In Japan, anime is much bigger than we can imagine, in ways we can’t even fathom. Whenever this is mentioned, it is often assumed that all Japanese people watch anime, but that’s not true. While it is common to watch anime, it is not the norm. What is normal, however, is for companies of a certain scale to be involved in some way in the lucrative world of anime, even if they are engaged in something completely unrelated, like the production of agricultural machinery and diesel engines.
Yanmar, a global manufacturing company known for producing agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, and diesel engines, has taken an unexpected turn by venturing into anime production. Their latest anime project, titled Miru, is shrouded in mystery, but we do know that the script is being handled by Shigeru Morita, known for his work on The Island of Giant Insects and Lagrange – The Flower of Rin-ne. Studio Nue, renowned for their mecha anime and famously known as the creators of the Macross franchise, is responsible for the animation.
What makes this collaboration even more intriguing is that Yanmar’s involvement goes beyond financial support. They are not just funding the project; in fact, the robot designs in Miru are being developed by Yanmar Holdings Inc.’s Brand Department Design Office, their own in-house design team.
How a company specializing in agricultural machinery, heavy equipment, and diesel engines ends up designing a mecha for an anime they are producing themselves is something that eludes our understanding, but it’s not such a strange occurrence in Japan. Upon closer consideration, Yanmar, with its over a century of experience in creating heavy machinery, diesel engines, as well as recreational and commercial boats, possesses the knowledge to create a mecha that feels both appealing and functional. To learn more about this unique collaboration and the anime’s theme of “conflict and coexistence between humans and nature,” we will have to wait for the Anime Expo, taking place from July 1 to 4 in Los Angeles.
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