Introduction
In order to capture pure realism in the anime, some items that appear throughout the show are supervised by companies that actually exist. If proper precautions aren't taken it would violate the law if an anime studio introduces a product without permission in an anime movie. It soon became more mainstream to change the shape and logo of the product by the anime studio, to avoid any infringements. However, these days, companies are willing to increasingly cooperate with anime studios to promote their products and services without any setbacks. As companies cooperate in the production of anime, the background and items that appear in anime will become more realistic, and from there the quality of anime will increase, thus increasing the likelihood of more collaborations in the future! Let's take a look at the anime works supervised by an actual company.
Initial D
An amateur driver, Takumi Fujiwara is aiming to be the "fastest on public roads" while fighting against other passionate drivers from various prefectures. Initially, Takumi was reluctant to even dive into the world of street racing, as he already had a job working at a gas station and felt content with his life. It wasn't until he felt the major defeat by another street racer that the gears in his heart finally came to life, and from there Takumi's passion to race began.
In addition to the Toyota AE86, which Takumi drives, the Nissan Skyline GT-R (R32), Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution, and many other existing cars appear throughout the series in a prolific way. Due to the 86's popularity in the anime, Toyota resumed production of “86” in 2012.
Super Cub
The title of the work is "Super Cub", which is the representative motorbike of Honda.
"Super Cub" is based on the light novel published by Tone Koken and follows Koguma, a girl who commutes to high school in Hokuto City, Yamanashi Prefecture. It is a story about how she spends days without parents, friends, hobbies, and changes her everyday life by riding a used Super Cub. In the anime, Honda Motor Co. helped and supervised “Super Cub” to ensure accuracy of their brand.
The animation will be shown on TV and the PV has also been released.
Houkago no Pleiades (Wish Upon the Pleiades)
This is a short animation distributed on YouTube from February 1, 2011 targeting Japan as part of the Subaru (Auto manufacturer ) automobile sales promotion created by GAINAX. It became popular around the country and eventually it was broadcasted as a TV series from 2015.
Originally, it was an animation for Subaru's car promotion, but Subaru and GAINAX agreed that "If the goodness of Subaru appears, then the car is not essential." It became a part of the project that the car does not appear to focus more on Subaru and its loyalty to its users.
The key to the observation room is designed like a car key, the sound of the flying magic wand is the engine sound of the car, and there are some parts related to the car. Subaru means Pleiades in Japanese.
Just Because!!
The first original animation of PINE JAM, an anime studio. Hajime Kamoshida from "Sakuraso's Pet Girl" and "Youth Pigs Do Not Dream of Party Girls" is in charge of the script and series composition, so he set the location of the anime to Enoshima - Kamakura, where he was born.
Canon (the largest camera company), ITO EN (Green tea company) and Yamaha Motor (Motorbike company) are cooperating in prop design, while Shonan Monorail (Railway company) and BicCamera (home electronics retailer) are cooperating in background production. Enosui (official name: Shin-Enoshima Aquarium) where the characters visit, are also cooperating on the project.
Enoshima - Kamakura are not only locations for “Youth Pigs Do Not Dream of Party Girls", but also the locations of famous works such as "Slum Dunk", "Elfen Lied", "Kakushigoto" or "Hanayamata". It is truly something special when you're able to enjoy the realistic atmosphere around there, and experience it within the anime.
Tiger & Bunny
In a futuristic city where the unique special ability person known as "NEXT" is protecting peace as a hero. Based on the setting that the heroes are active with the support of the sponsor, the commercial development was actually carried out by recruiting sponsors of heroes for each hero.
Not only did Japanese companies like SoftBank and animate contribute, but also logos such as amazon.co.jp and pepsi appear in the animation.
Final Thoughts
Japan is chalk-full of so many delightful and intriguing cultural aspects, that it can be hard to absorb them all at once! One thing is for certain though, and it's that Japan's cultural appeal goes beyond just anime, but major companies also play a major role in the foundation behind Japan's global success. We hope you found this article to be not only insightful but entertaining as well! Look forward to more content like this in the future!
Until next time!