History Manga / SazaeSan

The TV series has never been released on home video due to the dying wishes of its creator, Machiko Hasegawa. This is probably the reason why it has never been dubbed into English or any language besides Japanese. However, the original comic strip has been released bilingually as ''[[https://www.amazon.com/Wonderful-World-Sazae-San-Vol/dp/4770020759 The Wonderful World of Sazae-san]]'' and later ''[[https://www.amazon.com/%E3%83%99%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88%E3%83%BB%E3%82%AA%E3%83%96%E5%AF%BE%E8%A8%B3%E3%82%B5%E3%82%B6%E3%82%A8%E3%81%95%E3%82%93-%E3%82%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%83%A2%E3%83%BC%E3%83%AC%E3%83%84%E3%81%AE%E6%99%82%E4%BB%A3-Sazae-san-KODANSHA-ENGLISH/dp/4062500841 The Best of Sazae-san]]''.

An ancient Japanese comic strip that dates back to 1946 and, perhaps more notably, holds the world record for the longest running animated series of all time — new ''Sazae-san'' episodes have been airing since October 5, 1969, making it a pop culture staple of UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}. It almost always has higher TV ratings in Japan than any other anime (and even most other TV shows ''period''), and by a significant margin. Airings of ''Sazae-san'' in its Sunday evening timeslot regularly have viewership numbering over a tenth of the entire Japanese population. In other words, it's a pretty big deal. Despite this, it is not very well known outside of its home country (hence, the lonely singular block of text). The series centers around Sazae Fuguta, a somewhat typical Japanese housewife with very young siblings. Each episode of the anime is made up of three self-contained stories. It focuses on aspects of traditional Japanese daily life and culture, and hearkens back to an earlier, simpler, less rushed time (since both series are so old), and relies on a Japanese sensibility to appreciate. Hence, its popularity in Japan and obscurity everywhere else.

An ancient Japanese comic strip that dates back to 1946 and, perhaps more notably, holds the world record for the longest running animated series of all time — new ''Sazae-san'' episodes have been airing since October 5, 1969, making it a pop culture staple of UsefulNotes/{{Japan}}. It almost always has higher TV ratings in Japan than any other anime (and even most other TV shows ''period''), and by a significant margin. Airings of ''Sazae-san'' in its Sunday evening timeslot regularly have viewership numbering over a tenth of the entire Japanese population. In other words, it's a pretty big deal. Despite this, it is not very well known outside of its home country (hence, the lonely singular block of text). The series centers around Sazae Fuguta, a somewhat typical Japanese housewife with very young siblings. Each episode of the anime is made up of three self contained stories. It focuses on aspects of traditional Japanese daily life and culture, and hearkens back to an earlier, simpler, less rushed time (since both series are so old), and relies on a Japanese sensibility to appreciate. Hence, its popularity in Japan and obscurity everywhere else.

* FlashbackWithTheOtherDarrin: Subverted. One episode had characters reminiscing about events that happened in a very early episode, back when some of the characters had different voice actors. Rather than redub those scenes, they used it as is, complete with the original voices. It was REALLY noticeable. It should be noted there was a 40 year gap between the original episodes and the flashback.
* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In order to get out of going to school, Katsu says he's got a stomach ache. When everyone else shares some cake, he realizes that this wasn't a very good move.

** '''''The''''' animation example. It began in 1969 and still runs to this day, over 40 years later. Over 2,000 half hour episodes have been made.

* FlashbackWithTheOtherDarrin: Subverted. One episode had characters reminiscing to events that happened in a very early episode, back when some of the characters had different voice actors. Rather than redub those scenes, they used it as is, complete with the original voices. It was REALLY noticeable. It should be noted there was a 40 year gap between the original episodes and the flashback.

* LipstickMark: Turns out to be from little sister playing with lipstick and wiping it off with the nearest cloth object, a married man's shirt.

