Oshi-Katsu Chronicle 1991: Tokyo Love Story and "SAY YES," the J.League Is Founded and the Wakataka Sumo Boom
In 1991, the TV dramas Tokyo Love Story and The 101st Proposal drew big audiences, and their theme songs became huge hits too.
In sports, the sumo brothers known as “Wakataka” drew attention, and in November the professional soccer league, the J.League, was founded.
- Two debuts and a hitZARD debuts; Oda's drama theme is released
- SAY YES released13 straight weeks at No. 1
- SMAP release their debutCan't Stop!!-LOVING-
- J.League foundedLeague play begins in 1993
- Freddie Mercury diesLead vocalist of Queen
Drama songs, new idols and a new soccer league in one year.
Listening Again and Again to the Theme Songs You Heard in Dramas, on CD
Kazumasa Oda’s “Love Story wa Totsuzen ni” (“Love Story Comes Suddenly”) was the theme song of Tokyo Love Story. It came out on February 6 as a double A-side single, with both it and “Oh! Yeah!” treated as title tracks (Kazumasa Oda official, in Japanese).
On July 24, CHAGE and ASKA’s “SAY YES” was released. It was the theme song of The 101st Proposal, and it became a hit, holding No. 1 on the Oricon weekly chart for 13 straight weeks (Oricon, in Japanese; Sponichi’s record from the time, in Japanese).
- Tokyo Love Story
- Kazumasa Oda
"Love Story wa Totsuzen ni" - The 101st Proposal
- CHAGE and ASKA
"SAY YES"
“SAY YES” went on to sell a cumulative 2.82 million copies on the Oricon chart. No single had spent 10 or more straight weeks at No. 1 since Akira Terao’s “Ruby no Yubiwa” in 1981, ten years earlier. Sponichi’s record from the time (in Japanese)
- 01Watch weeklyA drama you follow every week
- 02The song sticksTied to the scenes you loved
- 03Buy the CDYour own copy of the song
- 04Replay anytimeEven on days with no broadcast
The same path runs from today's anime openings to a new favorite artist.
At the year-end Japan Record Awards, KAN’s “Ai wa Katsu” (“Love Wins”) took the Grand Prix in the Pop and Rock category. Drama theme songs such as “SAY YES” also appear among the Gold Disc awards (Japan Composers Association, in Japanese).
ZARD and SMAP Debut on CD; X Plays Tokyo Dome
On February 10, ZARD debuted with “Good-bye My Loneliness.” On September 9, the idol group SMAP released “Can’t Stop!!-LOVING-.” It was the year the first singles came out for artists who would be loved for a long time (ZARD official, in Japanese; Victor Entertainment, in Japanese).
B’z released “LADY NAVIGATION,” “ALONE” and the album IN THE LIFE, and ran the “Pleasure ‘91” tour from May. On August 23, X played Tokyo Dome (B’z official, in Japanese; Tokyo Dome: performance records, in Japanese).
On November 24, Freddie Mercury, lead vocalist of Queen, died. It came about 24 hours after he had made public that he had AIDS (Queen official).
The “Wakataka” Boom: Two Brothers’ Promotions and Bouts Make Headlines
In grand sumo, the younger brother Takahanada was promoted to a new sanyaku rank at the July tournament, and the older brother Wakahanada at the November tournament. Sanyaku is the collective name for the ranks of ozeki, sekiwake and komusubi, and both brothers rose to komusubi this year (Japan Sumo Association: Takanohana, in Japanese; Wakanohana, in Japanese).
The brothers, who had reached the top division the year before, climbed to still higher ranks.
At year-end, “Wakataka,” the name that bundles the two together, won a gold prize in the trendy-phrase category. The award was accepted by the brothers’ mother, Noriko Hanada, known as the “okami-san” of their stable (Jiyu Kokuminsha, in Japanese).
The J.League Is Founded: Preparations Move Toward the 1993 Opening
On November 1, the Japan Professional Football League, known as the “J.League,” was founded. League matches would not begin until May 15, 1993 (J.League official, in Japanese).
- 1991
November 1: the corporation is established
The organization to run the professional league is launched.
- 1992
Cup competition is held
Ahead of the league opening, the clubs face each other in the J.League Cup.
- 1993
May 15: the league opens
Ten clubs took part, and league matches began.
J.League official site: About the J.League (in Japanese)
The J.League put weight on the ties between each club and its region, known as the hometown. The groundwork was being laid for today’s oshi-katsu of cheering on a local club.
Comic Market Returns to Harumi: Going to Find Books for Works You Love
Comic Market, the huge convention where fans sell their own fan-made books (doujinshi), returned from the previous year’s Makuhari Messe to the Tokyo International Trade Center in Harumi, Tokyo. The 40th in summer had 11,000 circles (groups or individuals with a table) and the 41st in winter 14,000. Attendance at the 40th was 200,000 over its two-day summer run (Comic Market Preparation Committee, in Japanese).
- 11,000
- Circles at the 40th, in summer
- 14,000
- Circles at the 41st, in winter
- 200,000
- Attendance at the 40th over its two-day summer run
- ¥800
- Price of that year's catalog
Attendance at the 40th was a combined figure over its two-day summer run.
Attendance fell from the year before, but the number of circles in winter had risen.
