Oshi-Katsu Chronicle 1988: CDs Overtake Vinyl, Dragon Quest III Lines, Totoro, and Anpanman Arrives on TV

In February 1988, a long line formed to buy the home game Dragon Quest III. In March, Tokyo Dome opened, and BOØWY, Hibari Misora and others played in the big indoor venue.

Music at home was changing too: domestic CD production passed analog records.

A Line of More Than 10,000 on Dragon Quest III’s Release Day

On Wednesday, February 10, Enix released the Famicom role-playing game Dragon Quest III: And Into the Legend…, completing the Erdrick trilogy with a customizable four-member party system at Luida’s Tavern. At the Bic Camera electronics store in Ikebukuro, Tokyo, more than 10,000 people—including fans who had waited overnight in the winter cold—lined up in a queue stretching roughly 1 to 2 kilometers, with police officers dispatched to keep order. Nikkei (in Japanese)

Hundreds of children skipped school on the weekday morning to buy the cartridge, and domestic shipments reached 3.8 million copies, making the release-day lines front-page news and a nationwide social phenomenon.

Tokyo Dome Opens: BOØWY, Hibari Misora and Overseas Stars Perform

On March 17, Tokyo Dome (“Big Egg”), Japan’s first covered all-weather air-supported stadium with a capacity of roughly 50,000, opened on the site of the former Korakuen Velodrome. It became the home ballpark of the Yomiuri Giants and immediately transformed the scale of domestic concerts. Nikkei (in Japanese)

In March, Mick Jagger (March 22–23) and HOUND DOG (March 28) played the first rock shows there, followed by BOØWY’s two-day farewell concerts “LAST GIGS” on April 4 and 5—where about 100,000 tickets sold out in ten minutes and jammed telephone lines in Bunkyo Ward—and legendary singer Hibari Misora’s comeback “Phoenix Concert” on April 11. In December, Michael Jackson performed nine solo concerts there on his Bad World Tour. Tokyo Dome: performance records (in Japanese)

Tokyo DomeOpened March 17

• Yomiuri GiantsThe stadium's home team
• Mick Jagger, HOUND DOGMarch concerts
• BOØWY"LAST GIGS," April 4 and 5
• Hibari Misora"Phoenix Concert," April 11
• Michael JacksonPerformed in December

Rock, kayokyoku pop and music from overseas shared one stage.

For BOØWY, who had announced their breakup the year before, “LAST GIGS” was the final performance. The performance reached not only those who got into the venue but also fans who listened to the live album released later, which topped one million copies. Re:minder (in Japanese) / BARKS (in Japanese)

On March 18, the day after the opening, the Giants played the Hanshin Tigers in a preseason game. After the ceremonial first pitch, Suguru Egawa, who had retired the year before, threw a single farewell pitch to his longtime rival Masayuki Kakefu. Nikkei (in Japanese)

CD Production Passes Analog Records

In the Recording Industry Association of Japan’s domestic production statistics, analog records outnumbered CDs in 1987, while 8 cm compact disc singles went on sale in February 1988. In 1988 that relationship reversed decisively.

CDs are the total of 8 cm and 12 cm discs, and analog records the total of every size. The comparison is of units made in Japan, not units sold in shops. Recording Industry Association of Japan: production by type (in Japanese) / Analog record trends (in Japanese)

115.54 million

CDs made in Japan

39.46 million

Analog records made in Japan

In 1987 the order had been the other way around, with records ahead of CDs.

Source: Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese)

Hikaru GENJI Wins the Record Award; Kyosuke Himuro Wins for a Solo Album

Hikaru GENJI’s “Paradise Ginga,” released March 9, won the year-end 30th Japan Record Awards, while the group swept the top three spots on Oricon’s annual singles ranking with “Paradise Ginga,” “Glass no Judai” and “Diamond Hurricane.” Japan Composers Association (in Japanese)

The Album Grand Prix went to Kyosuke Himuro’s FLOWERS for ALGERNON. It was the debut solo album he released in September after ending BOØWY’s activities at Tokyo Dome that spring. The association’s award records (in Japanese)

The Best New Artist award went to the rock-oriented four-member Johnny & Associates band Otokogumi for “DAYBREAK,” and BUCK-TICK’s name also appeared among the new-artist prizes.

Princess Princess Plays Halls, and New Bands Get Going

Princess Princess played Shibuya Public Hall on April 17 as their national hall tour gained momentum. From the live reports of the time kept on the official site, you can trace the path toward their landmark Nippon Budokan concert in January 1989, the first there by an all-female Japanese rock band. Sony Music (in Japanese)

Meanwhile, X released their first album Vanishing Vision from Dada Yoshiki’s independent label Extasy Records and sold out concert halls through word of mouth and high-speed live shows, B’z (Tak Matsumoto and Koshi Inaba) made their debut in September, and in Hakodate, Hokkaido, high school students formed GLAY. Extasy Records: history (in Japanese) / GLAY: biography (in Japanese)

Comic Market Runs Two Days at Harumi, and More Circles Can Exhibit

On August 13 and 14, Comic Market 34 was held over two days at the Tokyo International Trade Center in Harumi. It is recorded as having 9,200 participating circles and a combined 70,000 attendees over the two days. Comic Market Preparation Committee (in Japanese)

The previous winter, more than 3,000 circles had been turned away because of single-day venue limits. Switching to a two-day schedule in the summer of 1988 gave far more circles a chance to exhibit their fan books, though the chronology also records that intense summer heat made the Harumi halls extremely hot.

