Last weekend, the “Jashin-chan Dropkick (Dropkick On My Devil!)” surprised with the news that There would be an important announcement that would even feature a live broadcast with the production team for its reveal. This soon raised expectations, especially from those fans who have waited patiently for the fourth season of the anime adaptation.
Although the announcement was related to the anime adaptation, it was not exactly focused on “Jashin-chan Dropkick.” In fact, it was to announce the intention to produce a sequel to “Zunda Horizon”, a short film released during the “2017 Young Animator Training Project”. The announcement was also the opening of a fundraising campaign to pay for the production of this sequel, with a goal of 24 million yen (more than 150 thousand dollars).
You probably don’t know “Zunda Horizon” at all.a project directed by Hiroshi Takeuchi himself (animation director on “Cowboy Bebop”, “Mob Psycho 100 II”, “Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic”), So here is the synopsis:
- Zunko Tohoku can turn any mochi into delicious zunda mochi by shooting it with his Zunda Arrow. Together with Kiritan Tohoku, Itako Tohoku, Usagi Chuugoku, Metan Shikoku and Sora Kyushu, enjoy eating zunda mochi full of happiness. On the contrary, Chanko Ooedo runs the natto factory together with his companions Tsurugi Chubu, Shinobi Kansai, Awamo Okinawa and Meron Hokkaido.
- Although zunda and natto use the same type of seed, the edamame used in zunda and the soybeans used in natto are harvested at different times, with edamame being the first to be harvested. As a result, members of the natto factory fear that the amount of soybeans harvested will decrease. Chanko sends Awamo Okinawa and Meron Hokkaido to Zunko’s house to assassinate her, but a third power appears.
The story is definitely “very Japanese”, so some issues would only be understood if you know the culture or gastronomy of the region. But where does Jashin-chan come in? Well, the statement explains it clearly:
- Hello! Am Zunko Tohoku! Incredible news! We are going to crowdfund to create the next installment of the anime “Zunda Horizon”, which portrays our exciting battles and our daily lives. And that’s not all! This time, we will have a special guest: Jashin-chan, the main protagonist of “Dropkick on My Devil!”, who is also available as a voice in the voice synthesis software VOICEPEAK.
- The first installment of Zunda Horizon was produced in 2017 as part of the Cultural Affairs Agency’s project “Anime Tamago 2017 (formerly Anime Mirai),” marking a milestone as the first “commercial musical anime to use Vocaloid.” And now, we want to create together an even more powerful and exciting new work with your support!
That’s right, Jashin-chan will be a special guest if this sequel is ever produced, a move that clearly seeks to take advantage of her popularity to achieve the production goal. (which will surely be achieved, since at the time of writing this article it is already more than 70 percent complete). However, not all fans have reacted positively:
- «This is how “disappointment haters” are born».
- «It was a fun time».
- «There is no need for them to make more anime if those responsible are a disaster.».
- «Thinking about it, it is quite curious to prepare and set up a booth of your favorite character just to watch a live broadcast.».
- «In fact, this transmission was already covered by Zundamon’s official accounts. There was no need to announce it as a big announcement on Jashin-chan’s part.».
- «Even Jashin-chan’s main thread is a mess right now».
- «They are becoming addicted to crowdfunding, what a laugh».
- «They already crowdfunded for season 4 a long time ago. Why haven’t they given a single progress report?».
- «Things like this are why crowdfunding in Japan has such a bad reputation».
- «It’s a shame, crowdfunding had so much enthusiasm».
- «I don’t think they have enough material for a season 4 in the first place.».
- «They raised funds for the production, they have not given any progress, they announce a rare collaboration and a new crowdfunding. It’s an insult to the fans».
- «It’s like taxes in Japan: if you need more money, you just squeeze more».
- «Haven’t they been doing things wrong for a long time?».
- «Those responsible have been completely disconnected from the fans from the beginning. The best thing would be to abandon expectations for the anime».
- «I don’t follow this anime, but didn’t they say in the first crowdfunding what they would use the money for? If they also do not deliver merchandise, it is normal for fans to feel hurt».
- «Does anyone really set up an acrylic booth just to watch a live stream?».
- «They probably thought they would finally announce season 4 and got excited».
- «Anyway, if they crowdfund, they will end up making another animation. True patrons should simply pay 1 billion yen to force them to do so».
- «I don’t understand, if they want season 4 so much, why don’t they put more money into crowdfunding?».
Fountain: Yaraon!
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