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Pikachin-Kit Children's Anime's 'Episode 0' Streamed

The official website for the Pochitto Hatsumei: Pikachin-Kit (Pochi and Invention: Pikachin-Kit) multimedia project began streaming an "episode 0" for the anime on Thursday. In the video, the protagonist Eiji assembles "cunninglasses" so he can read his classmate's note about the boy she likes. In the end, he finds the last piece needed to make the glasses work, and reads her note that says "Eiji is pretty weird."

The television anime will premiere in Japan on January 6 at 9:30 a.m. on TV Tokyo and its affiliates. The anime will feature staff who have worked on the Pokémon and Yo-kai Watch franchises. Bandai is credited with the original plan, and Ryūichi Murata is directing the series at OLM and Shinei Animation. Amazon is credited with production cooperation. Yoichi Kato (Aikatsu! all four series, Duel Masters) is handling the series composition, and publisher Gakken is credited as the "inspiration adviser." Each anime episode will also have a live-action segment featuring the "stupid invention troupe Pikachins." Europa Planning is in charge of the variety part of the show.

The plastic model toys will launch starting in January. The franchise will also include two manga that will run at the same time in CoroCoro Comic and Bessatsu CoroCoro Comic Special. The former was scheduled to begin serializing in mid-November.

The anime centers on a fifth-year elementary student named Eiji Tōmatsu, and his "inspiration" buddy, a dog named Pochirō. One day Eiji finds a mysterious book called the "Pikachin Research Book," and learns about the seven tools that make up the Pikachin Kit. Eiji presses a button inside the research book, and immediately a "Future Amazon" delivery arrives at his door with the kit. Eiji uses the blueprints included in the box to assemble the kit, but it seems as though 1% part of the kit is still missing.

The anime stars Miyuki Sawashiro as Eiji, Vanilla Yamazaki as Pochirō, and Eri Suzuki as Hina-chan.

In the franchise, the word "Pikachin" means the flash of inspiration or insight one gets about a new project, similar to the visual of a lightbulb turning on above one's head when someone has an idea. The concept of the franchise is "invention is 99% plastic models, 1% inspiration."

The YouTube video series launched in July, and the videos feature "Pikachins" who explain the charm of inventing, and give detailed information from the conception to the completion of an invention.

The live-action variety program titled Pikatto Kaiketsu: PIkachin Hunter premiered on TV Tokyo and its affiliates in October and the show airs weekly at 9:30 a.m.

Thanks to Thanks to I Miss Bionix for the news tip.