1989 in Anime
Compilation Movies:
Yutoden
Doraemon: Nobita and the Birth of Japan(1989)
The First Doraemon film of the Heisei-Era and the tenth overall. The story begins with a portal opening allowing a child from the past to enter the present. Nobita and Doraemon travel to prehistoric Japan with their friends who are given positions. Nobita mixes the DNA of various animals to create a Dragon, a Pegasus and a Griffin. In the process of time traveling they indirectly bring the boy from the past and return him. They learn his tribe is at war with another and vow to help him, learning the rival tribe is led by an evil time traveling who’s technology rivals Doraemon’s due to be from further in the future. Nobita’s animals creations make an unexpected appearance to help him and secure a victory, being transported to the future.
Utsunomiko(1989-1991)
Based on the historic Fantasy light novel series by Keisuke Fujikawa and Illustrated by Mutsumi Inomata. The series was adapted into a series. Set during the late Asuka Period to Nara Period and following the titular protagonist Utsunomiko, often shortened to Miko, who is the offspring of the Kami of the North Star. Set during the Jinshin War of 672, a child is born with a horn on his head. His mother calls him a Demon and casts him away but a hermit woman named him “Utsunomiko” or Divine Child of the Heavens. He finds the common people suffering and begins to help, them making him an enemy on the greedy rulers and the Imperial Court.
Venus Wars(1989)
Based on the series Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, serialized in Gakken magazine from 1986 to 1990. It was adapted into a film co written by Yuichi Sasamoto. In the year 2003, a comet called Apollon crashes with the planet Venus and changes the planet to allow it to be terraformed by 2089 with two nations called Ishtar and Aphrodia. A reporter from Earth named Susan Sommers travels to Venus just as war breaks out between the two nations. The Invasion by Ishtar interrupts a Rollerball-esque game in which Hiro Seno is competing and the team, the Killer Commandos, rescue Sue and go into hiding. Hiro ends up leading attacks on Ishtar only to be massacred with survivors rescued by Aphrodian forces led by Lt.Kurtz. Hiro’s skips prove useful and he aids the resistance in a final attack to bring down General Donner, and freeing Aphrodia with Sue saying goodbye and returning to Earth but promising to visit.
Rhea Gall Force(1989)
A Continuation of the Gall Force series. This series involves powers on Earth discovering the alien technology from the previous series, specifically a scientist discovering a Solnoid ship that crashed on the Moon back in Eternal Story. The reverse engineered technology is used in World War III and then the creation of an AI that goes rogue and hunts the survivors.
Mobile Suit Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket (1989)
A Film released for the tenth anniversary of the Gundam Franchise. The OVA is set in Universal Century 0079. The Principality of Zeon learns of a prototype Gundam and send a team to retrieve it, which leaves on survivor, rookie Bernard "Bernie" Wiseman. Bernie crashes his mobile suit and meets Elementary School student Alfred "Al " Izuruha, who is excited to meet a mobile suit pilot. Al's neighbor "Christina "Chris" Mackenzie is a Gundam pilot. Bernie repairs his mobile suit while hiding and befriends Al while falling in love with Chris, neither knowing about the other is a mobile suit pilot. Bernie learns of a planned Zeon attack with nuclear weapons if he fails to destroy the Prototype Gundam and flies back to destroy the prototype Gundam. Chris is sent into action using the prototype Gundam and fights Bernie, neither realizing who their opponent is. Al learns the Zeon Ship that was carrying the nuclear weapons was captured and so Bernie no longer has to fight as the threat of the attack was what forced him back on his original mission. Al tries to tell Bernie but is too late. Bernie is killed by Chris, who barely survives herself, being pulled out of the wreck of the Gundam. In the aftermath, Chris declares that she is leaving on another mission and tells Al to say goodbye to Bernie, unaware and not told by Al, who doesn't have the heart to tell her, that she killed him in the battle. During a school assembly on the effects of War, Al begins to cry thinking about his experiences with Bernie and Chris. His friends mistake why he is crying and try to cheer him up by saying that he'd probably get to fight in "Cool War" soon enough.
Ranma 1/2(1989-1992)
Based on the Series by Rumiko Takahashi that ran from 1987 to 1996. The series follows a teenage boy named Ranma Saotome, a martial artist who is in a training accident which causes him to fall into an enchanted spring. This curses Ranma into becoming a girl when punched and then reverting back with another hit[1]. Ranma spends the series searching for a way to undo the curse. It became one of the best selling manga of all time, aided by following up the successful Urusei Yatsura. The series was adapted by Studio Deen and. Broadcast on Fuji TV.
Ranma Saotome goes on a journey to the Bayankala Mountain Range in the Qinghai Province in China with his father Genma. He falls into a cursed spring while Genma becomes a Panda after falling in. Soun Tendo is a practitioner of an “Anything Goes” Martial art which he runs a Dojo of. Soun and Genma made a deal that Ranma would marry one of Soun’s three daughters. The curses make this complicated and it takes several pages to explain what happened. Renma and Soun’s Daughter Akane both refuse their forced engagement, but develop a loved hate relationship. Ranma at high School at Furinkan High School meets his rival Tatwaki, a Kendo Captain who falls in love with both Akane and Ranma’s female form while not knowing about his curse. The characters also compete in a martial arts tournament in addition to the chaos of school life and romance.
