The Year 1994! Heisei Anime History] Vol. 6 Heisei 6 (1994) - "G Gundam," "Macross Plus," "Rayearth," and "Cha Cha" - a year that was filled with many topical works that ushered in a new era!

In this sixth installment of the series, we look back on the turbulent 31-year history of Heisei, a period in which various anime were born and then disappeared, along with their titles. Here we go again!

Martial arts and soccer fever affected anime as well!

In 1993, the "K-1 GRAND PRIX '93" (the first tournament to determine the world's number one standing martial arts fighter) and "UFC1," the first tournament of the American mixed martial arts organization "UFC," were held, and fighting games were at their peak of popularity in game arcades and on home video game consoles.

This movement also had a major impact on anime, with "Mobile Butoden G Gundam," "Red Baron," "Shinken Densetsu Tight Road," and "Metal Fighter ♡ MIKU" in TV anime. Many animations based on martial arts were released for theaters, such as "Street Fighter II MOVIE" and "GARO DENSETSU -THE MOTION PICTURE-".

One of the most controversial was "Mobile Fighter G Gundam" directed by Yasuhiro Imagawa. Until then, "Gundam" had been a science fiction anime that depicted a realistic drama of human drama through a war using humanoid weapons called "mobile suits," but the content of this work was a manga-like story in which "Gundams from all over the world engage in interspecies combat, putting the prestige of their countries on the line. This surprised even long-time Gundam fans. They also reacted with vehement rejection.

The story behind the creation of this work is that the previous year's "Mobile Suit V Gundam" did not do well in terms of product development and appeal to the younger generation, and after reflecting on this situation, it was decided to include elements of fighting games, which were popular at the time. As a result, the company succeeded in attracting fans in the younger age bracket who were familiar with "Gundam" through SD Gundam and other games. In addition, the strong characterization of the main character Domon Kash's mentor, Toho-Fuunshi, and the passionate drama between fighters were well received, and the popularity among anime fans gradually increased. In addition to the positive commercial results, the five-member lead team format introduced in this work was adopted in many subsequent "Gundam" series, successfully renewing the image of "Gundam" and changing the generation of fans.

It is said that without this work, the "Gundam" series would not have lasted as long as it did, and it can be said to be a turning point in the series.

Red Baron," which was broadcast at the same time, is a remake of a special effects robot series from the 1970s, based on the same concept as "G Gundam" and featuring robot wrestling. Shinken Densetsu Tight Road" was a one-cour anime produced as a promotion for a fighting game of the same name (although the game was never released). While these fighting anime featured hot-blooded male characters, "Metal Fighter ♡ MIKU" was a women's wrestling series in which a beautiful girl fights wearing a metal suit, which is a kind of reinforced armor. This work was also developed into a multimedia game and other forms of entertainment.

In the animated feature films, "Street Fighter II MOVIE" and "FATAL FIGHTING LEGEND: THE MOTION PICTURE", fighting games that had divided the popularity at the time, clashed in a summer movie. The two games were the most talked-about movies of the summer. The theme song single for "Street Fighter II MOVIE" was a big hit, selling over 2 million copies. FATAL FURY: THE MOTION PICTURE" was also impressive for its depiction of beautiful characters and an unusually sexy female fighter, Mai Shiranui, portrayed by director Masami Ohari.

The first league match of the Japan Professional Soccer League - the J-League - was also held in 1993, after the league's inauguration. Soccer fever engulfed the whole country, and soccer anime began to air one after another. Captain Tsubasa J," based on the Jump manga series that dominated the airwaves, "Goal FH," about the players of the Shimizu S-Pulse second team, and "Soccer Fever," a Japan-Italy co-production depicting the world history of soccer, were all broadcast.

Thus, it can be said that 1994 was a year in which social trends and anime were closely intertwined.

Macross Plus" and "Macross 7," which created a stir in anime music

While "Gundam" was a hot topic in many ways, the latest "Macross" series was also developed along two lines: TV animation and OVA.

First, the release of the OVA "Macross Plus" began in August. This work revolves around a love triangle between a man and a woman, a race to test the recruitment of a state-of-the-art fighter (Valkyrie), and a conspiracy using a virtual idol "Sharon Apple". The film is directed by Shinichiro Watanabe, who directed and storyboarded "Gundam 0083," and features a script by Keiko Nobumoto and music by Yoko Kanno, all of whom would later work on "Cowboy Bebop. In addition, up-and-coming young creators of the time, such as Shinji Higuchi, who storyboarded the film, and Koji Morimoto, who handled the concert scenes, were also involved in the film.

