So, Amazon’s global conquest continues. The largest retailer on earth is sponsoring the world’s longest-running anime.
Earlier today, news broke that Amazon has signed on as the Main Sponsor for the Sazae-san anime. As of press time, details on the sponsorship have not been disclosed.
According to a report on Kyodo, Amazon was one of ten companies vying to become the show’s main sponsor. Toshiba had laid claim to that role for 48 years, before ending their partnership with the program in November. Kazuya Takasu, a plastic surgeon and head of the Takasu Clinic chain, was also vying for the position. He noted that he “struggled against the efforts of large companies.”
Takasu had previously sponsored Kaasan – Mom’s Life and is the domestic partner of Kaasan – Mom’s Life author Rieko Saibara.
The Sazae-san anime is based on Machiko Hasegawa’s manga of the same name. The series launched in 1969, with Toshiba being both the founding and sole sponsor of the program through 1999. The series continues to be the highest-ranked animated series in Japan every week.
The show is a production by studio Eiken and Fuji TV, which has seen four Chief directors across its run:
- Hiromitsu Morita (The World of Narue)
- Hiroshi Yamagishi
- Isao Yamamoto
- Osamu Murayama
The show spans 3,937 episodes and holds the Guinness World Record for longest-running animated TV series.