Rumiko Takahashi knew she wanted to do a martial arts series, which were popular thanks to Fist of the North Starr and Seiya. She originally wanted to write a male character but felt uncomfortable doing this, making the character partly female just in case. Takahashi intentionally chose an all female assistant group, though admitted that they could become distracted by boys.
Little Nemo(1989)
Originally conceived by Tokyo Movie Shinsha President Yutaka Fujioka, who saw Japanese animation as still needing to catch up with U.S. Animation and founded Telecom Animation Film. He wanted to adapt Little Nemo and in 1977 flew to California to obtain the rights from the McKay family. Walt Disney had a Little Nemo film in development for some time and learned of Fujioka’s endeavor. The two began working together after the rights were secured. Animators were trained by Yasuo Otsuka, Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. To gain additional funding Fujioka approached George Lucas during the height of both Star Wars and Indiana Jones as well as animator Chuck Jones. The two disliked the script until Gary Kurtz gave it a chance and hired Ray Bradbury as a screenwriter. Bradbury’s script added in an antagonist. Nemo’s dark side personified as “Omen”, who Nemo must defeat in the dream world. Miyazaki and Bradbury clashed over ideas but most of Miyazaki’s ideas, would be used in his later films, for example he was imagining a young man turned into a beast and only a princess during a provincial war can save him(Princess Mononoke with a bit of Rowlf), Demons hunting after a princess and her dog(Rowlf on its own). Miyazaki wanted the Dream World to be real, but exist as an dimension which could be altered by the dreams of people in the real world. Fujioka brought in Disney’s Nine Old Men to teach 12 Japanese Animators including Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Yasuo Otsuka, and others to try and learn American style animation, but seeing Miyazaki’s sketches, the Nine Old Men shrugged and simply said “We have nothing to teach them.” Despite this a friendship was formed between the two groups which would in later years lead to their future collaborations.
Miyazaki was at the time working on Lupin the Third’s
Castle of Cagliostro and Takahata on
Jarinko Chie, though both donated animators from those productions to Little Nemo. Takahata’s work on Little Nemo moved it closer to something akin to Peter Pan and Where the Wilds Things Are. Disney had of course made films on both and was supportive of this idea. Because of Takahata’s involvement, his film structure carried over. Miyazaki and Takahata clashed with Kurtz but at Disney gave them superiority on the project. Kurtz proved too busy with other projects and left. John Lasseter and Brad Bird were brought on, both were honored to meet Miyazaki, beginning a friendship between Lasseter and Bird. Bird did many painted image boards, but was largely committed to working on the animated series based on Gary Kurtz’s the Spirit, the success of which would lead to their work on Batman: the Animated Series. Fearing Miyazaki would be too busy, Fujioka asked Jean Giraud also known as Moebius, a famed comic artist and cartoonist made famous for his beautiful work on many projects but most notably the storyboards Jodorowsky’s Dune, which gained critical acclaim as Moebius turned the story boards into comic book panels. When Moebius saw Miyazaki’s sketches he insisted Fujioka use them, though one thing that did result from Moebius’s brief time was a friendship with Miyazaki. The Project was finally completed and released in 1989 and was a massive success. However problems would arise with the film it was packaged with…[2].
Border 1939(1989)
Isao Takahata’s film planned since
Grave of the Fireflies. Based on the novel by Shin Shakata, a children’s writer who lived in Nagoya. The protagonist is Akin, a Japanese university student living in Seoul during the Japanese occupation. He learns that his friend Nobuhiko has been pronounced dead in an military accident and goes to Manchuria to investigate. He learns Nobuhiko had joined the anti-Japanese resistance in Manchuria. He learns he is of mongol descent and tries to join the resistance but is caught and tortured. The resistance frees him despite not trusting him due to his Japanese heritage. To gain their loyalty he goes on a mission to escort another Mongol descendant Akiko to her homeland. The two begin to fall in love on their journey.
The film criticized the Japanese Imperialism at the time, something touched on in
Grave of the Fireflies. Like that film, Border was accused of Pro-Imperialism. It is Takahata’s most epic story in scale given his usual down to Earth stories. It takes the characters through Korea, China and Mongolia and Akio is depicted as more heroic in the conventional sense. Takahata’s goals were to reclaim the real world as an interesting setting over the fantasy settings of most anime, teach young audiences about the dangers of Imperial Japan’s era and why their atrocities cannot happen again, and get the viewer to reevaluate their identity on a personal and national sense.
Unfortunately, current events around the film’s release would lead it to suffer one of the worst box office turnouts for a Ghibli film as while it was in theaters, the Chinese government’s violent response to protests triggered a Chinese Civil War. This led to it being pulled from theaters. Disney and Ghibli had a deal similar to the 1984 arrangement to release both Border and Nemo, leading to a loss. However the film would be vindicated by history and ironically, become a popular film to the newly democratic China once the war concluded. In an odd but hopeful coincidence and sign of what would come, the Berlin Wall would come down on the day of the film’s release[3].
Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash(1989)
Hathaway Noa, still haunted by his murder of Quess and haunted by her ghost, joins a terrorist organization called Mafty under the name "Mafty Navue Erin". The group acquires the new prototype Ξ Gundam, which Hathaway pilots.
