strangerataru (![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} strangerataru) wrote in ![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/community.gif){kind=small} weeklyjump,@ 2008-01-09 20:31:00 |
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WSJ Illustrated Guide: pt. 4 (1990-1994)
In this installment: WELCOME TO WEEKLY SAIYAN JUMP! ALL SAIYANS AND SUPER SAIYANS ALL THE TIME! GOKU, GOHAN, VEGETA, GOTEN, TRUNKS, YOU WANT IT, YOU GOT IT! WELCOME TO THE SUPER SAIYAN ERA!!!!!!!!!!
(And for the 0.001% of you who don't like Saiyans...there isn't that much: just some basketball player, a spirit detective, a windy ninja, an "invincible guy", a lucky hero, a teacher with a thing for a hand, a manslayer and a horse. In other words: boring non-Saiyans things)
In this installment: WELCOME TO WEEKLY SAIYAN JUMP! ALL SAIYANS AND SUPER SAIYANS ALL THE TIME! GOKU, GOHAN, VEGETA, GOTEN, TRUNKS, YOU WANT IT, YOU GOT IT! WELCOME TO THE SUPER SAIYAN ERA!!!!!!!!!!
(And for the 0.001% of you who don't like Saiyans...there isn't that much: just some basketball player, a spirit detective, a windy ninja, an "invincible guy", a lucky hero, a teacher with a thing for a hand, a manslayer and a horse. In other words: boring non-Saiyans things)
If you want to identify WSJ from 1990, its pretty much split into two catagories: Dragon Ball...and everything else. Although a big factor in the magazine since its premiere, the series only got bigger and bigger as the battles grew to astronomical levels! Some could say that DB was the only reason Jump still mattered, but many other series of the hero era from Saint Seiya to Otokojuku, from Rokudenashi to City Hunter, and from Ta-Chan to JoJo had long lives still ahead of them as they stuck around for a good chunk of the period. You would think that with DB and these big guns that not one new series would fail to matter no matter what they were. But someone forgot to tell that to some of the newbies, all of whom began to take new and interesting perspectives of what it meant to be a hero in this new era. The two biggest to emerge during the period were Takehiko Inoue and Yoshihiro Togashi, taking two seperate tales about punks with hearts of gold and forging them into lasting heroes, one on the basketball court, the other in a supernatural battle series that always seemed imaginative in concepts but always chasing Goku's shadow. Haruto Umezawa also told a story of a punk, but one who took things into his own hands even with his own supernatural lineage. Meanwhile, Takeshi Okano teamed up with Makura Shou to depict a stranger side of the supernatural with a powerful hero who really wasn't what he appeared to be (even with that thing on his hand). Quirky mangaka such as Hiroshi Gamo and Tsunomaru did their own thing with the shonen concepts while Koji Kiriyama created his own action epic with a little bit of Japanese ninja style. Japanese style was also on the mind of newcomer Nobuhiro Watsuki, taking his own spin on history in a world that created realistic but powerful action in a tale of revenge and forgiveness in an era of samurai. Other newcomers seemed to be waiting at the door such as Hiroyuki Takei, Ryu Fujisaki, Kazuki Takahashi, Kyosuke Usuta and Eiichiro Oda, all of whom had their own ideas of changing the face of shonen forever! But with Toriyama bringing in the sales and Saiyans destroying one uber opponent after another, was there a way for anyone to be heard?
