Jump of “back then”:"Wingman" which is also a hot topic due to its live-action drama adaptation - Looking back at 1983 - Famicom released - "Oshin" and "Fist of the North Star"

There is a lot of buzz about the live-action TV adaptation of "Wingman," a popular manga by Masakazu Katsura published in the 1980s. The popular work was serialized in "Weekly Shonen Jump" (Shueisha) from 1983 to 1985. What kind of era was 1983 when the serialization began? Looking back at "those days."

◇On the eve of the bubble economy, "Section Chief Shima Kosaku" and "Structure and Power" are also featured!

"Wingman" is the serial debut of Katsura, who is also known for "Video Girl Ai" and "I"s." When Hirono Kenta, a high school student obsessed with special effects, gets his hands on a Dream Notebook that can make anything he writes come true, he gains the power to transform into his own hero, Wingman, for five minutes. The TV anime "Dream Warrior Wingman" was also broadcast from 1984 to 1985. The drama will be broadcast on TV Tokyo's "Drama Choose!" slot from October 22nd. It will be available for unlimited viewing and simultaneous streaming exclusively on DMM TV.

In 1983, when Wingman began serialization, Japan was in the pre-bubble economy. It was also the year that Tokyo Disneyland opened in Urayasu, Chiba Prefecture, and Nintendo's Family Computer game console was released. Manga serialization began for such works as Flame of Recca, Section Chief Shima Kosaku, and Be-Bop High School.

In terms of anime, Daros, the first original video animation (OVA), was released, and shows such as Aura Battler Dunbine, Armored Trooper Votoms, and Galaxy Drifter Vifam were broadcast. Jump-related anime titles that began included Kinnikuman, Stop!! Hibari-kun!, Cat's Eye, and Captain Tsubasa.

The morning drama series Oshin also began airing, becoming a social phenomenon. 1983 was also the year when Yamaha's DX7 digital synthesizer, which is said to have changed the music scene, was released, and Akira Asada's "Structure and Power" was released, which became an unusual bestseller for a philosophy book.

The 1980s are sometimes said to have been a "postwar turning point." Although the examples mentioned here are only a few, it is clear that many works were born that had a major impact on culture and society thereafter.

◇ "Dragon Ball" enters the golden age of Jump the following year.

In 1983, when "Wingman" began serialization, Jump was about to enter its "golden age." Popular works such as "Kinnikuman," "Captain Tsubasa," "Cobra," "Yoroshiku Mechadock," "Stop!! Hibari-kun!," "Cat's Eye," "Black Angels," and "High School! Kimengumi" were already being serialized, and in the same year "Fist of the North Star" and "Ginga: Nagareboshi Gin" began.

In 1984, "Baoh the Visitor" began, written by Hirohiko Araki, who is also known for "Dragon Ball," "Kimagure Orange Road," and "JoJo's Bizarre Adventure." In 1985, "City Hunter" and "Sakigake!! Otokojuku" began. Of course, the long-running "Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo," which began in 1976, was also serialized.

In the 1980s, the magazine's serialized works were fully integrated into media mixes, and many of the works were made into anime. All of these works are still loved after about 40 years, and they all have universal appeal.

It is probably because "Wingman" has universal appeal that it has been made into a live-action drama now, in the Reiwa era, about 40 years after the end of its serialization. What will the live-action drama of "Wingman" be like in the Reiwa era? Anticipation is building.