Promotion for the Nintendo Power Hour Block
Super Mario Bros: The Series(1989-1990)
A series continuation of the 1986 Super Mario film. Between the film and this date, Super Mario Bros 2 and 3 were released and elements of that series, namely the Koopalings, were introduced, giving Mario enemies to fight across the multiple episodes.
Andy Heyward, then CEO of DIC Enterprises had reached out to Nintendo. He had collaborated with Tokyo Movie Shinsha since 1981 to distribute Anime such as
Ulysses 31 and collaborated on
Lupin VIII. Heyward spent a year trying to convince Nintendo to license the characters. He didn’t just want to have an animated show and it was his idea to add in live action segments in which Mario was played by Italian-American Professional Wrestler Lou Albano, who shaved his beard into a mustache for the role and the role of Luigi played by Danny Wells. The two played Plumbers who at first lived in Boston but then moved to the Mushroom Kingdom, resulting in a new set. Heyward however wanted to do an entire block of Nintendo Shows called the Nintendo Power Hour, including reruns of the
Legend of Zelda series(Heyward wanted a new one so the DIC owned the rights to their own version),
Metroid, Castlevania, Double Dragon, and a cancelled series based on
California Games. With the success of the Super Mario Series, the Metroid series was planned next. Nintendo threatened to pull the plug when DIC made Samus male(and their helmet design transparent as if to emphasize that fact) and DIC was forced to change the character’s gender but Nintendo now insisted on supervising the project more strictly , fearing that DIC would treat Samus in a sexist manner. The Castlevania series was also looked with a stern eye as the original idea was to have kids investigating a haunted house. This was changed by Nintendo’s demand to a darker show following on Simon Belmont’s quest to slay Dracula and his minions. Nintendo demanded Japanese animation companies create the shows in response to the changes.
To test the waters for “Nintendo Power Hour 2: Metroidvania ” in 1990(The Super Mario Bros Series and the Legend of Zelda Series were considered “Round 1”) characters from the franchises were features in
Captain N. The Series followed a teenager pulled into another universe. The Mushroom Kingdom and Hyrule are shown to be on the same continent along with Dracula’s Castle, the space of Metroid off planet and so on. Based on a story in Nintendo Fan Club Magazine that became successful, leading to the TV Show. The series features Bowser, Ganon, Mother Brain, Dracula, Abobo(a fairly memorable sub boss in
Double Dragon), Eggplant Wizard(Kid Icarus), King Hippo(Punch Out), and others. Oversight from Nintendo and Capcom meant there was great pressure everyone was represented faithfully. Samus’s appearance on the and Simon Belmont’s prove quite popular, Captain N himself “Kevin Keene” having a crush on her while Simon Belmont was a serious warrior based on Arnold Shwarzenagger. This ensured they would get their own shows later on[4].
Angel Cop(1989)
A six part DVA series directed by Ichiro Itano with a manga adaptation written by Taku Kitazaki. The plot is set in the late 20th century where Japan is the largest economy in the world. A terrorist group called Red ay is trying to take over the government. The Special Security Force is formed to stop them but finds them all dead and an investigation ensues as to another mysterious organization hunting down the terrorists.
The Black Salesman(1989-1992)
Based on a short manga story by Fujiko Fujio originally deemed too scary by their publisher in 1968. The story was picked up after the success of Doraemon and released by Shin-Ei Animation. The series follows people approached by the mysterious salesman Mogul Fukuzou who promises them a better life on certain conditions, usually the “client” breaks this condition due to greed or selfishness and they are punished in some way. The Salesman then departs looking for another “Victim”[5].
Patlabor: The TV Series(1989-1990)
Created by Headgear and animated by Sunrise based on the Patlabor franchise. It follows the Second Special Vehicles Division, a group of policemen who use Patlabors, a request by Sunrise who wants dome action to sell toys, but they did not sell well. The series kept getting extensions to wrap up its plot, going from 24 to 36 to 47 episodes[6].
Monster(1989-1990)
Adapted by Mushi Productions “Madhouse” and Based on the manga that ran from 1986 to 1993. Naomi Urasawa pitched the idea of a manga about the Medical field but saw his editor was not enjoying. He quickly suggested that a woman doctor saved the life of a serial killer and vowed to stop his reign of terror, which the editor liked and approved. The plot therefore became about Yawara Inokuma, a young doctor in training who joins Doctors Without Borders. When a pair of twins are brought in, Johan and Anna. Yawara treats Johan while Anna mutters about killing. Because she is busy saving Johan, the wounded mayor is brought in and dies, turning Yawara into an outcast. Then several doctors, friends and acquaintances of Yawara are murdered and the twins disappear. She is suspected and questioned but the authorities have no proof. Then Yawara meets a man muttering about a monster and follows him when he is attacked. She watched Johann Liebert, the man she saved murder the man and be revealed to be a notorious serial killer before he escapes. Yawara vows to hunt him down to atone for her mistake. She is framed for the murders herself and BKA Inspector Lunge suspects her and begins to chase after her.
Urasawa drew much from the American 1960’s TV Show the Fugitive, which was about a man convicted of murder on the run while searching for his wife’s real killer. The editor however, tried to stop Urasawa from creating the series, expecting it to not do well. It then went on to become a success[7].
