Pimp your favorite character's pussy! Make your heart flutter with the situation of your dreams! Paint your favorite character's forehead! What's behind the scenes of "Hataraku Cell presented by Pabron"? Collaboration Gemba No. 12

Today, with the increasing 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 hear about the appeal of the projects, interesting episodes, hardships, and other behind-the-scenes stories about their production! The series is called "Gemba of Collaboration.

In this 12th issue of "Collaboration no Gemba," we will introduce the special website "Deco Pitatto" featuring the collaboration between "Pabron S Gold W" (Taisho Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.'s cold medicine) and the TV animation "Hataraku Cell! Hataraku Cycle presented by Pabron", a special website in collaboration with the TV animation "Hataraku Cycle".

We spoke with Yusuke Matsumoto, Interactive Planner, Interactive Design Department, First Creative Bureau, Hakuhodo Inc. Copywriter Ayano Matsuda, and other three members of the creative team. They talked a lot about what they kept in mind when planning the various collaborations with the popular anime "Hataraku Cell," how they came up with the idea, the particulars at the recording site, and the response to the special website.

Here is a brief description of the content of the collaboration. Deco Pitatto! Hataraku Cell presented by Pabron" is a website exclusively for smartphones. When accessed, popular "Hataraku Cell" characters, red blood cells [CV: Kana Hanazawa], white blood cells (neutrophils) [CV: Tomoaki Maeno], and platelets [CV: Maria Naganawa], appear on screen with their foreheads out. When the user places his/her forehead against the character's forehead, the character will talk to the user from a close distance and express concern for the user's physical condition.

The illustrations of red blood cells, white blood cells (neutrophils), and platelets showing the forehead, which appear in the interview as a secret story about their creation, were drawn especially for this collaboration. The site offers a "OBENKYO" section where you can learn about the ingredients of cold medicine and the mechanism of colds, and a "Pabron Quiz," a quiz about colds and Pabron, which you can download as limited edition wallpaper.

You can experience the site before reading it or enjoy it again after reading it!

So, here is the interview!

I want you to put your forehead to it and get your heart pounding!

-- How did the collaboration project start?

Matsumoto-san This is the first anime tie-up for Pabron. We started by asking ourselves, "What can we do to make Pabron known in "Hataraku Cell"? Hataraku Cycle" is a mega-content that has already been the subject of various collaborations. We felt that unless we had some new news, the world would not react to it. It was at that time that Matsuda said, "I want to do a "deco-pitta" on the characters.

Matsuda-san As in anime and dramas, it is an embarrassing but admirable situation to stick one's forehead to measure a fever. I thought that it would be great if I could "deco-pit" with my favorite anime character. But I didn't know how to make it happen, so I just asked, "Wouldn't you like to do a "Deco Pittatsu" with your favorite anime character? How can I do it? I was told by a producer at Kayac Entertainment Corporation, who helped us with the production of this project, that we might be able to do it with smartphones.

Mr. Matsumoto: At first, we were thinking of using outdoor advertisements. The character would stand up and measure heat by sticking their foreheads together.

-- Outdoor? Some users might find that a bit of a hurdle, don't you think?

Yusuke Matsumoto: We had some concrete ideas, such as using a sensor, but we decided to go with a more interesting idea, which was to provide users with a "deco-pitta" experience on the website, although it would not be possible to measure fever.

-- Did you have any resistance to the phrase "heart-throbbing experience"?

Oba: Not at all! We like anime, too, so we enjoyed doing it (laughs).

Matsumoto-san The Pabron advertising manager at Taisho loves "Hataraku Cyaku" and believed we could introduce the symptoms of the common cold in an interesting way." When we came up with the idea for the "Deco Pitatto", they were amused.

Matsuda-san We love "Hataraku Seibutsu". We pushed the project through with enthusiasm and the feeling that it was really good (laughs).

Matsumoto-san Taisho Pharmaceutical was also amused, saying, "This is the first time I saw the word 'boku-kyun' in a proposal. We started the production with the idea of delivering the best heart-throbbing experience.

-- It seems that if the project goes smoothly and the client is on board with it, there are no hardships during production.

Mr. Ohba: It wasn't at the stage where we had to go through with the project. I really wanted to be able to measure fever by putting it on my forehead, but there were many projects that were eliminated at the feasibility stage, and I think it was good that we were able to sublimate the idea to the point where a similar experience could be obtained by darkening the surroundings and shining a camera on it, and make it happen.

Ms. Matsumoto: More than measuring body temperature, what the average fan wants is to touch their forehead. We wanted to make them squeamish by doing so, so we decided to specialize in that.

-- However, Taisho Pharmaceutical may have a request to bring forward the product Pabron as well as the squeak. ......

Mr. Matsumoto: The familiar copy "It worked, didn't it, early Pabron? That's the idea behind it." When you open the "Deco Pitatto" website, you will also see "If you think you have a cold? When you think you have a cold," appears on the site. This is connected to the title of the project, but it is also the part where I felt that Pabron and "Deco Pitatto" are a great match. Taisho Pharmaceutical wanted to promote Pabron, but they also wanted more people to know about the symptoms of a cold.

-- I see. You have a product, but this was not a product-oriented project, but rather, you had that purpose and thought in mind. I was also curious at first about the possibility of "DecoPitta" without having to buy Pabron. I enjoyed not only the "Deco Pitta" experience, but also the illustrations and quizzes!

