Oshi-Katsu Chronicle 1992: The MD Walkman, Sailor Moon, Street Fighter II and a 14-Year-Old's Olympic Gold
In 1992, TV broadcasts of Sailor Moon (Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon) and Crayon Shin-chan began. Girls who transform to fight and a mischievous kindergartner became characters you could meet every week.
In music, the MD Walkman arrived. The MD, or MiniDisc, is a small disc you can record music onto.
- X at Tokyo DomeThree straight days
- Sailor Moon beginsOn TV Asahi
- LUNA SEA debutMajor debut with IMAGE
- Street Fighter II at homeThe Super Famicom version
- MD Walkman launchesThe MZ-1, at 79,800 yen
New characters, new machines and bigger stages in one year.
The MD Walkman Goes on Sale: Record Your Oshi’s Songs and Carry Them
On November 1, Sony released the MD Walkman “MZ-1,” which could record and play. The price at the time was ¥79,800. A playback-only model, the “MZ-2P,” also appeared. Sony: product materials (in Japanese) / History of development (in Japanese)
Choose the songs you like from a CD or elsewhere and record them onto an MD, and you can listen away from home. What cassette tapes had offered could now be done with a small recordable disc.
- MZ-1
- Records and plays back. Released November 1 at ¥79,800.
- MZ-2P
- A playback-only model.
- 01Choose songsPick your oshi's tracks
- 02Record onto an MDAt home, from a CD and so on
- 03Set the orderPart of the fun
- 04Play outsidePlayer and disc go together
Like a mixtape, but on a small recordable disc.
X’s Three Days at Tokyo Dome, and LUNA SEA’s Major Debut
From January 5 to 7, X held three straight days of shows at Tokyo Dome titled “Toward Destruction.” It was the first time a Japanese artist had played Tokyo Dome three days in a row. Tokyo Dome: performance records (in Japanese) / Billboard JAPAN (in Japanese)
The year before, they had stood on that stage for the first time; now three days were booked. That year the band’s name changed to “X JAPAN.” Imidas (in Japanese)
On May 21, LUNA SEA made their major debut with the album IMAGE. The album followed one released independently the year before. LUNA SEA official: discography (in Japanese)
Drama Theme Songs Become Hits; Myojo Refreshes Itself
Kome Kome Club’s “Kimi ga Iru dake de” (“Just By Having You Here”) was the theme song of the drama Sugao no Mama de. Released in May, it won the grand prize in the Pop and Rock category at the year-end Japan Record Awards. Japan Composers Association (in Japanese)
Shogo Hamada’s “Kanashimi wa Yuki no Yo ni” (“Sorrow Like Snow”) was also a hit as the theme song of Ai to Iu Na no Moto ni. Maki Ohguro debuted in May with “STOP MOTION,” and her next single “DA・KA・RA” sold in huge numbers. Shogo Hamada official (in Japanese) / Maki Ohguro official (in Japanese)
According to Recording Industry Association of Japan statistics, that year’s CD production value was about ¥438.5 billion (roughly $2.9 billion). Recording Industry Association of Japan (in Japanese)
The idol magazine Myojo marked its 40th anniversary by changing its logo to “Myojo” in Latin letters and refreshing its content. Its publisher, Shueisha, recalls that music programs were ending one after another at the time, and magazines covering idols were being asked to change. Shueisha (in Japanese)
Myojo’s circulation had peaked at 1.87 million copies in 1988. After the overhaul, the cover, which had mixed male and female stars, switched to male idols only. Shueisha (in Japanese)
Sailor Moon and Shin-chan: Meeting New Characters Every Week
On March 7, Sailor Moon began airing. Based on Naoko Takeuchi’s manga, it is a story in which Usagi Tsukino and her friends transform into the Sailor Guardians and fight. It aired on the TV Asahi network on Saturday evenings. Toei Animation (in Japanese)
On April 13, Crayon Shin-chan, based on Yoshito Usui’s manga, began. It portrays the everyday life of Shinnosuke Nohara with his family and friends, and at the start it aired on Mondays. TV Asahi: 1992 broadcast record (in Japanese)
- March 7Sailor Moon
- Based on the manga by Naoko Takeuchi. It aired Saturday evenings on the TV Asahi network.
- April 13Crayon Shin-chan
- Based on the manga by Yoshito Usui. It aired on Mondays when it began.
Sailor Moon
- Girls transform and fight
- Each guardian's personality and costume
- Toys imitating the transformation items
Crayon Shin-chan
- A kindergartner and his family
- Everyday life with friends
- The fun of laughing at conversations and gestures
Different worlds, but both were a weekly appointment.
In Sailor Moon, toys that imitated the transformation items were a hit too. Toei Animation (in Japanese)
Playing Street Fighter II Head to Head at Home
On June 10, the Super Famicom version of the fighting game Street Fighter II was released. The Super Famicom, known as the Super Nintendo outside Japan, let players enjoy at home a game that was popular in arcades. Famitsu.com (in Japanese)
The Super Famicom version went on to sell 6.3 million copies worldwide. Famitsu.com (in Japanese)
In Dragon Quest V: Bride of Heaven (Tenku no Hanayome), released September 27, you play alone through a story that starts in the hero’s boyhood. Dragon Quest official (in Japanese)
The self-published comics event Comic Market was held at Harumi again this year. Summer drew 250,000 attendees and winter 180,000, each the total for two days. Comic Market Preparation Committee (in Japanese)
- 250,000
- Summer attendees
- 180,000
- Winter attendees
Each figure is the total for two days.
