There was also a commemorative photo session with fans who had gathered together with Doraemon and his friends!
The 90th anniversary project has finally begun!
"Fujiko F. Fujio
90th Birthday Anniversary Project Presentation"
was held!
On Wednesday, October 4, 2023, the "Fujiko F. Fujio 90th Anniversary Project Presentation" was held at The Garden Hall in Yebisu Garden Place. Information on the "90th Anniversary Project" was released and we will report on the event.
The opening announcement for this 90th anniversary presentation featured characters created by Fujiko F. Fujio, including Doraemon, Perman, and Obake no Q-taro. The event started with Doraemon shouting out the opening of the "Fujiko F. Fujio 90th Anniversary Project Presentation." Perman and Q-taro also got the crowd excited with loud applause, bringing the opening of the presentation to a close.
1. "The Chikyu Doraemon Nobita" Special Video and Guest Voice Actors Announced
The meeting started with the presentation of "Doraemon Nobita Symphony of the Earth," which will be released on March 1, 2024 (Friday), including the latest special trailer. The theme of this film, the 43rd in the series, is "music. Doraemon The MC called for Doraemon, who appeared on stage wearing the "swallow-tailed suit" that appears in the film! Doraemon The audience was excited by the appearance of , who was dressed in the "swallow-tail suit" that appears in the movie! The guest voice actress playing the role of Meena, the diva who holds the key to the story, was announced, and actor Kyoko Yoshine took the stage.
When asked by the MC, "How do you feel now? I was surprised and thought, "Really? But I am very happy, and now that I am standing here today and talking with Dora, I am really starting to feel it. The recording session is just beginning, but I'm really excited about it. She also talked about her enthusiasm for the recording sessions that are about to begin.
2. "Publishing Project" Announcement of new publication information such as "Doraemon Plus" from Tentomushi Comics
Tokuyama Masaki, editor-in-chief of SHOGAKUKAN 's Doraemon Room, took to the stage to announce the publication of three new titles: the seventh volume of Tentomushi Comics' "Doraemon Plus," "Dorami," and "T.P. Bon (Time Patrol Bon)."
Volume 7 of "Doraemon Plus" is a special series that includes stories that could not be included in the 45 volumes of "Doraemon", and is the first release in nine years since volume 6. "Dorami" is a volume that contains carefully selected episodes and secrets in which Dorami appears, and Editor-in-Chief Tokuyama commented, "Please look forward to the release of this special new volume in which the siblings will be released together." Regarding "T.P. Bon," he said, "It is a work of a very large scale," expressing his expectations for the 90th anniversary of its birth.
3. "Productization Project" 6 special designs and product images announced
The "Productization Project" was created to commemorate the 90th anniversary, and six special designs were announced for a limited time. The first design, the "Celebration Design," was a gorgeous design that brought together all the F characters to celebrate the 90th anniversary of Fujiko F. Fujio's birth, and images of various products using this design were also released. MC Kakazu Yumi was full of praise for the design, which features characters in poses rarely seen in the original work, saying, "It's unique to the 90th anniversary. It's so cute." Five other design ideas and product images were also announced, and the audience cheered as the anniversary design commemorating the 90th anniversary was unveiled.
4. Announcement of production of three "Game Project" titles
Three new titles were announced, including the first title revealed in the "Game Project" section. Details and promotional videos for Roblox's "Doraemon Nobita 's Go Go Ride!", Sakuplus's "Doraemon Puzzle de Resort Maker", and Kairosoft's "Doraemon 's Dorayaki Shop Story", all of which were announced at the Tokyo Game Show this fall, were released. To mark the big milestone of the 90th anniversary, three new game titles will be released.
5. NHK "Fujiko F. Fujio SF Short Drama" Production Announcement
This spring, the Fujiko F. Fujio SF Short Drama series was adapted into a live-action drama with a diverse lineup of stories and cast, including "Retirement," starring Kato Cha, and "I, Yuko," starring Suzuki Fuku, and became a hot topic. It was announced that season 2 will be broadcast on NHKBS and BSP4K in spring 2024, and the lineup of "I Found the Iron Man," "Sacrifice," "His Time Machine," and "Anno is Very Angry" was also revealed for the first time.
