A glimpse into Aiken's 50-year history in the production of "Sazae-san," an anime that was handmade until the very last minute [Watching the Animation Industry Vol. 75

Aiken, known for its production of "Sazae-san," is holding "50 Years with Animation Sazae-san: The World of Aiken-produced Animation" from March 27, 2021 (Saturday). (at Ueno Memorial Museum of Art, Tamba).
Since the days of its predecessor, TCJ Animation Center, Aiken has survived the transition from black-and-white to color animation in the early days of TV animation, and has also been caught in the stormy waves of the dramatic change from analog to digital animation production. What is the reason why the company has survived for 50 years? ......
We interviewed Mr. Futoshi Nakamura of Aiken's Sales Administration Department and Ms. Yoko Mitsui of the Sales Department.

The "TV era is coming" and an animated TV series was broadcast for three consecutive months in the same year.

─ First of all, please tell us the origin of your company name.

Mitsui: The name comes from the name of our founder, Hidenori Murata. He was originally called "Aiken" as a nickname, and he used it as the name of the company.

Nakamura──That is, it does not necessarily mean "image research," does it?

Nakamura: In the days when we used to communicate by fax, we would sometimes get the wrong address, such as "Mr. Eiken" (laughs). (Laughs.) There was no deep meaning behind it.

───Please tell us about the origins of your company.

Mitsui: It all started when Yanase, which is famous for selling imported cars, established a film division in the 1960s.

Nakamura: Yanase thought, "The future is the age of television," and began importing and selling street-use televisions, establishing a company called Nippon Television (TCJ). Television is always accompanied by advertisements, so the company quickly began producing commercials. TCJ also produced animated commercials for companies such as Tris, Momoya, and Citizen, and it appears that the company captured a considerable share of the market. Some time later, the Film Division was established to produce serial TV animation programs, and on New Year's Day in 1963, the same year that the first Japanese TV animation "Astro Boy" was broadcast, the TCJ Film Division produced "Hermit's Village," "Tetsujin 28-go" and "Eighty Man.

Mitsui "The Hermit's Village" was broadcast in September 1963, "Tetsujin" in October, and "Eight Man" in November.

Nakamura That TCJ Film Department was the predecessor of our company.

──Wasn't it quite a challenge to start three animated TV series in three consecutive months?

Nakamura Yes, it was. They gathered many applicants at a large public hall and held a recruitment test for animators to increase the number of staff.

Mitsui: At the time of "Super Jetter" (1965), there were four teams, including the commercial division, with a staff of about 300 people. Some people mistook the company name "Nippon Television" for Nippon Television Network Corporation, a TV station, and joined us straight away (laughs). (Laughs.) The old company name was confusing because Nippon Television Network Corporation was "Nippon Television Network Corporation.

───This must have been a time when there was still a lack of expertise in creating animated television programs?

Nakamura: Yes, animator Kiyoshi Onishi became the head of the team, and talent flowed in from the commercial division. The two main broadcasters were CX, with "Hermit's Tribe" and "Tetsujin 28," and TBS, with "Eight Man. At that time, the line was hero stories, and the sponsors were confectionery companies that made gum and chocolates for children. For "Eight Man," it was Marumiya, a furikake (sprinkled seasoning) company. Tetsujin" was sponsored by Ezaki Glico and Glico Dairy, and the name "Glico" was sung in the theme song.


───The first three films were all based on manga, weren't they?

Nakamura: Yes, the first original work was "Super Jetter. TBS, which broadcast "Eight Man," wanted to create an original work that would allow them to develop their own merchandizing, so they gathered together a number of great science fiction writers, including Ryo Hanmura, Aritsune Toyoda, Yasutaka Tsutsui, and Taku Baimura, to develop the scenario.

─ After that, you continued to pursue the line of SF heroes for a while, such as "Space Boy Soran" (1965), "Planet Boy Papii" (1965) and "Planet Mask" (1966), didn't you? Was this due to the wishes of your sponsors?

Nakamura: I think the sponsors had their reasons, but I also think that viewers' attitudes toward TV animation have gradually changed. For example, the sponsor of "Sazae-san" (1969) was Toshiba, an electronics manufacturer. The previous program, "Ninpuu Kamui Gaiden" (1969), was also sponsored by Toshiba. The original "Kamui Gaiden" was serialized in a manga magazine for young men. At the time, Toshiba was launching a radio-cassette player, so perhaps the company wanted to appeal to a younger audience. The fact that the follow-up program was "Sazae-san" seems to indicate that the sponsors wanted to "broaden the audience base".

Mitsui Just the same year that "Sazae-san" started, T.C.J. Video Center became independent from Nippon Television. We moved from Shinagawa to Minami Senju with 200 people. The first episode of "Sazae-san" is available online, but it is still called TEIJ Video Center, not Aiken. The reason is that the company name change to Aiken was made in 1973, so there is a little time gap between the two companies.