Baoh(1989)
A DVA by Studio Pierrot. Based on the Manga by Hirohiko Araki that ran from 1984 to 1985. The story follows 17 year old Ikuro Hashizawa, who is kidnapped and turned into a bioweapon with superhuman abilities but escapes with the help of the psychic 9 year old girl Summer. Professor Kasuminome sends monsters and assassins after the two. The title character remains somewhat rare but makes appearances as a secret character in Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure games.
Battle Tendency(1989)
Protagonist Jonathan’s Joestar death in Part 1 was seen as unthinkable for the time. Jorge Joestar was intentionally made to resemble his father but with a more adventurous personality. Araki couldn’t show a friendly rivalry between Jonathan and Dio, so he introduced Dio’s own son Giorno Giovanna. The two would act as rivals and polar opposites. Jorge was a trickster due to lacking a father and Giorno, in paralleling Dio’s upbringing is noble but forces to work for the mob. Araki also decided to introduce Lisa Lisa to challenge the stereotype around female characters. For the antagonists, not wanting to use Dio again so soon, Araki created the Pillar Men, based on Roman Statues, Egyptian Sphinxes and Japanese Neo statues.
The story began in the distant past in Mexico where the Pillar Men reside, being unable to survive in sunlight. One member: Kars creates three mystical objects: A stone Mask, an arrow, a ring, and a red stone which allows them to survive in sunlight. Kars and four others attacked and killed the other Pillar Men but the red Stone was flung away. Kars and his followers entered hibernations. After Jonathan and Dio were killed in 1889, Jonathan’s wife Erina saved a baby girl named Elizabeth who was adopted by the Zepelli family, namely Caesar Anthonio Zeppeli, son of William A.Zeppeli, and given the Red Stone Kars created called the Super Aja. She has now grown up and married Jorge Joestar. Jorge Joestar is playing a football game where he meets a fierce rival named Giorno Giovanna. The War is announced on the radio but Jorge and Giorno decide to keep playing. Both go off and fight in World War I. Meanwhile, Robert E.O. Speedwagon is tracking down one of Dio’s thought dead followers Straizo to Mexico. Straizo awakens a Pillar Man with the Stone Mask used by Dio. Speedwagon is wounded but escapes. Straizo then tracks down Jorge and tries to kill him. Jorge is flying in a plane when the undead Straizo attacks him. His father’s stand Hermit Purple, activates to protect him and kills Straizo, who dies telling him the Pillar Men are coming for him. Returning home,Jorge tells his mother Erina and his wife Elizabeth. The family goes into hiding and take new names, with Elizabeth taking the name Lisa Lisa.
Jorge decides to head to Mexico with Zeppeli to investigate and learns that Speedwagon was taken from his hospital by German soldiers and set out to rescue him, just as a Pillar man named Santana shows up. German commander named Rudol Von Stroheim helps them after his men are killed and together they keep Santana busy long enough for the sun to come up and destroy him, taking the ring he possessed, which is revealed to have a blade that stabs the wearer, granting a Stand. Turning Stroheim into a stand user. He gains “Iron Maiden” which turns him into a cyborg, saving his life as he was about to die from his injuries. He joins the group and forsakes the German army. The group them travels to Rome and run into Giorno, who they at first believe is trying to reawaken the Pillar Men when they learn Dio is his father until they learn that he learned about the Italian army’s efforts to revive the Pillar Men and wished to stop them. He then joins the team after the other three Pillar Men, Kars Wamuu and Esidisi are awoken. The Pillar Men defeat the group Jorge convinces the Pillar Men to give them time to train to be more of a challenge. They do so but poison the group with an antidote that will kill them in one week unless he gets the antidote from them.
The group trains on an island off the coast of Venice when Esidisi attacks. Jorge is able to kill him and get the antidote but he possesses Lisa Lisa’s handmaid Suzi Q into stealing the Super Aja. Jorge and Ceasar purge Esidisi from Suzi Q, killing his spirit for good. The group track the Pillar Men to Russia where they engage Wamuu after extracting his location from him. Caesar is killed in a sacrifice to bring down Wamuu and get the antidote to Jorge. Wamuu’s final act is to use the stone Mask to turn possess the corpse of Rasputin, who attacks the group with a newly created Stand “Love Machine” before Jorge finishes him off. This distraction allows Kars to obtain the Stone Mask, the Arrow and the Ring in the group’s posession. He uses these to become seemingly invincible and immune to sunlight. The group brings him to fight near an active volcano as Kars is now obsessed with killing Jorge. Their fight causes the Volcano to erupt and explode. Giorno is able to save Jorge just as the eruption sends Kars into space, where he is left frozen adrift, unable to die. Afterwards the two part as friends. In an epilogue, Giorno along with Speedwagon bring up the remains of Jonathan for proper burial along with those of Dio to make sure he is dead. They find what their bodies but then suddenly Dio’s body disappears…
So anyway we move onto the next part where Dio teams up with the Nazis…[8]
<—To be Continued.
