While the television anime is experiencing a brief moment of no sponsorship due to a scandal at Fuji TV, Sazae-San is taking it to the stage in a brand-new play, bringing a new story for our favorite family.
Sazae-san is back on the stage for the first time since 2019, and she’s not alone because it was confirmed that the main cast from the 2019 and 2022 productions would be coming back to reprise their roles. This new play focuses on the life of the Isono Family ten years later after the anime, capturing the subtle yet heartfelt changes in their daily lives. The play is written and directed by Takayasu Tamura, it will also pay tribute to the everlasting legacy of its creator, Machiko Hasegawa, one of the first female manga creators in the industry. The play will be taking place in two locations, the first taking place in Tokyo, at the Meijiza Theater located in Chūō City from Thursday, June 5, 2025, to Tuesday, June 17, 2025. The second will be taking place in Osaka, at the Shin Kabukiza Theatre from July 5th (Saturday) to July 8th (Tuesday), 2025.
RELATED: The New York Times Focuses On The Iconic Voice-Work of Sazae-San’s Midori Kato
Listed below is a list of the cast who will be involved, which includes a member of the Japanese Idol Group, Hinatazaka46.
PLEASE NOTE: Child Roles have been completely recast.
- Sazae– Norika Fujiwara
- Namihei– Ken Matsudaira
- Masuo, (now busier due to a promotion) – Shingo Katsurayama
- Fune, (a caring mother concerned about her children)– Keiko Takahashi
- Katsuo (Now a student at a University)- Naoya Kusakawa (ONE N’ ONLY) / Yusuke Sato (lol) Dual Cast
- Wakame (who is attending a vocational school) – Honoka Hirao (Hinatazaka46)
- Tarao (now in middle school) – Shoma Fujishiro (wink first / TRAINEE) / Hikaru Matsuzaki (dual cast)
- Tama (The Beloved Family Cat)- Toshiya Sakai, continuing his role from the 2019 and 2022 productions.
Here are some fascinating facts about this iconic slice-of-life series, it is based on a Japanese yonkoma manga (a four-panel comic strip) written and illustrated by Machiko Hasegawa, one of the first female manga creators in the industry. Sazae-San ran in two newspapers (the Fukunichi Shinbun and Asahi Shimbun) from 1946 to 1975, Hasegawa was the first woman to pen a comic strip or manga in a daily Japanese newspaper, and the first in Japan to have her work adapted for television. It was collected into 68 (6,477 comic strips) tankobon volumes, and as of 1999, it had over 86 million copies in circulation, making it one of the best-selling manga series of all time. Aside from being adapted into a TV anime, it has been adapted into a radio show, theatrical plays, and songs. The manga portrayed the hardships of life after World War II when poverty-stricken Japanese lined up for rice rations or shopped on the black market.
The Sazae-San TV anime celebrated its 55th Anniversary in October 2024 with a brand-new exhibition, featuring illustrations drawn by famous manga creators, offering other fun things to do at the exhibition which include exploring the manga’s history, the history behind each character, which includes a timeline involving Machiko Hasegawa and its newspaper serialization. The exhibition first began in Odaiba Japan, and now making its way to the Shopping City Bell in Fukui, Japan from March 15, 2025, to March 30, 2025. Sazae-San TV Anime is available to watch on Fuji TV at 18:30 JST.
Source: Oricon
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