Pure TokyoScope PODCAST #63: 2023 is 1973! The Oil Shock's Impact on Japanese Pop Culture!
Discover more from TokyoScope by Patrick Macias
Pure TokyoScope PODCAST #63: 2023 is 1973! The Oil Shock's Impact on Japanese Pop Culture!
Matt Alt and Patrick Macias bring you pop culture from Japan
In the latest episode of the PURE TOKYOSCOPE Podcast, Matt Alt and Patrick Macias look back at how the global oil crisis that kicked off in October 1973 radically changed the path of Japanese pop culture, including the destines of Godzilla, Ultraman, Nintendo, the Micronauts. Could it happen again? Listen below!
BONUS IMAGE GALLERY
Tissue paper riots during the 1973 oil shock at the Aoyama Peacock supermarket in Tokyo.
Microman toy commercials
Nintendo Laser Clay shooting gallery, 1973.
Anyone want to join us and Sonny Chiba at the “Laser Clay” shooting alley tonight?
Trailer for the new Godzilla vs Megalon 50th anniversary short film
R U ready for the Seatopia Toga Party?
What is the PURE TOKYOSCOPE Podcast? Well… Author and fellow Substack writer Matt Alt and I have been recording together for about a year now. I still can’t believe we’ve made it all the way to episode 53.
Our show is a mix of Japanese pop culture news and features and some of our best episodes to date have been:
PURE TOKYOSCOPE usually comes out every week on Wednesdays (US time), but we’re experimenting with early launches of the latest episode a few days early right here via this newsletter on Substack.
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Pure TokyoScope PODCAST #63: 2023 is 1973! The Oil Shock's Impact on Japanese Pop Culture!
The Henshin Boom/Second Kaiju Boom was kind of the reason for both the rise and fall of Henshin Cyborg, interestingly. Takara's G.I. Joe wasn't a failure; it was actually fairly popular, but when the Henshin Boom kicked off with Kamen Rider and Return of Ultraman, everybody only wanted transforming superheroes. In fact, Takara's first hero costumes were made for Joe; they called it the "Allies of Justice Series". Takara switched to Cyborg in '72 because it could be sold as a character separate from the costume packs. Cyborg actually managed to ride out the Oil Shock into '74, but when the Henshin Boom couldn't do the same and became a Henshin Bust, Cyborg was pincered by both chasing a dying trend and being too expensive to justify selling. Microman was a win-win for Takara: smaller toys are cheaper to produce and easier to sell, AND they could chase the hot new robot anime craze.