The completely new Dragon Ball anime series, Dragon Ball DAIMA, based on the popular manga by the late Akira Toriyama, began airing in October, and has been a hot topic. Dragon Ball is a popular series that ran in Weekly Shonen Jump (Shueisha) from 1984 to 1995. More than 40 years have passed since it began serialization, but it continues to be loved by people of all generations and borders. What kind of era was it in 1984 when it began serialization? Looking back at "those days." ◇Also "Baoh" and "Otokozaka" In 1984, Toriyama, who had been serializing "Dr. Slump" for about four years, began serializing "Dragon Ball" in the same year. At the time, "Fist of the North Star," "Kinnikuman," "Captain Tsubasa," "High School! Kimengumi," "Wingman," "Shape Up Ran," and other works were being serialized in Jump. Of course, the long-running "Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo," which began in 1976, was also being serialized. With the addition of Dragon Ball to this powerful lineup, Jump entered its "golden age."
Similar works that began serialization in the same year included the romantic comedy masterpiece Kimagure Orange Road, Araki Hirohiko's Baoh: The Visitor, who would later go on to write JoJo's Bizarre Adventure, and Kurumada Masami's Otokozaka, also known for Saint Seiya.
Hojo Tsukasa's Cat's Eye ended, and Cobra ended its serialization in the magazine. Hojo began City Hunter the following year in 1985.
◇Beautiful Dreamer and Nausicaä released
Other magazines that were also in the same league included Kobayashi Makoto's What's Michael, Nishigishi Ryohei's Kamakura Monogatari, and Nakaima Tsuyoshi's Wataru ga Pyun!.
1984 was the year that Mamoru Oshii's masterpiece Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer and Hayao Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind were released, and TV anime series Heavy Metal L-Gaim, Kyoshin Gorg, Panzer World Galient, and Choryoku Robo Galatt began. Jump manga such as Wingman, Yoroshiku Mechadoc, and Fist of the North Star were adapted into TV anime.
A commercial sparked a huge boom in frilled lizards. The Bank of Japan issued three new banknotes for the first time in about 15 years. The portraits of Fukuzawa Yukichi were designed on the 10,000 yen note, Nitobe Inazo on the 5,000 yen note, and Natsume Soseki on the 1,000 yen note.
