In collaboration with the animated film "Promea" and ABC Cooking Studio, Shigeto Koyama and Hiromi Wakabayashi recreate the pizza in the film perfectly!

The animated film "Promea," in theaters from May 2019, collaborated with ABC Cooking Studio. Shigeto Koyama (character designer) and Hiromi Wakabayashi (creative director) held a pizza making and talk show on November 12, 2019, to recreate the pizza in the film.

The movie "Promea" is the ultimate battle entertainment created by Hiroyuki Imaishi, creator of the popular TV series "Gurren Lagann" (2007) and "Kill la Kill" (2013), and Kazuki Nakajima, a leading figure in the theater world, after six years of planning. After its release on May 24, 2019, word of mouth spread from fans who were fascinated by the work's out-of-the-ordinary visual expression, and despite being an original film, it has had an exceptionally long run and box-office revenues have exceeded 1.4 billion yen.

⇒There is no time to wait for the overwhelming visual experience! The 4D version of "Promea" to be screened on October 18, 2011, with a poster newly drawn by director Hiroyuki Imaishi!

⇒Animation Film Screening Schedule

The film stars Kenichi Matsuyama as Garo, a rookie member of the firefighting team "Burning Rescue," and Taichi Saotome as Rio, Garo's arch-enemy. The superlative cast also includes Masato Sakai as Garo's boss, Clay, and Kendo Kobayashi and Arata Furuta as his supporting cast members.

As part of the collaboration, a pizza-making and talk show featuring Shigeto Koyama (character designer) and Hiromi Wakabayashi (creative director) was held at ABC Cooking Studio. Here is the official report from the event.

Official Report (in Japanese only)

This collaboration was a cooking lesson to make the "Inferno Volcano Margherita Mega Max Pizza" that appears in the movie, and all the lessons held in November were sold out immediately, and another one will be held in December and January. The enthusiasm of the fans for "Promea" has not waned at all even now, six months after its release!

This special lesson was held with Shigeto Koyama, who designed the characters, and Hiromi Wakabayashi, creative director, and was attended by fans dressed in character costumes. When asked about his passion for pizza, Wakabayashi replied, "When I went to an event in Scotland, a pizza maker came by truck because it was Promea, and they made enough for about 200 people. Even the boxes were made to Promair specifications, and they were so delicious that we ate them in the cab on the way there (laughs)," he said, sharing an episode from "SCOTLAND LOVES ANIME 2019. When the actual pizza making started, the two worked hard to make the pizza with high tension while entertaining the fans, with Koyama drawing illustrations of Garo and Rio on the wrap of the bowl that contained the original pizza dough.

During the talk during the pizza-making session, Wakabayashi was asked why pizza appeared in the play. We did location scouting in New York and were impressed by the pizza restaurant. So I chose pizza as a food that I could easily eat in between working hours. Both Koyama and Wakabayashi assured Imaishi that the "Mega Max" part of the name "Inferno Volcano Margherita Mega Max Pizza" must have been his idea.

Wakabayashi said, "I think we all talked about it and made it longer based on Mr. Imaishi's 'Megamax. When asked about the location scouting in New York, Wakabayashi replied, "In creating the cityscape scene at the beginning of the film, I wanted to see that image with the naked eye, so I flew a helicopter over Manhattan in a circle to do the location scouting. Director Imaishi got drunk, though (laughs).

He also interviewed firefighters in New York. "I interviewed firefighters in Yonkers, New York. They let me ride on a ladder truck and shoot water at them, even though it might not be allowed (laughs). They also let me hold a door-piercing arm, which is used in the Burning Rescue equipment. I was also allowed to take pictures of each person's locker, front and back, so I was able to reflect the nuances of the lockers, although they are not exactly what is on the lockers in the play," said Koyama. So if you go to Yonkers, you can see the real Vinny (laughs)," he said, revealing the unexpected person who became the model for the character.

