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Fukushima Gainax's Miharu Tourism Anime's 1st Episode Streamed
posted on by Lynzee Loveridge
The first episode of anime studio Gainax Fukushima's "Miharu no Arumiigo" net series to promote Miharu town in Fukushima began streaming on Monday. The series of cut-out animation shorts follows Harumi-chan, a young girl who visits her grandfather's house in Miharu. While looking for her grandfather, she hears voices coming from the storehouse. Inside she sees a trio of fairies and follows them into the woods where they perform a song and dance that causes flowers to bloom. Harumi introduces herself and the group then heads to a giant sakura tree to perform the same magic dance. After much dancing (and getting dizzy), the giant tree blooms and a fairy princess emerges.
Gainax Fukushima is making the net series specifically for children. It stars Ami Nakahata as Harumi, Tomoyo Yoshida as Sakuracchi, Rimana Chiba as Momocchi, Yōsuke Ohta as Umecchi, Aoi Saitō as Sakurana-hime, Akiko Sue as the narrator, and Yūki Takagi and Risa Shigihara as Harumi's parents. The voice actors are all local Miharu students.
Miharu's official channel is also streaming a making-of video.
The episode premiered on March 28 at a preview party held at the Miharu Exchange Center "Mahora" in front of an audience of about 90 people.
A total of five episodes are planned with the next two scheduled to premiere in May, followed by the fourth in August and the fifth in October.
Gainax Fukushima also created the "Omoi no Kakera" (Fragments of Feelings) animated short to promote Fukushima and Tohoku. The short was extended into a 25-minute version that aired on NHK on March 24. The two-episode anime short to promote the city of Date in Fukushima Prefecture will screen on April 24 with voice actors Sarah Emi Bridcutt and Ayumu Murase.