Assemble Insert(1989-1990)
A DVA series based on a Parody Manga by Masami Yuki, creator of Patlabor. Set in the not too distant future, a criminal organization called the Demon Seed threatens the city. The Special Operations Anti-Demon Seed Team, which consists of five men in one office, decide to recruit an idol singer. Maron Namikaze auditions and while lacking talent is revealed to be super strong and chosen. Be forced into both piloting a robot and being an idol.
Peter Pan and the Pirates(1989-1990)
A Joint production with the Overmyer Network. While a Masterpiece Theatre Production, the series takes some liberties while remaining surprisingly faithful in tone to the book. The Animation, stories and the performance of Mark Hamill as Captain Hook were primarily praised for its creepyness[9].
Blood Reign: Curse of the Yoma(1989)
Based on the manga by Kei Kusunoki that ran from 1985 to 1986. A terrible war ravaged the land, causing demons from Hell named Yoma to rise. Two ninjas from the Takeda Clan named Hikage and Marou see the process of retrieving weapons from the dead. Marou begins to act strange. That night, the clan leader Shingen Takeda is killed by a Yoma and Marou is seen fleeing. Hikage is sent after him for fear that he could expose Shingen’s death to his enemies. Hikage is childhood friends with Marou and thinks back to their friendship while tasked with killing him. On his journey, Hikage discovers a village which knows about Marou’s childhood and slays a Spider Yoma threatening it but fails to save the Village, including a woman he fell in love with named Aya. While other clans learn of Shingen’s death, Hikage vows to continue searching for Marou. Marou has been shown to be recruiting Yoma, including forming an alliance with the Takeda Clan to go after Hikage before they are betrayed and all killed, leaving Hikage as the last one. He meets a girl also named Aya and the two work towards killing Marou, who is reverted back to human for the final battle, but a sacrifice ensures his will be reincarnated. Sometime later Hikage and Aya meet a mother and their newborn son. Hikage looks at the baby and is left in shock as Marou’s voice is heard reciting a line he said that “Being Human is so boring”.
Cipher(1989)
A DVA based on the manga that ran from 1985 to 1990. The story follows two child star twins named Jake and Roy Lang, who decide to switch places. A classmate of the twins named Shiva reenters their life and is let in on the bet by them to see if she can tell the two apart.
Cybernetics Guardian(1989)
A DVA released by Anime International Company. The plot follows John Stalker, a pilot for the Central Guard Company born in the Cancer Slums of a Cyber City. The villain Adler and a cult known as the Brethren of Doldo plans to attacks the Cancer Slums and trigger the end of the world. John Stalker is assigned to test a guard suit and unravels a dark conspiracy about the world.
Dragon Quest(1989)
An Adaptation of largely Dragon Quest III with elements of the previous games, inspired by the success of an adaptation of the Ultima series. The protagonists, designed in both the game and show by Akira Toriyama between Dragonboy and Dragonman. Rather than choosing a protagonist, both the male and female options were made siblings and named Arusu and Irin respectively. They are the children of the legendary warrior Ortega. On their 16th Birthday they are given the task by the King of Aliahan to slay the evil Baramos. The success of the series led to DIC CEO Andy Heyward attempting to secure the rights to the show to air it as part of the “Nintendo Power Hour”. He also tried and failed to gain the Ultima series that inspired it due to it being privately owned by its creator Richard Garriot[10].
Explorer Woman Ray(1989)
A two part DVA series made by Toshiba and released by Central Park Media. Inspired by the Indiana Jones series,Archeologist Rayna “Ray” Kazuki is searching in South America for an ancient civilization known as the Ords which could harness light. Her grandfather went missing looking for them but left behind an artifact to help find them. She is joined by twins Mai and Mami who want the treasure involved.
Goku Midnight Eye(1989)
Based on the Manga that ran from 1987 to 1989 by Buichi Terasawa, who also created Cobra. Set in 2014, Detective Goku Furinji is following a number of suicides by police officers. He finds a mysterious woman with hypnosis is responsible. He stabs his own eye to escape hypnosis and is given a cybernetic eye implant that can control any computer system on the planet, and the Sun Wu Kong Rod, a multipurpose weapon[11].
Hi Speed Jecy(1989)
A 12 part DVA series. The Superhuman young man Jecy Moore, his sister Tiana and warrior Priest Falk Green are asked to bodyguard the mysterious woman Telaine Bismarck. Tiana is abducted by the Bismarck family to force Jecy to obey their demands.
Idol Densetsu Eriko(1989-1990)
A series by Ashi Productions. Based on real life Japanese idol Eriko Tamura, who performs the songs, including the opening and ending theme. Eriko Tamura is the daughter of Yuusuke Tamura, chairman of Tamura Productions and Minako Tamura, an idol. A Car accident leaves he father dead and mother ran a coma, forcing her to step up to become an Idol despite her parents not wanting that for her and an uncle looking to destroy her career.
Jushin Liger(1989)
An Anime Superhero series by Go Nagai and produced by Sunrise with the aid of Nagai’s own company Dynamic Planning. It was broadcast on Nagoya Broadcasting Network and TV Asahi. The Manga series was also done by Go Nagai. Set in 199X AD. The city of Kushiro, Hokaido is attacked by Drago Knights and the Dragon Empire attack as they try to awaken their master Devil God Jushin Drago from his imprisonment two hundred years ago. A 12 year old named Ken Taiga discovers he is the descendant of the warrior Lion Clan who summoned the Liger to defeat Drago centuries ago. Ken finds he can transform into the Sentai hero Jushin Liger to fight the Drago Empire. Inspired by the success of Tiger Mask, a mantle since retired after an event in which the two owners of the mantle clashed and the Mask was left abandoned on the ring symbolically. Professional Wrestler Keiichi Yamada began performing under the wrestling identity of Jushin Liger in New Japan Pro Wrestling.
