Final Fantasy

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Final Fantasy logo 1990
(North America version, Nintendo)

Original name: "Fighting Fantasy"

Name: "Final Fantasy"

Category: Video games

Subcategory: Role-playing

Genre: Fantasy

Final Fantasy logo 1987
(Japan version, Square)

Inventor: Hironobu Sakaguchi

Developer: Square Co., Ltd. - Japan

Released:
--- December 18, 1987 - Japan
--- July 12, 1990 - North America

Publishers:
--- Square Co., Ltd. - Japan
--- Nintendo of America Inc. - NA

Platforms:
--- Family Computer (Famicom)
--- Nintendo Entertainment System (NES)

Producer: Masafumi Miyamoto

Designers: Hironobu Sakaguchi, Hiromichi Tanaka, Akitoshi Kawazu, Koichi Ishii, Kiyoshi Yoshii, Ken Narita, Kazuko Shibuya

Programmer: Nasir Gebelli

Graphics: Yoshitaka Amano

Writers: Hironobu Sakaguchi, Kenji Terada, Akitoshi Kawazu

Number of players: Single-player

Background and characters: «An evil shroud covers the world in darkness. You must restore the powers of earth, wind, fire and water to the Four Orbs. Create your own band of 4 Light Warriors from fighters, thieves, martial artists, and magicians. You'll need all their skills to triumph in this massive role-playing adventure. Your treacherous journey takes you to all parts of a strange new world. Explore dangerous castles and dark caverns where deadly perils, and great rewards await at every turn. Hundreds of ferocious monsters block your path. With patience, skill, and cunning you can defeat them. Come, begin your quest. Enter an enchanted new World. Command your warriors! Prepare to face the Final Fantasy! A world shrouded in the darkness of evil. Your mission – to restore the light». (From the North America version, 1990, back cover).

Music by: Nobuo Uematsu

Features: Final Fantasy, known as Final Fantasy I or FF1 in re-releases, was the first role-playing game in Square's Final Fantasy series, created by Hironobu Sakaguchi. For detailed features and game mode refer to the "Explorer's Handbook" below.

Interesting facts: The creator of the Final Fantasy series Hironobu Sakaguchi proposed the role-playing game (RPG) to his employer Square, but the company approved the launch only after the success of the RPG Dragon Quest by Enix. The team of developers wanted a title that had a simple abbreviation in the Latin alphabet (FF) and a four-syllable abbreviated Japanese pronunciation ("efu efu"); the first name proposed for the video game was "Fighting Fantasy", but it was already taken by a tabletop game, so they decided to call it "Final Fantasy". Final Fantasy was first released in 1987 in Japan by Square, and then Nintendo of America translated the game into English and published it in North America in 1990.

Slogan (North America version, 1990, box): «Enter a whole new realm of challenge and adventure.» (front) - «Dragons and broadswords, mystery and adventure. Final Fantasy has them all!» (back)

Property: Square Co., Ltd. - Nintendo Co., Ltd.

Product website: https://www.finalfantasy.com

Final Fantasy box, front cover (Japan version, Square 1987, by illustrator Yoshitaka Amano)

Final Fantasy box, back cover (Japan version, Square 1987)

Final Fantasy box (Japan version, Square 1987)

Final Fantasy cartridge (Japan version, Square 1987)

Final Fantasy advertising (Japan version, Square 1987)

Final Fantasy screenshots (Japan version, Square 1987)

Final Fantasy intro (Japan version, Square 1987)

Final Fantasy gameplay (Japan version, Square 1987)

Final Fantasy box, front cover (North America version, Nintendo 1990)

Final Fantasy box, back cover (North America version, Nintendo 1990)

Final Fantasy cartridge (North America version, Nintendo 1990)

Final Fantasy "Explorer's Handbook" and maps in Pdf (North America version, Nintendo 1990)

Hironobu Sakaguchi (Nov. 25, 1962), video game developer, creator of the Final Fantasy series

Square Enix celebrate Final Fantasy's 30th Anniversary (1987-2017). With 87 titles, the series was awarded the "most prolific RPG series" by the Guinness World Records in 2017.

Central Japan Railway Company

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JR Central logo 1987

Names:
--- "Central Japan Railway Company"
--- "JR Central" (abbrev.)
--- "JR Tokai" (Japanese abbrev.)

