Autumn Anime "Bikkuri Men" Episode 1 Advance Information & Long Interview! The person in charge of Lotte's "Bikkuriman" talks about his passion for the anime adaptation!

The first episode and synopsis of the fall anime "Bikkuri Men," scheduled to begin airing on October 5, 2023, have been announced. In addition, an official interview with Lotte's Masaaki Motohara, who is responsible for the original "Bikkuriman" series, has also been released, in which he talks about his thoughts on the anime adaptation.

BICKYRIMAN" is Lotte's chocolate candy that has been loved for more than 45 years since its birth in 1977. The "Devil vs. Angel" series (released in 1985), which depicted a battle between a devil and an angel, became such a big boom that it caused a social phenomenon.
Shin-Ei Animation (established in 1976), which was founded at the same time as Bikkuriman, planned to animate this work.
The 2023 anime "Bikkurimen" will be broadcast from the fall of 2023, and will be a completely original story featuring the well-known sticker characters Yamato, Ushiwaka, Jack, Phoenix, and others.

⇒ Chaotic PV of the fall anime "Bikkuri Men" is now on view! 10 characters' voices and cast comments are revealed at once!

⇒Click here for the list of fall 2023 anime.

The TV anime "Bikkuri Men", which will start airing on October 5, has released an advance cut of the first episode and a synopsis. In addition, an official interview with Masaaki Motohara of Lotte, the company responsible for the original "Bikkuriman" series, has also been released, in which he talks about his thoughts on the anime adaptation. It was also announced that the original story of "Bikkuri Men" will be serialized on the web in the weekly magazine "Korokoro Comic".

The following is a synopsis of the story and some advance cutaways.

Episode 1 "Surprise Delivery!
It has been a year since the "Bikkuriman sticker incident".
While the world is excited about the release of Bikkuriman chocolates for the first time in a long time, Terumiko at the Bikkuriman factory is on high alert.
Meanwhile, Yamato encounters Kuro, a black cat, while working as a part-time courier. ......

Official interview with Masaaki Motohara, the man in charge of Lotte's "Bikkuriman.

A long interview with Masaaki Motohara, the director of Lotte's "Bikkuriman", about his thoughts on the animated series, which has been five years in the planning. Check it out as well as the anime.

＜Masaaki Motohara's official interview

-How long have you been in charge of the chocolate confectionery "BICKYRIMAN"?
Also, do you have any memories of working with Bikkuriman?

I have been in charge since 2013, which makes 11 years.
I myself was not in the middle of the "Bickeleman" generation, but was still a child when Devil vs. Angel was released around 1985. I just remember getting the stickers and sticking them on my desk.
Before I was put in charge of Bikkuriman, the previous "Bikkuriman" generation members were all from the Bikkuriman generation, so I was the first from a lighter generation to be put in charge of the project.

-Did you learn a lot after you were put in charge of the project?

I studied a lot (laughs). It was like studying history (laughs).
At first, I had to learn the names of the characters, but that gave me some ideas for collaboration projects. New ideas are born from difficulties, aren't they?

-Nowadays, collaborations with popular works are appearing one after another.

People often say, "You wanted to combine a popular content with Bikkuriman. People say, "Oh, but 10 years ago, in 2013, the idea of collaboration was rare and not as common as it is now in the confectionery industry.
The idea of accelerating collaborative products came from the fact that I couldn't remember the characters myself right away. So I thought if it was an area I was interested in, I might be able to remember it. I like soccer, so I applied it to soccer characters and was able to remember them quickly.
I thought that if it was in an area that people were interested in, there might be a possibility that they could remember it, so I thought, "Well, let's team up with something or someone in a hobby area that everyone is interested in," and the collaboration was born. This is exactly what we call a "multifaceted interest arousal strategy. That is why we collaborate not only with animation, but also with baseball, soccer, comedy, idols, and many other fields.
People sometimes say to me, "You are doing a wide range of collaborations," but there is more than one hobby, so we are trying to hit it from a variety of angles. I started collaborating not just for the sake of sales, but first of all to get people interested in Bikkuriman itself, which was the reason why I started collaborating, and it is still my desire today.
So, in a sense, I think this anime is the same thing.

-What do you think is the appeal of "BICKYMAN"?

