SHEEEEEEEEEEH!


For a show that went completely under the radar (at first) for me, I’ll probably never get over just how much I loved this show.

So, for those of you out of the loop, you’re probably asking – What’s Osomatsu-san? Well, it’s a show that originally aired as Osomatsu-kun in the 60s and was completely refreshed for its modern debut. At its core, it’s definitely a comedy show. It has its moments where it’ll break into different genres for an episode or two, but this is totally one of those shows where watching out of order won’t necessarily hurt your understanding of it. However, there is a general sense of continuity that spans throughout the entire thing. From nicknames to extremely embarrassing moments between characters, it all comes back again at least once in the future. So, while you could watch it out of order, I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it. That said, there is definitely some value in re-watching episodes since you do get a different feel once you have a better understanding of who is who.

When it comes to the comedy though, you get most of your laughs from the dynamics of our loveable sextuplets whom the show is named after. In order from oldest to youngest, you have Osomatsu, Karamatsu, Choromatsu, Ichimatsu, Jyushimatsu, and Todomatsu. All of whom have their own very distinct personality, character defects, and likes. Between the six of them though, they all share a passion for being some of the best NEETs (a Japanese term to describe someone not currently in Education, Employment, or Training) you’ll ever meet. Having the process of perpetually staying one down to a science, a lot of the jokes and humor come from making fun of someone who’s basically trash living at home. But for those of you who’ve watched the show (or are interested in starting), you’ll know that the true reason you came back week after week was to see your favorite Matsu sibling. Whether that meant getting the opportunity to listen to the cringe inducing Karamatsu with his trademark phrases or Totty just being plain old Totty, this is definitely a show that’ll have you arguing with your friends about why you love a certain character so much (or why you love being Karamatsu trash).

For me personally, I was originally a Choromatsu fan until I realized just how much I wanted to be Karamatsu trash. Am I right, BURAZAHS?

That said, I do have to give you a bit of a warning if you decide to watch this show. For me and a bunch of my friends, it took a few episodes to really get into the groove of things (four to be specific). Once the series clicks though, it’ll be smooth sailing for you from there on out. Also, don’t be swayed away by the first episode – things are only like that for that specific episode.

Overall, I think this is totally a show you should watch if you have the opportunity to. It’s a little different from your typical anime, but not so strange that’ll it feel foreign. And even though it is a comedy, there’s such a treasure trove of jokes and laughs that there should be something here for just about anyone.

Osomatsu Group at #ala2016!

12 Comments

  1. Ahhhh…. Good memories… This show has some of the most ridiculous, what-tha-fuck moments that I’ve ever seen since this side of Danshi Koukousei. The first episode is especially golden. I’ve showed it to friends each time and their expressions are priceless I tell you, PRICELESS!!! I forgot most of what I’ve watched but there were without mistake several stand-out episodes that left me ROTFLMMFAO like an ape until my reserves of nitrous oxide ran out. This show was stupid as hell but was it funny as fuck! I mean like yeah, there were a few meh episodes here and there but the overall experience yo, the overall experience!

    Also, Totty was one conniving little bastard, while Karamatsu was cheesily hilarious and cool at the same time. Owh do I love Karamatsu. Choroshikoshiki however, was one annoying little bugger though. Even then, I think the one character I liked the least was Totoko, like Oh my God, what the hell is wrong witchu girl, perpetuatin stereotypes like tha boombox gon break? Man, dat crazy-assed society with all its crazy-ass ideas. Makes for sardonic satire though, you just gotta love dat feeling of guffawing at some of the stupidest aspects of society, you just gotta.

    Mihashi Nishizawa
  2. Osomatsu-san was VERY popular with Japanese viewers, and not just because of their bishonen forms. I suspect its comedy is very relatable to the Japanese standards of humour.

    zztop
  3. I was recently reading a Japanese interview (which apparently lasted 3 hours with alcoholic drinks in the mix) done with 6 female fans of Osomatsu-san to find out the reasons why some fans became fans in the first place. Some interesting things that were mentioned (in no particular order):

    1) All 6 fans said they did not expect to get into Osomatsu-san (get stuck in the swamp) at all at first. No way were they going to be spending money on character goods and stuff…(*looks down to see said numerous character goods within hands*) SCARY!
    2) There was recognition (along with initial annoyance) that the anime was blatantly pandering to those who are voice-talent fans and fujoshi. But then it began to not matter anymore to fans that their feelings were being manipulated in the palm of the anime’s hand…
    3) The simple character design(s) lends to making fan-comics/pics/etc. really easy. So even after watching an Osomatsu-san episode, there are tons (waaaay too much!) of fan-produced works to look at to keep the interest up until the next episode airs. The simplicity has given rise to not only first-time contributors on sites like pixiv, but also brought back those tired fan artists who had left the fan-works scene before.
    4) Again, the simplicity of the character design(s) lends to very very very easy cosplaying. Just buy a parka and sew a Matsu shape on it! But that has led to a shortage of parkas to buy…
    5) Speaking of parkas, the Osomatsu-san influence can be seen in the way ordinary clothing stores display their parkas in the color order of the Matsuno brothers.
    6) The vocabulary/phrases introduced by the brilliant writing of the anime overtakes those of the fans’. About the only thing that could be said that was introduced by fans to the Ososmatsu-san fandom are the alternative names for certain brother-couplings (KaraxIchi = IroMatsu, OsoxChoro = SokudoMatsu, etc.).
    7) Weekly life-cycle of Osomatsu-san fan: Watch anime episode live and share live comments with other fans. -> Have episode playing in background while preparing in the morning. (Osmosis!) -> Watch snippets again on commute and/or read reactions. -> Read fan-works. -> Watch episode again. -> Rinse. Repeat. (The Swamp is SCARY!)
    8) The anime writers must be watching the comments made by fans. There’s no other explanation for why the anime can so pointedly make jokes taking aim at its female fans.

    Monimonika
    1. 9) The high popularity of Karamatsu, Ichimatsu, and Juushimatsu most likely is because they are the easiest to tell apart from the other brothers (and they each had interesting character-focused episodes). For first-time watchers, Juushimatsu was definitely the easiest to tell apart from the rest in the initial episodes.
      10) The way to tell Osomatsu apart from his brothers is via elimination.

      Monimonika
  4. It started as dick jokes the anime, then episode nine destroyed my heart, then the finale went right back to what made me love the anime. It was brilliant from start to finish.

    Crunchie
  5. Hustle, hustle!! Muscle, Muscle!!

    Glad you found some way to like a show with such despicable, self-centered people Takaii!! haha 😛

    In all seriousness, the show was great for its sometimes reckless, sometimes genius approach to adapting a show from the 60’s and 80’s. Every episode was so original and clever its crazy to think 25 were made and most likely more to come.

    P.S. I know there was no episodic coverage here at Random C but I’ve been following Enzo’s posts over at his site and I have to give him credit for getting me back into the show after I originally dropped it after 3 episodes!! 🙂

    Stripes
  6. If you look at the sales, Osomatsu san is the number 1 anime series of the season. The sales pretty much mean a second season is set in stone. It’s not like any studio wouldn’t make more of any series selling over 20k per volume.

    Lyfe
  7. Definitely the best of Fall 2015. BD/DVD sales ARE A MONSTROSITY in Japan. Each release debuts at number one with 30,000+ copies sold. How does it do that? We should be expecting a second season soon. Can’t wait for more Matsu!

    KaZuHiRo

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