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Oshi-Katsu Chronicle 1994: GLAY Debuts, Mr.Children Hit Big, PlayStation Arrives and Ichiro Bangs Out 210 Hits

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By Ayano Yazawa · Edited by Kazuya Iwamoto

1994 was the year of Mr.Children’s “innocent world” and of hit songs written by Tetsuya Komuro. More and more people were playing songs they had first heard in dramas and anime films on repeat on CD.

GLAY and L’Arc-en-Ciel made their major debuts, and the Sega Saturn and PlayStation went on sale at year’s end. In baseball, Ichiro’s records drew attention.

Women playing together on the original PlayStation

Mr.Children’s “innocent world” Becomes a Hit: Learning Songs From Dramas and Films

On June 1, Mr.Children released “innocent world.” At year’s end, the song won the Japan Record Award. Mr.Children official site (in Japanese) / Japan Composers Association (in Japanese)

Songs by the producer Tetsuya Komuro were hits too. trf’s “survival dAnce - no no cry more” was the theme song of the drama 17-sai: at seventeen. Ryoko Shinohara with t.komuro’s “Koishisa to Setsunasa to Kokorozuyosa to” (“Love, Sadness and Strength of Heart”) was the theme song of the animated film Street Fighter II: The Animated Movie. trf: work information (in Japanese) / Re:minder (in Japanese)

Ryoko Shinohara’s CD single used different artwork on the front and back. At anime and game sections of stores, shops reportedly displayed it with the film’s artwork facing out. Re:minder (in Japanese)

One CD carrying both the singer and the film

Front: Ryoko Shinohara

See the singer's face and recall the song and the shows she appears in.

Back: the film's artwork

Fans of the game characters could tell it was the theme song CD.

It was a CD that reached not only people who supported the singer but also people who loved the film and the game. The single went on to sell 2.02 million copies. Re:minder (in Japanese)

Two hit themes of 1994Songs that first reached people on screen
Drama

trf

  • "survival dAnce" for the drama 17-sai
  • Written by Tetsuya Komuro
Animated film

Ryoko Shinohara with t.komuro

  • Theme of Street Fighter II movie
  • CD art differed on front and back

Both songs were bought on CD by people who first met them on screen.

GLAY and L’Arc-en-Ciel Make Their Major Debuts: Cheering From the Live House

GLAY held their first solo concert at the Tokyo club Meguro Rokumeikan on February 1 and sold it out. On May 25, they made their major debut with “RAIN,” produced by YOSHIKI of X JAPAN. The independent-label album Hai to Diamond (Ashes and Diamonds) was released the same day. GLAY official site (in Japanese)

GLAY in 1994: releases and performances around the country
  1. Feb. 1

    First solo concert

    A GLAY-only show at Meguro Rokumeikan.

  2. May 25

    Major debut with "RAIN"

    Two days later, their first appearance on the TV music show Music Station.

  3. Sept.-Oct.

    13-show national tour

    The "Hai to Diamond TOUR" draws a combined 4,000 people.

The autumn tour traveled from Kyoto to Hokkaido. Its 13 shows drew a combined 4,000 people. Five years later, in 1999, the band would draw 200,000 to a single day’s concert. GLAY official site (in Japanese) / GLAY’s 1999 concert record (in Japanese)

Following GLAY in 1994From a small stage to the whole country
  1. First solo showMeguro Rokumeikan, Feb. 1
  2. Major debut"RAIN" on May 25
  3. TV appearanceMusic Station, two days later
  4. National tour13 shows, Sept.-Oct.
  5. Radio showFM ROCK KIDS from Oct. 1

Fans could follow one band across a stage, a screen and the radio.

