Journal Entry – Week 10

Prompt 2

One Piece (1999) by Eiichiro Oda is one of the most popular Japanese animated series in the United States, it belongs to the shōnen genre. Its plot is about Monkey D. Luffy who ate a devil fruit, this gave him elastic powers and he and his crew of pirates travel the seas in search of the legendary treasure “One Piece”, so that Luffy can become the King of Pirates. Its success in the U.S. according to the reviews is because of its unique characters and because each one has its own story which makes the public feel more in the role of the character and because it has a lot of action and adventure and for its number of episodes that to this day are 1128 and more are still being produced, but lately it became more viral and known because they made a mini live action series of One Piece that was released on Netflix and was very well received. The series is distributed on Crunchyroll and Netflix. In Japan it remains one of the most popular series despite competing with Naruto.

Product placement is still very much alive in today’s media, even if it’s not always as in-your-face as it was during the 1980s cartoon boom. In animated TV shows today, especially those aimed at older audiences or streaming platforms, you’ll sometimes see real-world brands subtly worked into the background—like characters using iPhones, drinking Starbucks, or scrolling through Instagram lookalikes—but they’re often altered just enough to avoid direct branding unless there’s a sponsorship. One rect example is in Rick and Morty, which partnered with Wendy’s in a full-blown campaign—Wendy’s even changed the voice of its drive-thru to match the show’s characters during a limited-time event, and the show featured food-themed episodes that aligned with the promotion. Similarly, The Lego Movie and its spinoffs are basically full-length product showcases, but cleverly written so they feel more like actual films than just ads.

What is today’s most popular (in term of audience) Japanese animated TV show in the US? What genre does it belong to? What is the general storyline? On what platform is it distributed? Why do you think it resonates with American audiences? Is it as popular in Japan?

Right now, one of the most popular Japanese animated shows in the U.S. is Jujutsu Kaisen. It’s a shonen anime about a high school student named Yuji who gets pulled into a world of curses and sorcerers after swallowing a cursed object. You can watch it on platforms like Crunchyroll and Hulu. Many American viewers are attracted to its mix of strong storytelling, emotional stakes, and visually stunning action scenes. It’s also a major hit in Japan, but streaming and social media have helped it go viral even more in the U.S.

Today, one of the most popular Japanese animated TV shows in the US is One Piece by Oda Eiichiro. It belongs to the Shounen genre but has multiple subgenres, including fantasy, action, and adventure. The story follows a boy named Luffy, who wants to live a life of freedom and ventures out to sea as a pirate to find the legendary treasure, “the One Piece,” which would grant him the title, King of the Pirates. During his journey, he gains many friends while also uncovering the dark secrets of the World Government, the ultimate authority within the One Piece universe. Because of its popularity, the TV series is available across several platforms, most notably Crunchyroll, which currently holds the licenses for streaming and home video in North America. I believe it resonates with American audiences because the show contains a lot of universal themes of systemic oppression, racism, and the pursuit of dreams and freedom. I also think it’s due to its diverse and memorable characters, along with a very unique art style. One Piece is most popular in Japan and has been since the manga was released in 1997, which is insane but also a testament to how influential and inspiring it is decades later.

An example of a popular Japanese animated TV show in the U.S. would have to be My Hero Academia. The show is centered around a boy named Izuku who has no superpowers in a world where almost everyone has one. He looks up to his idol, All Might, the so-called “Symbol of Peace,” and aspires to be like him one day. All Might later trains him and passes down his quirk, which he learns to control and protect the people around him from evil forces, especially an extremely powerful villain named “All for One”. I guess it resonates with American audiences because of the names of certain attacks that Izuku yells when he uses them, like “Detroit Smash” or “United States Smash”. It’s also very popular in Japan, as the animation style of the show is very eye-catching.

“Jujutsu Kaisen” I know was experiencing massive popularity in the US. Its in the dark fantasy, supernatural action genre. Google says the story line for Jujutsu Kaisen is “Yuji Itadori, a high school student who joins a secret organization of Jujutsu Sorcerers to eliminate a powerful Curse called Ryomen Sukuna, after becoming the demon’s host.” The show has a-lot of fighting and witchcraft. Im pretty sure its on Hulu maybe Netfilx. The series resonated with American audiences because of the very well choreographed fight scenes, Its funny but has very dark themes and also the character relationships are very complex. Acording to Wiki “Jujutsu Kaisen was also extremely popular in Japan, where it originated. It was one of the top-selling manga series and the anime adaptation received critical acclaim domestically as well as internationally.”

Prompt 1

A perfect example of contemporary product placement in animated TV shows is The Transformers. This toy line has been around since 1984 and continually refreshes its toy offerings and television series. There are now numerous Transformers TV series, each accompanied by its own range of toys designed to attract more customers. The success of this product has led to both 2D and 3D animated movies, and it has become an integral part of contemporary pop culture.

One of today’s most popular Japanese animated TV show in the US would be Dragon Ball. The genre this action and fantasy. Dragon ball resonates with American audience because of the way handles the fighting scenes, humor and emotional turmoil. The show has certain moments that are relatable to of us. Dragon Ball is a very popular and influential anime in Japan.