NHK World Japan's English documentary program for overseas audiences, "ANIME MANGA EXPLOSION," will air a "DIGIMON Special" on October 26th, featuring the popular "Digimon" series, which includes anime and games. The program will feature an interview with Toei Animation's Hiromi Seki, the series' first producer, and will explore the appeal of the series, which has continued to be loved around the world for over 25 years.
"Digimon" was released as a mobile game in June 1997, and the first TV anime series, "Digimon Adventure," aired from 1999 to 2000. In the program, Seki will talk about the story behind the creation of the series, explaining why the original anime themes of "bonds with humans" and "growth" were incorporated into the series, in addition to the appeal of the game's "training and battling" aspects. The program will also reveal the strategy behind how the series differentiated itself from the then-leading "Pokemon" series.
The program will also feature an in-depth look at the production of the all-new TV anime "Digimon BEATBREAK," which began airing on Fuji TV and other channels in October. The new work is an ambitious work that has changed its target audience from the traditional children to those in their teens and twenties. Series director Hiroaki Miyamoto and character designer Takahiro Kojima will reveal how they discussed and created the image of the 15-year-old protagonist, Tomorrow, who possesses both strengths and weaknesses. A behind-the-scenes video of the first episode, which features the protagonist's impressive emotional expression, will also be shown.
Designer Kenji Watanabe, who has designed over 1,000 Digimon, will also be making an appearance. Watanabe is in charge of designing Gekkomon, Tomorrow's partner Digimon in the new anime, and will talk about the secrets of Digimon design and the special attention he paid to Gekkomon. He will also closely follow the production of the Digimon evolution scenes, which are the highlights of the anime's battle scenes, and show us how they are drawn.
"DIGIMON Special" will be broadcast on October 26th at 12:10 PM, 6:10 PM, and 11:10 PM, and the following day on the 27th at 5:10 AM.