Ms. Matsumoto: The illustration with the forehead out was newly drawn. I honestly wondered how the original creators and Kodansha would react when I proposed the idea of sticking out the forehead.

Oba: I wondered what would happen if there was some serious foreshadowing in the eyebrows (laughs).

Matsuda-san The white blood cells (neutrophils) are characters whose foreheads are invisible, so we were really looking forward to seeing the illustrations.

Oba: "He doesn't have eyebrows! I was like, "He doesn't have eyebrows!

We were very particular about the lines we recorded!

-- How was the postrecording process?

Matsumoto-san We were very particular about the sound. We used dummy head microphones to adjust the distance between the voices. The way the voices sounded was very important, so we had detailed discussions with the sound production company, Magic Capsule, in advance. They said, "This is the first time we've had a meeting in advance" (laughs). (Laughs.) We made subtle adjustments to the microphone position to match the height of the characters.

-- I'd love to hear about how you created the heartbreaking lines!

Matsuda-san: We chose words that we thought the characters would say, and worked closely with the original creators and Kodansha to make sure we were on the same page. I thought this line would be too harsh, so I thought it wouldn't be said that way. Even if he didn't say something racy, I knew that if he said a line that worried me with his forehead on, the experience would make me squeamish, so it was rather easy to make it happen. The lines about cold symptoms were worked out with Taisho Pharmaceutical Co.

-- How was the response after the special site went live?

Matsumoto: The site has received a lot of shares and more media coverage than we had expected, so we think the response has been positive. I think we were able to contribute to the excitement of "Hataraku Cell" as we prepare for the broadcast of the second season of the anime.

-- How have fans responded?

Ohba-san I did a lot of ego-searching and checking, and I found that the fans were very kind and wrote only good comments.

Matsuda-san There were a lot of posts saying that they were inspired by this site and created derivative works. It was the first time for me to share in that way, so I was very happy. Many people said they wanted their favorite characters to appear on the site.

Ohba-san There were many comments and expectations for killer T cells and helper T cells.

Ms. Matsuda: Regarding Killer T cells, many people drew a picture of them with their foreheads raised.

-- If the response from clients, media, and fans is good, we are expecting a second round. Pabron is a cold medicine, so the image of that site every year at this time of the year is likely to take root.

Ms. Matsumoto: We don't have any concrete plans yet, but we are very happy to hear your expectations, and we have a hidden feeling that we would like to expand the characters and power up the story at ...... (laughs).

-- Pabron has more than just cold medicine, and it seems to have a strong affinity with Hataraku Cell. I hope the site will be useful not only during the cold season, but all year round.

Matsumoto-san On the special site, the pollinosis version of "DecoPitta" has been available since March 9! voice for hay fever. If you haven't tried it yet, I hope you will.

What do you keep in mind when collaborating on an anime project?

-- By the way, since you were fans of the work before you started the project, what is your favorite character?

Ohba-san: It's Platelet-chan. She is by far the cutest (laughs).

Matsuda: I love platelet-chan, too.

Matsumoto: The red blood cells. I want to cheer them up because they are running around inside the body.

-- Matsumoto-san: Are you a "Deco-pitta" yourself?

Ohba-san I do it as part of my daily routine after I get home. Even if I don't think I have a cold (laughs). Even within the company, I often hear people say, "I tried it. This is the first time I have received such a response.

Ms. Matsumoto: We received positive feedback that the experience of concentrating on the voice is different from other voice contents. I think we were able to make a difference by not just listening to the voice on the phone, but by putting your forehead on the phone and concentrating on the phone to hear the voice.

-- At first, I didn't know how to put my forehead on the phone, and while I was checking the angle, I was surprised to suddenly hear the voice.

Mr. Oba Maybe I should have added another angle to the pictogram on the explanation screen. ......

Mr. Matsumoto The reason I didn't add it was on a dare. I thought, "How do I use it?" I wanted the viewer to experience the surprise of suddenly hearing the voice of their favorite character while moving the screen. After the surprise, I hoped that the story of the characters running around inside your body with a cold would lead you to feel that they are doing their best inside your body.

-- That's exactly what you were aiming for (laughs). (Laughs.) You are also involved in many other projects in collaboration with anime.

Ohba-san As long as we are dealing with content, we want our clients to think, "You know what you are doing. As a result, I hope that the client's image will improve. The idea behind branding is that people will not like a company if they do not feel respected or understood. In the case of dealing with content, the creativity of the content is established by making people feel familiar with a product that has nothing to do with them through the content they like. If you don't have a sense of understanding, it's still not good enough.

-- What do you do to achieve this?

Oba: Research and ego searches.

Matsuda-san As a copywriter, it is a matter of course, but I watch the works repeatedly to check name calling, word endings, distance, etc. Of course, I usually do this as a viewer. Of course, I usually enjoy anime as a viewer, but when it comes to my work, I think it is important to study the works thoroughly.

-- As a fan, I am very happy and relieved when collaboration projects are created by people who know what they are doing.

Matsumoto-san As long as the product and content match, fans are basically happy. However, as long as we creators are involved, we have to offer something "above and beyond" to please the fans. It is surprisingly possible to create popular projects with the power of content and publishers. By creating a project like this "DecoPitta", the contents will become more well-known and the products will become more well-known. I believe that the challenge we are constantly faced with is how much we can do to raise the profile of our products and services.

(Interview and text by Shinobu Tanaka)