Oshi-Katsu Chronicle 2004: mixi and Train Man, Baseball Realignment, and Full-Song Chaku-Uta Full

In 2004, the Japanese social networking services “mixi” and “GREE” were born, letting people share diaries and hobby talk with friends. Within an invitation-only network, joining communities dedicated to favorite artists or works and talking with fellow fans became a new everyday culture.

On terrestrial television, the Korean drama Winter Sonata sparked nationwide “Yon-sama” fever, while Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World (“Sekachu”) and Howl’s Moving Castle became huge hits in theaters. In professional baseball, a team-merger crisis prompted the first players’ union strike and nationwide fan petition drives that preserved the two-league, 12-team structure. At the end of the year, “Chaku-Uta Full” put full-length songs on mobile phones, and the Nintendo DS and PlayStation Portable (PSP) handheld game consoles went on sale.

mixi and GREE Launch: Finding Fellow Fans Through Invitation-Only Communities

The social networking service (SNS) “mixi” had a soft launch on February 22 and officially opened on March 3. At launch, it used an invitation-only system where a new user could join only after receiving an invitation email from an existing friend. Users wrote diaries on their pages, exchanged comments with “MyMixi” friends, and checked the “Ashiato” (“footprint”) log showing who had visited their profile (mixi official chronology, in Japanese).

The “Community” feature played a central role in fandom. Countless communities were created for every band, actor, anime, voice actor, and baseball team, and joining one displayed its icon on your profile page. Fans who had previously been scattered across anonymous bulletin boards and personal websites connected through shared interests, organizing pre-concert meetups (off-kai) and finding companions for live shows, as mixi membership passed 200,000 in November (mixi official chronology, in Japanese).

Feb–Marmixi launches

Soft-launched on February 22 and officially opened on March 3; invitation-only communities and footprint logs helped it pass 200,000 users in November.

Feb & DecGREE launches and incorporates

Released in February by Yoshikazu Tanaka as a personal website, growing to 100,000 users before incorporating as GREE, Inc. in December.

Finding fellow fansOnline and in person

• mixi communitiesGroups for one singer or work
• DiariesImpressions with comments
• Bulletin boardsThe thread behind Train Man
• PetitionsFans speaking up for their teams
• Airport crowdsFans waiting to see an actor

Fans found each other in several new ways.

That same February, Yoshikazu Tanaka, then an employee at Rakuten, released the social network “GREE” as a personal hobby project. As word of mouth pushed membership past 100,000 users and made running the servers as an individual difficult, he founded GREE, Inc. in December to take over operations (History of GREE Holdings, in Japanese).

Train Man (Densha Otoko): A Bulletin-Board Cheer Squad Becomes a Million-Selling Book

In March, a romantic-advice thread on the “Single Men” board of the anonymous bulletin board 2channel swept the internet as Train Man (Densha Otoko). After a young otaku man riding home from Akihabara helped a woman (nicknamed “Hermès” in the thread) who was being harassed by a drunk passenger on the train, she sent him a set of teacups in thanks, prompting him to muster the courage to ask her out on a date (Daily Shincho, in Japanese).

Fellow posters on the thread offered earnest advice on everything from haircuts and clothing to choosing a restaurant, cheering him on with ASCII-art illustrations as they waited breathlessly for his post-date reports. On October 22, Shinchosha published the compiled thread as the book Train Man under the credit “Hitori Nakano,” which quickly sold more than 1 million copies and inspired film, television drama, stage, and manga adaptations in 2005 (Shinchosha, in Japanese).

Pro Baseball Realignment, the First Strike, and the Birth of the Rakuten Eagles

On June 13, a plan to merge the Osaka Kintetsu Buffaloes and the Orix BlueWave came to light, sending shockwaves through Japanese professional baseball. As proposals surfaced to merge additional clubs, dissolve the Pacific League, and shift to a single league of eight to ten teams, the Japan Professional Baseball Players Association—led by union president Atsuya Furuta—and baseball fans across the country pushed back strongly (Japan Professional Baseball Players Association, in Japanese).

At stadiums, cheering squads from rival clubs crossed team lines to sing the Kintetsu and Orix fight songs together, while street and online petition drives calling for the preservation of the two-league, 12-team system spread nationwide (the players’ union’s record from the time, in Japanese).

1. June

   Kintetsu-Orix merger plan revealed

   Players and fans across all 12 teams organized signature drives against plans for a single league.

2. Sept 18–19

   First pro baseball strike in Japanese history

   All 12 games over two days were canceled, leading to a September 23 agreement to screen new expansion applicants.

3. Nov 2

   Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles approved

   A new Sendai-based club—the first expansion team in 50 years—preserved the two-league, 12-team structure.

On September 18 and 19, the players’ union staged the first strike in Nippon Professional Baseball history. Backed by public support, negotiations on September 23 produced an agreement to maintain 12 teams and review new entry applications from Livedoor and Rakuten. On November 2, team owners approved the entry of the Sendai-based “Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles,” preserving the two-league, 12-team system for 2005 (the course of the realignment, Nishinippon Sports, Rakuten Eagles, both in Japanese).

