Between Magazines and Radio Waves: Backwinds and Leapfrogging at the Beginning of the Media in the 1970s and 1980s

Between Magazines and Radio Waves: Backwinds and Leapfrogging at the Beginning of the Media in the 1970s and 1980s

In the early 1970s, Fujio Akatsuka sought independent expression in gag manga and embarked on a new challenge through Manga No. 1, a magazine he launched himself. The editorial staff consisted of only three people. Despite the financial difficulties and lack of manpower, he developed artist-driven publishing activities, including the publication of separate volumes of old works and quarterly publications, with an eye on the future of magazine culture. This was a time when the magazine media was in the midst of a trial-and-error process as a pioneer of an era in which creators took the lead beyond the boundaries of commercial publishing.
This trend was carried over to television in the early 1980s. Tokyo 12 Channel (now TV Tokyo) was beginning to redefine the late-night slot, which had a limited budget and was out of competition for viewer ratings, as a place to experiment with expression. The young Terry Ito was at the forefront of this movement, launching a series of unconventional productions and projects.
The late-night programs of the time were imbued with a strong sense of discomfort and rebellion against the stereotypes of the TV industry. For example, plans to interview drunken people on street corners to get their perspectives on life, and "experimental documentary" style programs involving amateurs, had a vividness and improvisational nature that was distinctly different from today's variety shows. This direct appeal to viewers' curiosity and sensibilities was later carried over to "Takeshi's Genki ga Dekade TV," and propelled youth culture from late night to the forefront of society.
This freedom of expression was made possible, in part, by an environment unrestricted by broadcasting codes or the supremacy of viewer ratings. At a time when television was not yet a universal information device, but rather a limited "field," the choice to experiment in the "gaps" between fields provided the ground for new forms of expression.
Television in the 1980s was also a stage for exploring the boundaries of taboo amidst the intermingling of the heat on the eve of the bubble economy and the loosening of norms. Terry Ito, more as an architect than a director, continued to "shake up" the media, and he was also a voice for young people who were not bound by conventional values. His stance shines as a counter-example to the "standardization" and "scheduled harmony" structure that still plagues television today.