Oshi-Katsu Chronicle 1983: The Famicom, Tokyo Disneyland, the Word "Otaku," and 100,000 Tickets for Cats
In 1983, Tokyo Disneyland opened in Urayasu, Chiba, and Nintendo released its home game console, the Family Computer.
Toys shaped like characters from the manga Kinnikuman, known as “Kinkeshi,” appeared too. On stage, the Shiki Theatre Company’s Cats opened.
The Famicom Goes on Sale: Playing Your Favorite Games on the Living-Room TV
On July 15, Nintendo released the Family Computer, known as the “Famicom.” You plugged a cartridge containing a game into a console connected to your TV and played. Nintendo: History of the Famicom (in Japanese)
Three games went on sale with the console: Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr. and Popeye. Being able to play arcade-style games at home was its big selling point. Nintendo: Famicom history (in Japanese)
A broadcast
- You wait for the broadcast time
- You watch the story unfold
A game
- You turn it on when you like
- You control the character yourself
- You replay it and talk through tricky stages with friends
The living-room TV became a place to play as well as to watch.
Launch brought some problems to deal with, but the software library grew after that, and in 1985 Super Mario Bros. became a huge hit. CESA industry history (in Japanese)
Tokyo Disneyland Opens: Going Out to Meet the Characters
On April 15, Tokyo Disneyland opened, a theme park where you can experience the world of Disney, familiar from films and more, through attractions and shows. Oriental Land history (in Japanese)
- 400+
- Varieties released by 1987
- ~180 million
- Pieces sold in total by 1987
The pleasure of collecting favorite characters spread to many children.
Source: Bandai (in Japanese)
Japan Premiere of Cats, and Ticket Sales by Computer
In November, the Shiki Theatre Company’s musical Cats had its Japan premiere in Shinjuku. In the show, cats display their individual personalities through song and dance, and it ran for a long time. Shiki Theatre Company (in Japanese)
In the October 1983 sales, 100,000 tickets sold out in three and a half days. The full-scale Ticket Pia launch came in April 1984.
Pia Corporation history (in Japanese)
Computerized sales back then was not something you applied for from a smartphone at home, as it is now. It was a time when systems for managing and selling seats at the point of sale were being put in place.
The Checkers and Yutaka Ozaki Debut; Akina Nakamori Makes Her First Kohaku
On September 21, the Checkers debuted with “Giza Giza Heart no Komoriuta” (“Jagged Heart Lullaby”). When their second single, “Namida no Request,” became a hit the following year, 1984, the debut song drew attention as well. ORICON NEWS (in Japanese)
On December 1, Yutaka Ozaki released the single “15 no Yoru” (“A Night at Fifteen”) and the album Juunanasai no Chizu (“A Map of Seventeen”) at the same time. Sony Music (in Japanese)
Akina Nakamori, who had debuted the year before, made her first appearance at NHK’s New Year’s Eve song contest, Kohaku Uta Gassen, with “Kinku” (“Forbidden Zone”). At the Japan Record Awards she also received the Golden Idol Special Award. Natalie (in Japanese) / Japan Composers Association (in Japanese)
Comic Market Grows, and “Otaku” Appears in a Magazine as a Word for Fans
Comic Market in 1983 drew 1,200 circles (self-publishing creators and friend groups) and about 13,000 people at the 23rd event, and 1,500 circles and about 18,000 people at the 24th. It was growing as an event where people who love manga and anime make and buy doujinshi, or self-published fan books. Comic Market Preparation Committee (in Japanese)
That same year, Akio Nakamori used “otaku” for this kind of devoted fan in a column in the magazine Manga Burikko. It is the piece most often cited when people trace how the word came to mean a fan. Google Arts & Culture explainer (in Japanese)
“Otaku” was originally a way of addressing another person (roughly “you,” literally “your home”). From there its use shifted to mean someone deeply knowledgeable about a particular hobby, and it was sometimes used with a critical tone. It was not a label people embraced back then the way they embrace “oshi-katsu” today.
- 01A way to say "you"Literally "your home"
- 02A hobby expertDeep knowledge of one interest
- 03A column in 1983Akio Nakamori uses it in Manga Burikko
- 04A mixed labelSometimes used with a critical tone
Not yet a label people embraced, the way "oshi-katsu" is today.
