japan?
If Sazae-san didn’t frequently achieve good ratings in Japan, it’s doubtful that it would have lasted for more than 2,500 episodes.
Nevertheless, despite its widespread recognition domestically, it hasn’t drawn much notice abroad, not even in nations like the USA where Anime is incredibly popular.
This can be because of the designers’ intentions that it is not freely available outside of Japan.
Even if it had been simple to find, it might not have been popular. This is most likely a result of how dated the program occasionally seems.
Even if the program is produced today, it still has a mood from the 1970s, and individuals outside of Japan may not find that vibe as appealing.
Conclusion
- Sazae-san, a mother, is the primary figure in the story. She shares a home with her parents, husband, and children. The program features classic themes and is the ideal family entertainment.
- The family-friendly comfort program Sazae-San has solidified its reputation in Japan. One of the few programs that have continued since the conclusion of World War II is this one.
- The construction of Sazae-San has also contributed to its current longevity. It occupies a relatively small television space because it only lasts for 8 minutes or such. Because of this, producers are unable to surround the broadcast with any kind of propaganda or advertisement.
- If Sazae-san didn’t frequently achieve good ratings in Japan, it’s doubtful that it would have lasted for more than 2,500 episodes. Nevertheless, despite its widespread recognition domestically, it hasn’t drawn much notice abroad.