Category: Transportation

Subcategory: Railroad

Founded: April 1, 1987 - Tokyo, Japan

Founder: Japan Railways Group (JR Group)

First president: Hiroshi Suda (Kyoto, January 28, 1931)

Operations start: March 31, 1987 at 11 pm the first JR Central train left from Tokyo Station to Nagoya Station (April 1, 7.27 am)

Features: In 1987, the year of its foundation, the Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central, or JR Tokai in Japanese) was one of the following seven companies owned by the new Japan Railways Group.
• Three main passenger companies:
--- 1) Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central);
--- 2) West Japan Railway Company (JR West);
--- 3) East Japan Railway Company (JR East).
• Three passenger companies for the smaller islands:
--- 4) Kyushu Railway Company (JR Kyushu);
--- 5) Shikoku Railway Company (JR Shikoku);
--- 6) Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido).
• One company for freight transportation:
--- 7) Freight Railway Company (JR Freight).

Interesting facts: Central Japan Railway Company began operating on April 1, 1987 upon the privatization and breakup of the Japanese National Railways (JNR), a state-controlled agency that maintained a near monopoly over all railway business in Japan since its inception in 1949. In 1987 the JNR had been dissolved, and in its place stood seven companies as described above.
In the same year, a state agency that held all of the stock in the seven companies, the Japan National Railway Settlement Corporation (JNRSC), was also created. A year later, JR Tokai Bus Company was established, and automobile transport business was also transferred to the company.
By 2017, 30 years after its foundation, JR Central operated:
- the Tokaido Shinkansen - the world's first high-speed rail route created by Japanese National Railways (JNR) in 1964, linking Tokyo, Nagoya, and Osaka;
- 12 conventional lines centered on the Nagoya and Shizuoka City areas.

Property: Central Japan Railway Company

Official website: http://jr-central.co.jp

Japanese National Railway stops operations (Tokyo, March 31, 1987). Special free one-day tickets for all Japanese lines were issued on March 31, 1987. In a public ceremony at midnight, Takaya Sugiura - the last president of the Japanese National Railways (JNR) - rode a "C-56160" steam locomotive at Shiodome Freight Terminal in Minato, Tokyo, and blew the whistle to mark the end of the 115-year-old national railways. Locomotive "C-56160", built by the Japanese Government Railways (JGR) from 1935 to 1939, and later operated by Japanese National Railways (JNR), is preserved in operating condition by JR West at Umekoji Steam Locomotive Museum.

Central Japan Railway Company starts operations (Tokyo, April 1, 1987). On March 31, 1987 at 11 pm, the first JR Central train "EF 58-122" left for the maiden voyage from Tokyo Station to Nagoya Station, where it arrived the next day at 7.27 am. On a head mark, the new orange "JR" logo and "Best regards JR Tokai". Locomotive "EF 58-122" was built in 1957 by Hitachi, and cut up at Hamamatsu Works in January 2009.

Central Japan Railway Company starts to operate the Tokaido Shinkansen high-speed line (Tokyo, April 1, 1987). A so-called "bullet train" Shinkansen 100 series left from Tokyo Station showing the new company brand at the head mark.

Japan Railway medal and postage stamps (April 1, 1987) issued to commemorate the establishment of the new railway business system from public corporation (JNR) to private enterprise (JR). The two depicted trains are: the first ever steam locomotive built in Japan, "No. 137" (originally "No. 221") completed in 1893 by JNR / IGR Kobe Works, and the prototype "Maglev MLU002" (Magnetic Levitation, U-shaped guideway) built in 1987 by JR Central for experimental purposes only.

Japan Railway Group, first timetable (April 1987)

Central Japan Railway Company, first TV commercial (June 1987). To promote the Shinkansen high-speed line, the "Cinderella Express" campaign began, targeting young people by depicting a situation in which a couple share a long-distance relationship. Title and background music: from a song by Yumi Matsutoya; actress: Misa Kawai.

Central Japan Railway Company 30th Anniversary (April 1, 1987-2017)

The Simpsons (cartoon)

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The Simpsons
series opening 1989

Series title: "The Simpsons"

Category: Cartoon

Genres: Comedy, Humor, Satire, Sitcom

Creator: Matt Groening

Developers:
--- James L. Brooks
--- Matt Groening
--- Sam Simon

Country of origin: USA

Producers: Gracie Films, 20th Century Fox Television

Distributor: 20th Century Fox Television

Original language: English

Music: "The Simpsons Theme" by Danny Elfman (1989)

Running time: One-minute shorts, half-hour series episodes

Background: The series is a satirical depiction of a working class lifestyle epitomized by the Simpson family. The Simpsons are a family who live in a fictional "Middle American" town of Springfield: a typical couple husband and wife, with three children, a dog and a cat. The show includes an array of quirky supporting characters: co-workers, teachers, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople and local celebrities.

