Ask John: What is Japan’s Favorite Anime?

Question:
Is there a single anime series running in Japan right now that could easily be identified as the “favorite”? The culture is just so saturated with different shows that it’s much harder to point at a single show and say “that one” like we can point out with something like Bleach’s popularity stateside.

Answer:
While American anime fans may presume that the most popular anime series in Japan is something familiar like Dragon Ball or Naruto, or a well known classic like Lupin the Third or Astro Boy, or perhaps even a Studio Ghibli film like Miyazaki’s beloved Nausicaa, in fact, Japan’s most popular anime may be a series that most Americans have never heard of.

The domestic family life comedy series Sazae-san is both Japan’s longest running and most watched anime. This simple series about the humorous daily life of a typical Japanese family has been running year around since October 5, 1969. The series now has over 1900 episodes! Sazae-san is also Japan’s most watched anime series, consistently earning ratings several points higher than any other anime title. Typical anime series targeted at otaku audiences are lucky to have ratings reach 2%. Popular mainstream hits like Naruto, One Piece, and Pretty Cure typically earn ratings that range from 5% up to 15%. Ratings for Sazae-san hover around 20% each week!

Periodic public polls of Japanese anime viewers are frequently dominated by whichever programs are popular at the time the poll is conducted, but Sazae-san regularly ranks highly on these polls. And regardless of what people report on polls, it’s literal viewing figures that show the true statistics of exactly what viewers are watching.

Sazae-san maintains its tremendous success for two reasons. It’s a program that appeals to a large spectrum of Japanese viewers – from children to grandparents. Furthermore, Sazae-san has established itself as a convention of modern Japanese popular culture. Sazae-san is as much a part of Japanese cultural identity as Mickey Mouse is for American society.