Since its birth, "Bikkuriman" has always been about "surprising people" in the form of surprise stickers, and I believe that this sense of fun and surprise (Bikkuri) is the origin of Bikkuriman and the strength of the brand.
One clear reason why Bikkuriman continues to be loved is that many people buy it as if it were a fortune. For example, if you want to collect only stickers of a certain content, now you can buy them online, so there is no need to buy them with sweets. When we surveyed all generations about why they need to buy candy in such an era, many of them answered, "I buy the thrill of not knowing what I am going to win. The answer is "I buy the thrill of not knowing what I am going to win. They are buying it as if it were a fortune with sweets. That is why we always put freshness and the fun and surprise of not knowing what is in the package into our products to make them feel excited.

-What were your thoughts when the idea of animating "Bikkuriman" came to your mind?

Originally, I had been thinking about making an animated series since about five years ago. Bikkuriman has been animated in the past, but I wanted to create a Bikkuriman for a new era, not a revival of the past, I was looking for a variety of ways to work together.
I was also interested in taking on new challenges, such as creating an eight-headed character to reach new audiences. I wanted to bet on it and make it a success together.

-I wanted to bet on it and make it a success together.

One thing we clearly discussed in our communication was that we wanted to convey the appeal of Bikkuriman to people today in an easy-to-understand way, such as the new illustration of the eight-headed character instead of the two-headed deformed character of the old Bikkuriman cartoons, and the scenery that made Bikkuriman a huge movement in the past. The idea is to convey the appeal of Bikkuriman to people today in an easy-to-understand way. Bikkuriman stickers have taught me a lot about economics." "I learned about the exchange of value through the exchange of stickers." Many people say, "I learned a lot about economics from the Bikkuriman stickers. In this way, we clearly communicated that we wanted the animation to spread the greatness and beloved value of the Bikkuriman sticker, which continues despite changes in the times, to the current generation.

I also gave the order to convey the greatness of the past, but I thought that if I restricted myself too much, I would not be able to create something interesting, so I left the rest of the checkpoints to them so that they could do whatever they wanted, while clearly defining the checkpoints. If I were to go into detail, it might be closer to what I envisioned, but I felt that it would not go beyond that, including more unexpectedness. So, I decided to bet on your professional skills. While the setting is something that could be found in today's real world, the inclusion of current events from the past is clever, and I thought the timeless setting of the story, made possible only by the animation, was wonderful. It is really fun to watch.
The opening song is also very good, with the right tempo and tune.
The voice actors are also quite splendid, and they are all well suited to their characters. In addition, there is a certain person who will surprise you if you are a Bikkuriman fan. He was also experiencing postrecording for the first time, and he enjoyed it very much. Please look forward to it.

How did you feel when you saw the characters for the first time?

When Mr. Hayashi told me that "Hiroyuki Takei has been chosen as the character designer! I was very excited when I received the news from Mr. Hayashi that "Mr. Hiroyuki Takei has been chosen as the character designer! I was grateful for the strength of his commitment to the "Bikkuriman" project.
I think it's interesting that Yamato retains the Prince Yamato style, but like Teruko and Head Rococo, there are things that are new looking, but still capture the characteristics of the character.

-What do you hope to see in this work?

The catchphrase "This is the Bikkuriman of Reiwa. The catch copy "This is Reiwa's Bikkuriman" tells the long history of the series. The fact that it started in the Showa era and has continued through the Heisei era to 2025 is only possible because it is a long-selling brand that has been loved by many people. The story is also very promising in that the value of "Bikkuriman" is set quite high, just like paper money, and through the anime, it is easy to understand why it was popular in the past, and how its appeal and intrinsic value continues in the current era.
I am very grateful that in the five years since the animation was conceived, it has been realized in this way, and my dream has come true.

-What kind of people do you think the anime "Bikkuri Men" will be accepted by?

I think it will be easy to get into for people who have never heard of Bikkuriman. Of course, Bikkuriman fans will also enjoy it.
Bikkuriman is often said to be the first media mix that started with stickers, which is very rare. (Usually, it starts with anime, original comics, etc.)
) So at the time of its release, the storyline was something you had to imagine while looking at the back of the stickers to enjoy. However, this time, we hope that the anime will allow people to experience Bikkuriman in a casual way, and that more people will realize the value of Bikkuriman, which they have been hearing a lot about recently.

-To the fans of Bikkuriman and to the viewers who are new to Bikkuriman through the anime "Bikkuriman," what are your expectations and highlights of the anime?

For "Bikkuriman" fans
I think this will be an opportunity for viewers to see a new Bikkuriman that is different from the Bikkuriman they have seen before. It is a wonderful anime that will allow you to enjoy both the nostalgia of the past and a new aspect that only 2025 can offer.

