by But there were supposed to be “five minutes left until the explosion”?
The Heisei era saw remarkable growth in the industry, and anime gained acceptance. But behind the scenes, many unexpected and unusual incidents occurred. There were serious incidents, such as the “Pokemon Shock,” in which hundreds of children were hospitalized, but many episodes are now laughable stories.
For example, in the Heisei era, anime often used tearful “extensions” to catch up with the original. One of the most famous examples is the anime Dragon Ball Z. The “Namek Arc,” in which Goku and Frieza fought, was not set in a way that allowed for original episodes to be inserted, so there were many extensions that could be considered brute force. One of the most famous delays is the “legendary five minutes.”
In episode 97, the enemy “Frieza” attacks the planet Namek itself, trying to defeat Goku by making it explode. At that time, Frieza announced that there were “five minutes” until the explosion, but the actual blast of Planet Namek was ten episodes later, in episode 106. In other words, the five-minute event was delayed by all means, and the show was broadcast for about three months. In terms of stirring the living rooms of viewers, the nationally popular anime “Chibi Maruko-chan” was no less impressive.
In the episode “Maruko Goes to a Folk Concert” broadcast in July 2002, singer-songwriter Hako Yamazaki made a guest appearance as herself. The episode also had a memorable ending, playing Yamazaki’s signature song, “Noroi.” The song begins with the eerie lyrics “Knock knock knock, nails are driven in…” and the content is that “I” drives nails into a straw doll.
The images projected while the song played were also very eerie, with live-action images such as puddles and houses processed in black and white. Many people may have been traumatized by the unusual ending of “Chibi Maruko-chan.” The Heisei era also saw physical media such as VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray at their peak. The anime “Kashimashi: Girl Meets Girl” is a work with a legendary episode related to such physical media.
The work was a yuri anime depicting a strange love triangle between the main character, who was changed into a woman by an alien, and the girls. The final episode, episode 12, “Love Will Begin,” ends with the main character trying to tell one of the heroines how he feels by saying, “You know…” Did the main character’s love come true, or was he rejected? It ended at the most interesting point, but it was later revealed that the continuation of episode 12 would be included in the final volume of the DVD, sparking a great debate.
The practice of not completing the TV series and instead airing the final episode as paid content such as DVDs and OVAs is known among fans as the “Anone Business Method” and has left its mark in the long history of anime. The “Anyone Business Method” incident only happened in the Heisei era, when physical media peaked.
