Japanese animation and Manga is popular in the world. "Sazae-san" is well-known character in Japan. Author is Machiko Hasegawa and this comic strip begun about 60 years ago. The story is based on two families, Isono and Fuguta family. They live together in same house. Now Sazae-san is TV series and on air for 30 minutes every Sunday. I had seen it when I was a child every week and many children watch it now.
"Sazae-san" is no special effect like "Pikachu" or no violence. It has humor. It describes normal Japanese family life, office, school, or holiday, etc. The charasteristic is all character's names. They are related to marine name. For example, "Sazae-san" is a main character and housewife. Her name "Sazae" in Japanese means turban shell. Her family name is "Fugu"ta. "Fugu" means is blow fish. Other main family members are:
"Masu"o (Trout) He is her husband and business man
"Tata"o (cod) , her son
"Iso"no family (stony shore)
"Nami"hei (wave) , her father
"Fune" (boat) , her father
"Katuo" (bonito) , her younger brother
"Wakame" (soft seaweed) , her younger sister
And "Tama", a pet cat , His name has no marine name. I don't know why.
Each stories are very heartwarming and simple. We can laugh naturally. Parents can make their young children watch without hesitating. And adults can laugh and enjoy it enough.
After the program is over, we think that tomorrow is Monday and new week will begin tomorrow.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sazae-san
5 comments:
i know nothing about "special effects" or "violence", these seems to be western prejudicies about anime and manga..
i think that real western fans of japanese animation and comics are enchanted exactly by the opposite. if i have to make an example...
"omohide poro-poro" , "HouHoKekyo tonari no Yamada-kun" (both by director Takahata Isao), or the stuff by Shinkai Makoto..(and of course Tezuka Osamu and Miyazaki Hayao, here we have pure genius)and many many others...
(Taniguchi Jirou etc.)
Thank you for your message. I'm glad these animations as you mentioned are popular amoung foreign Animation fans. Japanese animation is very sensitive, artistic or delicate description. It is one of characteristic and reason of popularity in the world. I think Sazae-san is another type of animation. It's like “Tonari-no Yamada-kun”. The drawing is so simple and different with Hayao Miyazaki’s "Sen to Chiro" or "Mononoke Hime" a little. Have many western animation fans like you known Sazae-san? Is it famous? I think it is a good textbook to know Japanese normal life style, tradition, customs, relationship with friends and neighborhoods, or family ties.
However, family like Sazae-san is decreasing in Japan now, especially in urban. This style of family,various generations live together, might be important for Japanese.
we haven't yet seen in the western world, at least to my knowing, the sazae-san anime series. the comics is famous, but only because is quoted in books about manga history or japanese culture...i mean that i have seen some pages of it (the style seems a little like early Tezuka works, isn't it?)but sadly i haven't read the manga itself.(i know that some parts ot it were published in the u.s., though)
The Sazae-san comics probably doesn't published in Japan now. I have read it when I was a child. We can see only it in TV. It is one of the animations that a lot of Japanese people have loved for a long time. I think it is a few.
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