The Steady, Meticulous Japanese

I often write about the “meticulous Japanese” and their amazing ability to do the same thing in and out for years, like the guy who’s been flying RC airplanes in a field near J-List every Sunday for the past…17 years or so. The highest rated anime isn’t Madoka Magika or Evangelion or Nichijou, but Sazae-san, the story of the Isono Family including father Namihei, wife Fune, daughter Sazae and her husband Masuo, which has managed to run non-stop since 1969, enjoying ratings of 20+ percent each week. Another long running series is Otoko wa Tsurai yo (“”It’s Tough Being a Man””), the story of traveling salesman Tora-san who manages to find then lose a love interest in each of the 48 (!) films in the series. Yesterday was the final episode of a popular Japanese dorama called Wataru Seken wa Oni Bakari (English title “Making It Through,” although a more accurate translation would be “All Who Pass in this World are Devils”), the story of ramen restaurant owner Daikichi Okakura and his five grown daughters. The plots are absolutely mundane, dealing with issues like wives not getting along with their mothers-in-law, headstrong kids who refuse to show respect to their elders and so on, but the series has been a huge hit over the past 21 years, raking in ratings of 30% or more.

The top-rated anime is Sazae-san, on the air for 42 years so far.