Shinano Railway "Ano Natsu de Matteru" special train?

[Sacto1985]

According to J-List (a retailer of Japanese goods that specializes in selling to foreigners), it appears the Shinano Railway will unveil a specially-painted train (115 Series EMU?) with characters from the recent anime series Ano Natsu de Matteru. The train is supposed to look like this:

 

 

Anyone in Japan can provide more information on this special train? It's supposed to celebrate the fact this anime series uses locations in the Komoro (Nagano Prefecture) area, since the Shinano Railway goes through the town of Komoro.

[cteno4]

Guessing this is a local tomytec run. Tomytec does small, limited speciality runs for smaller rrs and events. Usually never seen outside Japan. Guess j-list picked it up because of the anime connection. Funny I sort of stopped looking at thrie emails as no train stuff usually. Wonder if they are going to try and get these?

 

Thanks

 

Jeff

[bikkuri bahn]

If you're asking about prototype information, the inaugural run was today (Aug 4.).  It made a short round trip between Komoro and Kuruizawa.  The train will remain in this scheme until summer next year.

 

Starting at about 7:05-

[Sacto1985]

I knew someone was going to film the video of the train's first run and post it on YouTube very quickly. I've seen the series Ano Natsu de Matteru on the Crunchyroll streaming service here in the USA and it's supposed to come out on home video late this year or early next year from Sentai Filmworks.

[Densha]

_{Prepare for a long post.}

 

Guessing this is a local tomytec run. Tomytec does small, limited speciality runs for smaller rrs and events. Usually never seen outside Japan. Guess j-list picked it up because of the anime connection. Funny I sort of stopped looking at thrie emails as no train stuff usually. Wonder if they are going to try and get these?

It doesn't say anything about a model, only this:

 

As the anime industry has changed, with fans no longer willing to plunk down $800 to own a series on laserdisc as we used to (really!), anime studios have had to come up with fresh ways of engaging fans and advertising their properties. One way has been to tie up with rural Japanese towns, setting series in real locations in part to promote the locations as nice places to visit, like Hanasaku Iroha or Rinne no Lagrange. This trend started a decade ago with Please Teacher! and Please Twins!, which were set next to the pleasant Lake Kizaki in Nagano Prefecture, and the area quickly became "holy land" for thousands of otakus who visit every year. The anime Ano Natsu de Matteru (Waiting in the Summer) is located in a nice town called Komuro, also in Nagano Prefecture, and this weekend there'll be a ceremony to launch an ita-train (a train with anime images printed on the side) to promote the series as well as raise interest in the region. If you're in Nagano this weekend, I'll see you on the train!

Source: http://www.jlist.com/home (I don't really like that they place eroge on the front page though...)

So it's just a way to inform and get people to buy their other "AnoNatsu" stuff.

But it would still be great if any manufacturer would produce it.

 

This is not the only train with anime stickers/livery. In the text above they are talking about Hanasaku Iroha as well, and that one received exactly the same treatment with a train getting stickers, and even announcements by the voice actors of the anime, as well as recording the clip of the opening song on the station.

http://blogs.yahoo.co.jp/kaitofox87/4283560.html (below a few pics of the train)

http://tangerine.sweetstyle.jp/?eid=910919 (the station that was in the anime as well)

 

(announcements by voice actors)

 

More subtle is this (promoting the K-ON roadshow if I'm right):

 

...and this recent one:

(promoting the Natsuiro Kiseki anime)

 

Though this one is the other way:

(again for the K-ON roadshow)

 

And I'm sure there have been/are some other trains with anime promotion out there.

 

Another funny thing is this:

The voice actress of the main character of the anime Tamayura has voiced the announcements on the station (and even warning for the passing train ).

 

I stumbled on this TV program while looking at YouTube and it's very informative about why towns cooperate with anime studios like this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XH3ASCMhBPw

I just get a few words and sentences because I'm not fluent in Japanese at all, but the grasp of the story is again that featuring a real town in an anime or manga work results in more visitors. As the guy here tells us: http://youtu.be/XH3ASCMhBPw?t=5m47s

[cteno4]

yeah you are right i just reread it, i thought it said something about a model, but no. i would not doubt, though, there might have been a limited release for the train launch. just the sort of thing they use these limited releases for in japan, but we never really see these event only things.

 

I dont think j-list has ever carried any model trains i have ever seen, but i only ever check there for things like the shinkansen chopsticks, etc as they carry that sort of stuff usually. but when i do look i do usually do a search and turn up nothing in model trains.

 

anime trains seem to be getting more and more common to co-promonte places, trains and series! unfortunately some of these are not as nicely done as the earlier painted trains for things like this, now its looking more like some character stickers slapped on the train than the big murals.

 

jeff

[Sacto1985]

Jeff, if you saw the video of that Keihan train, that's actually quite rare--they essentially completely repainted a whole trainset for a complete K-On! look both outside and inside the train. It's NOT cheap to do things like that--the entire livery (in my opinion) probably cost US$45,000 to US$50,000 to pull off on the whole trainset.

[cteno4]

Yes the train is done well and I know they are not cheap to do. I just don't think some of these have the nicer wraparound designs or punch of some of the older painted trains like the galaxy express. This one is done nicely, but its just the characters pictures alone on the train side, just not a lot of great visual design going on. I'm just a fan of the painted trains that have a much bolder design approach with art like this on trains like this.

 

Jeff

[Sacto1985]

By the way, here's the video of the Izukyu Railway's Izu Kyūkō Line Resort 21 train from Izukyu-Shimoda Station to JR Itō Station painted in a special livery to commemorate the anime series Natsuiro Kiseki:

 

 

Note the station announcements are made by the voice actors for the anime series.

[cteno4]

Excellent video. Great row scenery, sooo may tunnels! Nice other trains as well. More fodder for me to dream on the onetrack modular layout with this sort of row.

 

Thanks

 

Jeff

[Sacto1985]

It should be noted the Keihan Ishiyama-Sakamoto Line is well-known for trains decked out in anime themes. Besides the K-On! train video posted earlier, that line now had trains decked out in the themes of the following anime series recently:

 

Gundam AGE

 

 

Chihayafuru

 

[Densha]

I knew of some of the Keihan Ishiyama-Sakamoto Line anime themes as well. Funny was to see that train line actually being animated in a new anime last week together with the 600系 of course.

[Sacto1985]

Speaking of trains decked out in anime/manga themes, the JR West Sakai Line has essentially the entire line dedicated to the famous manga/anime series GeGeGe no Kitaro, as shown by the specially-painted KiHa 40/47 trains from this video that YouTube user nimo5 just posted:

 

 

Indeed, the nicknames for every station on this line is named after a particular type of youkai found in this series.