J-Pop Idols of The 1980s: The Golden Age of Showa Era Pop (Anime Los Angeles 2024) Panel Slides

Hosting a panel solely on 80s idols has been something I've thought about doing many times in the past. I actually hosted one at Kraken Con way back in 2015, but a mistake in the program guide convinced me to make half of it a general idol panel at the last minute. Also, no one went to it, and I didn't know half of what I know now, back then. At various times I'd tailor later panels to focus more on the 80s if we had a relevant co-host, such as when the late Greg Hignight hosted a few with us in 2015/16, but there never seemed to be an audience for an 80s one until after the "Plastic Love" boom. Even though some of the artists here have been covered in the 1980s J-Pop panels, I didn't want to do an idols only one since I wasn't sure how to approach the topic. This was because I wanted to have a showcase of artists and get my own theories out regarding the decade. Basically I wanted to approach it as an examination of what caused and ended the idol boom of the 80s. This version is heavier on the showcase aspect, and I actually already have an idea for a 2.0 version, but I think I managed to get in everything I wanted to. I'm hoping I get a chance to do it again soon. Maybe at FanimeCon 2024? Anyhow, be sure to come to a panel near you, and thank you to everyone who has either attended one or somehow made it to this page!

Lastly, the songs from the opening montage can be found below:

• Juri Hamada - Sayonara Suki (1980)
• Hitomi Ishikawa - Machibuse (1981)
• Amin - Matsu wa (1982)
• Yu Hayami - Anokoro ni Mou Ichido (1983)
• Kilala to Ulala - Sentimetal Boy (1984)
• Chiemi Hori - Ribbon (1985)
• Momoko Kikuchi - Yuki ni Kaita LOVE LETTER (1986)
• Marina Watanabe - Marina no Natsu (1987)
• Rika Himenogi - Glass no Kiss (1988)
• Yoko Ishino - KISS Made Matenai (1989)