In July, L’Arc-en-Ciel also made their major debut, with the video single “Nemuri ni Yosete.” Their debut was a video release rather than a CD with sound alone. ORICON NEWS (in Japanese)

GLAY on Late Saturday Night: Hearing Voices Beyond the Songs

On October 1, GLAY began “GLAY in FM ROCK KIDS” on AIR-G’, an FM station in Hokkaido. It was a two-hour program on late Saturday nights, with the appearing members rotating week by week. For GLAY, a band formed in Hakodate, it was their first regular program. GLAY official site (in Japanese)

To reach friends, people also used the phone and the pager (pocket bell), a receiver that displayed numbers and other data sent from a phone on a small screen. Number wordplay for sending short messages spread too, such as reading “4649” as “yoroshiku” (“nice to meet you”). Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (in Japanese)

In April, a system began that let people buy mobile phone handsets instead of only renting them. After it was introduced, mobile phone subscriptions grew sharply. Pager subscriptions also passed 10 million the following year, 1995. NTT Docomo (in Japanese) / Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (in Japanese)

Sega Saturn and PlayStation: Released 11 Days Apart

The Sega Saturn went on sale on November 22 and the PlayStation on December 3. Both were home consoles that used CD-ROMs, new machines that let you enjoy, at home, games portraying three-dimensional characters and spaces. Sega (in Japanese) / Sony (in Japanese)

Two new consoles that arrived at the end of 1994

November 22
Sega Saturn

Released by Sega. The arcade hit Virtua Fighter arrived the same day as the console.

December 3
PlayStation

Released by Sony Computer Entertainment. Sony entered home consoles.

At launch, the Sega Saturn was priced at ¥44,800 and the PlayStation at ¥39,800. Sega (in Japanese) / Weekly ASCII (in Japanese)

The “10.8 Showdown” and Ichiro’s 210 Hits: Watching the Result Through

On October 8, the Chunichi Dragons and the Yomiuri Giants met at Nagoya Stadium. Both teams entered the final game with the same record, and the winner would take the league title. The Giants won and clinched the pennant. Fuji TV’s broadcast drew a 48.8% rating, the highest for a Central League regular-season game in Video Research’s records, which go back to 1977. Nippon Professional Baseball (in Japanese) / Video Research (in Japanese)

In the Pacific League, Ichiro of the Orix BlueWave recorded 210 hits in 130 games. He won the batting title with a .385 average and was also named MVP. That year he had only just switched his registered name from his full name, Ichiro Suzuki, to “Ichiro.” Nippon Professional Baseball (in Japanese) / Number Web (in Japanese)

Ichiro's 1994 seasonThe numbers behind the "Ichiro effect"
210
Hits
.385
Batting average
MVP
Pacific League award

Source: Nippon Professional Baseball (in Japanese)

In professional sumo, Takanohana was promoted to yokozuna. In the J.League, Verdy Kawasaki won its second straight league title. The league had opened in 1993, so the same club was annual champion two years in a row. Japan Sumo Association (in Japanese) / J.League (in Japanese)

A Blazing Summer Comiket, and Comiket Press Launches in Winter

Comic Market (Comiket), the fair for self-published works, held its 46th edition August 7-8 in Harumi, Tokyo. In record-breaking heat, a combined 240,000 people attended over the two days. The 47th, on December 29-30, drew a combined 200,000, and at this event the information magazine Comiket Press was launched. Comic Market Preparation Committee (in Japanese)

The halls were lined with doujinshi (self-published fan books) and more drawn about favorite manga and anime.

In movie theaters, Studio Ghibli’s Pom Poko (Heisei Tanuki Gassen Ponpoko) ranked No. 1 among Japanese films in distribution revenue, at ¥2.63 billion. That is not the total box-office takings but the portion of them that goes to the distributor. Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (in Japanese)

Key Events of the Year

GLAY and TOKIO debut, and new home game consoles arrive
  1. Feb. 1GLAY plays its first solo concert at Meguro KugekanMusic
  2. May 25TRF releases "survival dAnce"Music
  3. May 25GLAY makes its major debut with "RAIN"Music
  4. Jun. 1Mr.Children releases "innocent world"Music
  5. Jun. 30The Tomiichi Murayama cabinet takes officeSociety
  6. Jul. 10X JAPAN releases "Rusty Nail"Music
  7. Jul. 16Film Pom Poko opens (No. 1 among Japanese films)Film
  8. Jul. 21Ryoko Shinohara releases "Koishisa to Setsunasa to Kokorozuyosa to"Music
  9. Aug. 7–8Comic Market 46 (240,000 total visits over two days)Fan works
  10. Sep. 21TOKIO makes its CD debut with "LOVE YOU ONLY"Idols
  11. Sep. 26GLAY starts its first national tour (13 shows in all)Music
  12. Oct. 8The Giants win the Central League in the "10.8 showdown"Sports
  13. Nov. 22Sega Saturn releasedGames
  14. Nov. 23Takanohana's promotion to yokozuna is decidedSports
  15. Dec. 3PlayStation releasedGames
  16. Dec. 3136th Japan Record Awards (Mr.Children wins the Grand Prix)Music
1994 at a glanceSongs, stadiums and new consoles
  1. GLAY's first show and debutSold out, then "RAIN"
  2. innocent worldMr.Children's hit
  3. L'Arc-en-Ciel debutA video single
  4. Comic Market 46240,000 over two days
  5. The 10.8 showdownGiants win the pennant
  6. Saturn and PlayStationEleven days apart