-Slam Dunk
-Mangaka: Takehiko Inoue
-Run: 1990-1995
-Anime: 1993-1996
-Producer: Toei, TV-Asahi
Hanamichi Sakuragi was a tough with a soft heart: though he easily beat up anyone who stood in his way, that got him rejected by fifty girls! However, the fifty-first girl noticed that he had something that could be an asset: due to his toughness and his height, Hanamichi would be an excellent basketball player! Joining the local Shohoku High basketball team to try and win her over, he is joined by other newbie misfits and a driven leader with one goal in mind: make Shokoku national champs! One of the most popular sports manga ever released, let alone one of the top sellers in WSJ history (even in the DB era), Inoue's courtside tale succeed in combining human emotion and sports, allowing him to grow to become one of the pre-eminent storytellers in the genre.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFkalIZS-S
-YuYu Hakusho
-Mangaka: Yoshihiro Togashi
-Run: 1990-1994
-Anime: 1992-1995
-Producer: Studio Pierrot, Fuji TV
Yusuke Urameshi really wasn't someone who had the best of lives: he was a juvinille delinquent whom everyone wanted beaten to a bloody pulp, his mom was an alcoholic, he had a girl who kept bugging him to straighten up and he kept getting challenged (and easily crushing) by the "second best tough" Kuwabara. But one day, he is unexpectedly killed after saving the life of a child, a move so unexpected that not even the gods of heaven knew what to do with him! After going through several trials guided by a cute Grim Reaper and the son of the spirit realm's leader (still in diapers), Yusuke is forced to take on the role of a Spirit Detective, forced to assist in keeping the balance between humans, spirits and demons. Although starting as a supernatural romance like his first Jump work, Yoshihiro Togashi showed his amazing power and ability within the shonen action genre, creating memorable characters and stories that won him fans in Japan and beyond and further pushing the limits for how far the genre could go. And while never reaching the magnitude of DB's power and influence, YYH was one of the few shonen action series of the era to come close, particularly with appeal from Japanese female fans.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h02gQmLPX
-HARELUYA II: BØY
-Mangaka: Haruto Umezawa
-Run: 1992-1999
-Anime: 1997
-Producer: Triangle Staff, Yomiuri, TV-Tokyo
He calls himself Hibino Hallelujah, the invincible man. His dream is to ultimately take over the world. But for now, he is just your typical tough high school student, protecting those weaker and smaller than himself, going after the ladies...and really useful with using a fry pan too. A rockish high school tale from Haruto Umezawa, BØY was released not too long after the original HARELUYA (a supernatural comedy) and placed its mark as one of the longer-running 90's manga.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYxQcmHFG
-Ninku
-Mangaka: Koji Kiriyama
-Run: 1993-1994, 1994-1995 (as Ninku Second Stage, ended and restarted in Ultra Jump)
-Anime: 1995-1996
-Producer: Studio Pierrot,Yomiuri, Fuji TV
In a land beset by war, the greatest warriors to fight against the evil of the empire were the Ninku: special ninja divided into twelve Zodiac corp based on their elemental mastery. After the war, many of the Ninku were wiped out outside a few of the strongest. One of the survivors is the enigmatic Fuusuke, boy leader of the 1st Rat Corp of the Ninku squadrons and master of the element of wind. Years after nearly being wiped away, Fuusuke must begin a quest to reunite with his former comrades as new Ninku rise with their own world-dominating ambitions. Although short compared to many other popular Jump series, Kiriyama created a world of action memorable to many, enough to allow Fuusuke to be playable in Jump Ultimate Stars.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHNNYJy76
-Tottemo! Luckyman
-Mangaka: Hiroshi Gamo
-Run: 1993-1997
-Anime: 1994-1995
-Producer: Studio Pierrot, Yomiuri, TV-Tokyo
Yoichi Tsuidenai was the most unlucky boy in his school, maybe the most unlucky person anyone knew. However, one day a UFO crashes around his household, carrying the great hero of the cosmos Luckyman! With his body dying, Yoichi fuses with the alien hero, allowing him to now transform into the luckiest hero in the universe! Originally starting off as a gag manga before being blown into a gag action series, Luckyman turned out to be lucky in more ways than one, particularly in getting an anime announced merely 29 chapters into its own run!