“Sekachu,” Howl’s Moving Castle, and the Nationwide “Matsuken Samba II” Boom

In cinemas, director Isao Yukisada’s film adaptation of Kyoichi Katayama’s bestselling novel Crying Out Love, In the Center of the World (opened May 8, starring Takao Osawa, Ko Shibasaki, Mirai Moriyama, and Masami Nagasawa) became a social phenomenon. Tracing a man’s memories of his high-school sweetheart Aki—who died of leukemia—through Walkman cassette tapes and visiting filming locations in Kagawa Prefecture such as Aji Town, the film earned ¥8.5 billion at the box office under the nickname “Sekachu,” pushed the original novel past 3 million copies, helped Ken Hirai’s theme song “Hitomi o Tojite” (released April 28) top the annual singles chart, and inspired a TBS drama adaptation starring Takayuki Yamada and Haruka Ayase from July (Sony Music, Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, both in Japanese).

On November 20, Hayao Miyazaki’s animated film Howl’s Moving Castle opened, with Chieko Baisho voicing Sophie, Takuya Kimura voicing the wizard Howl, and Akihiro Miwa voicing the Witch of the Waste, and earned ¥19.6 billion at the box office. Be with You (Ima, Ai ni Yukimasu, ¥4.8 billion), adapted from Takuji Ichikawa’s novel and starring Shido Nakamura and Yuko Takeuchi, also drew tearful audiences across Japan, while on television Kimura’s ice-hockey Monday-9 drama Pride (featuring Queen’s “I Was Born to Love You”) and Masahiro Nakai’s Sunday drama Suna no Utsuwa earned high ratings (Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, in Japanese).

Crossing the boundary between music and variety television, actor Ken Matsudaira’s “Matsuken Samba II” swept the nation. Originally performed since 1994 as a theater finale number after period dramas such as Abarenbo Shogun, its brassy arrangement by Akira Miyagawa, energetic choreography by Shigeki Majima (“Maji-ken”), and dazzling gold kimono flanked by dancing ladies-in-waiting led to a nationwide CD/DVD release on July 7 that reached No. 3 on Oricon and earned a memorable appearance on NHK’s Kohaku Uta Gassen. At the 46th Japan Record Awards, Mr.Children’s “Sign” (theme song of the TBS drama Orange Days starring Satoshi Tsumabuki and Kou Shibasaki) won the Grand Prix, and Ai Otsuka—whose single “Sakuranbo” sparked “Mou ikkai!” (“One more time!”) calls at karaoke boxes everywhere—won Best New Artist (Japan Composers Association, in Japanese).

Chaku-Uta Full Launches, and the Nintendo DS and PSP Go Head-to-Head

On November 19, the carrier au launched “Chaku-Uta Full” for its 3G CDMA 1X WIN handsets. Whereas chaku-uta, introduced in late 2002, delivered 30-second vocal excerpts, Chaku-Uta Full let users purchase and download an entire song from start to finish directly onto a mobile phone. Led by early hits such as ORANGE RANGE’s “Hana,” mobile phones began doubling as portable music players (KDDI, KDDI announcement from the time, both in Japanese).

November 19au launches Chaku-Uta Full

Full-song downloads to mobile phones began, passing 100 million cumulative downloads by February 2007.

December 2Nintendo DS goes on sale

Equipped with dual screens, a touch panel, microphone, and wireless communication, expanding gaming to new audiences.

December 12Sony PSP goes on sale

A 4.3-inch widescreen LCD and UMD optical disc brought console-grade 3D graphics, video, and music on the go.

In December, two portable game consoles that reshaped handheld gaming went on sale ten days apart. Released on December 2, Nintendo’s “Nintendo DS” featured a clamshell body with two LCD screens, letting players touch the lower screen directly with a stylus. Ten days later, on December 12, Sony Computer Entertainment released the “PlayStation Portable (PSP),” delivering console-class 3D games, music, and video on a 4.3-inch widescreen LCD (Nintendo DS, Sony Interactive Entertainment, both in Japanese).

Winter Sonata on Terrestrial TV, “Yon-sama” Visits Japan, and Futari wa Precure

The Korean drama Winter Sonata, which had aired on NHK BS2 the year before, ran on terrestrial NHK General on Saturday nights from April to August, reaching finale ratings of 20.6% in Kanto and 23.8% in Kansai. When star Bae Yong-joon (“Yon-sama”) arrived at Haneda Airport on April 3 for his first visit to Japan, roughly 5,000 fans packed the arrival lobby to greet his warm smile and scarf, and Korean-language classes and tours to filming locations such as Chuncheon took root among fans (Fujin Koron.jp, in Japanese).

