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Sazae-san Gets New Live-Action TV Drama Special (Updated)
posted on by Egan Loo
32-year-old actress Alisa Mizuki will play the title housewife role in a live-action television drama special of Machiko Hasegawa's Sazae-san manga. Sankei Sports posted a photograph of Mizuki as the character that the newspaper describes as a "national" figure. Fuji TV has been planning a new live-action adaptation since five years ago. Yoko Matsusaki, producer of the anime version, is working on this new drama version as well.
The manga has been running since 1946, and the television anime adaptation celebrates its 40th anniversary on Fuji TV this October. The anime recorded its highest rating — 39.4% — on September 16, 1979. Even now, the anime consistently records ratings between 15% and 25%. Tonko Azumaya starred in a 1948-1950 series of live-action movies which predated the anime by two decades. Chiemi Eri starred in a 1956 live-action film adaptation, as well as in a live-action drama that ran from 1965 to 1967 on TBS. Tomoko Hoshino played Sazae-san in yet another live-action television drama on Fuji TV from 1981 to 1985. The last live-action version was Atsuko Asano's 1992-1996 incarnation on Fuji TV. Mizuki said that she remembers watching Asano's version when she was in middle school and noted the fast-tempo comedy of that version.
Source: Sankei Sports
Update: The original manga ended in 1974. Thanks, DokoMadeMo.
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