By HIDEKI ITO/ Staff Writer
May 12, 2021 at 08:00 JST
An animated video clip featuring Kumamon and Luffy ((c) Eiichiro Oda/ Shueisha, Fuji Television Network, Toei Animation)
KUMAMOTO--Kumamoto Prefecture’s popular mascot, Kumamon, and characters from the “One Piece” hit pirate anime appear together in videos on rebuilding efforts from powerful earthquakes that struck Kyushu five years ago.
The prefectural government on April 14 started releasing the animated videos as part of the Kumamoto Revival Project. Six clips will be available on the prefectural office’s website and elsewhere.
The video series is titled “Episode of Kumamoto: Yomigaeru Hinokuni no Hiho” (The secret treasures of the land of fire coming back to life).
It shows Kumamon, “One Piece” protagonist Luffy and Pirate Captain Buggy as they visit various places to show reconstruction work from the 2016 earthquakes and promote the charms of the prefecture.
Eiichiro Oda, the author of the original “One Piece” manga, hails from Kumamoto Prefecture.
Mayumi Tanaka, the voice actress for Luffy in the animated adaptations, and Shigeru Chiba, another Kumamoto Prefecture native who provides the voice for Buggy, collaborated for the project.
The videos are available for viewing until March 31, 2022.
Kumamoto’s scenic ‘Laputa Road’ unrepaired after ’16 quakes
May 3, 2021
2016 quakes lead to disaster relief network of ham radio operators
April 30, 2021
VOX POPULI: 5 years after quake, survivors are still hanging tough to rebuild
April 15, 2021
Kumamoto remembers 2016 quake victims on 5th anniversary
April 14, 2021
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