14-Year-Old Kyoko Iwasaki Wins Olympic Gold: Getting to Know Athletes Through Broadcasts
At the summer Barcelona Olympics, 14-year-old Kyoko Iwasaki won gold in the women’s 200 m breaststroke. Japanese Olympic Committee (in Japanese)
Japan Sumo Association: Takanohana (in Japanese) / Nippon Professional Baseball: 1992 Japan Series (in Japanese)
In September, a cup competition began ahead of the J.League’s opening the following year. Japan Football Association (in Japanese)
Key Events of the Year
- Jan. 5–7X plays three straight days at the Tokyo DomeMusic
- Jan.Takahanada wins his first top-division title as a maegashira (14 wins, 1 loss)Sports
- Feb.Shogo Hamada's "Kanashimi wa Yuki no Yo ni" hits No. 1 for the first timeMusic
- Mar. 7Pretty Soldier Sailor Moon begins broadcastingAnime
- Apr. 13Crayon Shin-chan begins broadcastingAnime
- May 4Kome Kome Club releases "Kimi ga Iru dake de / Aishiteru"Music
- May 21LUNA SEA makes its major debut with "IMAGE"Music
- MayMaki Ohguro debuts with "STOP MOTION"Music
- Jun. 10Street Fighter II is released for the Super Famicom (SFC)Games
- Jul. 25–Aug. 9The Barcelona Olympics are heldSports
- Jul. 2714-year-old Kyoko Iwasaki wins Olympic gold in swimmingSports
- Aug. 15–16Comic Market 42 (250,000 total visits over 2 days)Fan works
- Sep. 27Dragon Quest V: Tenku no Hanayome is releasedGames
- Oct. 17–26Seibu beats Yakult 4 games to 3 in the Japan SeriesSports
- Nov. 1The MZ-1, an MD Walkman that records and plays back, goes on saleDevices
- Dec. 29–30Comic Market 43 (180,000 total visits over 2 days)Fan works
- Dec. 31Kome Kome Club wins the Grand Prize in the Pop and Rock category at the Japan Record AwardsMusic
The Year’s Buzzword Awards
- Grand PrizeKin-san Gin-san (the centenarian twin sisters)
- Kin Narita, Gin Kanie
- Quotation AwardUreshii you na, kanashii you na ("Happy, and yet sad")
- Kin-san Gin-san
- Quotation AwardHadaka no otsukiai ("A relationship with nothing hidden")
- Kin-san Gin-san
- New words · GoldHome-goroshi ("killing with praise," praising someone to damage them)
- Taiichiro Kobayashi
- New words · SilverCard hasan ("credit-card bankruptcy")
- Kenji Utsunomiya
- New words · BronzeMotsunabe (offal hot pot)
- Shuichi Inoue
- Expression · GoldFukugo fukyo ("compound recession")
- Yoshikazu Miyazaki
- Expression · Silver9K (the nine "K" words describing undesirable jobs)
- Hisako Ejiri
- Expression · BronzeShacho kaicho (wordplay on "president / chairman," with characters meaning "apologize" and "regret")
- Yuko Urakami
- Popular phrases · GoldFuyuhiko-san (the mama's-boy husband in the drama Zutto Anata ga Suki Datta)
- Shiro Sano, Yoko Nogiwa
- Popular phrases · SilverNee, chu shite ("Hey, give me a kiss")
- Toshiaki Karasawa
- Popular phrases · BronzeJoshinsho ("written statement")
- Tadashi Kobayashi
- Popular words · GoldUchu jugyo ("classes in space")
- Mamoru Mori
- Popular words · SilverKashu no Koganezawa-kun ("Koganezawa the singer")
- Shoji Koganezawa
- Popular words · BronzeTwin Peaks
- Twin Peaks fan club
- Special words · Special AwardTime for Change
- U.S. Embassy in Japan
The year’s grand prize went to “Kin-san Gin-san,” the name for a pair of twin sisters aged 100. The gold prize in the trendy-phrase category was “Fuyuhiko-san,” a character in the drama Zutto Anata ga Suki Datta played by Shiro Sano. Jiyu Kokuminsha: winners of the ninth awards (in Japanese)
In 1993, the J.League opened. In music, songs by ZARD, B’z and others filled the hit charts.
FAQ
What did X do in 1992?
From January 5 to 7, they held three straight days of shows at Tokyo Dome titled "Toward Destruction." It was the first time a Japanese artist had played Tokyo Dome three days in a row. That year, in connection with a move to an overseas label, they changed their name to "X JAPAN."
When did LUNA SEA make their major debut?
On May 21, 1992, with the album *IMAGE*. It followed an album they had put out independently the year before.
What was the best-selling single of 1992?
Kome Kome Club's "Kimi ga Iru dake de / Aishiteru," released May 4. Its opening sales of 925,000 were the highest ever at the time, and cumulative sales reached 2.895 million. At the 34th Japan Record Awards at year-end it took the grand prize in the Pop and Rock category.
What were the representative anime that began in 1992?
*Sailor Moon* (*Bishoujo Senshi Sailor Moon*) on March 7 and *Crayon Shin-chan* on April 13, both on TV Asahi. At the start of broadcast, Sailor Moon aired on Saturdays and Crayon Shin-chan on Mondays.
How many CDs were produced in 1992?
According to the Recording Industry Association of Japan, CD production in 1992 was about 333.23 million units, worth ¥438.5 billion (roughly $2.9 billion). Those figures were up 11.3% and 9.7% from the previous year, so the CD as a format was still growing.
How did fans get in touch with each other in 1992?
They used landline phones, letters and reader-submission pages in magazines. At the same time, personal-computer networking had 1.15 million users in 1991, and conversations by hobby took place in forums on NIFTY-Serve and PC-VAN.
