Sazae-san

In the evening of October 5, 1969 I remembered tuning in to watch a show that had caught my attention. Its opening seemed funny and relaxing, similar to the shows of that time back when I used to live in Japan. I was about 12 at that time, my siblings and I would fight for what to watch (funny considering the limited options we had). After the 1st episode had concluded my siblings and I had some funny stupid looks in our faces. The show had become pretty close to us due to its relevance in our lives and its funny stories. We would tune ... in every single Sunday just to watch it. I will always remember the day our mother began to watch Sazae-san with us, she found it quite funny while our father had found it "stupid". This show was the perfect way to end a stressful Sunday evening, all of our family sitting in front watching Sazae-san. All of us knew that this unity would not last for ever. Our older sibling became tired of watching the same "repetable" stories and would deny to join us. He eventually moved out of the house and started a family of his own. The same happened for me and our younger brother. I had moved to the U.S. with the help of some friends in 1982. Traveling to Japan had become expensive for me, so I stopped visiting them during important holidays. After a lengthy time I had decided to finally visit my family. I was in tears after seeing my parents and siblings three days before shogatsu. After shogatsu I had found out that Sazae-san was still airing. An immense amount of nostalgia came to me as I was watching this old show along with my family and my kids. The feeling of unity had become stronger than ever, the laughs we had, the cheers we houled, and the tears we shared. This show will always hold a special place in the heart of my family.

Why is a long-running show that is this popular in Japan, ranked 5919 ?
I mean, most, if not all of the Japanese population knows Sazae-san, and likes it. (the same goes for Doraemon, Chibimaruko-chan, etc.)

The answer is simple: this is a slice of life-comedy show made for Japanese people, not for Americans, or French people.

In a sense, it is the Japanese version of the Simpsons. But the genre of comedy is different, and unlike the Simpsons, it needs Japanese cultural knowledge to understand, and it isn't oversaturated at all.

Note: Sazae-san first started as a crappy show, much like all other 1970's animes.

Conclusion: Don't watch Sazae-san ... if you're not Japanese, and either way watch the newer episodes.


Story: 8/10 This is a show with no or little coninuity... but all the anecdotes are quite fun to watch, as a Japanese person.
Character: Most of the characters are 1970's Japanese stereotypes, that have been commically amplified, but only a little. They aren't that unique, but their characteristics are well executed.
Art: 7/10 The newer Sazae-san episodes' art isn't bad, it's unique, and it does what it needs to do. Before, it kind of looked crappy.
Enjoyment: This really depends on whether you get "it" or not. If you do, you'll be pleased by this show, if not... well you won't enjoy it. I gave it a 9/10, but that's as a Japanese person.

First of all there is lot of misinformation going around when it comes to this series. The series is slice of life extended family type series that focuses to the titular character Sazae-san, her husband Masuo and their son. The extended family also has the siblings of Sazae: Katsuo and Wakame and their parents.

Each episode consists of three 7 minute segments that can have different stories.

Stories are fairly simple and they usually center around daily shenanigans of one or more of the main characters. Due to the number of episodes some premises are recycled from previous episodes though this shouldn't be an issue as ... they still are unique.

Art of the series has changed throughout the years I'd say my favorite was from mid 70s as I've seen most episodes from that period. In the mid 2000s style the character design is lot more simple than in 70s and has this kind of a "roundness" into it compared to the more sharp 70s style.

As with the art the voice actors for some characters have changed throughout the run of the series, like with the art I had grown to enjoy the 70s voice cast so the change kinda affected how some of the characters feel throughout the newer episodes, aside from that I'd say that the voice acting is really good.

The characters, probably the most important part of the series. I'd say that the extended family and the dynamic between the characters as you grow to know them is excellent. You cannot get this kind of attachment to the characters in any other series. No matter what the story is about or how it is handled, the banter between the characters and the family dynamic that is present constantly in the series is relatable even if you're not Japanese.

I'd say that the relatable family scenarios and the excellent characters make even the most mundane slice of life setting enjoyable to watch. This is series is kind of a special series. If you look at it on paper without watching it, the series doesn't seem to have much appeal however because of the excellent execution and character dynamics, the series and the characters will grow to become very interesting and engaging to watch even if there wouldn't be much happening in the story.

The series has comedic situations, the comedy is subtle as it is grounded mainly to the characters. The segment of the story might have some kind of comedic punch line and I'd say it usually comes pretty naturally. The comedy is mostly situational and arises from the characters interactions.

Overall I'd say that the series is definitely one of the most engaging slice of life anime out there and Pretty much the best one when it comes to the family dynamics of the extended family creating a relatable and natural world where people can relate amd grow with the characters.