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Oct 12, 2017
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Shogakukan opened a website on Tuesday to reveal the launch of a new multimedia project titled Pochitto Hatsumei: Pikachin-Kit (Pochi and Invention: Pikachin-Kit). The franchise includes toys, planned anime and manga projects, a YouTube video series, and a variety program. The November issue of Shogakukan's Coro Coro Comics magazine is revealing more details about the franchise on Friday.
The plastic model toys will launch starting in January, and the manga will launch in the December issue of Coro Coro Comics, which will ship in mid-November. Another manga will run at the same time in Bessatsu Coro Coro Comics.
The television anime will premiere in Japan on January 6 at 9:30 a.m. on TV Tokyo and its affiliates. The anime will feature staff who have worked on the Pokémon and Yōkai Watch franchises. Bandai is credited with the original plan, and Ryūichi Murata is directing the series at OLM and Shinei Animation. Amazon is credited with production cooperation. Yoichi Kato (Aikatsu! all four series, Duel Masters) is handling the series composition, and publisher Gakken is credited as the "inspiration adviser."
The anime centers on an elementary student named Eiji Tōmatsu, and his "inspiration" buddy, a dog named Pochirō. One day Eiji finds a mysterious book called the "Pikachin Research Book," and learns about the Pikachin Kit. He also orders a pair of "Cunning Glasses" from Amazon that will help him find his inspiration.
In the franchise, the word "Pikachin" means the flash of inspiration or insight one gets about a new project, similar to the visual of a lightbulb turning on above one's head when someone has an idea.
The YouTube video series launched in July, and the videos feature "Pikachins" who explain the charm of inventing, and give detailed information from the conception to the completion of an invention.
The live-action variety program titled Pikatto Kaiketsu: PIkachin Hunter premiered on TV Tokyo and its affiliates on Saturday and the show airs weekly at 9:30 a.m.