9,200

Participating circles

70,000

Combined attendance over two days

3,000+

Circles that could not take part the previous winter

More circles could exhibit, though intense heat made the hall extremely hot.

Source: Comic Market Preparation Committee (in Japanese)

My Neighbor Totoro Opens, and Anpanman Begins on TV

On April 16, Studio Ghibli’s My Neighbor Totoro (directed by Hayao Miyazaki) and Grave of the Fireflies (directed by Isao Takahata) opened in theaters as a double feature, while Katsuhiro Otomo’s animated film AKIRA opened in July and Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack in March. Totoro had originally been planned as a mid-length film, which is how the two Studio Ghibli works came to be screened together, before Totoro plush toys and television broadcasts made it a beloved classic across generations. ORICON NEWS: interview with director Isao Takahata (in Japanese)

In TV anime, Mashin Hero Wataru began in April and Soreike! Anpanman, based on Takashi Yanase’s picture books, premiered on Nippon TV on October 3. Sunrise World (in Japanese) / Anpanman official site (in Japanese)

Key Events of the Year

1. Feb. 10Dragon Quest III released, with lines forming across the countryGames
2. Mar. 9Hikaru GENJI releases "Paradise Ginga"Idols
3. Mar. 18Tokyo Dome opens with an exhibition game, Giants vs. Hanshin TigersSports
4. Apr. 4–5BOØWY plays "LAST GIGS" at Tokyo DomeMusic
5. Apr. 11Hibari Misora's "Fushicho (Immortal Bird) Concert" at Tokyo DomeMusic
6. Apr. 16My Neighbor Totoro and Grave of the Fireflies open as a double featureFilm
7. Apr. 17Princess Princess performs at Shibuya Public HallMusic
8. Apr.Mashin Hero Wataru begins airingAnime
9. Jun. 18The Recruit scandal is exposed in the newsSociety
10. Aug. 13–14Comic Market 34 (9,200 circles and 70,000 total visits over two days)Fan works
11. Sep.The Showa Emperor's condition worsensSociety
12. Sep. 17Seoul Olympics open (through Oct. 2)Sports
13. Oct. 3Soreike! Anpanman begins airingAnime
14. Dec.Michael Jackson performs at Tokyo DomeMusic
15. Dec. 19Weekly Shonen Jump passes a stated circulation of 5 million copiesMedia
16. Dec. 3130th Japan Record Awards: Hikaru GENJI wins the Grand PrixIdols

1. February 10Dragon Quest III released10,000+ in line in Ikebukuro
2. March 17Tokyo Dome opens
3. April 4-5BOØWY's LAST GIGSAt Tokyo Dome
4. April 16Totoro and Grave of the FirefliesOpened as a double feature
5. August 13-14Comic Market 349,200 circles
6. October 3Soreike! Anpanman begins
7. DecemberMichael Jackson at Tokyo Dome

Games, halls, discs and books each found a bigger stage.

The Year’s Buzzword Awards

New words · GoldPerestroika (Soviet reform policy, "restructuring")

Nikolai Solovyov (Soviet ambassador to Japan)

New words · SilverHanamoku ("Flower Thursday")

Matsuya Co., Ltd.

New words · BronzeTomato Bank (new name of Sanyo Sogo Bank)

Kenji Yoshida (president, Sanyo Sogo Bank)

Popular phrases · GoldKoyoi wa koko made ni (itashitogozarimasuru) ("That is all for this evening")

Fumiko Wakao

Popular phrases · SilverDry sensen ("dry war," the dry beer competition)

Hirotaro Higuchi (president, Asahi Breweries)

Popular phrases · BronzeCima (phenomenon) (the surge in sales of the Nissan Cima luxury sedan)

Yutaka Kume (president, Nissan Motor)

Popular phrases · Popular AwardAgnes ronso (the Agnes controversy over bringing a baby to work)

Agnes Chan

The gold prize in the trendy-phrase category, “Koyoi wa koko made ni (itashitogozarimasuru)” (“We shall end here for tonight”), was a phrase that spread from Ryoko Wakao’s closing narration on NHK’s Taiga historical drama Takeda Shingen, starring Kiichi Nakai. The new-word gold prize went to “Perestroika,” while the silver prize went to “Hanako-san,” named after Magazine House’s Tokyo lifestyle magazine Hanako launched that May for young working women. Jiyu Kokuminsha: winners of the fifth awards (in Japanese)

The People’s Prize winner “Agnes Ronso” (“the Agnes controversy”) was the debate over the singer Agnes Chan bringing her child to her workplace. Broadcast Library: program from the time (in Japanese)

Next, 1989, the year the era name changes from Showa to Heisei. We follow band hits, new music programs and the arrival of a handheld game console.