Yuka Onishi -- Mother Complex（マザー・コンプレックス）

 

I've heard about the "mother complex" showing up in manga and anime but when it comes to Japanese pop culture, the biggest example of mazakon（マザコン）that has lingered around in my memories is the character of Fuyuhiko（冬彦）in the 1992 TBS drama "Zutto Anata ga Suki datta"（ずっとあなたが好きだった...I've Always Loved You） as played by Shiro Sano（佐野史郎）. The creepiness and other bizarre behaviour exhibited by this fellow had his name become one of the Top 10 catchphrases of the year and may have ensured that Fuyuhiko became the least popular when naming boys for a while.

However, the mother complex didn't of course originate from Fuyuhiko. It was even the title for an aidoru tune back in the mid-1980s. "Mother Complex" was recorded by aidoru and future "Sukeban Deka"（スケバン刑事）star Yuka Onishi（大西結花）as the B-side for her 2nd single "Hankouki"（半抗期...Rebellious Age） from July 1985. Written by Mayumi Shinozuka（篠塚満由美） and composed by Takayuki Baba（馬場孝幸）, there is a sinister tone in the minor-key technopop arrangement and Onishi's vocals are noticeably lower, and a part of me thinks that there is almost something Shizuka Kudo（工藤静香）in her delivery.