MSX in Japanese media

Again, the MSX revival has grabbed the attention of some webzines and magazines. On micaca there is a nice article about the MSX festival, with a very special interpretation of the history of MSX.Since many young Japanese people never heard of MSX before, the article tries to close the gap between the current community and a potential new generation.

The article itself contains little information we do not know yet. It confirms MSX was the first personal computer to drop below the 50.000 yen barrier. Also, the website praises the MSX community, because it's will and ability to develop new hardware and software for the system after its commercial death. Then, the history of MSX is told as a fairy tale. (this translation might not be perfect, but grasps the general idea)

"An American father (a succesful, realistic businessman) and a romantic Japanese mother get a baby called MSX, praised by many home electronic makers like Sony and Matsushita. However, the parents get a divorce when their child is still young. The mother is to take care of her beloved child. However, she grows wasteful habits and a new lover makes her neglect her child. When her child is eight years old, she abandons her by leaving her down a bridge in Akihabara during summer holiday. Although the mother once believed in her child, it was now left to die near the side of the road, only able to survive by the help of God.

But the God of Akibahara is a kind one and sent Mr. Otaku to rescue this child. Without the foresight of earning gold, her intelligence and pride enabled her to stay alive, with the help of many active people who provided her the tools needed to gain intelligence and skills. Meanwhile, her younger half-sister "Windows" started to florish. 'MSX' sees her grow from 3.1, 95, 98, 2000, XP... her half sister appeared to grow more and more beautiful. But when looking from a distance, her half-sister looked a lot older already. "Windows" doesn't even know she has a sister, since her father pretends as if his first daughter does not exist.

Even with both parents letting her down, the gentle character of "MSX" prevails and - full of understanding - she doesn't even blame her parents of the mistakes they made in the past. At age 17, Otaku manages to persuade the mother of "MSX" to meet her now adult daughter once again. For the first time in seven years, the Japanese mother saw her child, raised on the streets, now almost an adult. Filled with feelings of guilt, she started to cry. "I'm sorry for all the things I did to you", she sobs. "MSX" and all of her friends started to cry as well.

The mother dried her tears and said: "I will never leave you alone again". She decided to make new clothes for her daughter to celebrate her daughter would become a woman soon. However, she had wasted all her money. Together with Otaku they create a beautiful dress by hand. MSX loved this new dress very much. Now she was finally a the respectful woman she deserved to be. (to be continued)"

After this touching fairitale, a quick summary of the latest developments is given, which can also be found in our MSX revival news archive

Also, the latest Weekly ASCII magazine has some extra information on MSX.

Relevant link: The micaca article on MSX