Collaboration products filled with unbridled Wataru love are now available! TV anime "The Hero of Magic Wataru" perfume "STEP Eau de Parfum">[Collaboration no Gemba No.4

With today's growing collaboration between various industries and subcultures such as anime and voice acting, there are many people who say, "Whoa, they're doing it! You're doing it," "What? You did it! and "Oh, you're doing it!" and "What? Akiba Research Institute is going to visit the planning sites of "collaborations" of interest to learn about the appeal of the projects, interesting episodes, hardships, and other behind-the-scenes production stories! The fourth installment of this series is called "Collaboration no Gemba" (Collaboration's Gemba).

In this fourth installment, we present "STEP Eau de Parfum," a perfume inspired by the TV anime "The Legend of Heroes: Wataru. Just by looking at the name of the product, Wataru fans must be captivated by it.

We interviewed Mr. Yuki Kumagai, President of Fairy Tail Corporation, who shared his overflowing love for Wataru with us. He told us about his encounter with Wataru, how the collaboration project came about, his passion for creating products such as fragrance and design, and his future plans for the company.

-- First of all, please tell us about the business of your company, Fairy Tail.

Kumagai: We design and sell our own perfumes and import and sell cosmetics. We have a manufacturing and sales license. We are a company that examines and tests the ingredients of cosmetics. We have made several collaborative products in the past, but this is the first time we have collaborated with an anime company.

-- So, let's start by asking about the planning intent and background of this Wataru perfume project. Wataru collaborated with a perfume! I hope you can tell us a lot about your feelings towards the work.

Kumagai: Wataru was broadcast on TV when I was in the fourth grade, but I couldn't watch it in real time because I lived deep in the mountains of Oita. I still clearly remember how frustrated I was when my friends who lived in the city told me that they watched it every week. I remember clearly how frustrated I was when my friends who lived in the city told me that they watched it every week. It was difficult for me to connect the story in my mind (laughs). (Laughs.) Because we were in the countryside, we could only get plastic models that were leftover.

-- So you must have gone through a lot of hardship to watch this film.

Kumagai: In that sense, I am very attached to it. There is no doubt that it became a special animation. After that, "Wataru 3" was broadcast as a radio drama. For the first time, I could listen to it in real life!　That was the work that brought me into real contact with Wataru.

-- What attracted you to "Wataru," a work that you had a hard time just watching?

Kumagai: "Wataru" is a work that has fans of both sexes, with the robotic part being popular among men and the story and characters being popular among women. I was interested in the story and characters, not the demon god (machine). Later, an outside novel called "The Legend of the Tiger King" was published, and that was the first novel I read from beginning to end. I left behind another novel I had started reading and read "The Legend of the Tiger King" (laughs).

-- So it was your strong feeling for "Wataru" that gave birth to this project?

Kumagai: So far, it feels that way, doesn't it? But I came to enjoy "Wataru" in real time, and when I entered junior high school, I got into soccer as well. I liked both anime and soccer, and when I was thinking about whether I should go on to an anime-related school or continue playing soccer, the J-League started, and I was strongly influenced by that. My otaku mind turned to soccer, and the radio drama "Wataru 4" in my third year of junior high school was my last Wataru.

-- That's serious. From there, why perfume again?　Was it because you played soccer and were sensitive to sweat and smells?

Kumagai: I was reading "Hot-Dog Press" while thinking about "what I should do to be popular," and I got the idea that "using perfume would make me popular. At the time, Calvin Klein's "CK-1" and Givenchy's "Ultramarine" were all the rage. I visited an overseas perfume store right around that time and was able to buy them at a very low price compared to the regular price in Japan, so I bought them in large quantities and started using many different kinds of perfumes, which is how I got hooked on perfumes.

-- So that's how you got into perfume work. Where did the Wataru perfume project come from?　Was there a reason you turned your attention to "Wataru" again?

Kumagai: I bought the Blu-ray box set when I found out it came out, and I felt nostalgic. Then I rediscovered that it was a work that I could still get into the story. Later, I happened to be in Ikebukuro on business, and I went into a tavern called "Robo Base," which was doing a collaboration with Wataru. You could get a coaster with your alcohol order. My otaku mind suddenly returned to the idea of completing the coasters and getting the winning clear file. It was just at the time when I was feeling somewhat limited in my perfume work, and I thought, vaguely, "Maybe I should make a Wataru perfume.

-- I guess you could say that Wataru led you to this project.

Kumagai: I started from the point of "How should I approach Wataru with a project? However, I had been away from Wataru for almost 20 years, and when I brought the project to Sunrise, we talked about various things, and I was completely uninformed, to the point that I was reminded that this year was Wataru's 30th anniversary.

This was my first collaboration with a character and I was not familiar with Wataru's recent information, so Sunrise must have wondered, "Are you okay?" I am sure Sunrise must have wondered, "Is this going to be OK? However, the person in charge of the project was very kind and gentle, and thanks to his kindness, we were able to make a prototype of the product, which led to the idea that "people who had never used perfume before would start using it because of Wataru.

-- So that's how "STEP" was born. Are there any interesting episodes or things you were particular about in creating the fragrance?

Kumagai: What I learned a lot about was the concept of fragrance. Usually when I make fragrances, I try to get hints from what is already on the market. This time, however, I wanted to hear from Wataru fans first, so I created a Twitter account. One of the followers works at a maid café in Akihabara, and I went to the café with the light-hearted idea that it would be nice to talk about perfume. I went to the shop with the light-hearted idea that it would be nice to talk about perfume.

I didn't think it would be a good idea to talk to him out of the blue, so I started talking about "Wataru" while talking about my favorite anime, and when the color of his eyes changed and the conversation got more lively, I told him, "Actually, I'm thinking of making a perfume. I changed my mind when I was clearly told no, that Wataru has many female fans, that Wataru fans would not get the fragrance I had in mind at the time, and that the design was for everyone and not for Wataru fans.

-- I think the feedback from fans is helpful. Still, every time you make a move, there is an interesting episode (laughs).

Kumagai I was talking with a maid who was a Wataru fan at the café, and a man sitting nearby started drawing a picture of Ryujinmaru. It made me happy to know that he was also a fan. I think he secretly told the maid in the back that "Wataru's perfume wouldn't sell even if we put it out" (laughs).

-- Even that kind of punchline. But in fact, it did sell, didn't it?

Kumagai: The response was tremendous. As soon as we started the pre-sale, we received a steady stream of order notifications, retweets, and "likes! The response was unceasing. We received orders from overseas as well, so we felt we had a good response, and in fact, we sold more than we had imagined.

-- Kumagai: What do you think was the key to winning the hearts of your fans?

Kumagai: We receive comments directly from fans through messages and in-store sales, and many of them say, "The naming is good. It seems that the product name "STEP" struck a chord with fans.

-- So it reached the hearts of the people it was supposed to reach. Selling is important, but were there any other positive aspects of the collaboration?

Kumagai: STEP led to offers for other collaborative product projects. The fact that we had produced one product and achieved results became a strength, and it also allowed me to do a new kind of work, collaborative product planning. Wataru is truly a savior for me. We are planning to unveil many more interesting products in the future, so please look forward to them.

*Currently, body mist is also on sale! The names of these products are also very particular about each one!