Hits, debuts and consoles filled one year.

The Year’s Buzzword Awards

Jiyu Kokuminsha's Buzzwords of the Year: the 11th awards (1994)
Grand PrizeSuttamonda ga arimashita ("There was a lot of fuss")
Rie Miyazawa
Grand PrizeIchiro (the "Ichiro effect")
Ichiro Suzuki
Grand PrizeDoujou suru nara kane wo kure ("If you feel sorry for me, give me money")
Yumi Adachi
Top 10Kakaku hakai (price destruction)
Isao Nakauchi
Top 10Yan-mama ("young mamas")
Keiko Tamura
Top 10Shin-Shinto (the "New New Party")
Ichiro Ozawa
Top 10Dai-ojo (a peaceful, fulfilled passing)
Rokusuke Ei
Top 10Hito ni yasashii seiji (politics that is kind to people)
—
Top 10Keiyaku suchuwadesu (contract stewardess)
—
Top 10Kankuu (Kansai International Airport)
Tsuneharu Hattori
Judges' Special AwardGomanism ("Gomanism," the manga-essay style of arrogant opinion)
Yoshinori Kobayashi
Judges' Special AwardShushoku hyogaki (the job-hunting "ice age")
Yasuhiro Nagasono

The grand prizes went to three phrases: “Suttamonda ga arimashita” (“There was a lot of fuss”), “Ichiro (effect)” and “Doujou suru nara kane wo kure” (“If you feel sorry for me, give me money”). Lines from commercials and dramas sit alongside the name of a star player. The awards went to Rie Miyazawa, who appeared in the commercial, to Ichiro, and to Yumi Adachi, who starred in the drama Ie Naki Ko (Homeless Child). Jiyu Kokuminsha (in Japanese)

Next, 1995 is the year of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake. Along with its effects on life in the affected area and on performances, we follow developments in music, anime and games.

FAQ

Which visual kei bands debuted in 1994?

GLAY made their major debut on May 25 with the single "RAIN" on Platinum Records, the label founded by YOSHIKI. L'Arc-en-Ciel also made their major debut that July with the video single "Nemuri ni Yosete."

What won the Japan Record Award in 1994?

At the 36th awards at year's end, Mr.Children's "innocent world" took the grand prize. The Arrangement Award went to Tetsuya Komuro for Ryoko Shinohara with t.komuro's "Koishisa to Setsunasa to Kokorozuyosa to." trf's "survival dAnce - no no cry more" was also among the Excellence Award winners.

When were the Sega Saturn and PlayStation released?

The Sega Saturn came out on November 22, 1994 and the PlayStation on December 3 of the same year. Two new CD-ROM home consoles arrived 11 days apart. At launch, the Sega Saturn cost ¥44,800 and the PlayStation ¥39,800.

What did Ichiro achieve in 1994?

He led the league with a .385 batting average, recorded 210 hits in 130 games, and was named Pacific League MVP. "Ichiro (effect)" was also chosen as one of the grand prizes at the Buzzword of the Year awards.

What was Comic Market like in 1994?

The 46th, on August 7-8, had 16,000 circles and a combined 240,000 attendees; the 47th, on December 29-30, had 16,000 circles and a combined 200,000. The summer event was held in record-breaking heat, and an in-hall information magazine was launched at the winter event.

How did fans stay connected in 1994?

They kept in touch by pager and phone, and also exchanged messages through magazine reader-submission pages and computer networks. GLAY began a regular program on an FM station in Hokkaido. In April, a system that let people buy mobile phone handsets outright also began.

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