ATMs with handsome voices appear at Comiket! Seven Concierge" makes banking transactions a little more special and a little more fun [Gemba in Collaboration Part 2

Today, with the increasing collaboration between pop culture and various industries, such as anime and voice acting, we hear a lot of "Whoa, they're doing it! You're doing it," "What? You did it! and "Oh, you're doing it!" and "What? Akiba Research Institute has decided to visit the sites where these "collaborations" are being planned and ask about the appeal of the projects, interesting episodes, hardships, and other behind-the-scenes stories about their production! The second installment of this series is "Collaboration no Gemba" (Collaboration's Gemba).

In this second installment, we introduce "Seven Concierge. This is a new fusion project of finance and entertainment in which handsome characters act as concierges to support banking transactions.

Mr. Hayahiro Saito, Director of Fumoa Co., Ltd. and Seven Bank, Ltd. started the "Seven Concierge" project, which is based on the concept of "making banking transactions a little more special and fun than usual," in collaboration with Seven Bank, Ltd, Ltd., Business Solution Div. Planning Sec. Planner Akemi Asakura, and Business Solution Div. Planning Sec. Consultant Minako Shimizu, who launched the "Seven Concierge" project with Seven Bank, Ltd. based on the concept of "a little fun bank transaction," talked about the background of the collaboration project, the particulars of character creation, future development, and more.

-- First of all, could you tell us what kind of company Fumoa Inc. is?

Saito: Fumoa Inc. is a company that provides business solutions utilizing entertainment. For example, we provide services from planning to production of promotions using entertainment, such as the one for Seven Bank, and we also produce training manuals and pamphlets using manga.

With approximately 8,000 in-house and external creators, we are able to produce high-quality manga, illustrations, and accompanying animation and 3D production that are tailored to the target audience. In addition, since the production process is based on a division of labor system, one of our features is that in addition to high quality, we are able to produce large quantities quickly.

Unlike regular agencies, more than half of our employees are creators, so I think this company is a good match for a project like this Seven Concierge, where we take our time to create the product.

-- Quickly, please tell us how the "Seven Concierge" project was launched.

Shimizu: This project won the top prize in an open innovation competition hosted by creww, which aims to match large companies with venture companies. We decided, "Let's do it with an attractive character!" When it came time to create the character, the goal was not just to create a beautiful male character, but also to "create an incentive to open a Seven Bank account. By adding the attractiveness of the character, we started the process of linking this to the opening of accounts.

Saito: The only reasons for opening an account are that "the company specified it" or "it was close to my house. However, we thought that by creating a good character, that character would become a motivation for opening an account. The fact that we could create a motive that did not exist before was highly evaluated and led to our adoption. We wanted to open an account because we wanted a card with that character on it! is a good motive.

-- There are many cards with characters on them, such as credit cards and store membership cards. But this time, the ATM is also a character, which is different from the usual collaborations. How did you come up with the idea?

Saito: It came from the idea of "What can we do with ATMs as a medium for entertainment? This idea was born from the idea of "What if we could use ATMs as a medium to play with entertainment? The purpose of this project is to see how users react, so we are also doing a lot of experimental work.

-- It's a very interesting project, but that's why you limited the locations of the installations. You exhibited at Comiket in the summer. What was the reaction of those who experienced it?

Saito: There was always a line of people waiting in line, and people were saying on social networking sites, "There was a line of people standing in line along the wall, I wondered what was going on. There were many posts on social media such as, "There was a line along the wall, and I wondered what was going on, but it turned out to be an ATM (laugh). The queue was even featured on TV news.

Shimizu: We used cosplayers to recreate the characters so that people could see what the concierge would be like in three dimensions, so it was easy for people to get an idea of the characters.

-- You have a great cast of voice actors doing the voices of the characters.

Asakura: I was so surprised that I commented to my boss at the proposal stage, "Wow, these are gorgeous voice actors. I wonder if this comment was the reason I was allowed to participate in the project (laughs).

Saito: The people in charge at Seven Bank were very knowledgeable about voice actors, so we had discussions as we went along. Most of the work related to character setting was done mainly by female staff. Even when there were difficulties in character setting or casting, we could always hear the voices of the female staff having a lot of fun.

Shimizu: Character setting came first. Sho Kaito (CV: Tomoaki Maeno), who was requested to be a character often seen in games for women, is a royal prince and was the first character we created. We were conscious of the image of sincerity. I requested him because I thought his voice would be just right for the role of the hero that Mr. Maeno had previously played.

Hinata Weigetsu (CV: Tomoki Ono) is a younger, slightly cocky junior character with a tsundere element. He is a childhood friend of the main character, and although he is cocky, it is hard to dislike him. Ms. Ono's voice was just as I had imagined. I was reminded once again how great the acting ability of voice actors really is.

Kanade Tono (CV: Nobuhiko Okamoto) is a cheerful, high-spirited character who is popular in his class. He has excellent communication skills and is what you might call a doggy type. He is always wagging his tail and smiling. She works part-time at a café and is used to serving customers. In the most recent anime, I thought Okamoto-san, who played the role perfectly suited my image, would be a good choice.

