[Zakkuri! Heisei Anime History] Vol. 5, 1993--Changed the way of TV animation!　The impact of "Tyler the Irresponsible Captain"! Then came the mature OVA and the era of idol voice actors!

In this fifth installment of the series, we look back on the turbulent 31-year history of Heisei, a period in which a variety of anime were born and then disappeared, along with their titles. This time, we start again!
(*Image from the official website)

The mainstream of TV animation was animation with original works!

The mainstream of TV anime during this period was anime with original works.

The popularity of "Dragon Ball Z" continued unabated, with viewer ratings exceeding 20% each time. The popularity of "Dragon Ball Z" was so great that the start time of the live baseball game was moved to after the end of "Dragon Ball Z." (It is unthinkable today, but at that time, the live baseball game had such social status that it took precedence over any other program!) ). ) Also, the popularity of "Weekly Shonen Jump" was rising rapidly at the time, and a number of serialized works were adapted into anime, including "Ta-chan, King of the Jungle" and "SLAM DUNK," both of which began airing in 1993.

In addition, "Bastard BLUES" was adapted into an animated film titled "Bastard BLUES 1993" (an animated film was also made in 1992, but the cast and staff were almost completely changed for the 1993 version). The third part of "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure" was made into an OVA, and other Jump anime were in full bloom.

From the rival magazine "Weekly Shōnen Sunday," "Kenyu Densetsu YAiba" and "GS Mishin" were adapted into TV anime. From Weekly Shonen Sunday, "From Today I Am! was made into an OVA. From "Weekly Shonen Magazine", "Shoot! were made into TV animations, and popular animations from the three major shōnen magazines livened up the CRTs.

In addition, "Nintama Rantaro," "3-chome no Tama: Uchinotachi no Tama na Tama na Konnichiwa? and "Chipmunks of Chipmunks," which are still popular today, also began broadcasting in this year. Although it is a kids' anime, "Nintama Rantaro" has a rapidly growing female fan base for its unique male characters. In many ways, "Nintama Rantaro" has developed a broad fan base. was highly acclaimed by anime fans for its unpredictable content, which sometimes included heavy themes such as "meeting and parting" and "life and death," despite its fancy picture design.

Tyler," where everything was new.

Robot animation, a staple of 90's anime, was also strong this year. In addition to standard series such as the Eldoran series "Nekketsu Saikyou Gozaurer" and the Yusha series "Yusha Tokkyu Might Ga-in," "Shippu! Iron Leaguer," in which SD robots engage in hot-blooded sports battles, began broadcasting. The activities of the SD robots, which were created by Kunio Okawara using various sports as motifs, were very popular among children.

Also, "Mobile Suit V Gundam" began broadcasting as the first "Gundam" TV series in a while. Although V Gundam was described in the setting materials and planning documents as an RPG game that introduced the then-popular RPG elements (perhaps the idea was to upgrade the level by replacing parts and powering up weapons), this plan did not seem to work, and the ratings were not as high as expected, Sales of toys and plastic models did not do as well as expected. However, sales of the VHS and LD packages were strong. As a result, this work became a pioneer in the development of the "Gundam" series on TV over the next several years.

The "Irresponsible Captain Tyler" appeared in the midst of all this. This anime is based on the science fiction novel series "The Most Irresponsible Man in the Universe," written by Heihara Yoshioka (......), and is probably the first light novel work to be adapted into a TV anime.

At the same time, it is said to be the first TV anime in history to be sold as a video or other packaged product. In addition, many experimental measures were taken, including an information video, related videos featuring the cast and staff, image song CDs and music clip collections, the "8585 (Paco Paco) Dial" telephone service, and events held prior to the TV broadcast, which can be said to have created the template for the current anime business. It can be said to have created the template for the current animation business.

Participating in the "Tyler Project" were several manufacturers, including King Records, VAP, and Medialing. Some say that this was the origin of the production committee system in the animation industry, and it was truly a groundbreaking work in many respects. As a side note, a plastic toy model was also released, but it was made of the same material as regular plastic models, not soft plastic for children, which was also a big hit among "big friends" at the time.

As a result, this work earned enough money to be considered a success, and an OVA series was later produced.

OVA Works with High-Quality Images

Every year, new OVAs were released to the delight of anime fans, but perhaps no other year saw the release of so many hot new works as 1993.

The OVAs of this period are known for their quality images that satisfy even the most discerning anime fans, and for their careful production.

Two such works are "Oh My Goddess," and "Boku no Chikyu wo Mamoru wo Mamoru. In "Ah Goddess Sama Sama," an anime adaptation of a popular manga by Kosuke Fujishima, the motherly goddess Verdandi descends on a dull college student, and the two end up living together. The story is a love comedy with a situation that is irresistible to men. In addition to the itchy drama with the beautiful goddess, the appeal of this work lies in Kosuke Fujishima's meticulous depiction of mechanics. The coexistence of beauty and mechanics, two of the most favorite things of nerds, at a high quality level made this film a big hit.

The voice actor unit "GODDESS FAMILY CLUB" formed by Kikuko Inoue, Yumi Fuyuma, and Aya Hisakawa, who played the three goddess sisters, also gained popularity.

On the other hand, "Boku no Chikyu wo Mamoru wo Mamoru (Protect My Earth)" is an anime version of the original manga by Saki Hito, which was serialized in the girls' manga magazine "Hana to Yume" (Hakusensha). This work depicts the love-hate relationship between young people who are at the mercy of memories from their previous lives, and it coincided with the spiritual boom of the time. It is said that occult magazines were flooded with submissions from readers who were influenced by this work, calling for "friends from previous lives.

