STUDIO4℃’s “Future Kid Takara” to make its world debut at the Kansai Expo; Kaji Yuki to play the main character, Takara; teaser trailer and more released
Poster visual and teaser video also released
(C)Beyond C./Future Kid Takara Production Committee
The world premiere of the completely original short anime “Future Kid Takara,” created with a focus on environmental education, has been decided to be held on September 25th at the Shine Hut EXPO Hall in Osaka-Kansai Expo. It has also been revealed that voice actor Kaji Yuki will play the main character Takara, and child actress Yoshida Honoka will play Sarah, and a teaser video and teaser poster have been released.
The work, which teaches about global warming and climate change, is a short work of 5 minutes each (11 episodes in total) produced by STUDIO4℃, the studio behind the animated films “Children of the Sea” and “Poupelle of Chimney Town,” in collaboration with NHK Enterprises. The film depicts Takara, a child from the future who travels back in time from the year 2100, exploring the Earth affected by global warming with Sarah, a child living in the present day, and her friends, learning hints to solve the climate crisis and deciding to take action on her own. Worksheets to be used as teaching materials for schools will also be developed.
The world premiere will be free for visitors to the Expo on the day. Advance reservations are required on the Expo’s official website, and applications will be accepted from June 25th to July 24th and August 25th to September 17th (a lottery will be held if there are many applications).
The first trailer shows Sarah getting on Takara’s machine, Runpho, and exploring the Earth affected by global warming, with live-action footage mixed in. The teaser poster shows Takara giving a thumbs up and Runpho flying around the Earth, with the message, “To connect this beautiful Earth to the future.”
“Future Kid Takara” Short Anime Series
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“Future Kid Takara” Short Anime Series [Special Video]
Full comments from the cast and staff are below.
(C) Beyond C./Future Kid Takara Production Committee
[Kaji Yuki (voice of Takara)] I am Kaji Yuki, and I will be voicing Takara. Animation is a culture that Japan is proud of, and a content that will carry the future. I am truly honored to have the opportunity to participate as a voice actor in this original anime that will be premiered at the Osaka-Kansai Expo. Takara, who I played, is a child from the future. A child full of curiosity and energy, a character with a radiance like a treasure. I faced the drama depicted head-on with pure feelings. This work will resonate with a wide range of generations. Please look forward to the release!
[Yoshida Honoka (voice of Sarah)] Sarah is a positive girl, and I was relieved when she told me to “just be yourself,” but I was still very nervous during the recording. I had never really cared about environmental issues before, and had never really thought about them. I just thought, “It’s hot.” What can we do to protect the earth? We are currently studying food waste as part of our school classes, so we wanted to share our opinions on environmental issues together! I hope everyone will watch this film, learn about environmental issues, and think about them together!
[Tanaka Eiko (STUDIO4℃) (Planning Producer)] “Takara, the child of the future” from the year 2100 and his friends. Development of these beloved characters began through crowdfunding on Kickstarter. We are truly grateful to everyone who supported us. This time, we decided to deliver this to children as a 5-minute animation that teaches about global warming, and we have been working with NHK Enterprises, receiving advice from scientists and education experts. It is a work that can advocate a valuable message while being a fantasy. The main reason why the director of this work, Yuta Sano, aimed to become an anime director is because he believed that the power of animation can change the world. If this work can change the consciousness of children and people around the world even a little, there is nothing more wonderful than this. We would like to dedicate this work to the future of the earth.
[Kyoko Katada (NHK Enterprises Executive Producer) (Planning Producer)] For many years, I have been producing documentaries that convey the climate crisis and appeal for solutions. This project began when Eiko Tanaka, president of STUDIO4℃, sympathized with the NHK special “2030: A Turning Point for the Future” broadcast in 2021. “It’s not too late! We can change the future!” Can we use the power of animation, which Japan is proud of, to convey that feeling to children? For me, who comes from the press, animation is my first challenge. On the other hand, President Tanaka served as producer for “My Neighbor Totoro” and “Kiki’s Delivery Service”, and later founded STUDIO4℃ and has continued to create works that reach the hearts of children, such as “Children of the Sea” and “Poupelle of Chimney Town”. This encounter brought together a special team that transcends the boundaries of the industry. After much trial and error, a unique and impactful work was born, combining exciting animation with footage introducing the abnormal weather occurring on Earth today and efforts to solve the climate crisis. We hope that this message will reach as many children as possible in order to pass on this beautiful Earth to the future.
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