Launch of "Anime ZONE," a new way to enjoy animated TV shows in movie theaters! What is the new way to enjoy anime proposed by Cine Libre Ikebukuro?

Cine Libre Ikebukuro, a movie theater operated by Theatres Cinema Group, launched a new project called "Anime ZONE" on July 19, 2019, which screens anime on a large screen all year round.

The "Anime ZONE" is a project jointly planned and operated by Tokyo Theatres Co. and Slow Curve, Inc. that screens TV anime, both previously broadcast and currently being broadcast, on a large screen all year round.
⇒A new style of animation viewing at theaters is here! Anime ZONE," which screens anime on large screens all year round, will start on July 19 (Fri.)!

The screening theater is Cine Libre Ikebukuro, and on July 19 (Fri.), the first day of the event, two titles were screened at once: episodes 1-13 of "Is it Wrong to Seek an Encounter in a Dungeon" and episodes 1-11 of "Sarazammai" ("Sarazammai" was shown in a support screening format).

In the future, "Fruits Basket," "Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live," "Chihayafuru," "Waiting in the Summer," and other old and new anime classics are scheduled to be screened one after another, offering a rare opportunity to enjoy your favorite works that you want to see again or that you missed on the big screen. This is not an event screening to begin with.

It is almost unprecedented for a movie theater to "screen TV anime in a movie theater" as a project of a movie theater, rather than an event screening. How did "Anime Zone," which proposes a completely new style of anime viewing, come about? And what are its future plans?

We asked Akihiro Nishizawa, executive officer and general manager of Tokyo Theatres' film exhibition department, and Daisuke Azuma, producer of Slow Curve Co.

Why Show TV Animation in Movie Theaters?

───First of all, please tell us how "Anime Zone" got started.

Nishizawa: About a year ago, we launched a project to develop new content for the Ikebukuro area. In addition to foreign and Japanese films, animation began to be established as a category in movie theaters about 4 or 5 years ago, but we had run out of films in the diverse genres we were showing. So I wanted to do something new, but it costs a lot of money to make a film from scratch. It also costs money to make promotional materials. So I decided to dig up new films instead of making new ones. As a result, I realized that the one type of work that had not yet been shown in movie theaters was animated television.

There is already a vast amount of content in TV animation. There is also the visual material of Blu-ray. And since each work already has an audience and is recognized to a certain extent, we decided to do a project to uncover animation from the vast archives.

Azuma: I am in charge of producing the entire project, but my main task is to procure the films. In terms of creating assets (assets, value) for showing animation in theaters, I thought about what kind of works we should do, and today I was allowed to work on a work called "Sarazammai," which is currently being broadcast on TV (the interview took place on the first day of "Anime Zone").

As for the works to be procured, Mr. Nishizawa has given us an order that we should not be bound by "works that are currently popular," but rather, that we should do works that have an interesting project. The films that we are currently coordinating are those that I would like to see, or those that users saw in the past and now want to see again in theaters, and then we will create a project.

───How has the response been from customers?

Nishizawa: The response has been great, but it is a new project, so we have to take a long-term view. Nowadays, with social networking services such as Twitter and Facebook, the information itself can be conveyed to the general public, but I think it is our job to sustain this excitement.

...... But isn't this project amazing? The reason why TV animation could not be shown in movie theaters until now is because there were various restrictions. The fact that we have come this far, after spending a year untying these restrictions one by one, is a tremendous achievement. Furthermore, the screening of these films in the Obi is quite a breakthrough for a movie theater, and we hope to make this the start of a new movement.

The response from customers has been very positive. Since this is something new, we have received retweets and inquiries, but I think the hurdle to getting people to take the next step and actually come to the theater is higher than for a regular movie. I would like to think of measures that will somehow make people come to our theaters.

─ What do you have in store for the future lineup?

Azuma: In August, we will be screening "Chihayafuru," followed by "Bak-ON! We can also see the opinions of our users on Twitter, so we would like to procure films that reflect the voices of our users, such as "I would like you to do this kind of film.

Nishizawa: We have heard a great response from distributors, animation production companies, producers, and others, and we have even heard people say, "I would like to participate. So I think we are getting attention from various sources.

Azuma: "Anime Zone" is a project that can be presented in various ways. It could be used as a "look-back screening" when an anime continues into its second or third season, or it could be used as an environment for users to gather together with their favorite people to watch OVAs and other works that they have been watching individually on a big screen and with good sound.

Nishizawa: Since we are still in the beginning stages of this project, we plan to open one screen for a long time from July to September for a series of screenings, but after that, we plan to have a two-hour slot from around 8:00 p.m. onward. In other words, it will be like showing six 30-minute anime episodes each day. We are still in a state of trial and error. We are still trying to find the best way to pinpoint the right place for everyone.