Production I.G. has created an animated version of this work, and its realistic portrayal of the characters and the urban environment is as good as it gets. Takayuki Goto's neat character designs were also a sight to behold.

The ending theme "Memory of Time" was written and composed by Yoko Kanno. This song was a masterpiece anime song that beautifully expressed the fantastic world of this work, and was highly acclaimed among some anime fans at the time. At this point, Kanno was still mainly working on game music and commercial songs, so she was still unknown to anime fans, but it was not until the following year that she shocked the anime industry with her soundtrack for "Macross Plus.

So many masterpieces, so little time for anime fans!　OVAs in full bloom

Not to be forgotten in terms of anime history is the OVA "Idol Defense Force Hummingbird". This work was probably the first idol animation produced "on the premise that voice actors would engage in idol activities.

The Japan Self-Defense Forces have been privatized, and the entertainment industry has turned idols into fighter pilots! This is a high-calorie work that combines mecha, action, idols, beautiful girls, and all the things we love.

The Toriseki sisters of the idol group "Hummingbird," who play the main roles, are played by Kotono Mitsuishi, Saeko Tamagawa, and Yuri Amano, who are already active as voice actors, as well as Akie Kusaji, a former singer, and Hekiru Shiina, who is making her voice acting debut with this work. The girls not only performed live scenes and sang the theme song in the film, but also performed live in the film, gaining popularity.

In addition, "NG Knight Ramune & 40 DX Waku Waku Toki Jiku Flames no Dai Sousa Sen", "Chouon Senshi Borgman 2 -Shinseiki 2058-", "Time Bokan Royal Road Restoration", "Super Dimension Century Augustus 02", "Majin Hero Den Wataru: Monogatari no Toki no Monogatari", "Magical Princess Minky Momo", "Eightman After", "Magical Princess Minky Momo", "Magical Princess Minky Momo", and "Eightman After". Sequels to popular TV anime such as There are also "Gun Dreams," "Dominion," and "Mermaid's Wound," which have a hard content that is difficult to depict in TV animation. Black Jack," a masterpiece by Osamu Tezuka directed by Osamu Dezaki and character designer Akio Sugino, and the previous year's "Tenchi Muyo! Moldiver, which was released by Pioneer LDC in the same way as the previous year's The Môryôkôki and was also published as a comic in Monthly Shōnen Captain (Tokuma Shoten); Meteor Machine Gakusaber, a mix of a super robot anime homage and a school drama; and a new work by the staff of NG Knight Ramune & 40 called KO Seiki Beast Three Beastmen" and many other masterpiece OVAs were released, too many to mention.

In addition, "Anime V" (Gakken), a magazine specializing in OVAs, held a casting poll for "Kumokai no Maze ZEGUY". It was an amazing project in which readers voted for the cast, but the OVA had such momentum that even such a project was accepted.

Birth of the virtual idol "Winby

In terms of theatrical animation, "Mobile Police Patlabor 2 the Movie," directed by Mamoru Oshii, was the highlight of the year. Based on the international situation of the time, this film was created by simulating a situation in which "Reavers" (robots that appear in the film) actually existed in Tokyo or a terrorist attack was carried out in the city center, and the news program footage, bombing scenes, and people's behavior patterns were made thoroughly realistic. On the other hand, the main characters, the members of the Special Vehicle Section 2, made very few appearances, and not a few fans were dissatisfied with this, but even so, it was a compelling and appealing film that is said to have created many fans in the industry.

In addition, "Sailor Moon R the Movie," directed by Kunihiko Ikuhara, who later created "Revolutionary Girl Utena," and "Crayon Shin-chan Action Mask VS Haiguremao," the first in the "Crayon Shin-chan" film series, were also hits. Also, "Coo: Coo from the Faraway Sea," based on the novel by the late Tamio Kageyama, was a popular year-end movie.

Finally, I would like to touch on the aniraji situation.

Radio based on anime began to be reevaluated after "The Heroic Legend of Magus Wataru 3" in 1991, and by this time, a considerable number of radio programs were being broadcast mainly on Bunka Hoso and Nippon Hoso.

It was in this context that "Twinbee PARADICE" was launched. In this program, based on Konami's shooting game "Twinbee," the pilots, whose names had not been set up until then, were named "Light" and "Pastel," respectively. The program was broadcast in two parts: a radio drama focusing on the pilots and a talk show featuring Mariko Kokubuta, who was still a young personality.

The program was originally started as part of the "Winby National Idolization Project" launched by Konami. This was part of a grand project to develop Winby (cv: Shiina Hekiru), who had not yet been named "Pastel," into a "virtual idol" through starring games, anime videos, merchandise sales, events, live performances, and other means. As a result, several CDs featuring Winby (Pastel) as an artist were released and received favorable reviews.

This was the first time that the production side consciously tried to market a character as a "virtual idol. Without this work, we might not have idol animation, Vocaloid culture, or virtual YouTubers today.

Also, two major idol voice actresses, Hekiru Shiina and Mariko Kokufuda, would spread their wings from "Twinbee Paradice. The mid-1990s was a period known as the "idol winter period. The popularity of idol voice actors gradually began to grow as idol fans who were looking for new idols became more and more involved.

(*Honorific titles are omitted in the text. Please note that honorific titles have been omitted.)