Matt Schley
December 5, 2016 
Pop culture magazine Nikkei Entertainment, published by Japanese media conglomerate Nikkei, has released its list of the best entertainment of 2016.
The list is made to resemble rankings of sumo wrestlers, and like the sumo world, has separate “east” and “west” divisions (in sumo, east is slightly more prestigious than west, so take that as you will).
Taking the number-spot on in the east division is Your Name. No surprise here: the Makoto Shinkai film, which is now currently showing in several U.S. cities, has made a colossal amount of cash, surpassing Studio Ghibli films like Howl’s Moving Castle and Princess Mononoke to become the second highest-grossing Japanese film of all time.
Number two in the east is Asadora, a morning soap opera series that’s run on public TV station NHK since 1961. Toto Neechan, the Asadora which ran from April to October this year, featured a theme song by Hikaru Utada, back from a multi-year hiatus. Utada herself made the list as well.
Number three was the year’s other giant hit film, Shin Godzilla, which stomped its way through Japanese theaters, picking up a load of cash along the way.
In Nikkei’s “west” division, the number one pick of the year was Pokemon Go. Though Go fever seems to have abated somewhat, the game was a huge smash in Japan and around the world.
Other otaku-related entertainments that made the list include AKB48, Babymetal, Mr. Osomatsu, King of Prism, and A Silent Voice.
What’s on your list of top Japanese entertainment for 2016?
Source: Yaraon
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