G.O.A.T! One of the best city pop song of Japanese 80’s. TV animes of Showa-era.

G.O.A.T! One of the best city pop song of Japanese 80’s and TV animes!

If you are really proud of yourself as a huge fun of Kadomatsu Toshiki, Otaki Eiichi, Yamashita Tatsuro, Takeuchi Maria, Anri…Yellow Magic Orchestra (Y.M.O). Everyone over here please! 80’s city pop, techno pop lover, you must love these tunes below!

Including a song, which is 80’s city pop-esque!! 🙂

If you’re planning to dig in vinyl records of 80’s city pop, stop by Darumaya or Disk Union in Tokyo and its suburbs. They have treasure troves of Japanese Showa-era music.

https://darumaya.to

https://diskunion.net

People might say, the most famous anime song of 80’s is “Theme of Lupin The Third”(instrumental). Or “Get wild – Theme of City Hunter” by TM Network.

But don’t forget this one, the ending song ”Miraikeisatsu Urashiman”, which is 80’s TV anime, not only coolest techno pop (technology pop) song but also 80’s TV anime song of Japan! It is still brilliant even in 2022! No joke!

Although, I could hardly remember how the story goes, OK, ask wiki! Ta-dah….the story background set at Tokyo in 1983.

While the boy(Urashiman) has been chased by cop cars from episode 1 opening sequence, finally he got lost in parallel world with sudden thunder strike and forced himself to travel through time… time warp…eventually he arrived the neo-futuristic world in 2050.

This song titled “Dream City Neo-Tokio” as it means he exactly showed up Tokyo city in 2050.

He was called “Urashiman” who is lost himself and his name, memories of the past. After being captured by future cops, he became a detective to investigate the mystery of his situation, he started finding himself. Who is the enemy?

If you have interest into it, please check Showa anime “Miraikeisatsu Urashiman”!

The origins of Japanese comic strip that is commonly called “Choju-Giga” a set of four picture scrolls(Emakimono), in the mid -12th century.

Have you seen this very famous Emakimono (Scroll of Frolicking Animals and Humans)? I am sure that this caricature art works you can find everywhere in Japan. Especially mangas and animes, industrial designs, which have frequently collaborated with several art works.

The set of four picture scrolls, which are composed of “Koh-kan”甲巻、“Otsu-kan”乙巻、“Hei-kan”丙巻、”Tei-kan”丁巻、belong to the Kozan-ji Temple in Kyoto.

The scrolls are entrusted to the Kyoto National Museum and Tokyo National Museum nowadays.

“National Treasure, All About Choju-Giga” exhibition took place late spring in 2021 at National Tokyo Museum. So I visited the museum at Ueno Park, Tokyo.

Koh-kan 甲巻

All four volumes of  “Frolicking Animals” have been passing on the lively activities of anthropomorphized animals and ordinary people life in 12 – 13 centuries with energetic ink lines to our generation in 21 century.

All scenes flow from right to left, you can find quite a few animals inside this Emakimono, especially volume 1,“Koh”甲巻, most famous one, which covers a wide range of animal characters such as hares, frogs, deer, monkeys, cats, wild boars, horses, bulls, foxes and so on.

Koh-kan 甲巻

Some of them are bathing, playing sumo, praying monkey with monk robe to frog budda, deer ride, catch and run…animals are so cute and funny, fresh, vigorous!

They seem to be about to come out of the screen!

Koh-kan 甲巻

No wonder the works still keep inspiring many modern artists. It is no exaggeration to say that the origin works of Japanese mangas and animes.

There is many poultries, and imaginary animals, which were believed to exist in China until late 15 century, emerge in volume 2“Otsu”乙巻.

Otsu-kan 乙巻

In addition, volume 3 ”Hei”丙巻depicts the lives of ordinary people lively, their activities, playing and gaming scenes in downtown. The volume 4 ”Tei” 丁巻draws monks and people are playing sumo and enjoying horse ride, watching an itinerant performer with orchestra in the street.

Hei-kan 丙巻
Tei-kan 丁巻

The Chances are that you can encounter upcoming exhibitions while visiting Japan, or watch digital archives at the museum site.

https://kosanji.com/chojujinbutsugiga/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ch%C5%8Dj%C5%AB-jinbutsu-giga

https://www.tnm.jp/modules/r_free_page/index.php?id=2009