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City Pop emerged as a distinctive genre in Japan during the late 1970s, though its popularity is associated with the 1980s. This period, known as the "bubble era," saw a surge in technological advancements and consumer culture, painting the scene for an economic and cultural transformation in Japan. Early pioneers like Tatsuro Yamashita and Mariya Takeuchi combined elements of jazz, funk, and R&B with Japanese pop music, setting the stage for the genre's popularity. The 1980s marked the golden age of City Pop, characterized by its themes reflecting urban life. However, the early 1990s economic recession led to a decline in City Pop's mainstream appeal. The genre saw a revival in the late 1990s through the Shibuya-kei movement, which reintroduced City Pop by sampling and remixing its classic tracks. Another resurgence occurred in the 2010s, driven by internet culture and platforms like YouTube and Soundcloud, where songs like Miki Matsubara's "Mayonaka no Door / Stay With Me" and Mariya Takeuchi's "Plastic Love" went viral.

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City Pop is a genre heavily influenced by a variety of Western musical styles, including jazz, funk, R&B, and rock. The use of synthesizers, brass sections, and complex rhythms is a hallmark of City Pop, and it gives a distinctive sound that is both nostalgic and modern. Visual aesthetics are an important aspect of City Pop, with album covers often featuring vibrant and extravagant designs. These visuals complement the music's themes of leisure, romance, and urban sophistication. City Pop's lyrics frequently explore themes of romantic escapism, carefree lifestyles, and the joys of city living. The genre's appeal lies in its ability to evoke a sense of nostalgia for a bygone era of economic prosperity and cultural optimism.

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City Pop emerged as a reflection of Japan's post-war economic and cultural transformation and proposed ideas of the optimism and consumerism of the bubble era. City Pop's themes of urban life, romance, and escapism provide a contrast to the more somber and reflective themes prevalent in earlier post-war Japanese music. This shift can be seen as an attempt to create a new cultural identity that celebrates the nation's economic success and global integration. City Pop, while having most of its compositions in Japanese, often featured lyrics in English, aside from its heavy connection to other musical genres that originated in the West. This factor made it so that City Pop became more accessible to an international cultural exchange.

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Aset, Ibrahim. "The Power of Music in Anime: Exploring Iconic Soundtracks and Themes." Medium. April 2024. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://medium.com/@ibrokhimassetov/the-power-of-music-in-anime-exploring-iconic-soundtracks-and-themes-23fb58e2b891#:~:text=Beyond%20simply%20enhancing%20the%20viewing,profound%20emotional%20connection%20with%20viewers.

"Cowboy Bebop Wiki." Fandom. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://cowboybebop.fandom.com/wiki/Cowboy_Bebop.

"How Music Shaped Cowboy Bebop." Sabukaru. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://sabukaru.online/articles/the-space-between-two-worlds-how-music-shapes-cowboy-bebop.

"Japan Post-War Final Project Notes (1).pdf." Accessed May 29, 2024.

"City Hunter Movie Live Action: Cast, Manga, Plot." Netflix Tudum. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://www.netflix.com/tudum/articles/city-hunter-release-date-news#:~:text=City%20Hunter%20follows%20Ryo%20Saeba,woman%20who%20may%20have%20answers.

Paugam, Van. "City Pop Aesthetics." Van Paugam. October 20, 2020. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://vanpaugam.com/blog/2020/10/20/city-pop-aesthetics.

"The Revival of City Pop: The Soundtrack of 80s Japan." The Tufts Daily. November 2021. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://www.tuftsdaily.com/article/2021/11/weekender-the-revival-of-city-pop-the-soundtrack-of-80s-japan.

"What is City Pop? The Producer's Guide To Classic Japanese Pop." Baby Audio. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://babyaud.io/blog/what-is-city-pop#:~:text=Jazz%20and%20fusion%20inspired%20harmony,into%20mainstream%20rock%20and%20pop.

"YuYu Hakusho Wiki." Fandom. Accessed May 29, 2024. https://yuyuhakusho.fandom.com/wiki/YuYu_Hakusho.