On February 1, the anime Futari wa Precure (Pretty Cure) began airing in the Sunday 8:30 a.m. slot on ABC and TV Asahi. Following middle-school students Nagisa Misumi (Cure Black) and Honoka Yukishiro (Cure White), who join hands to transform and battle enemies with dynamic hand-to-hand action, the show and its Card Commune transformation toys became a runaway hit with children, launching a franchise that has continued for over 20 years (Toei Animation, Toei Animation business report, both in Japanese).

Comic Market 66 in August drew a combined 510,000 attendees over three days—the first time the summer fair topped half a million—and December’s two-day Comic Market 67 drew 370,000 (Comic Market Preparation Committee, in Japanese).

510,000

Total attendees, summer (three days)

370,000

Total attendees, winter (two days)

Source: Comic Market Preparation Committee

Key Events of the Year

1. Feb. 1Futari wa Precure begins broadcastingAnime
2. Feb.mixi holds its pre-open and GREE releases its alpha versionMedia
3. Mar. 3mixi officially launches its serviceNetworking
4. Mar.Posts about "Densha Otoko" begin on a message boardMedia
5. Apr.Winter Sonata begins on NHK General TVMedia
6. Apr. 3Bae Yong-joon visits Japan, drawing about 5,000 people to Haneda AirportKorean Wave
7. Apr. 28Ken Hirai releases "Hitomi o Tojite"Music
8. Jun.The Kintetsu-Orix merger plan brings baseball's realignment problem to the surfaceSports
9. Aug. 13–15Comic Market 66 (510,000 total visits over 3 days)Fan works
10. Aug. 13–29At the Athens Olympics, Kosuke Kitajima wins both breaststroke eventsSports
11. Sep. 18–19The Japan Professional Baseball Players Association holds a strikeSports
12. Oct. 22The message-board story Densha Otoko is published as a bookPublishing
13. Nov. 2The owners' meeting approves the new entry of Tohoku RakutenSports
14. Nov. 19KDDI (au) launches "Chaku-uta Full"Media
15. Dec. 121st Buzzword of the Year awards: Grand Prize goes to "Chou kimochi ii"Society
16. Dec. 31At the 46th Japan Record Awards, Mr.Children's "Sign" wins the Grand PrixMusic

1. February 1Futari wa Precure beginsTwo girls transform and fight together
2. March 3mixi officially opensInvitation-only social network
3. AprilWinter Sonata goes terrestrialBae Yong-joon becomes "Yon-sama"
4. July 7"Matsuken Samba II" CDNationwide song-and-dance craze
5. September 18 and 19First baseball strikeRakuten approved as new team in November
6. November 19Chaku-Uta Full launchesA whole song on your phone
7. December 2 & 12Nintendo DS and PSPTwo rival portable consoles launch

Screens and stadiums both changed how fans took part.

The Year’s Buzzword Awards

Grand PrizeCho kimochi ii ("Super good feeling," said after winning gold in the 100m breaststroke)

Kosuke Kitajima (Athens Olympic swimmer)

Top 10Kiai da! ("Fighting spirit!")

Animal Hamaguchi

Top 10Surprise (sapuraizu)

Tsutomu Takebe (secretary-general of the Liberal Democratic Party)

Top 10Jiko sekinin ("self-responsibility," aimed at the Iraq hostages)

No recipient

Top 10Shinki sannyu ("new entry," into pro baseball)

Takafumi Horie (president of Livedoor)

Top 10Sekachu (short for the novel Sekai no Chushin de, Ai o Sakebu)

Kyoichi Katayama (author)

Top 10Chu-nikai ("mezzanine")

Ichita Yamamoto (member of the House of Councillors)

Top 10"...tte iu ja nai..." / "...Zannen!!" / "XX-giri!" (comedian Yoku Hada's catchphrases)

Yoku Hada

Top 10Makeinu ("loser dog," an unmarried woman over 30)

Junko Sakai

Top 10Fuyusona (short for Fuyu no Sonata, Winter Sonata)

Masato Hagiwara, Misato Tanaka

Special Quotation Award"Watashi no jinsei no naka de wa kin medal ijo no keiken" ("In my life, an experience worth more than a gold medal")

Kyoko Hamaguchi

The grand prize went to “Chou kimochi ii” (“Super good feeling”), spoken by swimmer Kosuke Kitajima after winning gold in both the men’s 100m and 200m breaststroke at the Athens Olympics. With Yuzu’s “Eiko no Kakehashi” serving as NHK’s Olympic theme song, Japanese athletes—including women’s marathon winner Mizuki Noguchi, judo champions Ryoko Tani and Tadahiro Nomura, and the men’s gymnastics team—won 16 gold medals and 37 medals in total (Jiyu Kokuminsha, Japanese Olympic Committee, both in Japanese).

The top ten also included the drama and film nicknames “Sekachu” and “Fuyusona,” “Shinki sannyu” (“new entry”) from baseball realignment, and comedian Yoku Hata’s kimono-clad “Guitar Samurai” catchphrase “Zannen!!” (Jiyu Kokuminsha, in Japanese).

In 2005, Expo 2005 Aichi opened, AKB48’s theater performances began in Akihabara, and YouTube and the iPod nano arrived.