In theaters, Terminator 2 took first place in distribution income among foreign films and Only Yesterday (Omohide Poroporo) first place among Japanese films. Terminator 2 earned ¥5.75 billion in distribution income (Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan, in Japanese).
Tokyo Love Story
- Kazumasa Oda
- "Love Story wa Totsuzen ni"
- Double A-side with "Oh! Yeah!"
The 101st Proposal
- CHAGE and ASKA
- "SAY YES"
- 13 straight weeks at No. 1 on Oricon
A weekly drama and a CD gave the same song two lives.
Key Events of the Year
- Feb. 6Kazumasa Oda releases "Love Story wa Totsuzen ni"Music
- Feb. 10ZARD debuts (Being label)Music
- Feb.The economic peak; a recession begins the following monthBusiness
- Mar. 27B'z releases "LADY NAVIGATION"Music
- June 3A major pyroclastic flow occurs on Mount Unzen-FugenSociety
- JulyTakahanada is promoted to a new sanyaku rank (July 1991 tournament)Sports
- JulyThe "Dragon Ball Z" theatrical film opensAnime
- July 24CHAGE and ASKA release "SAY YES"Music
- Aug."Terminator 2" opens in JapanFilm
- Aug. 16–17Comic Market 40 (200,000 total visits over 2 days)Fan works
- Sept. 9SMAP makes its CD debut with "Can't Stop!!-LOVING-"Music
- Oct. 10TV anime "Moero! Top Striker" begins airingAnime
- Oct. 30B'z releases "ALONE"Music
- Nov. 1The Japan Professional Football League (J.League) is foundedSports
- Nov.Wakahanada is promoted to a new sanyaku rankSports
- Nov. 24Freddie Mercury diesMusic
- Dec. 29–30Comic Market 41 (200,000 total visits over 2 days)Fan works
The Year’s Buzzword Awards
- Grand Prize...Ja arimasen ka ("...isn't it?", Charlie Hama's comic catchphrase)
- Charlie Hama
- New words · GoldKasairyu (pyroclastic flow, from the Mount Unzen eruption)
- Unzen Volcano Observatory, Japan Meteorological Agency
- New words · SilverHitomebore ("love at first sight," also a rice variety)
- Wataru Ito
- New words · BronzeHachigatsu kakumei ("August Revolution," the failed hardliner coup in the Soviet Union)
- —
- Expression · GoldKawasaki Gekijo ("Kawasaki Theater," the Lotte Orions' home stadium)
- Masaichi Kaneda
- Expression · SilverChikyu ni yasashii ("kind to the Earth")
- Tadayuki Tashiro
- Expression · SilverKon-bure ("navy blazer")
- Representative of self-proclaimed navy-blazer enthusiasts
- Popular phrases · GoldWakataka (the sumo brothers Wakahanada and Takahanada)
- Noriko Hanada
- Popular phrases · SilverJuudai na ketsui ("a grave resolve")
- Shigeru Ishiba and others
- Popular phrases · BronzeSonshitsu hoten (securities "loss compensation")
- Tomoo Takei
- Popular category · GoldBoku wa shinimashe~n ("I won't die!" from the drama 101st Proposal)
- Tetsuya Takeda
- Popular category · SilverDadan boyoyon boyoyon (Pip Fujimoto commercial jingle)
- Yoshiji Matsuura
- Popular category · BronzeDance Koshien (dance contest on the Nippon Television show)
- Nippon Television
- Special category · Special AwardChanneling
- Ryuho Okawa
- Special category · Chain-Words AwardMasami-san, Masako-san, tanuki-gao ("Ms. Masami, Ms. Masako, raccoon-dog face")
- Masaru Nashimoto
The grand prize of the year went to Charlie Hama’s “…ja arimasenka.” A line from The 101st Proposal, “Boku wa shinimasen” (“I won’t die”), was also chosen for a gold prize in the popular category. (Jiyu Kokuminsha: winners of the eighth awards, in Japanese).
In 1992, the J.League Cup began and X played three straight days at Tokyo Dome. The broadcast of Sailor Moon (Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon) also started that year.
FAQ
When was the J.League founded?
It was established on November 1, 1991, as the Japan Professional Football League. The actual opening came on May 15, 1993. Preparations for league operations and for each club moved forward toward the opening.
What did "Wakataka" win at the 1991 Buzzword Awards?
A gold prize in the trendy-phrase category. In the same round, the gold prize in the new-word category was "kasairyu" (pyroclastic flow) and the grand prize of the year was "...ja arimasenka." It shows that a pair of sumo brothers had become part of the year's shared vocabulary.
How big a hit was CHAGE&ASKA's "SAY YES"?
Released on July 24, 1991, it debuted at No. 1 on Oricon and stayed there for 13 weeks in a row. It was the theme song of the Fuji TV drama *The 101st Proposal*.
Which singers debuted in 1991?
ZARD debuted on February 10 with the single "Good-bye My Loneliness." B'z, from the same Being group, took off with "LADY NAVIGATION," released March 27.
Where was Comic Market held in 1991?
At the Tokyo International Trade Center (Harumi). The 40th in August had 11,000 circles and the 41st in December 14,000, with attendance of 200,000 over the 40th’s two-day summer run.
When is the bubble economy considered to have ended?
In the Cabinet Office's business-cycle reference dates, the peak of the cycle is February 1991. A period of recession begins in March.
