Journal Entry – Week 10

I believe Naruto is today’s most popular Japanese show in the U.S. Naruto is an action-packed anime and manga about a young ninja named Naruto Uzumaki, who dreams of becoming the leader of his village, the Hokage. Naruto is an outcast because he has a dangerous fox demon sealed inside him, but he works hard to prove himself and protect his friends. Along the way, he faces powerful enemies, makes strong friendships, and learns what it means to be a true leader. The series was first published as a manga and later turned into two anime shows, Naruto and Naruto: Shippuden. It aired in Japan on TV Tokyo and became hugely popular in the U.S. through Cartoon Network and platforms like Netflix and Crunchyroll. American fans love its underdog story, emotional characters, and exciting ninja battles. While it’s also popular in Japan, other series like One Piece are sometimes bigger there, but Naruto is famous worldwide.

I would have to say today’s most popular (in term of audience) Japanese animated TV show in the U.S would have to be One Piece. This is animation is considered a shonen anime. Meaning it contains action, humor, and fantasy. The general storyline of One Piece is that we as the viewers follow Monkey D. Luffy through his journey to become king of the Pirates while simultaneously searching for the One piece. I believe this anime resonates with audiences so much because the writer was able to write so many different types of characters who all view themselves as the main character. This animation manages to take on serious themes while also keeping the story very light hearted. The show also has incomparable world building see as they are able to keep the mystery of the One Piece world despite being around for 2.5 decades. This animation is just as popular in Japan.

Even though its original run ended, Naruto remains one of the most popular Japanese animated TV series today. Naruto belongs to the Shonen genre, meaning the target demographic is young male audiences. However, it is clear that it was well received and widely enjoyed by all demographics. The story follows Naruto Uzumaki, an orphaned ninja with dreams of becoming Hokage (the leader of his village) to gain recognition and protect those he loves. Originally the series was broadcast on TV Tokyo in Japan. It was also distributed internationally through streaming platforms like Crunchyroll, Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video. The English dubbed version aired on Cartoon Network’s Toonami. I think it resonates with American audiences because it tells an underdog story with themes of perseverance, which are greatly cherished in American culture. Also the engaging fight scenes and unique powers appeal to fans of superhero stories. Additionally, the high-quality English dubs made the series accessible to non-Japanese-speaking audiences. Naruto was very popular during its initial run in Japan, consistently ranking among the top anime of its time.

The Japanese animated television series known in the United States as “The Disastrous Life of Saiki K” falls within the shonen and comedy genres. The narrative centers around Kusuo Saiki, a high school student with an extraordinary secret: he possesses a diverse range of psychic abilities, including psychokinesis and teleportation. Despite these remarkable powers, Saiki strives to conceal them from his peers, aiming to lead a normal and unremarkable life. The series resonates with American audiences due to its blunt and semi-absurd humor, rooted in the unique situations in which Saiki often finds himself. Interestingly, while the show has garnered significant popularity in the United States, it has not achieved the same level of acclaim in Japan.

Prompt 2

One of the most popular Japanese animated TV show in the US is Dragon Ball Z. It follows the adventures of Goku, who along with other Z fighters, is defending the Earth against evil. The show is distributed on a platform called “Crunchyroll”, that also distributes a variety of Japanese animated TV shows. I think it resonated with American audiences because of it’s action packed battle scenes and “good vs evil” storyline. The show was also aired on the American TV network “Cartoon Network” in the late 90’s on their action-themed evening block named “Toonami”. It became overwhelmingly popular with younger audiences. The series is also popular in Japan. It is considered one of the most influential Japanese animated tv shows of all time.