Tomica x Transformable Hero x Robot Action! Report on the production presentation of the anime "Tomica Kizuna Goudou: Earthgrunner", which is full of geki-etsu elements!

Tomica Kizuna Gassai Earthgrunner," a TV animation series commemorating the 50th anniversary of Tomy's die-cast miniature car "Tomica," will begin airing on six TV networks affiliated with TVO and TV Tokyo in April 2020.

Tomica Kizuna Gattai Earthgrunner" is a children's animation based on a TOMY original, and will be the first "Tomica" TV animation work in two and a half years since "Tomica Hyper Rescue Drive Head: Kikudou EMS Police" aired in 2017.

A production announcement for this work was held on January 15, 2020. Many people involved and cast members took the stage and expressed their enthusiasm.

Tomica Kizuna Gassai Earthgrunner" overflows with passion for Tomica's 50th anniversary.

The first to take the stage were Kazuhiro Kojima, President and Representative Director of TOMY Corporation, and Nobuyuki Tanaka, President and Representative Director of Television Osaka Corporation.

Mr. Kojima introduced the companies that make up the production committee for this film: Tomy, TVO, Dentsu, Pony Canyon, OLM, and Asmik Ace. TVO is participating in the production of a TV animation for the first time in 10 years, and Asmik Ace is handling the sales of the video for China. In addition, they are planning to collaborate with various other companies such as Honda, Nissan, Toyota, and McDonald's.

Tomica, which celebrates its 50th anniversary this year, is a hobby that has fostered bonds between men and women, young and old, and between people and cars, and the company hopes to emphasize these bonds in the anime.

Mr. Tanaka, on the other hand, seemed very enthusiastic about the fact that he is producing a TV animation for the first time in 10 years. Although it is a robot animation, he hopes that it will be enjoyed by both men and women, rather than being limited to boys. He also said that although people are nowadays talking about people's interest in cars, he hopes that young people will become interested in cars through this work, since cars have been an industry that has supported the Japanese economy.

Next on stage were Shinya Arino and Masaru Hamaguchi of the comedy duo "Yoiko," who are the leaders of the "Tomica Kizuna Gatari Earthgrunner" support group. Shinji Ushiro, director of the animation. Voice actors Shizuka Ishigami, Haruna Sakurai, Jun Fukuyama, Shuyuki Hiyama, and Satoshi Hino.

Together with the people involved in the anime, the detailed story and setting were first shown along with an introductory video of the anime.

The story of this work is as follows.

Dark Spinner, a mysterious enemy from outer space, is targeting the earth energy released from the earth's spinning energy. In order to stop their ambitions, the twin brothers Drivetrain Raiga (CV: Shizuka Ishigami) and Drivetrain Kuuga (CV: Haruna Sakurai) transform into "Gruner R" and "Gruner K," and become the main characters of the game. They then board their partner vehicles, "Gao Granner Leo" (CV: Hiyama Nobuyuki) and "Gao Granner Eagle" (CV: Hino Satoshi), and join the Earth Defense Force "Earth Granner". (CV: Jun Fukuyama), a super racer belonging to the Earth Defense Force "Earth Grunner," and fight fierce battles against space monsters. One of the features of the film is that the vehicles, "Gao Grunners," combine with each other to form a large robot "Earth Grunner" through a "kizuna merger.

In the 90-second video shown here, various battles and mecha that are the attraction of this work were shown one after another.

Director Ushiro introduced four of the film's attractions. The first is the "hero battle" element. Raiga and Kuuga transform into life-size heroes "Gruner R" and "Gruner K," respectively. The action is said to be similar to that of tokusatsu heroes.

Next is the "car battle" element, which shows off the appeal of Tomica to the fullest. Then comes the "Vehicle Battle," in which large vehicles equipped with the "Core Grunner," a small vehicle in which Raiga and Kuuga ride, engage in a powerful "Vehicle Battle. Finally, there is the "robot battle" element, in which the vehicles combine to form a complete robot. He said, "It will be an anime that will leave you with no time to catch your breath.

Since Raiga and Kuuga change their body shape to that of adults when they transform, Mr. Ishigami uses a different adult voice after the transformation compared to his normal voice.

Mr. Hiyama, who plays the role of the vehicle "Gaogrunner Leo," is happy to be "playing a legitimate hero for the first time in a long time. On the other hand, "I try to make children imitate my calls and special moves when they play with the toys. I want to make the work more exciting through my performance." As a voice actor, he is proud of his involvement in the work.

Mr. Hino also commented, "I hope to be a bridge between the work and the good children who watch it.

Toys that will tickle the hearts of robot and hobby lovers were also unveiled for the first time!

Here, Mr. Yuya Yoshihara, Chief of Tomica Marketing Section, Tomica Marketing Department, TOMY Co. The "Earthgrunner Leo Cheetah" toy was unveiled for the first time.

A combination of the Core Grunner and the Gao Grunner Leo. The toy realistically reproduced the combination gimmick of the anime, and all the speakers were very excited to see it.

Mr. Hiyama was especially surprised by the quality of the toy, saying, "It's so different from the robot toys I used to have when I was a kid! I was surprised at the quality of the toys.

The reporter was impressed by the three-axis movable hip joints. This allows the robot to be posed with its legs firmly spread, which is sure to strike a chord with robot lovers.

At the end of the presentation, the suit actors "Gruner R," "Gruner K," and "Earth Gruner Leo Cheetah" performed a variety of actions. The "Tomica Kizuna Gattai Earthgrunner" showed us all the charm of the work, with action scenes featuring suit actors "Grunner R," "Grunner K," and "Earthgrunner Leo Cheetah.

We can't wait for the broadcast starting in April!