Screening title selection criteria and future issues

─ How did you select the titles to be screened?

Nishizawa: Since this is really the beginning of the project, we tried to screen films with a variety of audiences as a trial. For example, "Sarazammai" is very popular at the moment, so we decided to take advantage of that, and "Chihayafuru" is about to begin its third season, so we decided to screen it as a reminder. We also tried to screen films that have been popular for a long time, and we booked them with various audiences in mind.

Azuma: We tried to screen films for women, men, and trendy films. We are still exploring from various directions, such as "That Summer," which is a work from a long time ago but has a core fan base.

─ What film would you personally like to screen?

Azuma Maybe "Initial D"?

Nishizawa I also like anime, so I want to do a variety of works. My real intention is classic works like "Conan: Future Boy". Well, I am sure that everyone has already seen such masterpieces, but I think there are works that are still buried, so I would like to discover such works and present them to everyone.

─ Which age group is the main target of this project?

Nishizawa: Basically, each of our movie theaters has its own concept, but the Cine Libre Ikebukuro concept is centered on young people in their 20s and focuses on anime and live-action Japanese films based on such works, with a wide range of both men and women in their teens and 20s. We are planning to screen mainly films that target people in their teens and 20s as well as both men and women. However, we would like to think broadly.

We hear that people in their 40s have the least amount of time because they are in the prime of their working lives. In fact, when we look at the ages of the people who come to us, there is an empty space only for those in their 40s. When they reach their 50s and 60s, the number will increase again because of the couple and senior discounts.

The senior group in their 70s is followed by the super senior group in their 80s or older, and there are a large number of customers in this age group, but since last year, the number of customers in this age group has been decreasing. However, the number of customers in their 30s and 40s has been declining sharply since last year. I think this is probably due to the increase in the number of people who go out less and those who have passed away, partly because of their age. Therefore, I believe it is the mission of movie theaters to increase the number of customers in their 20s and nurture them.

─ ─ Finally, do you have any comments for our readers?

Nishizawa: I hope you will enjoy watching TV anime in movie theaters and support us. To be honest, we are also doing this without any business, so I hope that you will join us in making it more exciting.

Azuma: Nowadays, TV anime can be watched on TV or easily streamed on smartphones, but at "Anime Zone," we can enjoy watching our favorite works on the big screen with our friends in good sound. We would like to support anime together, so we hope that anime fans will visit us often.

Please check the official website for the screening schedule, titles, ticket prices, etc.

Event Information

■Anime ZONE

A new animation viewing style was born in Ikebukuro, one of the sacred places for anime, for anime fans who go to theaters! Anime ZONE", jointly planned and operated by Tokyo Theatres and Slow Curve, will start on July 19 (Fri.) at Cine Libre Ikebukuro, showing anime on a large screen all year round!

Prior to the start of screenings on July 19, the anime films to be screened from July 19 to September 19 (Thursday) will be made public! There will be new works that have just aired, as well as works that look back on previous seasons before the new season airs, so please come and enjoy the show!

<How to purchase tickets

In principle, tickets will go on sale 3 days prior to the screening date.

(WEB: from 0:00 / at the box office: from the theater opening time)

Tickets sold on the web must be paid by credit card. Please note that web sales are by credit card only.

Tickets may be sold earlier at the box office depending on the theater's congestion.

No tickets will be sold at the box office if the tickets are sold out online. Please understand.

Please note that it may be difficult to connect to the website at the start of online sales due to heavy traffic. Please understand that it may be difficult to connect to the website when online sales begin.

Please note that ticket sales and prices may be subject to change for event screenings.

＜Discount for TCG members

TCG members card holders will receive a 100 yen discount from the regular price of "Anime Zone".

The discount is not applicable to "KING OF PRISM-Shiny Seven Stars-The Movie Edition".

The discount is only applicable for the cardholder. Please note that the discount is only valid for the cardholder.

<Animation Screening

Please note that due to the screening process, there may be breaks between episodes. Please understand this.

There will be no trailer. The main program will start at the time of the screening. Please note that there will be no trailers.

Screening titles

Sarazammai," "Fruits Basket," "It's Wrong to Seek Encounters in Dungeons," "Pretty Rhythm Rainbow Live," "KING OF PRISM -Shiny Seven Stars- The Movie," "Chihayafuru," "Onihei," "Sword Oratoria: Dating in a Dungeon," "Waiting in the Summer" (*unsupported) Sword Oratoria: Dangeon ni Mukete wo Motomete wa Wrongful Desire Gaiden" "Ano Natsu de Waiteru" (*In no particular order)