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Anime Promotes the Sport of Picking Up Trash
posted on by Kim Morrissy
Who would have thought that picking up trash could be a competitive sport? It's existed within Japan for years as a way of encouraging sustainability practices, and now it's getting its "world-first" anime.
The Manga/Anime/Game Education Creation Organization held its first screening for the "Spo-Gomi (Sport Trash): World Cup Exhibition Match" promotional anime on Monday. The event was part of Nippon Foundation's "Sea and Japan Project: Change For the Blue" initiative, which aims to reduce marine waste.
The organization hopes to spread awareness about marine waste to young people; according to Nippon Foundation managing director Mitsuyuki Umino, over 90% of Japanese people over 60 are aware of marine waste compared to only 60% of teens.
In the anime's story, the sport of picking up trash, known as "Spo-Gomi," is a popular sport comparable to soccer. Akari, the plainest girl in the class, encounters the charismatic Spo-Gomi player Tokio, which invigorates her to pick up the sport. The cast includes:
Marina Inoue as Coco
Naomi Ōzora as Kei
Nippon Foundation chairman Yōhei Sasakawa also has an unspecified voice acting role.
The anime will stream on the following subscription-based services in Japan starting from April 1: The Anime Times, dTV, d Anime Store, U-NEXT, Anime Hōdai, and AbemaTV. It will also be available through a pay-per-view model via Hikari TV, Rakuten TV, DMM, Video Market, GYAO!, and Happy! Douga. J:COM, TELASA, and milplus will offer the anime from April 2.
Umino hinted at the screening that the anime will have sequels with "many different kinds of developments."
Source: Press Release