One of the features of this work is the active use of CG in the animation expression. The effective use of CG in the concert scene of the virtual idol Sharon and in the data representation in the battle scenes showed the potential of new animation.

In addition, Yoko Kanno, who created her first anime accompaniment for this film, received high acclaim for her tense and powerful background music and the unique worldview of Sharon's music. There is no doubt that this work marked a major turning point in her career.

Meanwhile, "Macross 7," a long-awaited TV series, will start in October. This is a science fiction action drama in which the vocalist Hot Air Basara of the rock band "Fire Bomber" saves the galaxy with his overzealous rock spirits, guitar, and vocals. The world of "Macross Plus" is a complete change from the Western-style image of "Macross Plus," while this one has a boys' manga-like worldview. The singing part of Basara was performed by Yoshiki Fukuyama (this was announced the following year, 1995). A former member of the rock band Hummingbird, he became well known in the anime industry after this film, and later became a member of the anime song vocal unit JAM Project. His album of Fire Bomber songs also became a hit, selling over 200,000 copies (the CD itself was released the following year in 1995). It was also highly acclaimed musically.

In addition, a CG Fire Valkyrie appeared in the OP video of this work, which also became a topic of conversation.

Thus, by flexibly incorporating a new generation of creators and new technologies, the "Macross" series would make great strides, expand, and develop. In particular, there is no doubt that both works created a stir in the diversity and popularity of music in anime. The "MACROSS" series has continued to lead the way in music in anime productions, influencing anime productions in a variety of ways since "Plus" and "7".

Girls' activities were conspicuous in 1994.

One of the characteristics of this year was the popularity among anime fans of works in which girls played an active role.

The first of these was "Magic Knight Rayearth," created by the creative group CLAMP. Originating from a coterie of artists, CLAMP had previously released works mainly for older audiences, but this work was serialized in the girls' manga magazine "Nakayoshi" (Kodansha), and at the same time, an anime was also produced, featuring three junior high school girls who are summoned to another world to fight as magical knights. The storyline of the first part of the anime is about three junior high school girls who are summoned to a different world to fight as magical knights.

The first part of the story was about saving a princess kidnapped by a wicked wizard, but it had an unexpected ending.

The theme song single "Yuzurenai wisagashi" sung by Naomi Tamura became a huge hit, selling over 1 million copies. The program itself also gained high popularity, and its broadcast was extended for one more season.

Personally, I was very impressed by the overly beautiful artwork of the final OP theme "Hikari to Kagewosita wo Hagemashimete" (Embracing Light and Shadow). There are many highlights such as the detailed hair movements and the action filled with a sense of melancholy. If you have a chance, I highly recommend you to see it.

Another unforgettable title is "Blue Seed," based on a manga by Yuzo Takada. Set in modern-day Japan, this story is about solving cases related to legend, Japanese mythology, and yokai (monsters). It was originally planned to be released as an OVA, but after the success of "Irresponsible Captain Tyler" the previous year, the decision was made to market it in the same way, and the story was hastily shifted to a TV series. Therefore, only the first episode had high quality drawings, and there was a lot of pantywaist and other sexy depictions.

The popularity of the main character, Momiyo Fujimiya, played by Megumi Hayashibara, as well as the highly acclaimed music by Kenji Kawai, are also important points of this work. The song "Matsuri Uta," which climaxed the film, was later included in music textbooks for lower elementary school students.

Another song to keep in mind is "Akazukin Cha Cha" (Akazukin Cha Cha). This anime is based on the manga by Min Ayaka, serialized in "Ribon" (published by Shueisha).

The original work was a comedy in which Chacha, an apprentice wizard, gets into slapstick with her friends at a magic school, but in response to a request from the sponsors, an enemy character named Daima-Ou was created for the TV anime adaptation. In response to the sponsor's request, an enemy character named "Daima-Ou" was created. Chacha transforms into a magical princess with the slogans "Love," "Courage," and "Hope" to fight the enemy, thus mixing the comedy elements of the original work with the battle heroine elements of the original anime.

As a result, the drama between characters unexpectedly expanded, and the experimental gag direction and high-tension development by young staff members such as Akitaro Daichi, Tatsuo Sato, and Hiroaki Sakurai gradually attracted attention and was highly praised by anime fans.

