When most people in the UK or America talk about "hugely popular anime" they ignore a vast chunk of the market that never gets localised for our consumption.

I was chatting on a podcast about classics and took the chance to point out that the most watched #anime in #Japan is actually Sazae-san, a soap opera that& #39;s been running since the 60s. It& #39;s a social institution.

Sazae-san has long outlived its creator, becoming such a touchstone of Japanese life that the emotional slump when you realise "the weekend is almost over and it& #39;s Monday tomorrow" has been tied to its ending theme and named Sazae-san Syndrome.

Doraemon is another old #anime - not many Brits or Americans have seen it. Yet here it is, doing well in Japanese cinemas, 41 years after its debut as a manga. The film franchise is the highest-grossing in anime and one of the highest worldwide. https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020-08-12/2020-doraemon-anime-film-opens-at-no.1/.162805">https://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2020...

#Anime and #manga we don& #39;t know or rate are popular in Japan and worldwide. India, Africa, Asia, Europe, are not identical or inferior to the Anglophone market. The world is hugely diverse, and it doesn& #39;t have to agree with us about anything, including its favourite anime.