Compare it with ''ComicBook/LaFamiliaBurron'' in Mexico, which also deals with similar topics and also being a {{Long Runner|s}}. The nearest American parallel one can draw is, perhaps, ''ComicStrip/Peanuts''.

Compare it with ''ComicBook/LaFamiliaBurron'' in Mexico, which also deals with similar topics and also being a {{Long Runner|s}}.

Compare it with ''ComicBook/LaFamiliaBurron'' in Mexico, which also deals with similar topics and also being a LongRunner.

* LongRunner:

[[caption-width-right:300:The titular character, Sazae Fuguta.]]

An ancient Japanese comic strip that dates back to 1946 and, perhaps more notably, holds the world record for the longest running animated series of all time — new ''Sazae-san'' episodes have been airing since October 5, 1969, making it a pop culture staple of Japan. It almost always has higher TV ratings in Japan than any other anime (and even most other TV shows ''period''), and by a significant margin. Airings of ''Sazae-san'' in its Sunday evening timeslot regularly have viewership numbering over a tenth of the entire Japanese population. In other words, it's a pretty big deal. Despite this, it is not very well known outside of its home country (hence, the lonely singular block of text). The series centers around Sazae Fuguta, a somewhat typical Japanese housewife with very young siblings. Each episode of the anime is made up of three self-contained stories. It focuses on aspects of traditional Japanese daily life and culture, and hearkens back to an earlier, simpler, less-rushed time (since both series are so old), and relies on a Japanese sensibility to appreciate. Hence, its popularity in Japan and obscurity everywhere else.

!!Tropes associated with/seen in this series include:

* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In order to get out of going to school, Katsu says he's got a stomach-ache. When everyone else shares some cake, he realizes that this wasn't a very good move.

** '''''The''''' animation example. It began in 1969 and still runs to this day, over 40 years later. Over 2,000 half-hour episodes have been made.

* ThemeNaming: Most of the major characters are named after seafood, reflecting the time period the strip was created in -- one of the aims of the creator was to hearken back to times of full stomachs. The series began in 1946, just after WorldWarTwo, when much of the population was still teetering on the brink of starvation.

* NorioWakamoto: He plays many, ''many'' characters on the show. [[{{MemeticBadass}} No wonder it's been so successful.]]

[[quoteright:273:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/Picture_1316_7872.png]]
[[caption-width-right:273:The titular character, Sazae Fuguta.]]

Compare it with ''ComicBook/LaFamiliaBurron'' in Mexico, who also deals with similar topics and also being a LongRunner.

* ThemeNaming: Most of the major characters are named after seafood, reflecting the time period the strip was created in -- one of the aims of the creator was to hearken back to times of full stomachs.

* CursedWithAwesome: One strip is about a woman who's cursed with a husband who cares extremely little about their wedding anniversary. When she tells him it's their anniversary and he's forgotten about it, he just gives her some money to buy a gift, since he can't be bothered to do it. The awesome part is that since he never can remember the correct date, she can tell him it's their anniversary multiple times a year to get extra money, and he won't catch on.

* ArtEvolution: The animation style was much more cartoony in the ''very'' early episodes.
** Also, the series (particularly the comic) happened to cover the period where "traditional" Japan was replaced by "Westernized" Japan. Early in the comic's run, most characters, including Sazae herself, wore traditional dress (kimonos, geta, etc). By the time the anime started over 20 years later, most characters had switched to wearing Western clothing.

* LongRunner: '''''The''''' animation example. It began in 1969 and still runs to this day, over 40 years later. Over 2,000 half-hour episodes have been made.

* PokemonSpeak
* SliceOfLife: Helps to explain its popularity in Japan and obscurity everywhere else.
* ThemeNaming: Most of the major characters are named after seafood, reflecting the time period the strip was created in (one of the aims of the creator was to hearken back to times of full stomachs.)

