Radio drama in Japan
Encyclopedia
Radio drama in Japan
has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama
to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be the first true radio drama to be broadcast in Japan. The Japanese public broadcaster, NHK
, also had a special radio drama theatrical company that is the origin of the seiyū
phenomenon in Japan that continues to this day.
In the 1950s, authors like , , and others who belonged to the " penned many experimental radio dramas. These radio dramas caught the attention of various Eastern European countries, and as a result, these works were translated and rebroadcast. As with most countries, radio drama broadcasts have become less common after the advent of television.
In Japan today, it is common for popular television dramas, "Light novel
s", manga
series, anime
series or video games to have main plot lines, plot continuations, sequels or small side stories
released in the form of audio dramas.
These audio dramas are alternatively called drama CDs (ドラマCD), radio dramas (ラジオドラマ), or sound dramas (サウンドドラマ).
Today they are released on Compact Disc
, however in the past they were released on vinyl
and audio cassette. Before the advent of videocassette recorder
s, drama recordings were the only way to revisit an animated television series. Recordings often featured recapitulations of plotlines along with theme songs from anime series. This is still employed by current audio dramas, for example the first Sailor Moon audio drama CD has the characters getting into a shiritori
battle with Zoisite featuring the names of minor characters and place settings. http://www.kurozuki.com/takeuchi/anime/drama01.html
Audio drama plotlines may also be re-used in other media. An example of this are audio dramas like Benitokage from Sakura Taisen which was later produced as a stage show; then used as a basis for an episode in direct-to-video anime release. Another example would be how the audio drama Getter Robo : The Moon Wars was used as the starting point for the OVA series Change!! Getter Robo: The Last Day of the World
Most modern audio dramas consist of either side stories or parody
stories, though an audio drama may be both. Side stories are usually extensions of main plotlines such as plotlines that were featured in manga that have not appearead in an anime. Parody stories feature characters getting in to humorous predicaments or scenes that may be too risqué for television. For example, one Sailor Moon
audio drama featured a scene where Haruka Tenoh
filled in at a gay bar.
Recent trends in merchandising anime shows have had audio dramas come out as pretexts for the development of anime series and can substantially precede the appearance of an anime version. Sometimes they are released before an animated version of an anime
series in order to introduce fans to the characters and Seiyū
. (An example of this was the manga series Angel Sanctuary
which had a drama CD come out well before its direct-to-video anime release.)
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
has a history as long as that of radio broadcasting in that country, which began in 1925. Some consider the first Japanese radio drama
Radio drama
Radio drama is a dramatized, purely acoustic performance, broadcast on radio or published on audio media, such as tape or CD. With no visual component, radio drama depends on dialogue, music and sound effects to help the listener imagine the characters and story...
to have been "" which was a radio broadcast of a stage play. Others consider the Japanese translation of Richard Hughes's "Danger" or to be the first true radio drama to be broadcast in Japan. The Japanese public broadcaster, NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
, also had a special radio drama theatrical company that is the origin of the seiyū
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
phenomenon in Japan that continues to this day.
In the 1950s, authors like , , and others who belonged to the " penned many experimental radio dramas. These radio dramas caught the attention of various Eastern European countries, and as a result, these works were translated and rebroadcast. As with most countries, radio drama broadcasts have become less common after the advent of television.
In Japan today, it is common for popular television dramas, "Light novel
Light novel
A is a style of Japanese novel primarily targeting junior high and high school students . The term "light novel" is a wasei-eigo, or a Japanese term formed from words in the English language. Light novels are often called or for short...
s", manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
series, anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series or video games to have main plot lines, plot continuations, sequels or small side stories
Side story
A side story is a story that occurs alongside established stories set within a fictional universe. As opposed to a prequel, sequel, or interquel, a side story takes place within the same time frame as an existing work....
released in the form of audio dramas.
These audio dramas are alternatively called drama CDs (ドラマCD), radio dramas (ラジオドラマ), or sound dramas (サウンドドラマ).
Today they are released on Compact Disc
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
, however in the past they were released on vinyl
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
and audio cassette. Before the advent of videocassette recorder
Videocassette recorder
The videocassette recorder , is a type of electro-mechanical device that uses removable videocassettes that contain magnetic tape for recording analog audio and analog video from broadcast television so that the images and sound can be played back at a more convenient time...
s, drama recordings were the only way to revisit an animated television series. Recordings often featured recapitulations of plotlines along with theme songs from anime series. This is still employed by current audio dramas, for example the first Sailor Moon audio drama CD has the characters getting into a shiritori
Shiritori
Shiritori is a Japanese word game in which the players are required to say a word which begins with the final kana of the previous word. No distinction is made between hiragana, katakana and kanji...
battle with Zoisite featuring the names of minor characters and place settings. http://www.kurozuki.com/takeuchi/anime/drama01.html
Audio drama plotlines may also be re-used in other media. An example of this are audio dramas like Benitokage from Sakura Taisen which was later produced as a stage show; then used as a basis for an episode in direct-to-video anime release. Another example would be how the audio drama Getter Robo : The Moon Wars was used as the starting point for the OVA series Change!! Getter Robo: The Last Day of the World
Getter Robo Armageddon
, often simply referred to as Change!! Getter Robo in Japan, is an original video animation released in 1998 by Bandai Visual, based on the manga and anime series Getter Robo, created by Go Nagai and Ken Ishikawa...
Most modern audio dramas consist of either side stories or parody
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
stories, though an audio drama may be both. Side stories are usually extensions of main plotlines such as plotlines that were featured in manga that have not appearead in an anime. Parody stories feature characters getting in to humorous predicaments or scenes that may be too risqué for television. For example, one Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon
Sailor Moon, known as , is a media franchise created by manga artist Naoko Takeuchi. Fred Patten credits Takeuchi with popularizing the concept of a team of magical girls, and Paul Gravett credits the series with "revitalizing" the magical-girl genre itself...
audio drama featured a scene where Haruka Tenoh
Haruka Tenoh
, is one of the central characters in the Sailor Moon metaseries. Her real name is , a masculine schoolgirl who can transform into one of the series' specialized heroines, the Sailor Senshi. -Profile:...
filled in at a gay bar.
Recent trends in merchandising anime shows have had audio dramas come out as pretexts for the development of anime series and can substantially precede the appearance of an anime version. Sometimes they are released before an animated version of an anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series in order to introduce fans to the characters and Seiyū
Seiyu
Voice acting in Japan has far greater prominence than in most other countries. Japan's large animation industry produces 60% of the animated series in the world; as a result, Japanese voice actors, or , are able to achieve fame on a national and international level.Besides acting as narrators and...
. (An example of this was the manga series Angel Sanctuary
Angel Sanctuary
is a shōjo manga series written and illustrated by Kaori Yuki. Originally serialized in Hana to Yume from February 1995 to February 2001, the chapters were collected and published in twenty tankōbon volumes by Hakusensha; the first volume was released in 1997 and the final volume was published in...
which had a drama CD come out well before its direct-to-video anime release.)