6. Netflix series "All-new anime" production announcement
The production of the new anime series "T.P. Bon", the first work by Fujiko F. Fujio in 29 years, was announced. Masahiko Minami, the representative of Bones Inc., which produces the animation, took to the stage. When asked how he felt about animating Fujiko F. Fujio's work at the milestone of his 90th birthday, he said, "When I think of Fujiko F. Fujio, I think of his works that have been with me since I was a child. I love science fiction, and Fujiko F. Fujio is the one who has made me who I am today, so I feel very honored." When asked about the positive aspects of the project, he commented, "When we heard about this project, all the producers we spoke to raised their hands and said they wanted to be involved in the production. I think all the staff were able to share the image of "T.P. Bon" and then take on the challenge." When asked about the points he paid particular attention to, he said, "We tried to convey the reality by drawing the modern world for Bon and the historical objects of the world Bon goes to in slightly different styles."
7. Kawasaki City Fujiko F. Fujio Museum announces new special exhibitions and more!
A presentation was held announcing the main visual, opening date and details of the new exhibition at the Kawasaki City Fujiko F. Fujio Museum and the Fujiko F. Fujio 90th Anniversary Original Art Exhibition: The World of Fujiko F. Fujio's Manga Born from Love. The presentation began with a quote from Fujiko F. Fujio, "I have always prioritized love in everything I do," and then a promotional video was shown for the first time in Japan. The venue was filled with an emotional atmosphere as the video was screened, conveying how Fujiko F. Fujio's love was the driving force behind his creation of a world of dreams and adventure that children long for.
Special Feature: A talk session will be held between Mizuki Tsujimura and former SHOGAKUKAN editor-in-chief Tsuneyoshi Kawai
Kawai worked with Fujiko F. Fujio as the editor in charge when "Doraemon" first began serialization. Regarding the fact that Kawai's name "Kawai Pawn Shop" is written on a telephone pole in the last scene of the memorable first episode "All the way from the future", Kawai said, "54 years ago, I received the manuscript from the professor, and he put my name in the last scene like this. It seems like a big deal now, but at the time I didn't get it, and instead of 'pawn shop' I wrote 'Kawai Clinic' or 'Hospital'. I remember briefly thinking that it would have been better that way (laughs)." Tsujimura commented, "When I heard this story, I thought that the professor's personality was apparent from the first episode. I was touched to meet Kawai today."
Tsujimura, who is also a big fan of the teacher, wrote the script for "Doraemon the Movie: Nobita 's Chronicle of the Moon Exploration." "For me, it was the same feeling as not being able to write a continuation of the Bible, so I initially declined the offer. But everyone loves Doraemon, and I felt that they had been passing on Doraemon baton with great care. So I wrote it with the feeling that I would be happy if I could help pass it on to the next generation. I'm very happy that a new movie will be released in March next year, and I'm glad that I did it then," she said.
When asked about the 90th anniversary project announced that day, Kawai said, "I'm also from SHOGAKUKAN, so please look forward to volume 7 of Doraemon Plus," drawing laughter from the audience. Tsujimura commented, "I'm glad I'm alive to be able to see T.P. Bon moving like that in the anime!", revealing her deep affection for the work.
When asked about an episode that shows Fujiko F. Fujio's love, Tsujimura said, "I can feel the teacher's love in all of the long Doraemon stories. That was the first thing I struggled with when I received the movie script, and there is no part of Doraemon that he didn't go to. I think it's a world that the teacher's love created, and it can't be expressed in the word talent." Kawai reminisced, "The teacher's love was, first and foremost, his family. He really treasured his wife and three daughters. Secondly, drawing manga. Thirdly, surprising people, and fourthly, hamburger rice. Whenever we ate together, we always had hamburger rice."
Kawai also mentioned the preview page before the "Doraemon" serialization began, saying, "The manuscript I received only had the illustration in the middle. I added the design around it. As a preview of the serialization, it was a page that was missing a lot, with neither a main character nor a title, and my boss got quite angry with me. However, looking back on it, I think it turned out wonderfully."
※The "yoshi" in Tsuneyoshi Kawai's name is pronounced "tsuchiyoshi"
At the end of the event, there was a character greeting time (photo session) where fans who attended the event could take commemorative photos with Doraemon, Perman, and Q-taro. The event came to a close amidst great success with a commemorative photo to celebrate the 90th anniversary.
Obake no Q-taro / © Fujiko Pro, © Fujiko Studio