Kaiketsu Zorori(1989)
Based on a Japanese children’s book series by Yutaka Hara. Released as a DVA. Set in a world of talking animals resembling Japan, a fox named Zorori and his twin boar bandit apprentices. Zorori wants to become the prankster king, obtain his own castle and find a bride. Despite seeming himself as a villain, Zorori will do good unintentionally such as helping his family or inadvertently doing good. It is a spinoff of an earlier work: Spinach Man, though stands on its own, bringing only the character of Zorori over.
Karura Mau(1989)
A DVA Based on the manga that ran from 1986 to 1998. The series is considered the first and greatest in the “Occult Action” manga genre. The Ogi Family has protected Japan for centuries as exorcists fighting the supernatural protected by the deity Karura. Twins sisters Shoko and Make are born with the power to banish evil spirits and continue their gamily line of fighting evil while posing as transfer students.
Kasei Yakyoku(1989)
A series is set in the Taisho era(the Roaring 20’s). Japan at the time is quickly attempting to modernize, resulting in a clash of old versus new and Swords versus guns. Nobelwoman Akiko Hashou and her servant Sara Uchida meet handsome but low class Takao Itou, who has ties to the Yakuza, and all this leading up to the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake.
Lupin III: Bye Bye Lady Liberty(1989)
Lupin the Third was in a tough place. Two years Prior he he had literally faced his dark side. It seemed like a fresh start. Veteran director Osamu Dezaki was brought in to revive the character, having fittingly worked on the original series. Rather than a clean slate. Dezaki weaved an interesting plot. Lupin has to deal with the events that led to his evil half retiring in the other reality. A super computer has been invented that predicts his every move, forcing him to retire. Jigen learns that a giant diamond was stolen by a secret society known as the Three Masons. Lupin learns that the Three masons are searching for the remains of an angel, which due to the near destruction of Tokyo in the last film by the evil Lupin was moved to America and the Statue of Liberty. Lupin steals the entire Statue of Liberty in order to keep it out of the three Mason’s hands but is also tempted by it, growing attached to the abducted young girl and her scientist father(who committed suicide in
Lupin III: Tower of Babel but not in this timeline thanks to being an alternate universe). Lupin also finds that the scientist invented the supercomputer and that it is now predicting his every move against them. Lupin is able to not only free the angel but avert nuclear war between the US and USSR as well las defeat the evil supercomputer. This film finally demonstrates that Lupin had averted his destiny and that he will not become evil Lupin. Lupin has stolen his destiny and averted fate, doing what his other self could not, go through the abyss and come out a good person, alleviating Lupin’s fear of becoming like his other self. While somewhat of a retread, the execution of the themes made the film stand out and gained a symbolic meaning. The Series would enter the new decade breaking free of the three film arc that it had been trapped in[12].
Riding Bean(1989-1990)
A TV Series made by Kenichi Sonoda and Toshiba EMI. Following Courier for hire Bean Bandit and gunwoman Rally Vincent. The two are framed for kidnapping Chelsea Grimwood, the daughter of Mr.Grimwood, President of the Grimwood Company, forcing them to chase after the real kidnapper, master of disguise Semmerling. It was one of the few Anime series to have the score entirely done by a foreigner. In this case, Jazz fusion keyboardist David Garfield[13].
Himitsu no Akko-chan(1989-1990)
A remake of the 1969 series released for the 20th Anniversary. The following year a remake of Sally the Witch would be released, the two continuing their long rivalry[14].
Shutendoji(1989)
Adapted by a Manga by Go Nagai from 1976 to 1978, A couple desire a child only to find a Demon with one in its mouth. The Demon tells them he will return for the boy in 15 years. Now 15, the boy is named Jiro Shutendo and must fight off monsters from his past and a cult seeking to kill him to prevent a prophecy.
Super Mario PSAs(1989)
Two PSAs released for schools. While originally intended to be set on Earth and have Mario and Luigi warn kids. A more unique approach was chosen and have the shorts be PSAs as seen in the Mushroom Kingdom. The first “Fire Safety” follows a fire breaking out at a Toad village and shows what to do and what not to do before Mario and Luigi put the fire out. As well as including Ovensand Cigarettes in the Mushroom Kingdom to illustrate how fires can start. The Second “Traffic Safety” adds Cars into the world. While both were made in Japan and distributed to local schools with no intent on dubbing them or even showing them beyond schools. DIC CEO Heyward decided to bring them over to make some extra money dubbing them and show them off to schools in the US[15].
Ys(1989-1991)
Based on the Ys Video Game series. The plot follows Adolf Christin and his adventure on the Island of Esteria. A Dark Priest is tearing the island apart searching for the mystical Books of Ys. Adapting the first and second games in the series, the only ones then released.