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKgREohFF
-DNA²
-Mangaka: Masakazu Katsura
-Run: 1993-1994
-Anime: 1994
-Producer: Madhouse, Nippon TV
In the future, Earth faces an overpopulation crisis of massive proportions. The source of the problem: one gene that, when active within a male host, allows them to become "Mega Playboys", allowing them to seduce any women and have kids with all of them! Karin Aoi, a DNA Operator, decides to head back to the past to stop the gene at its source...even if said "source" is a loser boy who throws up when he's even near a girl! But unfortunately due to her manipuations, Karin ends up activating the infamous "Mega Playboy" gene within her target, causing a paradox that, if unchecked, will keep her future as it already is! (and lets not get into the feelings part of the equation) Although shorter than many of his previous works, Katsura's storytelling, romantic relationships and his weird and imaginative storylines made this an easy cult favorite.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD7bI_6FW
-Hell Teacher Nube
-Mangaka: Makura Shou/Takeshi Okano
-Run: 1993-1999
-Anime: 1996-1997
-Producer: Toei, TV-Asahi
In the district of Doumori, yokai spirits run amuck against humans, particularly against the children who can't defend themselves. Enter Meisuke Nueno (better known as Nube), elementary school teacher and exorcist protecting the youth of his school. However, some of his exorcism abilities aren't just his own: due to a botched battle against a powerful Oni, he was forced to seal the beast within himself, forcing it to become his amputated left hand! While powerful in his own right, the abilities of Nube's Oni no Te combined with his desire to protect his students make him an unstoppable ally...even though teaching gives him hardly any salary and the only girl who wants him is not the sexy fellow teacher but a cute yukionna! Combining horror, comedy and action together (with quite a bit of fanservice to boot), the team of Shou and Okano create a memorable and educational world, with the anime having great success both in Japan as well as in Mexico and Latin America.
Surprisingly, I didn't just find the memorable Nube opening from the original anime but also the opening for the OVAs that came out that depicted three more of the manga storylines. (since the manga was mostly split into shorter stories, they probably could get away with it...still doesn't excuse them for not doing many of the better tales alongside what they did)
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MrnaTGF-2
OVA Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySh7hejWB
-Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
-Mangaka: Nobuhiro Watsuki
-Run: 1994-1999
-Anime: 1996-1998, 1999, 2001
-Producer: Sony Pictures Entertainment/Aniplex, Studio Gallop, Fuji TV
During the chaotic era that marked the beginnings of modern Japan, the most infamous assassins of the era was the "Hitokiri Battousai", Himura Kenshin. Staining his hands with the blood of many to bring about a new era, a tragedy forced him to turn his back on his killing ways and turn himself into a peaceful ronin. Years later, as the Meiji government tries to keep the country together after years of civil war, Kenshin resurfaces as he is discovered by struggling dojo leader Kaoru Kamiya, herself in search of a man claiming himself to be the infamous Battousai. After helping clear things up, the ronin moves into the dojo to assist her, not knowing the horrors of his past are about to catch up with him! Touching a nerve with its historical Japanese background, its attacks based on psudeoscientific explanation and its style and homages to American art (particularly certain Marvel characters), Nobuhiro Watsuki created one of the defining shonen series of the era, with its popularity and influence flowing across borders within Japan and around the world. Oro?
The popularity of Kenshin allowed for a good chunk of the story, from the beginning to the Kyoto arc to be animated, but an infamous filler season lead the anime to end prematurely prior to the final manga arc. Two seperate OVA series were subsequently released, one set going into Kenshin's background, the other creating an infamous adaptation of the final arc with an infamous end to the shonen classic. Due to the "adaptive" version of the latter, only the former OVA will be provided here.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMrySZZ_v
Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku Hen "Opening": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=busgE6RNZ
-Midori no Makibaou
-Mangaka: Tsunomaru
-Run: 1994-1997
-Anime: 1996-1997
-Producers: Studio Pierrot, Fuji TV
