The Umi no Magnet Education Committee has produced an anime that tackles the issue of marine waste as part of an initiative to confront social issues through manga, anime, games, and the Internet. This initiative is part of CHANGE FOR THE BLUE, a project by the Nippon Foundation’s Umi to Nippon Project, which seeks to create a new marine waste reduction model through collaborations between industry, government, academia, and the private sector, and to spread this model both in Japan and overseas in order to create a movement to raise awareness in society that no further waste should be discarded into the ocean.
In a survey conducted independently by the Committee in Japan, 91% of respondents answered “yes” to the following question: “If anime and manga were used to draw attention to social issues, would you watch/read them?” In addition, one out of every two respondents answered, “anime and manga have influenced my life in areas such as club activities and career choices,” highlighting the huge influence that anime and manga have on people.
Based on these results, the Committee decided to produce high quality anime and manga with engaging stories that touch on various marine issues. These works will be distributed worldwide in the hopes that more people will take these matters to heart.
Under the Anime de Umigomi Zero Project, the Committee has produced a 30-minute anime movie set in the same universe as Santa Company: Christmas no Himitsu, which premiered in Japanese theaters in 2019, on the theme of marine waste, an issue receiving an increasing amount of attention from the international community. In addition to screenings held nationwide in Japan, an online screening for global audiences will be held via MyAnimeList, an anime fan community with over 20 million users worldwide.
Santa Company: Manatsu no Merry Christmas
Director: Kenji Itoso
Performers: Haruka Tomatsu (as Mint), Rie Kugimiya (as Thomas), Mami Yamashita (as Noel), Tōru Furuya (as Edison), and Masaharu Satō (as Panel)
Production: ORENDA
World Premiere to be held in cooperation with MyAnimeList
An online screening for global audiences will be held in cooperation with MyAnimeList, an anime fan community with over 20 million users worldwide. MyAnimeList would like to encourage anime fans around the world to think more about social issues through their favorite medium.
The World Premiere will take place on January 29 (Friday) (JST).
Times:
Tokyo 8:00 on the 29th
Los Angeles 15:00 on the 28th
New York 18:00 on the 28th
etc. (Release times in each country will be posted on MyAnimeList)
MyAnimeList URL: https://sc.myanimelist.net/
Tie-ups with STU48
The anime’s ending song is “Hitorigoto de Kataru Kurai Nara” by STU48, an idol group based in the Setouchi area, which supports this project. In addition, STU48’s Miyuna Kadowaki and Marina Otani will be playing the respective roles of Cute Angel and Mysterious Angel in the movie.
The Anime de Umigomi Zero Project promoted by the Umi no Magnet Education Committee is part of the Nippon Foundation’s Umi to Nippon Project, which aims to connect people through the ocean in order to pass the ocean on to future generations.
URL (Japanese only): https://santa-company.net/uminohi/