When asked about the Burning Rescue team, which wears unique clothing in the movie, Wakabayashi replied, "The captain of the Yonkers fire department had modified a flight jacket he bought and put the 'Yonkers' logo on the back. On the other hand, the second-in-command was wearing a dark blue uniform. The Japanese uniform was only for the bottom, and the top was a shirt or a T-shirt. So everyone in Burning Rescue wears different clothes.

He also revealed that the pizza parlor in the film is modeled after an actual restaurant in New York called "Lombardi's." It was revealed that location scouting in New York was used throughout the film. When asked by the host about the role of pizza in the film, Wakabayashi replied, "This pizza is the key to victory! It's a symbol of our friends. It is a symbol of the connection between people, kneading the dough and connecting the dough together! Pizza, of course, can be eaten alone, but it is a symbol of a dish that is eaten by more than one person. It is also a symbol of the image of a circle that is formed when everyone sticks out their goo (gooey goo) to make a circle.

Koyama added, "Pizza is a circle made up of triangles. The triangles are the motif of the burnish, so it has a lot of meanings. Wakabayashi said, "I had been thinking about pizza, but I never thought we would collaborate with a cooking class (laugh)," and Koyama added, "I never thought I would have to draw an illustration for a pizza recipe card (laugh). Koyama also seemed surprised at the unexpected collaboration, "I didn't know I would get to draw an illustration for the pizza recipe card.

Wakabayashi explained, "The person in charge at ABC Cooking likes Promea, and when I asked her which character she liked, she said, 'The pizza shop employee. I asked her, "The pizza store worker and Ignis! (Laughs)." Koyama also shared his thoughts on the illustration, saying, "I have rarely drawn Ignis except for posters, so it's quite rare. The event ended with a question-and-answer session from fans, autographs on recipe cards, and other fan services, and was a great success.

Event Summary
■"Promea" movie ABC Cooking Studio event
Date: Tuesday, November 12, 2019
Venue: ABC Cooking Studio Shinjuku Nomura Building Studio
Address: 1-26-2 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo
・Speaker Guests:
　Shigeto Koyama (Character Designer), Hiromi Wakabayashi (Creative Director)
For future reservations, please click here (currently only regular lessons without guests are being accepted).

Movie Information
■Film "Promea".
In theaters from May 24, 2019 (Friday)

<Cast>
Kenichi Matsuyama
Taichi Saotome
Masato Sakai
Kendo Kobayashi
FURUTA Arata
Ayane Sakura
YOSHINO Hiroyuki
Toru Inada
Mayumi Shintani
KOYAMA Rikiya KOSHIMIZU Ami
KUSUNOKI Daisuke
HIYAMA Shuyuki
KONISHI Katsuyuki
YUZUKI Ryoka

＜Staff
Original Story : TRIGGER, NAKAJIMA Kazuki
Director : Hiroyuki Imaishi
Screenplay : Kazuki Nakajima
Character Design : Shigeto Koyama
Art Director : Tomotaka Kubo
Art Director: Tomotaka Kubo
Color Design: Yukiko Kakita
3DCG Production: Sanzigen
3D Director: Shinpei Ishikawa
Director of Photography: Shinsuke Ikeda
Editing: Junichi Uematsu
Music: Hiroyuki Sawano
Sound Director: Yasunori Ebina
Title Logo Design: Masashi Ichiko
Theme Songs: "Kakusei" "Hyo ni Shikome" (Awakening), "Hyo ni Shikome
Theme Songs: "Kakusei" and "Hyo ni Shikomeme" by Superfly (Warner Music Japan)
Animation Production: TRIGGER
Production: XFLAG
Distributor: Toho Film Division

＜STORY
The Great Global Conflagration

What triggered this unprecedented situation, in which half of the world was destroyed by fire, was the appearance of the "Varnish," a race of people born as a mutation who control flames. Thirty years have passed since then, and a group of aggressive individuals, calling themselves the "Mad Burnish," have attacked the world once again.

Garo, a rookie member of the Burning Rescue, a highly mobile firefighting team for the Varnish, and Rio, the leader of the Mad Varnish, are both possessed by the burning spirit of firefighters. Their passionate souls collide, and what will be the outcome of their battle?

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