IN MEMORIAM
...According to the Nurse, the mangaka suffering from Stomach Cancer, demanded to be given pen and paper. Screaming "I'm begging you. Let me Work!". The Nurse, a replacement as the intended nurse for that day had been called in sick, obliged him. It remains a subject of debate whether granting this request led to his death or simply ensured that he would die happy. Tezuka seemed to be able to sense his end approaching and quickly finished Ludwig B, a biography of Ludwig Van Beethoven. He was now working on concluding his mega saga Phoenix. The Nurse returned to find Mr. Tezuka working diligently, seemingly not noticing her return. Finally he stopped, an inkpen in his hand. Looked up at her and exclaimed with a big smile "I finished it." Immediately after exclaiming this, Mr.Tezuka collapsed onto the pages. He spilled the ink, which fortunately did not stain the pages but fell to the floor. He was presumed dead by the doctor.
Osamu Tezuka was an inspiration to the Field. He was the godfather of Anime and is responsible for many amazing creations. He touched the hearts of so many. His funeral was attended by the likes of Walt Disney, his friend, idol, and partner, Hayao Miyazaki, Isao Takahata, Rintaro, and many others. He was buried in a Buddhist Temple in Tokyo. His son Makoto Tezuka made the choice to open his work desk. Inside was a half eaten piece of chocolate, an essay length paper and letter to Kasuhiro Otomo praising Akira in which Tezuka admits regret that he won't be able to see Part II in person, various sketches, and what appeared to be many erotic drawings of anthropomorphic animals[16].
Tezuka's will included his desired successor as head of Mushi Productions, another Osamu: Osamu Dezaki. He also requested most of the staff comprising what was known internally at Mushi Productions as "The Madhouse" be promoted to higher positions. Many have jokes that it would seem the Inmates are running the Asylum. There are already plans for a film or speical honoring Tezuka, including a crossover of all his characters similar to the 1979 Mighty Atom: Marine Express, tentatively titled Phoenix Force, along with a planned adaptation of his final work.
Osamu Tezuka(1928-1989)
Despite the Death of a legend, the future of Anime is looking brighter than ever. There is a sense of looking forward, more so now than at the end of previous decades. Two Magical Girls are set to resume their long rivalry even as the magical girl genre seems to be dwindling only to revive again, shifting and turning like phases of the moon. Kurumada is concluding his Karate series and has teased that his new series will take the fight to the stars. Studio Daicon, hoping to leave Miyazaki's shadow is now looking to develop their next big series: Evangelion. Miyazaki himself has decided to slow his pace. While before he released a film every two years, now it will become closer to one film every four or five years. However the amount of projects, especially from Disney's direction ranging from Space Pirates to airplanes, and many others has not decreased. Only time will tell if the 90's will continue the genre's rise.
Butterflied Away:
The Five Star Stories. Created by Mamoru Nagano due to his dissatisfaction with his work on Heavy Metal L-Gaim. Since that series went his way it’s been butterflied.
Mobile Suit SD Gundam’s Counterattack. The SD Gundam series is butterflied away as its greater success led to Sunrise not wanting to risk alienating the fans with a comedic parody. Hathaway’s Flash replaces it.
Patlabor: The Movie. Butterflied away as Mamoru Oshii reused ideas from his OTL Cancelled Lupin film, since it was made ITTL there is no reason to make the film with that plot.
ARIEL Visual. The writer Yuichi Sasamoto was writing Venus Wars at the same time and ITTL composted the two series, resulting in elements from ARIEL appearing in Venus Wars, butterflying it in the process.
The Adventures of Hutch the Honeybee. The original series was butterflied away so the remake doesn’t exist. Doubly so due to Tatsunoko going under.
The Guyver: Bio-Booster Armor. Due largely to the release of the film and the more faithful first DVA ITTL.
Legend of the Heavenly Sphere Shato. Butterflied away due to Saint Seiya not being a space series as this series was made to capitalize on it. Also made by Tatsunoko.
Delayed:
Warriors of the Final Holy Battle. A Saint Seiya film. ITTL the original idea for Saint Seiya was approved, making it a Karate Kid style series with Rintaro of the Galaxy, TTL’s true Saint Seiya being released when that series is done.
Like the Clouds, Like the Wind. A Film often confused for being a Studio Ghibli Film due to many of that studio’s animators working on it including A Miyazaki(as in..Akira Miyazaki). ITTL it will be a Ghibli film though likely by Takahata in 1991 as Border 1939 not being made led Takahata to work on Only Yesterday, which he previously turned down. Miyazaki may take that film instead and someone else will make Like the Clouds, Like the Wind.
NOTES
[1] The original idea for Ranma 1/2 was the transformation was triggered by being punches and not by water. ITTL Martial Arts manga is popular due to TTL’s Saint Seiya being a Karate kid style story along with other fighting series leading to that element being kept in.
[2] OTL Little Nemo: Adventures in Slumberland had a very troubled production lasting about ten years. Disney tries and failed. Miyazaki and Takahata clashed with Gary Kurtz and left with Kurtz leaving anyway in 1984. Most of the behind the scene details are intact, even the friendships formed with Miyazaki by Lassiter and Moebius, but Kurtz left earlier ITTL and so Miyazaki and Takahata stayed on. Production was delayed because everyone was so darn busy but the success of
Nadia and the Secret of Blue Water, another Ghibli-Disney collaboration, gave them the courage to finish it while they were working on that film. OTL everyone left and it was finally finished but with none of the big names involved and bombed at the box office.
