Is Osomatsu-san Anti-Robot or Right?

Besides being highly amused by the recent first episode of the new Osomatsu-san television anime, I was also very fascinated by its implication. The first episode of the “Showa era” throwback anime harps on the idea that its character designs and dated humor don’t have what’s necessary to appeal to contemporary fans of popular anime. The episode deliciously satirizes a large selection of contemporary popular anime. Examples that I caught include Uta no Prince-sama, Hana Yori Dango, Ao Haru Ride, Haikyuu, Kuroko no Basuke, Yowamushi Pedal, Irresponsible Captain Tylor, Love Live, Shingeki no Kyoujin, Naruto, Bleach, Ansatsu Kyoshitsu, Dragon Ball, Doraemon, Sailor Moon, Tonari no Totoro, Virtua Fighter, and Ashita no Joe. The references cover current and contemporary but not current titles and cover genres including kodomo anime, shounen, shoujo, sports, and sci-fi, yet one omission is strikingly prominent.

Among the episode’s satirical examples of popular contemporary anime there’s no example or reference at all to giant robot anime. Despite the fact that even the current brand new anime season includes three new giant robot shows, the first episode of Osomatsu-san entirely refuses to acknowledge robot anime as a genre of popular contemporary anime. Is the omission simply an oversight? Were giant robots deliberately omitted because a giant robot didn’t jibe with the rest of the episode’s disparate sight gags? The later possibility seems difficult to reconcile. Or was a giant robot representation excluded because Osomatsu-san is suggesting that giant robot anime just aren’t popular among contemporary Japanese anime viewers?