Star voice actor is 85 going on 25.

When people outside of Japan think of anime, the works of Studio Ghibli or beloved series like Dragon Ball or Sailor Moon often come to mind. But for Japanese people, a quintessential anime is Sazae-san, and for good reason as it has been gracing Japanese TV screens for a whopping 55 years and counting, totaling some 2,500 30-minute shows give or take – far more if you count the fact that each show is actually made up of three different episodes.

In honor of its 55th anniversary, Guinness World Records has bestowed two new awards upon Sazae-san. The first continues to acknowledge it as the longest-running animated TV program in the world and the second honors its star Midori Kato for the longest career as a voice actor for the same character on an animated TV series.

Now 85, Kato is living the dream of being forever 24 through her character of Sazae Fuguta and shows no sign of stopping. She has once again broken her own award given last time in 2019 to celebrate the show’s 50th anniversary, and upon receiving it this year, said: “I hope that even your grandchildren will continue to watch!”

Many people came out online in support of Kato and Sazae-san’s continued success.

“I used to watch Sazae-san every Tuesday and Midori Kato is amazing! She’s also done the narration for Makeover! Dramatic Before & After for a long time.”
“Congratulations! We look forward to seeing you reach new heights in the future!”
“Her and Masako Nozawa are in a league of their own.”
“Amazing record! She’s one of a kind and hasn’t aged since I was a kid.”
“Sazae-san has been on the air since I was born and became part of my weekly routine.”
“Sometimes I turn on Sazae-san on Sunday evenings and it always relaxes me. Most of the actors have been replaced due to old age or death, but the new voices don’t feel out of place.”

The relaxing nature of the Sazae-san series is a big part of its incredible longevity. The show has never attempted to push the envelope or outdo itself and maintained a steady output of simple, timeless humor. And when I say “timeless” I mean that in the most literal sense.

Naturally, being a cartoon the characters don’t age but what’s unique about Sazae-san is that their environment doesn’t age either. The characters still use rotary telephones and hardly even use their CRT television set which at least seems to have been updated to a late-’80s model. These things never really stand out, however, and it makes the overall atmosphere feel more cozy rather than outdated or intentionally retro. It’s kind of like visiting your grandparents’ house.

▼ It’s usually only jarring when they do commercials and the family is suddenly driving around in a 2020 Nissan Serena with sensor assist.

There’s also the family dynamic that would seem almost alien in modern times in which Sazae is about 10 years older than her brother and sister, suggesting Sazae’s father was sent off to serve in World War II soon after she was born. But that too is just a matter of fact and never really dwelled upon, so much so that you could mistakenly assume Sazae’s siblings are her kids and not lose an ounce of enjoyment because of it.

▼ Indeed, a lot of viewers – possibly most viewers – have at one point mistakenly but understandably assumed Katsuo and Wakame are Sazae’s kids rather than her siblings.

It all works because of the series’ down-to-earth humor and storylines that focus on the family rather than the world that ought to be changing around them. In that way, it continues to draw younger viewers in with its cute jokes and holds onto older viewers with its comforting sense of stability and reliability.

The show’s 55th anniversary will be celebrated on Fuji TV by showing carefully selected “masterpiece” segments from 6:50 to 7:00 p.m. each night from 25 to 29 November and a one-hour special on 1 December. For those who have never seen it, this would be a good entry point because despite the lack of robots or magic it really is a big part of anime’s DNA.

Source: Guinness World Records, Daily Sports, X/@livedoornews
Images: Guinness World Records
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