[3] Border 1939 was cancelled OTL because of the Tiananmen Square Massacre. It didn’t feel right to butterfly away a national atrocity especially when the government is trying to pretend it never happened, so ITTL it still did. Border 1939 as a film was conceived earlier, due to
Grave of the Fireflies being made earlier so its during release rather than before production began. It also leads to a full scale war and the overthrow of the Chinese Government.
[4] OTL the
Amada Anime Series: Super Mario Bros was a series of the Mario Cast retelling classic fairy tales: Momotaro, Issun-Boshi, and Snow White. ITTL Mario fans get a more traditional series, though It’s been merged with the Super Mario Super Show also released that year, at least in some cases though it's mostly its own entity. The Metroid and Castlevania series were planned but dropped and concept are does indeed show they would have been radically different including a male Samus. see
here. Also in case your wondering the Magazine known as Nintendo Power OTL replaced another magazine which ITTL was known as the Nintendo Fun Club but here as the Nintendo F
an Club and does better due to its connection to the Nintendo Official Fan Club.
Captain N is different in some ways though I'll hold off on some details until I get to Cartoons. The Game Master subtitle is gone so no…”Gay Master” jokes. The character is traveling to an alternate universe not into a video game and the representation of the characters is more faithful. Captain N will in the future receive a reboot around the release of Super Smash Bros in 2018. Not only will this use the modern designs for all the characters, but Captain N will be radically redesigned. This new Captain N will be a skinny teenager with long blonde hair and be largely mute. Which alludes to tropes surrounding modern game protagonist elements since the original series in 1989, such as usually being silent, and having ambiguous gender since most games let you choose a gender. Based on this Animatic:
[5] The Black Salesman is known OTL as The Laughing Salesman.
[6] The series is non canon OTL while ITTL it is canon to the franchise as a whole.
[7]Urasawa wanted to write a manga about the medical field in 1986 but his editor didn’t enjoy the idea and shifted to a story about Judo as a joke, resulting in Yawara!, ITTL he instead throws out “But then she saves the life of a serial killer and has to make up for it by tracking him down” which did get a response but not much. Still he was able to go through with his medical field Manga, resulting in Monster being released earlier and Yawara! Being butterflied away. OTL the Monster Manga ran from 1994 to 2001. Dr.Kenzo team is replaced with Yawara! Which makes certain scenes more creepy due to undertones(Just imagine Johann Liebert pinning Yawara to a wall as she fights against him). The series will gain a Misaimed Fandom that ships Yawara and Liebert which is in the same boat as Clarice Starling and Hannibal Lecter as…No that’s creepy. Though fanfictions would either have Liebert be redeemed, Yawara became an insane killer as well or simply change the plot.
[8] Giorno is added to the plot largely because Araki wanted to do a rivalry but couldn’t do so with Jonathan and Dio. So ITTL he decides to do so by introducing Giorno as Dio’s son much earlier, to contrast with Jonathan’s son and the irony of the two getting along better than their fathers. Unlike OTL the protagonist is Jorge Joestar, Jonathan’s son, not Joseph Joestar, his grandson.
[9] A merging of 1989’s The Adventures of Peter Pan, a part of World Masterpiece Theatre, and Peter Pan and the Pirates by Fox, which came out the year after. Overmyer is a failed attempt to launch a fourth competitor channel to “The Big Three” of ABC, CBS and NBC. It’s survival butterflies away FOX as it was created to also be a fourth competitor. ITTL Batman: The Animated Series was released in 1989. Tim Curry was the first choice to voice the Joker and gets the part here. As such Mark Hamill is given Tim Curry's role as Captain Hook and manages to make the character far more menacing.
[10] OTL the loosely based Anime Dragon Quest: Legend of the Hero Abel was released.
[11] Goku Midnight Eye had a movie announced at Cannes in 2006 which entered development hell. It will see release ITTL.
[12] Similar to the OTL film which seems to use ideas from the unmade Oshii Film. Here it's intentional as a subversion of that infamous film as Lupin, fearing his possible future, averts it by living out what turns out to be that plot but as a more traditional Lupin Caper.
[13] Riding Bean was intended to he a series OTL but as cancelled due to a falling out between Kenichi Sonoda and Toshiba EMI. This led to Sonoda making Gunsmith Cats. A reworked version, which will not exist ITTL.
[14] Akko-Chan was the first magical girl in Manga followed by Sally the Witch but Sally the Witch was the first magical girl adapted into anime followed by Akko-Chan. So here the rivalry extends to Akko-Chan being remade first before Sally the Witch can be.
[15] OTL the shorts were never dubbed and are both set in the real world.
[16] OTL Tezuka's "Please Let me Work" were his last words to the nurse who took away his drawing supplies. He left Ludwig B and Phoenix unfinished. The contents of the drawer are based on his daughter Runiko Tezuka opening Tezuka's drawer in 2014 after it had remained closed since his death. Evidently Osamu Tezuka was a furry.
The Next thing is going to be the Shonen Jump Special. Which will create a shared universe of all Shonen Jump series prior to 1989 with the other series added in every ten years.