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City Pop has an extensive list of iconic songs and artists who have left an impact and mark on Japanese music. In the 1980s, artists like Tatsuro Yamashita, Mariya Takeuchi, and Miki Matsubara dominated the scene with their music. Songs like "Ride on Time" by Yamashita, "Plastic Love" by Takeuchi, and "Mayonaka no Door / Stay With Me" by Matsubara were extremely popular hits during that time. These hits were characterized by their blend of jazz, funk, and R&B elements. As City Pop experienced revivals in the late 1990s and 2010s, new artists like Junk Fujiyama, Hitomi Toi, and Awesome City Club emerged, embracing and reinterpreting the genre for modern audiences.

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City Pop's Famous Hits and Artists from Then to Now

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City Pop's Famous Hits and Artists from Then to Now

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City Pop's aesthetic is closely tied to its visual representation, which often includes retro imagery and scenes from 1980s anime. YouTube mixes and videos frequently use looping GIFs of old anime as background visuals, enhancing the nostalgic and emotional impact of the music. This association with anime helps evoke a sense of nostalgia for an era of Japanese pop culture. City Pop's visual identity is defined by the work of artists and designers who captured the essence of 1980s Japan. The use of pastel-colored skylines, neon lights, and urban landscapes in these videos reflects the genre's themes of urban sophistication and technological optimism. Artists like Hiroshi Nagai have defined City Pop's visual style with their illustrations of summery beaches, cityscapes, and leisure activities. The combination of City Pop music with retro anime visuals has also contributed to the genre's resurgence on platforms like YouTube. Eijin Suzuki is another influential artist whose work helped shape the visual style of City Pop. Their album covers and promotional materials often depict urban sophistication and technological advancements.

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Set in 2071 and centered on the adventures of a gang of bounty hunters in space, the story delves into the unresolved issues of the protagonists' past, exploring concepts such as existentialism, boredom, loneliness, and the influence of the past. In 2022, the accidental explosion of an experimental gate device that allows for hyperspace travel seriously damages the Moon, causing a drift of a swarm of meteorites and asteroids to bombard the surface of the planet Earth, wiping out much of the population. The survivors then abandoned the now inhospitable planet to colonize new habitable systems: Mars, Venus, the asteroid belt, and Jupiter's satellites.

By 2071, the technology of the Astral Gates had stabilized and developed thriving civilizations on many of these planets, most notably Mars, the new hub of human civilization. Politics, society, and economics changed with the times. New generations grew up with no memories of the Earth, and ethnic groups and nations gave way to planetary allegiances. As these new communities flourished, the economy boomed (similar to the economic productivity nations encountered after World War II). However, this also widened the disparity between the rich and poor, and interplanetary crime syndicates began to exert influence over the planetary governments and the Inter-Solar System Police (ISSP). In order to control the criminal activity, a "bounty-reward scheme" was introduced similar to that of the Old West. These new bounty hunters of the solar system were, therefore, often called "cowboys" and had a disreputable or envious reputation, depending on who one talked to. Technology of the era was a mix of old and new technologies. Individuals could own cars or spaceships and freely travel the Solar System if they had the woolongs (their currency).

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Yusuke Urameshi is a street-brawling delinquent with a tough-guy approach to everything. Atsuko Urameshi, an alcoholic, gave birth to him at the age of fourteen and took a backseat in raising her son. He has a reserved seat in the guidance counselor's office, and numerous other delinquents in the city are constantly trying to take him on. To put things short, Yusuke is pretty fed up with his life.

However, no one expects a sudden act of heroism on his part: he dies trying to save a little boy from a speeding car. When he arrives in the afterlife, he is informed that the child would have miraculously survived, and had it not been for him, the child would have one less scratch on his right arm. His act of heroism, therefore, was "a complete & utter waste." Yusuke's premature death was unexpected and unnecessary, and the afterlife was not prepared for his arrival.

After numerous tests to gauge his worth, Yusuke is eventually revived and is assigned to work for the Spirit World as a detective investigating demon cases in the human world. He comes into spiritual abilities of his own and enlists the help of numerous friends from Spirit World, Demon World, and Human World to aid him in his cases as they fight off demons and humans seeking to rule over all three worlds.