In addition, "Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon S," the third in the popular TV animation series. Mamalade Boy," which depicted a sordid love drama that rivaled trendy dramas despite being in the Sunday morning slot. The robot anime "Yamato Takeru," which was developed simultaneously with a live-action movie. The "Yusha Keisatsu Jidecker" (Brave Police Jidecker), a robot-animated version of a detective drama, captivated older ladies with the friendship between a police robot and a boy. The first original work in the World Masterpiece Theater series, "Tico of the Seven Seas. The theme song by Aki Yashiro had a big impact. Lucky Man," based on the Jump manga series, whose theme song by Aki Yashiro made a big impact.

The year 1994 was a very rich year in terms of anime productions, with a mixture of both soft and hard animation.

OVAs Deepen and Deepen Maniacally

As in the previous year, OVAs were abundant in 1994. Sequels to popular TV anime and original works were as strong as ever, with "Space Knight Tekkaman Blade II," "Gale! Iron Leaguer: Under the Silver Banner," "Neon Genesis GPX Cyber Formula Zero," "Irresponsible Captain Tyler Special Edition," and "I'll Arrest You! Another feature of this year was the number of re-animations and remakes of slightly nostalgic works. New Cutie Honey," "Dirty Pair Flash," "Armored Trooper Votoms: Brilliant Heresy," and "GATCHAMAN," in which the staff of the previous year's "Casshern" continued their work, were released. In particular, "GATCHAMAN" was very cool, with stylish character designs by Yasuomi Umezu.

An oddity was "Haou Daikei Ryuunite Adieu Legend," an OVA that included one episode each of the videos of the TV series broadcast in the same year. This work depicted the parallel world of the "Haou Daikei Ryuunite" TV anime, and the characters were arranged to look more mature and hardcore.

The popular RPG "Final Fantasy" was also animated in this year. The story is set 200 years after the events of "Final Fantasy V," and the adventurous action unfolds. I-R-I-A ZEIRAM THE ANIMATION," an anime adaptation of Keita Amemiya's special effects film "Zeiram," was impressive for its beautiful character designs by manga artist Masakazu Katsura, and "COMPILER," based on the manga by Kia Asamiya, also attracted attention.

In addition to such original works, remakes, and tie-ups, ambitious original titles were also announced. A representative example is "KEY THE METAL IDOL," which started as Pony Canyon's OVA 10th anniversary title, and was widely publicized at the time of its release as a work that condensed science fiction elements, idol elements, and rich human drama. This work was challenging in terms of production and sales, as it had a large volume for an OVA with 15 episodes (it was originally planned to have 26 episodes), and the first volume was released at 1,000 yen, and each subsequent volume at 2,500 yen, and continued to be released until 1997.

Also releasing works vigorously in various ways during this period was the content production company K.S.S., which produced "Mars" and "Maps. In addition to such general-oriented works as "Mars," "Maps," and "Oira: Prospector of the Universe," the company also established an adult-oriented animation label called "Pink Pineapple" in that year. At the time, the label produced an adult-rated anime adaptation of the much-talked-about bishojo game "Doukyusei. The label has continued to release numerous works over the years since then.

In addition to the aforementioned "GARO DENSETSU: THE MOTION PICTURE" and "Street Fighter II MOVIE", "Heisei Raccoon Battle Pompoko" directed by Isao Takahata and the Disney film "The Lion King" were also released and each of these films widely penetrated the general public.

Voice Actor Magazines and the First Issue of "Shonen Ace

Lastly, I would like to touch on the magazines surrounding the anime industry.

In the previous article, I mentioned the boom in idol voice actors, and in 1994, the popularity of idol-like voice actors heated up even further. In response to this boom, "Seiyu Grand Prix" (published by Shufunotomo) and "Voice Animage" (published by Tokuma Shoten) were launched in succession in the fall of that year.

The contents included gravure, interviews, and event reports, with most of the coverage on female voice actors.

It was also during this year that Kadokawa Shoten (now KADOKAWA) launched the manga magazine Shonen Ace. The magazine, founded mainly by the editors of "Monthly Comic Comp" and "Comic GENKi," the manga magazines published by Kadokawa Shoten (now Kadokawa Shoten), had been publishing comic versions of manga prior to anime broadcasts since its inception, a trend that was particularly noticeable in the 1990s, immediately after the magazine was launched. The works that emerged were "Neon Genesis Evangelion," "VS Knight Ramune & 40 Flames," "Mobile Battleship Nadeshiko," and "Bren Powered. Using the media mix techniques developed by Kadokawa Shoten, the magazine established itself as the center of the subculture of the late 1990s.

(*Honorifics in the text are omitted. Please understand)