Compare it with ''[[ComicBook/BurronFamily La Familia Burron]]'' in Mexico, who also deals with similar topics and also being a LongRunner.

Compare it with [[http://www.amazon.com/La-familia-Burron-Spanish-Edition/dp/9700751287 La Familia Burron]] in Mexico, who also deals with similar topics and also being a LongRunner.

* LipstickMark

** The anime has been running for even longer than the LongRunner comic it was based on, which lasted 28 years (1946 to 1974).

Notably, it is debatable as to whether or not ''Sazae-san'' even ''is'' an anime, long predating most of what is now called such (there are a few exceptions if one counts the beginning of the cartoon as the "start point", but the original strip came out in ''1946''), and the art style more resembles ''ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}}'' than anything else.

Notably, it is debatable as to whether or not ''Sazae-san'' even ''is'' an anime, long predating most of what is now called such (there are a few exceptions if one counts the beginning of the cartoon as the "start point", but the original strip came out in ''1946''), and the art style more resembles ''{{Peanuts}}'' than anything else.

Notably, it is debatable as to whether or not ''Sazae-san'' even ''is'' an anime, long predating most of what is now called such (there are a few exceptions if one counts the beginning of the cartoon as the "start point", but the original strip came out in ''1946''), and the art style more resembles ''ThePeanuts'' than anything else.

Notably, it is debatable as to whether or not ''Sazae-san'' even ''is'' an anime, long predating most of what is now called such, and the art style more resembles ''ThePeanuts'' than anything else.

An ancient Japanese comic strip that dates back to 1946 and, perhaps more notably, the longest running animated series of all time - new ''Sazae-san'' episodes have been airing since October 5, 1969, making it a pop culture staple of Japan. It almost always makes higher TV ratings in Japan than ''any other anime'', and by a significant margin. Despite this, it is not very well known outside of its home country (hence, the lonely singular block of text). The series centers around Sazae Fuguta, a somewhat typical Japanese housewife with very young siblings. Each episode of the anime is made up of three self-contained stories. It focuses on aspects of traditional Japanese daily life and culture, hearkens back to an earlier, simpler, less rushed time (since both series are so old), and relies on a Japanese sensibility to appreciate. Hence, its popularity in Japan and obscurity everywhere else.

* LongRunner: The anime series began in 1969 and still runs to this day, 40 years later. Over 2,000 half-hour episodes have been made.
** The anime has been running longer than the comic it was based on, which lasted 28 years (1946 to 1974).

* SliceOfLife

* ThreeShorts: Since the first episode the show followed this format. Thus there's like 6,000 segments altogether.

* InnocentPanties: Wakame

* ExecutiveMeddling: Necessary example. Sazae used to end every episode by throwing a bean in the air and swallowing it. When a child choked to death imitating her, this was changed; she now ends every episode by challenging the viewer to jan-ken-pon (rock/paper/scissors).
* HeyItsThatVoice: In the first three months of the show's broadcast Katsuo was voiced by Nobuyo Ōyama, best known as the voice of {{Doraemon}}.

* KeepCirculatingTheTapes: Despite its long run not one episode was ever officially released on VHS or DVD. This was from a request the creator Machiko Hasegawa made before she died. In fact, episodes broadcast before [=VCRs=] became the norm are extremely difficult to find because they've never been shown again since its original broadcast. This is partly the reason why the 40th anniversary special from 2009 was a big event: they pulled out some old episodes from the 1970s and broadcast them again for the first time in ''decades''.

* TheOtherDarrin: Despite its long run this trope is averted with Sazae, Tara, Namihei, and Fune, whose voices are still performed by the same actors after more than 40 years.[[hottip:*:One 2009 episode had someone else perform Fune, only because the voice actress was sick that day.]]. However, there has been changes with voice actors for Katsuo (3 actors), Masuo (2), and Wakame (3).
* OutlivedItsCreator: Machiko Hasegawa died in 1992.