Oshi-Katsu Chronicle 1982: The CD Arrives, the "Class of '82" Idols Debut, and Macross Ties Anime to Song

In 1982, Kyoko Koizumi and Akina Nakamori made their debuts, and new idols drew the spotlight. In music stores, sales began of a digitally recorded disc: the CD.

In the anime Macross, the songs sung by an idol inside the story became part of what fans loved about the show.

The Idols Later Called the “Class of ‘82” Debut

In 1982, a string of female idols made their singing debuts, and they would later be called the Hana no 82-nen Gumi (“the splendid Class of ‘82”). The name doesn’t refer to a group. It is a collective label for singers who debuted in the same year.

MarchKyoko Koizumi, Chiemi Hori and others

Kyoko Koizumi debuted with "Watashi no 16-sai" ("My 16 Years Old"). Sawako Kitahara also appeared the same month.

April-MayHidemi Ishikawa, Yu Hayami, Akina Nakamori

Akina Nakamori's debut song was "Slow Motion."

JulyTomoyo Harada

Following the spring newcomers, another new singer debuted in summer.

Sony Music: Music in 1982 (in Japanese)

In July, Akina Nakamori released her second single, “Shoujo A” (“Girl A”). It became known for a melody and lyrics that were different from her gentle debut song. National Diet Library Collaborative Reference Database (in Japanese)

CDs and CD Players Go on Sale: A New Player at ¥168,000

On October 1, Sony released the CD player CDP-101 at ¥168,000 (roughly $1,120). CBS/Sony released 50 CD titles at the same time. The format was developed jointly by Sony and Philips of the Netherlands. Sony history (in Japanese)

A CD does not lower a needle into a groove the way a record does. It plays sound by reading the recording with a laser. It was also easy to jump to the start of the song you wanted.

Even so, not everyone switched to CDs right after launch. Players were expensive, and records and cassettes stayed in use.

The familiar format

Record

• A needle is lowered into a groove
• Still in use alongside cassettes

Arriving October 1

CD

• A laser reads the recording
• Easy to jump to the start of a song
• CDP-101 player at ¥168,000

Players were expensive, so fans gained a new choice rather than a replacement.

Around then, “rental records,” where you borrowed a record from a shop to listen to it, were also spreading. Their use set music rights holders against the shops, and in later years the rights and industry associations around rental were put in order. Recording Industry Association of Japan: History of Rental (in Japanese)

Macross’s Minmay: Mari Iijima Voices and Sings the Character

Super Dimension Fortress Macross, which began airing in October, features an idol singer named Lin Minmay. Mari Iijima handled both her voice and her singing. USEN encore (in Japanese)

You fall for a character in the story, she sings, and you can listen to her songs outside the work too. The film featuring Minmay’s signature song “Ai, Oboete Imasu ka” (“Do You Remember Love?”) came out two years later, in 1984.

Comic Market at Harumi, Three Times a Year: Bringing Books You Made Yourselves

In 1982, Comic Market was held three times at Harumi in Tokyo. At the event, people bring doujinshi, self-published books made alone or with friends, to sell and swap, and to meet each other. Comic Market Preparation Committee (in Japanese)

The 20th, in March, drew 780 circles and about 9,000 people. The 21st, in August, drew 970 circles and about 10,000, and the 22nd, in December, drew 1,060 circles and about 8,000. Attendance rose and fell from one event to the next, but the number of circles publishing books passed 1,000 by year’s end.

780

Circles in March, about 9,000 people

970

Circles in August, about 10,000 people

1,060

Circles in December, about 8,000 people

Attendance rose and fell, but the number of circles passed 1,000 within the year.

Source: Comic Market Preparation Committee (in Japanese)

In the theater, the all-female Takarazuka Revue won the Arts Festival Grand Prize for its November Tokyo performances of Yoake no Jokyoku (“Overture to Dawn”). The revue also made its second Southeast Asia tour that year, so its shows were staged at home and abroad. Takarazuka Revue timeline (in Japanese)

Card-Operated Pay Phones Appear, and Phone Cards Later Become Collectibles

On December 23, the first card-operated public phone was installed in Sukiyabashi Park in Ginza, Tokyo. The system deducts the cost of each call from a telephone card bought in advance. Nikkei (in Japanese)

Before mobile phones became widespread, people used pay phones to get in touch while out. The phone card appeared as the tool for making those calls.

Later, cards were printed with photos of entertainers or character artwork, and collecting them without ever using them became a pleasure of its own.

Key Events of the Year

1. Mar.Sawako Kitahara, Kyoko Koizumi and Chie Horimi debutIdols
2. Mar. 21Comic Market 20 (Harumi, 780 circles)Fan works
3. Apr.Hidemi Ishikawa and Yu Hayami debutIdols
4. MayAkina Nakamori debuts with "Slow Motion"Idols
5. July 28Akina Nakamori's "Shojo A" is releasedIdols
6. Aug.Comic Market 21 (970 circles, about 10,000 people)Fan works
7. Oct. 1Sony releases the world's first CD player, the CDP-101Technology
8. Oct."Super Dimension Fortress Macross" begins airingAnime
9. Oct."Morita Kazuyoshi Hour: Waratte Iitomo!" begins airingMedia
10. Oct.The Seibu Lions win their first Japan Series titleSports
11. Nov.The Takarazuka Revue's "Yoake no Jokyoku" wins the Grand Prize at the Arts FestivalStage
12. Nov. 30Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is released in the United StatesMusic
13. Dec.At the 24th Japan Record Awards, Shibugakitai wins the Best New Artist AwardMusic
14. Dec. 23The first card-operated public telephone is installed in Ginza, and the telephone card is bornTechnology
15. Full yearThe top Japanese film by distribution revenue is "Sailor Fuku to Kikanju" at 2.3 billion yenFilm
16. Full year"Tsumiki Kuzushi" is published and becomes a bestseller of over 2.5 million copiesMedia

1. MarchKyoko Koizumi debutsDebut song "Watashi no 16-sai"
2. April-MayIshikawa, Hayami, NakamoriAkina Nakamori debuts with "Slow Motion"
3. JulyTomoyo Harada debutsNakamori releases "Shoujo A"
4. October 1CD player and CDs on saleCDP-101 plus 50 CD titles
5. OctoberMacross begins airingMari Iijima voices and sings Minmay
6. December 23First card-operated pay phoneSukiyabashi Park in Ginza

New voices, a new disc and new places to meet other fans all arrived within a single year.

Words of the Year

Terehon card (telephone card)

A prepaid calling card for card-operated public phones that do not use coins. The first card-operated public phone was placed in Ginza in December 1982

Taiyoken (rental right)

A right meant to direct compensation to rights holders from record rental shops. After a court case that year, it was written into law in the 1984 Copyright Act revision

The CD is a disc that stores music; the phone card is a card used in pay phones.

In 1983, Nintendo’s Family Computer went on sale. The Shiki Theatre Company’s Cats also began, making it a year when the places to enjoy games and stage shows multiplied.