Sazae-san [1], a comedy chronicling the lives of the fictional Isono family, is one of Japan's longest-running and oldest comic strips and animations. The animated series first aired in 1969 and is broadcast every Sunday from 6:30 to 7:00. It's not much of an exaggeration to say that at some point in our lives, all Japanese, either as a child or when raising children, will follow the tradition of having Sunday dinner with the family while watching Sazae-san (and finishing up with Chibi Maruko-chan [2], which airs from 7:00-7:30).
Recently, a seemingly unofficial Twitter account for Masuo Fuguta [3], the agreeable husband of the main character Sazae-san, popped up. He already has close to 7,000 followers after 100+ tweets.
Masuo-san makes announcements about air dates, with a unique spin. The Twitter story is set up describing the Isono family as having television crews come in to film their daily lives.
He gives us a bit of insight to his home life.
He also gets the chance to tell his side of the story. Masuo-san often takes a backseat to his outgoing and sometimes pushy wife and her immediate family, so it's refreshing to hear his voice.
There are clever tie-ins with social trends. The Taspo Card [5] is an identity card required to buy cigarettes from the vending machine. Convenience stores enjoyed a bump in business [6] for a while when people who hadn't applied for their cards yet went to the stores instead.
And of course, he answers questions about the other characters on the show.
Blogger yurikawa [7] appreciates the humor.
そこで、今日の放送と同時に、彼の実況解説が行われていたのだ。
一番笑ったのは、マスオさんが波平さんと歩いているシーンの後ページを読み込むと、「すみません。午前中実はパチンコ行ってました。」の書き込み。確かにそのシーンのマスオさんは紙袋を抱えていた。見事なアドリブだ。
本来、私は二次創作等が好きじゃないのだが、これは許せた。
きっとマスオさん(なりきり)のセンスが素晴らしいんだと思う。
Generally, I don't like secondary works but this is very acceptable. It must be that Masuo-san (or rather, the person behind the Twitter account) has a wonderful sense of humor.
Yamaq [9] is also enjoying the ride.
フィクションのキャラクターがリアルでバーチャルなコミュニケーションに参加するのがおもしろくて、さっそくフォローしてみました。そうしたら一日経ったらマスオさんからもフォローされました。なんだかメジャーなひとにフォローされてドキドキします(笑)
つぶやきの内容がマスオさんのキャラクターっぽい部分と、声優さんなのかリアルな世界の部分があったりして、とても新鮮な感じです。このやり方って一歩踏み損ねると完全に宣伝調になるので、つぶやく側のセンスが問われる部分です。最近面白かった与謝野代議士の秘書の方のつぶやきにつぐ、おもしろいキャラクターです。あっそうだ、今日サザエさんの日だ。
It's amazing how the tweets reflect both Masuo-san's character and the real world. If you go too far, it can sound like a promotional gimmick, so tweeting requires just the right touch.
This is the most interesting character among my recent finds, after the secretary of Kaoru Yosano [10]. Hey, Sazae-san is on today!