Main characters (Simpsons family):
--- Homer Simpson, first appearance in the first short "Good Night", aired on April 19, 1987, during "The Tracey Ullman Show" Season 1, Episode 3. Husband of Marge, Homer works as a safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant, a position at odds with his careless, buffoonish personality.
--- Marge Simpson, first appearance in "Good Night" (see above). Wife of Homer, Marge is a stereotypical American housewife and mother.
--- Bart Simpson, first appearance in "Good Night" (see Homer above). Oldest child and only son of Homer and Marge, Bart is a ten-year-old troublemaker. 
--- Lisa Simpson, first appearance in "Good Night" (see Homer above). Middle child and eldest daughter of Homer and Marge, Lisa is a precocious eight-year-old activist.
--- Maggie Simpson, first appearance in "Good Night" (see Homer above). Youngest child and daughter of Homer and Marge, Maggie is the baby of the family who rarely speaks, but communicates by sucking on a pacifier.
--- Santa's Little Helper, first appearance in the first full-lenght episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", also known as "The Simpsons Christmas Special", aired on December 17, 1989. Santa's Little Helper is the Simpson family's pet dog.
--- Snowball V (later renamed Snowball II), first appearance in "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire" (see above). Snowball V is the Simpson family's pet cat.

Features: "The Simpsons" is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The Simpsons first appeared as shorts in The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show. The Simpsons is the longest-running American sitcom, and the longest-running American animated program.

Interesting facts: Matt Groening named the main Simpson characters after members of his own family: his parents, Homer and Margaret (Marge or Marjorie in full), and his younger sisters, Lisa and Margaret (Maggie). Claiming that it was a bit too obvious to name a character after himself, he chose the name "Bart," an anagram of brat.

Quote (Matt Groening): «Families are about love overcoming emotional torture»

Property: Fox Broadcasting Company

Official website: http://www.simpsonsworld.com

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THE SIMPSONS - SHORTS

The Simpsons family, as they originally appeared in early shorts. Matt Groening submitted only basic sketches to the animators and assumed that the figures would be cleaned up in production. However, the animators merely re-traced his drawings, which led to the crude appearance of the characters in the initial shorts. From left: Maggie, Lisa, Marge, Homer and Bart.

SHORTS - Release: April 19, 1987

SHORTS - Seasons / No. of Episodes:

--- S01 / E07 (Apr. 19, 1987 - July 12, 1987)
--- S02 / E22 (Sept. 22, 1987 - May 8, 1988)
--- S03 / E19 (Nov. 6, 1988 - May 14, 1989)
--- Total Seasons 3 / Episodes 48 (1987-1989)

First short title: "Good Night"

Release: April 19, 1987, during "The Tracey Ullman Show" Season 1, Episode 3

Writer: Matt Groening

Directors:  Wesley Archer, David Silverman, Bill Kopp

Animation: Klasky Csupo, Inc.

Running time: 1 min. 48 sec.

Plot: Marge and Homer say goodnight to their children. As they do, Bart ponders the nature of the mind, Lisa develops a fear of bedbugs, and Maggie has a nightmare about "Rock-a-bye Baby". All three of the kids end up crowding parents' bed.

The Simpsons, first appearance in the short "Good Night", aired as a part of The Tracey Ullman Show (April 19, 1987)

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THE SIMPSONS - SERIES

The Simpsons family, as they appeared since the first full-length episode (1989). Top: comparison with the 1987 original version.

First full-length episode title: "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", also known as "The Simpsons Christmas Special". The title is an allusion to "The Christmas Song", also known as "Chestnuts Roasting on an Open Fire".

Release: December 17, 1989

Writer: Mimi Pond

Director: David Silverman

Animation: Klasky Csupo, Inc.

Music: Richard Gibbs (theme by Danny Elfman)

Running time: 22 min.

Plot: The Simpsons prepare for the holidays, but it's rough sledding for household-head Homer, who's forced to resort to desperate measures when his Christmas bonus is canceled and Marge's family money goes to erase the tattoo son Bart thought would be a perfect gift.

The Simpsons, screenshots from the first full-length episode "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", also known as "The Simpsons Christmas Special" (December 17, 1989)

The Simpsons, early sketch for the opening sequence by David Silverman (c. 1987), animator of all the original shorts with Wes Archer and Bill Kopp at Klasky Csupo Inc.

The Simpsons, first series opening sequence created by David Silverman, music by Danny Elfman. This title sequence was aired the first time at the opening of the second episode "Bart the Genius" (January 14, 1990).

Matt Groening (Portland, February 15, 1954 - cartoonist, writer, producer, animator, and voice actor), creator of The Simpsons, celebrates the 500th episode of the series: "At Long Last Leave", aired on February 19, 2012