Tsukishiro 99 (CV: Ryohei Kimura) is a cool-headed guy with a touch of me. He is an entertainer and has a lot of pride. However, he is a character with a gap in that he is extremely direction-phobic. When I thought of someone who could play that gap well, I thought Kimura's voice might be a good fit! The idea came to me.

Kagurazaka Nico (CV: Tsubasa Yonaga) is a bonbon, soft and gentle type. He is a bit laid back in everything he does, as well as in his speaking speed. She is a returnee with a butler, so she has an air of elegance about her. If I were to say she has a cute voice, I would say Ms. Dainaga (laughs).

Anju Anju (CV: Yusuke Kobayashi) is a character with a neutral atmosphere both externally and internally. He is a hairdresser, and compared to the other characters, I have the image that he is good at giving advice. We asked Mr. Kobayashi to create a unisex voice that is neither too high nor too low.

Ryushi Himuro (CV.: Kenjiro Tsuda) is the most mature of the characters. He is a dandy with a sexy personality. He is the master of the café where everyone gathers, so he is like a father to the characters. He also has a past where he was a bit naughty. When I was thinking about the setting, I had an image of Mr. Tsuda as the voice.

I was thinking of Mr. Tsuda's voice when I was thinking about the setting -- he has a very strong character. There is even a past setting at .......

Asakura: In addition to what has been released to the public, we also decided on the details of their daily lives and stories from the past. The content is so detailed that Mr. Saito says, "It's a little bit too much" (laughs). (Laughs.) But it is very important to be that meticulous in characterization.

-- I can feel the passion and dedication that went into the creation of the characters. Did you encounter any difficulties during postrecording?

Saito: Because it is an ATM, the concierge has to guide the customers. I had to be very careful about the tone of the character's voice, which can be a bit cocky, and how much of that is allowed as customer service. We needed to be accepted by the customer as a character, while still taking care of the customer service part. We had many discussions with Seven Bank about how much to add or subtract from the character.

-- Currently, the machines are installed at several locations in Tokyo, including animate stores, which is a perfect location for them. What other places can we experience the service?

Saito: The most recent is Comiket in winter. Last time, due to security reasons, we were only able to use the trial version, but this time it will be at a regular ATM where money can be withdrawn properly.

-- I think there will be more lines than at the summer Comiket. I am looking forward to it. Thank you very much.


(Interview and writing by Shinobu Tanaka)

Seven Concierge

■Project Contents

A large number of dialogues about 7 original handsome characters newly drawn for this project, in accordance with each character's personality and various situations, in collaboration with a team of splendid voice actors.

1: Support for account transactions through character voices on smart speakers (Amazon Alexa)

Based on the dialogues recorded for each character, the speaker provides information on account balances and transactions as if it were a conversation with the character, depending on the day of the week, time of day, and transaction details in the linked Seven Bank account.

2: Support for transactions by characters at some ATMs

At some ATMs, characters will be installed, and customers will be guided by the character's image and voice. Please check the dedicated website for the location of the characters.

3: Comic Market

Seven Bank will exhibit at a corporate booth at Comic Market 94, which will be held from December 29. Customers who do not have a Seven Bank account will be able to experience the ATMs of this project at the booth with the characters.

Seven Concierge Goods Comp Set to be Presented

Three winners will receive a comp set (set contents: clear file, 7 types of rubber stamps, 7 types of can badges, and sticker sheet) featuring a variety of unique characters! Please read the application guidelines below and apply as soon as possible.

<Prize
A comp set of a clear file, 7 types of rubber stamps, 7 types of badges, and a sticker sheet (not for sale).

<Entry requirements
Application period: Thursday, December 27, 2018 to Thursday, January 10, 2019 at 23:59
Number of winners: 3 persons
Announcement of winners: Prizes will be shipped to winners.
Prizes will be shipped by the end of February 2019.
How to apply: By filling out the dedicated form.

<Note
Registration (free of charge) is required to apply.
Only one entry per person is allowed.
We will not be able to respond to any inquiries regarding the results of the drawing or shipping status.
Transfer or resale of the prize or rights to the prize winner to a third party is prohibited.
Kakaku.com Group employees and related parties are not eligible to participate.
Prizes must be shipped within Japan.
Kakaku.com will take the utmost care in packaging the prizes, but please note that no returns or exchanges will be accepted in the event that the prizes are damaged due to an accident during transportation.
Please note that the prize will be invalidated in the following cases
　Multiple winners at the same address or in the same household
　If you have entered the contest using an unauthorized account (e.g., multiple accounts by the same person)
　If a prize cannot be delivered due to the winner's address, change of address, long-term absence, etc.
　Prizes cannot be delivered due to incomplete contact or delivery address information.
　Prize winners who fail to contact us by the prize delivery address notification deadline
　If there is any fraudulent activity related to the application.