Born on a ranch in the green lands of Hokkaido, a small horse named Makibaou ran away from home in hopes of meeting his parents once again, particularly after his mother was sold. Living his life in a nearby forest with a mouse friend, he eventually encounters humans who help him see his ultimate destiny as a successful racehorse! Known for his gag styles and his really strange art abilities, Tsunomaru's combination of comedy and emotion allows for a successful interaction of human and animal worlds.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx21zAyDR
-Slam Dunk
-Mangaka: Takehiko Inoue
-Run: 1990-1995
-Anime: 1993-1996
-Producer: Toei, TV-Asahi
Hanamichi Sakuragi was a tough with a soft heart: though he easily beat up anyone who stood in his way, that got him rejected by fifty girls! However, the fifty-first girl noticed that he had something that could be an asset: due to his toughness and his height, Hanamichi would be an excellent basketball player! Joining the local Shohoku High basketball team to try and win her over, he is joined by other newbie misfits and a driven leader with one goal in mind: make Shokoku national champs! One of the most popular sports manga ever released, let alone one of the top sellers in WSJ history (even in the DB era), Inoue's courtside tale succeed in combining human emotion and sports, allowing him to grow to become one of the pre-eminent storytellers in the genre.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFkalIZS-S
-YuYu Hakusho
-Mangaka: Yoshihiro Togashi
-Run: 1990-1994
-Anime: 1992-1995
-Producer: Studio Pierrot, Fuji TV
Yusuke Urameshi really wasn't someone who had the best of lives: he was a juvinille delinquent whom everyone wanted beaten to a bloody pulp, his mom was an alcoholic, he had a girl who kept bugging him to straighten up and he kept getting challenged (and easily crushing) by the "second best tough" Kuwabara. But one day, he is unexpectedly killed after saving the life of a child, a move so unexpected that not even the gods of heaven knew what to do with him! After going through several trials guided by a cute Grim Reaper and the son of the spirit realm's leader (still in diapers), Yusuke is forced to take on the role of a Spirit Detective, forced to assist in keeping the balance between humans, spirits and demons. Although starting as a supernatural romance like his first Jump work, Yoshihiro Togashi showed his amazing power and ability within the shonen action genre, creating memorable characters and stories that won him fans in Japan and beyond and further pushing the limits for how far the genre could go. And while never reaching the magnitude of DB's power and influence, YYH was one of the few shonen action series of the era to come close, particularly with appeal from Japanese female fans.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h02gQmLPX
-HARELUYA II: BØY
-Mangaka: Haruto Umezawa
-Run: 1992-1999
-Anime: 1997
-Producer: Triangle Staff, Yomiuri, TV-Tokyo
He calls himself Hibino Hallelujah, the invincible man. His dream is to ultimately take over the world. But for now, he is just your typical tough high school student, protecting those weaker and smaller than himself, going after the ladies...and really useful with using a fry pan too. A rockish high school tale from Haruto Umezawa, BØY was released not too long after the original HARELUYA (a supernatural comedy) and placed its mark as one of the longer-running 90's manga.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dYxQcmHFG
-Ninku
-Mangaka: Koji Kiriyama
-Run: 1993-1994, 1994-1995 (as Ninku Second Stage, ended and restarted in Ultra Jump)
-Anime: 1995-1996
-Producer: Studio Pierrot,Yomiuri, Fuji TV
In a land beset by war, the greatest warriors to fight against the evil of the empire were the Ninku: special ninja divided into twelve Zodiac corp based on their elemental mastery. After the war, many of the Ninku were wiped out outside a few of the strongest. One of the survivors is the enigmatic Fuusuke, boy leader of the 1st Rat Corp of the Ninku squadrons and master of the element of wind. Years after nearly being wiped away, Fuusuke must begin a quest to reunite with his former comrades as new Ninku rise with their own world-dominating ambitions. Although short compared to many other popular Jump series, Kiriyama created a world of action memorable to many, enough to allow Fuusuke to be playable in Jump Ultimate Stars.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fHNNYJy76
-Tottemo! Luckyman
-Mangaka: Hiroshi Gamo
-Run: 1993-1997
-Anime: 1994-1995
-Producer: Studio Pierrot, Yomiuri, TV-Tokyo
Yoichi Tsuidenai was the most unlucky boy in his school, maybe the most unlucky person anyone knew. However, one day a UFO crashes around his household, carrying the great hero of the cosmos Luckyman! With his body dying, Yoichi fuses with the alien hero, allowing him to now transform into the luckiest hero in the universe! Originally starting off as a gag manga before being blown into a gag action series, Luckyman turned out to be lucky in more ways than one, particularly in getting an anime announced merely 29 chapters into its own run!