Many people also enjoyed works in movie theaters. In annual distribution revenue for 1983, the top Japanese film was Antarctica (Nankyoku Monogatari) at ¥5.9 billion, and the top foreign film was E.T. at ¥9.62 billion. Distribution revenue is the distributor’s income and differs from the total admission fees audiences paid. Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (in Japanese)
- 1,200
- Circles at the 23rd event, about 13,000 people
- 1,500
- Circles at the 24th event, about 18,000 people
Fans who make books and fans who want to read them kept arriving in larger numbers.
Key Events of the Year
- Apr. 4The NHK morning drama series "Oshin" begins airingMedia
- Apr. 15Tokyo Disneyland opens in Urayasu, Chiba PrefectureMedia
- JuneThe word "otaku" appears in the magazine Manga BurikkoMedia
- July"Antarctica" is released, the top Japanese film with 5.9 billion yen in distribution revenueFilm
- July 15Nintendo releases the Family Computer (Famicom)Games
- Sept. 21The Checkers debut with "Gizagiza Heart no Komoriuta"Music
- Sept. 25"Star Tanjo!" ends after 619 episodesMedia
- Oct.Pia sells 100,000 tickets to "Cats" in three and a half daysBusiness
- Oct.The Giants win the Central League and the Seibu Lions win the Pacific LeagueSports
- Nov.Shiki Theatre Company's "Cats" has its first Japanese performances (Shinjuku)Stage
- Nov.Seibu beats the Giants in the Japan Series for a second straight titleSports
- Dec. 1Yutaka Ozaki debuts with "15 no Yoru" and "17-sai no Chizu"Music
- Dec.At the 25th Japan Record Awards, Akina Nakamori receives a Special AwardMusic
- Full yearComiket grows to 1,200 circles at No. 23 and 1,500 at No. 24Fan works
- Full year"Kinnikuman" gashapon toys go on sale (180 million sold through 1987)Business
- Full yearThe foreign film "E.T." tops the year with 9.62 billion yen in distribution revenueFilm
- Tokyo Disneyland opensIn Urayasu, Chiba
- Famicom goes on saleNintendo's home console
- The Checkers debutWith "Giza Giza Heart no Komoriuta"
- Star Tanjo! endsAfter running since 1971
- Cats opens in ShinjukuShiki Theatre Company
- Yutaka Ozaki's single and album"15 no Yoru" and "Juunanasai no Chizu"
Fans gained a console at home, a theme park to visit and a long-running musical to see again.
Words of the Year
- Otaku
- Said to have first been used in a column in the June 1983 issue of the magazine Manga Burikko, referring to devoted fans gathering at fanzine sales events
- Kinkeshi (Kinnikuman erasers)
- The popular name for the eraser-style figures from the "Kinnikuman" gashapon. They spread along with a culture of collecting and trading among children
“Otaku” names a fan base, and “Kinkeshi” names character toys.
In 1984, Ticket Pia gets a full-scale start and the Checkers keep scoring hits. It is also the year the “Buzzword of the Year” awards begin.
FAQ
What kind of year was 1983?
The Family Computer, which you can play again and again at home, and Tokyo Disneyland, which you travel to, arrived in the same year. Kinnikuman capsule toys also went on sale, so it was a year when the ways to enjoy favorite characters through play and merchandise multiplied.
Did the Famicom sell well right after launch?
Launch brought some problems to deal with. After that, the software lineup grew, and in 1985 *Super Mario Bros.* became a huge hit. As the library filled out, more and more people played at home.
When did people start using "otaku" for fans?
For devoted manga and anime fans, a 1983 column by Akio Nakamori is the one most often cited. Even before that, "otaku" was already in use as a way of addressing someone.
Which singers debuted in 1983?
On September 21, the Checkers debuted with "Giza Giza Heart no Komoriuta," and on December 1, Yutaka Ozaki debuted with the single "15 no Yoru" and the album *Juunanasai no Chizu*. Both took off the following year or later.
When did the Ticket Pia system begin?
According to the corporate history of Pia Corporation, in October 1983 it brought forward computerized sales as a dedicated system for the Shiki Theatre Company's *Cats* and sold 100,000 tickets in three and a half days. The full-scale launch came in April 1984.
What was the top-grossing film of 1983?
In the statistics of the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, the top Japanese film was *Antarctica* (*Nankyoku Monogatari*) with distribution revenue of ¥5.9 billion, and the top foreign film was *E.T.* at ¥9.62 billion. That year, one foreign film's figure stood far above the rest.
