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Love Live! Sunshine!! Holds Crowdfunding Campaign for Manhole Covers
posted on by Jennifer Sherman
Sony, Love Live! Sunshine!!, and the city of Numazu, Shizuoka are collaborating on the "Numazu-shi x Love Live! Sunshine!! Numazu no Takara" project to promote tourism in the anime's real-world setting. The project is holding a First Flight crowdfunding campaign to fund production of nine manhole covers featuring the faces of the Aquors idols.
The crowdfunding campaign is aiming to raise 22,170,000 yen (about US$201,000) to produce the manhole covers. As of the posting of this article, the project has raised 30,612,000 yen (about US$276,500), which is 138% of its goal. The campaign launched on Monday and 23 days remain.
The campaign is offering crowdfunding tiers ranging from 2,000 yen (about US$18) to 100,000 yen (about US$900). Rewards for backers include postcards that double as mini character stand panels, memorial metal charms, mini manhole covers, manhole key holders, name displays at the project site, and experiences at the manhole cover factory in Saitama.
If successfully funded, the campaign plans to install the manhole covers produced by Nagashima Foundry around April. The project is also collaborating with the anime pilgrimage app Butai Meguri.
Numazu has become a Love Live! Sunshine!! anime pilgrimage site, and it has held various official collaborations with the series. Voice actress Shuka Saitō briefly became Numazu's police chief on January 10. The city will also host a Love Live! Sunshine!! Real Escape Game by SCRAP from March 19 to June 3.
Cities and towns throughout Japan feature decorated manhole covers. JoJo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond Is Unbreakable inspired themed manhole covers in Sendai, Miyagi last August.
[Via Nijipoi]