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City Hunter follows Ryo Saeba (Suzuki), a so-called sweeper or mercenary who trails assailants and solves cases in the shadows of Shinjuku, Tokyo. After accepting a job to find a missing cosplayer, he and his private-eye partner Hideyuki (Andô) chase down a woman who may have answers. The woman, carrying two vials of a mysterious blue substance, gets away — but something’s off about her. She has veins bulging out of her neck, and she barrels across rooftops like a supervillain. Later that night, Hideyuki meets his sister, Kaori (Morita), for dinner. There, another creepy, crazed person attacks and kills Hideyuki — and neither Kaori nor Ryo are able to save him. As the two team up to find out why Hideyuki ended up dead, Hideyuki’s former co-worker, Detective Saeko Nogami (Kimura), investigates whether a powerful crime syndicate is to blame.

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Yu Yu Hakusho Soundtrack (Yuusuke's Theme)

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"Cowboy Bebop," "City Hunter," and "YuYu Hakusho" all draw connections to post-war Japan's societal and cultural changes. "Cowboy Bebop" narrative delves into themes of identity and loss, bringing an insight into Japan’s modernization and blending of old and new influences. The show's jazz soundtrack perfectly portrays the era's goal for new cultural expressions. "City Hunter," with its urban Tokyo setting, reflects the rise of the middle class and urban complexities during Japan’s economic boom, featuring modern technology and crime in neon-lit cityscapes. "YuYu Hakusho" portrays a journey of transformation, describing Japan's post-war rebuilding and redefinition. The blend of traditional folklore in a modern context highlights the cultural synthesis in Japan.

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Several anime and manga series feature City Pop tracks, integrating this genre's music into their narratives to enhance the nostalgic appeal and evoke specific eras. For this project, I have picked 3 examples. This section gives a brief overview of their plot and includes a link to their soundtracks.

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- Hiroshi Nagai

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- Eijin Suzuki

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Music is one of the key components of anime narratives. It sets the mood and enhances the storytelling. It goes beyond just being a background element; it helps convey the emotions and themes of the story. For instance, the opening and closing themes often become synonymous with the anime itself, creating an instant connection for viewers. Animes also often include specific character themes, helping audiences connect more deeply with the characters and reflecting their personalities and emotional journeys. The diversity of music genres in anime, from orchestral scores to J-pop and rock, adds a unique touch and personality to each series, making it memorable.

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As a short answer: yes. Not to only one need but to various. As the whole class engages with this final project differently, we have access to just some of the various examples of what anime and manga mean in terms of responding to a need. Attributing anime and manga to a single cause, narrative, or analysis is impossible. From historical preservation to cultural expression and social engagement, anime and manga have been important in developing Japan's persona and cultural identity. Anime and manga have long been one of the main ways in which Japan has communicated with itself and with the rest of the world. It has expressed different psychological aspects that the entire nation experienced since their upbringing. The matter is not whether these narratives are false, idealized, or manipulated in any way because, at the end of the day, they convey a need, often a psychological one. It is about a reflection on the past, mixed with feelings of guilt, shame, and disbelief, but also with pride, happiness, and familiarity. At the same time, it is also about longing for a utopian future or perhaps a rewriting of history in which the past is forgotten. With the work I've done, it is possible to understand that City Pop ultimately had a goal of creating a feeling of nostalgia for something that was happening in the present and, hopefully, to erase the actual nostalgic moment before and during the war.

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I believe that the "multifaceted" aspect also applies when considering the origins of the popularity of anime/manga in the West, meaning that all scenarios (Western rapprochement with Japan, genuine interest in the artistry, etc.) are true simultaneously. With my project, I saw a strong example of what could be a case of the Western world perceiving Japanese culture "to be what they want it to be." Since City Pop as a genre aims to have you longing for something that could be described as an overwhelming desire to live life at its fullest, but also incorporating the urban, technological, and luxurious ideologies into it, there is a great chance that City Pop over romanticizes Japanese lifestyles from that time period and consequently influenced the Western view of what Japan looked like back in the 80s. Romanticizing has been one of the main terms in popular culture, and it heavily affects people's expectations towards the historical and cultural background of different nations around the world, principally those with a growing number of interested tourists.