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NEWS: Japanese Anime TV Ranking, May 18-24

Am I the only one who feels that Sazae-san, Japans consistant Number 1 rated anime, has never ever been licensed outside of the country? Is it because there are similar looking and similar story telling else where, therefore it would be just another duplication of the same?

I think it's more fair to say they are family oriented, than just for children. Sazae-san the character is 24 years old, and the story takes place in the 56s-60s. Maruko-chan takes place in the 70s. Crayon Shin-chan's author is a social commentary comic strip artist, and his other works often illustrate explicit content. There is a lot of references in these shows that children would not understand, and are solely intended for people who share the same cultural historical memory.

I can tell you flatly from experience with Japanese people that children watch Crayon Shin-chan in Japan. Not all parents are crazy about that, but it is watched by a lot of children. The "explicit content" is considered appropriate by many in Japan (though some parents hate the series); remember that nearly ALL the dialogue you hear on its Adult Swim manifestation is original to the American version and is not reflective of the Japanese. Moreover, that his "other works" might not be child-appropriate doesn't make Shin-chan less of a kids' show any more than Roal Dahl's books aren't for children because he wrote some pretty raunchy stuff for adults.

True, many of these shows have elements that only the parents will get, much the way a Pixar movie might; but this doesn't change the fact that they are not the typical teen-and-adult-aimed fare that is popular and marketable to the anime viewing audience in America.

Plus, Sazae-chan is 1700+ episodes long. Nobody's going to license that.

... the only reason new episodes are being made is that people would miss it if it was gone.