5.1: Passing the Torch

Show Notes

It's time to start our coverage of the much-anticipated Gundam side story 0080: War in the Pocket! Kind of!

Actually, it's time for us to cover Gundam's real first OVA - SD Gundam Mk I Part 3: SD Olympics as we get ready for the first episode on War in the Pocket next week. We research and discuss the history and characteristics of the OVA format, some of what happened in Japan and the world between Char's Counter Attack and 0080, and the influences, references, and gags in the SD Olympics short.

SD Olympics

Wikipedia pages for the 1988 Summer Olympics, the ABC gameshow Battle of the Network Stars, and the Hanna-Barbera Cartoons Laff-A-Lympics and Scooby's All-Star Laff-A-Lympics.

Gundam Fandom Wiki page on Mobile Suit SD Gundam Mk I. 

This book discusses the imports of American cartoons to Japan (though mostly it's about the influence in the other direction):

O'Melia, Gina. “Introduction.” Japanese Influence on American Children's Television: Transforming Saturday Morning, Springer Nature, Cham, Switzerland, 2019, pp. 23–25.

As usual I relied on jisho.org as a Japanese-English dictionary, but I also used The Wisdom English-Japanese Dictionary (digital version for Dictionary app).

Articles about the Olympics:

Dahl, Tracy. “Award of 1988 Olympics Boosts S. Korea's Effort For Political Security.” The Washington Post, 4 Oct. 1981. Accessed at: https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1981/10/04/award-of-1988-olympics-boosts-s-koreas-effort-for-political-security/2db0f29f-29cd-4581-8771-2f08c225181f/

Nalewicki, Jennifer. “How the 1988 Olympics Helped Spark a Global Kimchi Craze.” Smithsonianmag.com, Smithsonian Magazine, 23 Feb. 2018, https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/kimchis-olympic-connection-180968224/.

Manheim, Jarol B. “Rites of Passage: The 1988 Seoul Olympics as Public Diplomacy.” The Western Political Quarterly, vol. 43, no. 2, [University of Utah, Sage Publications, Inc., Western Political Science Association], 1990, pp. 279–95, https://doi.org/10.2307/448367.

Aw, Gene. “The 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics.” Go! Go! Hanguk, 4 Dec. 2019, https://gogohanguk.com/en/blog/seoul-olympics-1988-memories/. (Includes embedded video of the opening ceremonies for the 1988 Summer Games)

Dator, James. “Never Forget That a Flock of Peace Doves Got Incinerated at the 1988 Olympics.” SBNation.com, SBNation.com, 9 Aug. 2017, https://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2017/8/9/16119834/peace-doves-olympic-opening-ceremony-1988-seoul

Trex, Ethan. “5 Memorable Moments from Olympic Opening Ceremonies.” Mental Floss, 26 July 2012, https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/31314/5-memorable-moments-past-opening-ceremonies. (Content warning - contains embedded video of the dove incident)

Montague, James. “Hero or Villain? Ben Johnson and the Dirtiest Race in History.” CNN, Cable News Network, 23 July 2012, https://www.cnn.com/2012/07/23/sport/olympics-2012-ben-johnson-seoul-1988-dirtiest-race/index.html.

Eldridge, Larry. “Too Many `Perfect' Scores of 10 Distort Olympic Gymnastics Results.” The Christian Science Monitor, The Christian Science Monitor, 4 Oct. 1988, https://www.csmonitor.com/1988/1004/prom.html.

From the IOC website, articles about the 1988 Summer Olympics and how it boosted tourism, South Korea's international profile, and national pride / feelings of global citizenship. While any content produced by the IOC is of course going to be propaganda for the Olympics, it's an important perspective on the event. 

Landing page for the Olympic World Library, part of The Olympic Studies Centre (a resource for official documents related to past Olympics).

Wikipedia pages for sprinter Ben Johnson, decathlete Jürgen Hingsen, and the "perfect 10" in gymnastics. 

Video about Olympic shot-put, with a good section on men’s shot-put 1988.

jisho.org page for the kanji 焼, and Cambridge Dictionary entry for 焼ける.

Article with photos and video of the "Samurai Trash Collectors" performance artists.

Tofugu article with LOTS of Japanese onomatopoeia, including the ワー！(wa-!) that appears over the stadium at the end of the short. 

March 12th, 1988 to March 25, 1989

Books and articles:

Field, Norma. In the Realm of a Dying Emperor. Vintage Books, 1993.

“Hibari Misora, Japanese Singer, 52.” New York Times (1923-), Jun 25, 1989, pp. 26. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/nathan-zucker-74-film-producer-dies/docview/110368815/se-2?accountid=35927

By, Robert T. "Japan's 'Lark of the Beautiful Sky': Hibari Misora is a chic chanteuse who is the rage of her country's teen-agers. A fishmonger's daughter, she has, at 19, the top income in Japanese show business." New York Times (1923-), Jun 09, 1957, pp. 201. ProQuest, https://www.proquest.com/historical-newspapers/japans-lark-beautiful-sky/docview/113922091/se-2?accountid=35927

Wikipedia pages for 1988 and 1989, as well as 1988 in Japan and 1989 in Japan.

Wikipedia page for World Expo '88.

An account from an Expo Japan-Pavilion attendant, describing the pavilion (with photos).

Informational document from the Expo, scanned to PDF.

Wikipedia page for singer and actress Misora Hibari (美空 ひばり). 

Short article from the Japan Society about "contemporary Japan" - from the 1989 beginning of the Heisei Era. to the present.

This article is mostly a summary of the Heisei Era, and discusses the transition to a new era (written before the Reiwa name was chosen). But it also touches on the previous transition from Showa to Heisei.

What's an OVA?

Pages defining and describing OVAs, often with additional historical context, from Wikipedia, Anime News Network, and TV Tropes.

Explainers on the OVA format and its place in the anime industry from CBR.com and OTAQUEST.

"Bandai, the Post-Gundam Wave, and the Year 1985" - by Sean O'Mara for zimmerit.moe, discussing Bandai specifically, including their OVA production and video rental segments, and their efforts to attract new consumers while holding on to aging, hardcore fans.

Music

The recap music in this episode is "Olivia" by Hyson.

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