To the viewers who will experience Bikkuriman for the first time through the "Bikkuriman" anime
Even if you have heard of "Bikkuriman," you may be thinking, "Is it a candy with stickers? I heard there was a big boom in the past, but what is it?" There are actually many people who have heard of "Bikkuriman," but who have no idea what it is. I would be happy if we could convey the charm of Bikkuriman, the greatness of the old boom, and the reason why it is still loved by such people through the anime.

-I am often told by cast members, "The candy tastes better than it used to. Have you made any improvements to the wafers?

We have not changed the basic composition, but in 2010 we changed to biscuit crunch to accommodate peanut allergies and designed products that are safe for both children and adults.
As a confectionery manufacturer, we are constantly researching ways to improve the taste of our products, and our technology has evolved since the launch of the product, such as the pursuit of a better chocolate taste and a crispier texture for wafers. In a sense, we are two-faced, as we are committed to both seals and confectionery, and we are serious about both!

*Comments are in Japanese only.

Masaaki Motohara Profile
Manager, Baked Confectionery Planning Section, Brand Strategy Department, Lotte Marketing Division
Masaaki has been in charge of Bikkuriman marketing since 2013.
He has produced a wide range of projects for Bikkuriman, which had been in the doldrums, including collaboration strategies, projects beyond the confectionery realm, and real events (such as the Enoshima Aquarium collaboration), and has been a key player in the V-shaped recovery of Bikkuriman brand sales. Currently, he is promoting the character business in general through lectures and other activities both inside and outside the company.

He is currently promoting a wide range of character businesses both inside and outside the company, including lectures.

The official spin-off manga of "Bikkuri Men" will be serialized in Weekly Corocoro Comic starting November 10.

Official spin-off manga "Bikkuri Men Battle Royale
Author: Akinomimi
Serialization start date: November 10, 2023- (tentative)
Publication: Weekly Korokoro Comic (WEB / serialized weekly / 12 episodes planned)
Publication URL: #
Synopsis:
On New Year's night, Yamato and his friends have a dream.
If they participate in a race and come in first place, they will get a limited and very rare Bikkuriman sticker....
Hearing the phrase "limited and very rare," Yamato and his friends show up at the race site.
Then, a desperate battle for the stickers begins.

Film Information
TV animation " Bikkuri Men
＜Broadcast Information
Broadcasting is scheduled to begin on October 5, 2023 on TOKYO MX and BS Asahi.
TOKYO MX: October 5, 2023 (Thu.) 23:30~ (JST)
BS Asahi: October 6 (Fri.) 23:00 -

<Distribution information
Scheduled to be sequentially distributed on various platforms from 24:00 on October 5 (Thu.), 2023.
Broadcasting and distribution dates and content are subject to change.

<Staff
Original Story: Lotte
Director : Tomohiro Tsukimiri
Series composition：Yuniko Ayana
Character draft・Mechanic draft：Hiroyuki Takei
Character Design： Ayano Owada
Mechanical Design: Hiroyuki Takei, Takuya Izio
Art Director: Osamu Tayama
Color Design: Haruko Nobori
Director of Photography: Jun Kubota
Editing: Rie Matsubara
Sound Director: Akiko Fujita
Sound Production: INSPION Edge
Music: Misawa Yasuhiro
Production: Shin-Ei Animation
Animation Production: Respri
Production: Bikkuri Men Production Committee

＜Cast
Yamato：Daishi Kajita
Ushiwaka: Hideta Morishima
Jack: Tachibana Ryumaru
Phoenix: Souma Saito
Maris: Katsuyuki Konishi
Hood: Yohei Azaue
Peter: Yuuki Sakakibara
Ali Baba: Atsushi Tamaru
Ippon Tsuri: Yuichiro Umehara
Teruko: Mitsuhiro Ichikawa
Cross: Yui Ogura
Oasis: Yuu Kobayashi
Khan: Katsutoshi Houkame
Taka-yan: Shinnosuke Tokudome

<Synopsis
For those who love Bikkuriman stickers, the value of the stickers is absolute.
They are transported as carefully as cash trucks, and a year ago, there was a theft case called the "300 million Bikkuriman stickers case".

One day, Yamato, a high school student working part-time as a delivery boy, gets caught up in a battle over the stickers.
The Angel Mart convenience store, run by Phoenix, is famous for its easy-to-get stickers, and not only Bikkuriman fans, but also those based at the Devil Store convenience store across the street, are after the stickers.

Former comrades, divided into friend and foe. The battle of destiny begins now!

＜WEB
Official website: #
Official Twitter: #

(c)Lotte Bikkuri Man Project/Bikkuri Men Production Committee