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKgREohFF
-DNA²
-Mangaka: Masakazu Katsura
-Run: 1993-1994
-Anime: 1994
-Producer: Madhouse, Nippon TV
In the future, Earth faces an overpopulation crisis of massive proportions. The source of the problem: one gene that, when active within a male host, allows them to become "Mega Playboys", allowing them to seduce any women and have kids with all of them! Karin Aoi, a DNA Operator, decides to head back to the past to stop the gene at its source...even if said "source" is a loser boy who throws up when he's even near a girl! But unfortunately due to her manipuations, Karin ends up activating the infamous "Mega Playboy" gene within her target, causing a paradox that, if unchecked, will keep her future as it already is! (and lets not get into the feelings part of the equation) Although shorter than many of his previous works, Katsura's storytelling, romantic relationships and his weird and imaginative storylines made this an easy cult favorite.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kD7bI_6FW
-Hell Teacher Nube
-Mangaka: Makura Shou/Takeshi Okano
-Run: 1993-1999
-Anime: 1996-1997
-Producer: Toei, TV-Asahi
In the district of Doumori, yokai spirits run amuck against humans, particularly against the children who can't defend themselves. Enter Meisuke Nueno (better known as Nube), elementary school teacher and exorcist protecting the youth of his school. However, some of his exorcism abilities aren't just his own: due to a botched battle against a powerful Oni, he was forced to seal the beast within himself, forcing it to become his amputated left hand! While powerful in his own right, the abilities of Nube's Oni no Te combined with his desire to protect his students make him an unstoppable ally...even though teaching gives him hardly any salary and the only girl who wants him is not the sexy fellow teacher but a cute yukionna! Combining horror, comedy and action together (with quite a bit of fanservice to boot), the team of Shou and Okano create a memorable and educational world, with the anime having great success both in Japan as well as in Mexico and Latin America.
Surprisingly, I didn't just find the memorable Nube opening from the original anime but also the opening for the OVAs that came out that depicted three more of the manga storylines. (since the manga was mostly split into shorter stories, they probably could get away with it...still doesn't excuse them for not doing many of the better tales alongside what they did)
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5MrnaTGF-2
OVA Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySh7hejWB
-Rurouni Kenshin (Samurai X)
-Mangaka: Nobuhiro Watsuki
-Run: 1994-1999
-Anime: 1996-1998, 1999, 2001
-Producer: Sony Pictures Entertainment/Aniplex, Studio Gallop, Fuji TV
During the chaotic era that marked the beginnings of modern Japan, the most infamous assassins of the era was the "Hitokiri Battousai", Himura Kenshin. Staining his hands with the blood of many to bring about a new era, a tragedy forced him to turn his back on his killing ways and turn himself into a peaceful ronin. Years later, as the Meiji government tries to keep the country together after years of civil war, Kenshin resurfaces as he is discovered by struggling dojo leader Kaoru Kamiya, herself in search of a man claiming himself to be the infamous Battousai. After helping clear things up, the ronin moves into the dojo to assist her, not knowing the horrors of his past are about to catch up with him! Touching a nerve with its historical Japanese background, its attacks based on psudeoscientific explanation and its style and homages to American art (particularly certain Marvel characters), Nobuhiro Watsuki created one of the defining shonen series of the era, with its popularity and influence flowing across borders within Japan and around the world. Oro?
The popularity of Kenshin allowed for a good chunk of the story, from the beginning to the Kyoto arc to be animated, but an infamous filler season lead the anime to end prematurely prior to the final manga arc. Two seperate OVA series were subsequently released, one set going into Kenshin's background, the other creating an infamous adaptation of the final arc with an infamous end to the shonen classic. Due to the "adaptive" version of the latter, only the former OVA will be provided here.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iMrySZZ_v
Rurouni Kenshin: Tsuioku Hen "Opening": http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=busgE6RNZ
-Midori no Makibaou
-Mangaka: Tsunomaru
-Run: 1994-1997
-Anime: 1996-1997
-Producers: Studio Pierrot, Fuji TV
Born on a ranch in the green lands of Hokkaido, a small horse named Makibaou ran away from home in hopes of meeting his parents once again, particularly after his mother was sold. Living his life in a nearby forest with a mouse friend, he eventually encounters humans who help him see his ultimate destiny as a successful racehorse! Known for his gag styles and his really strange art abilities, Tsunomaru's combination of comedy and emotion allows for a successful interaction of human and animal worlds.
Opening: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jx21zAyDR
