By TAKESHIRO TOKUNAGA/ Staff Writer
September 14, 2020 at 08:00 JST
The Japan Mint is accepting orders for the "Evangelion 2020 Brilliant Uncirculated Coin Set." (Provided by the Japan Mint)
OSAKA--The Japan Mint plans to soon release special collector coin sets to commemorate 25 years since the popular "Neon Genesis Evangelion" animated TV series first aired.
The coin sets are bundled with medals, which come in two varieties. One is a silver medal, featuring a color print of Evangelion Unit-01, which is piloted by the protagonist, Shinji Ikari. The other is a bronze medal showing Ikari and the heroine Rei Ayanami.
The silver medal will be included in the set containing six coins in denominations of 1, 5, 10, 50, 100 and 500 yen, minted in the second year of Reiwa (2019-present) and given a mirror finish. The set comes with a special leather case, and will be sold for 13,700 yen ($129), including tax and handling fees.
There will only be a limited 20,000 of these sets made.
The bronze medal will be included in the other set, which consists of the regular six coins in denominations of 1 through 500 yen. It will retail for 2,500 yen, limited to 50,000 sets.
The agency is accepting orders by mail and online at (https://www3.mint.go.jp/) until Sept. 17. If the volume of applications is large, though, customers will be chosen by lottery.
The Japan Mint has in the past issued coin sets themed on the "Astro Boy" anime series, the "Ultraman" superhero live-action show and various other titles.
"Evangelion" was chosen for the latest special offering because the anime series "has a large fan base across all ages and nationalities," according to an official.
The breakout anime first aired in 1995, and later animated feature film adaptations also became huge hits. The story centers around 14-year-old boys and girls who pilot Evangelions, which are humanoid, robot-like weapons, to fight mysterious enemies attacking Earth called Angels.
A quarter of a century later, the "Evangelion" franchise continues to enjoy popularity and boasts fans both at home and abroad.
A portion of the coin sets will be sold to overseas customers. The Japan Mint said it will announce more details about the product on its website at (https://www.mint.go.jp/category/eng) in or after the middle of October.
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