To answer "Why did we choose Future GPX Cyber Formula?"
The first product of our company was from "Future GPX Cyber Formula".
At the Hong Kong GP in 2021, we received high praise for the scale and content of our event, as well as our products, which turned out to be a great success beyond our expectations. On numerous occasions, we were asked by customers, "Why did you decide to do Cyber Formula?" It was a question that left a deep impression on us.
This project initially began in the middle of 2020 with Sunrise, the original copyright holder, with the theme "Let's hype up the 30th anniversary of Cyber Formula in 2021 overseas". We passionately insisted that it would be a waste to end the anniversary of Cyber Formula just within Japan and asked to help with the overseas planning. As a result, a company like ours, still in its early stages and without a proven track record, was allowed to participate in the planning meetings.
So, our company has two reasons for pouring extraordinary passion into Cyber Formula.
The first reason is that I love Cyber Formula.(lol)
I first properly watched the series in 2018, in preparation for an event at LCX, a commercial facility in Hong Kong. I regret not watching the initial broadcast in Japan in 1991.
The merits of this series are countless, and I'm sure that those reading this blog are avid Cyber Formula fans, so I won't go into the basics. Everyone has their favorite driver, favorite scene, and favorite coupling. We're still fascinated by the models of the machines that continue to be released. I'm a fan of the early stages of Shinjo and Kyouko. The conclusion that this series is a highly accomplished drama that can fully accept the diverse affection from fans has already been reached.
If you ask why I am still fascinated by the world of Cyber Formula, I will answer that it's because it depicts the beauty of humans who strive relentlessly and individuals who rise boldly from setbacks. Hayato Kazami, who became the main driver of SUGO Asurada at the age of 14, is troubled and beaten down from the early stages of the story. He loses battles and is ridiculed. So is Shinjo, who was once celebrated as a young warrior but can no longer win. Kaga from SIN drove himself into the world of competition, filled with despair. But they never stop. They strive for victory with unwavering convictions, even if they are covered in mud and sometimes take dangerous risks. The passion, despair, and achievements of the fighters are depicted in a pure form.
Turning to our world. In recent years, I feel that a gentle resignation, a lack of hope for our future, is overflowing. It's not just in Japan, but here in Hong Kong too. Politics and economics are shrouded in uncertainty, unable to clarify the future, and the new type of pneumonia has further darkened the world. There's dissatisfaction with the company I work for, with unreliable politicians, with the wealthy who monopolize wealth. That's all we hear about.
But that's not the case.
What have we learned from Cyber Formula? It's that we are always the ones to confront the challenges. The first step to a turnaround comes from our beliefs and actions. We have control over our lives. When people talk about anxiety, the subject they often use is too big. The country, politics, the company. That's not it.
We face and confront the difficulties in front of us as our own. It's okay to lose. But we don't want to regret not fighting. Isn't that the world that Hayato Kazami, Naoki Shinjo, and Kaga showed us? This is the background to why I wanted to hold events and create products for this work, especially in the 30th anniversary of Cyber Formula.
Now, the other reason is that here in Hong Kong, where our company is based, there are still many active Cyber Formula fans who continue to burn with passion. Yes, Hong Kong is the area where Cyber Formula is most loved in the world. It's a Cyber Formula advanced district. I declare.
Before founding IIJAN, I had experience planning and implementing a Cyber Formula event at the company I belonged to in 2018. We produced FRP statues of Asurada G.S.X. and Ogre AN-21, and in the POP-UP store, we quickly planned and produced our own products in addition to imported goods from Japan. On the first day of the event, I was deeply moved to see many customers visiting, taking pictures, and buying products.
There were some points of reflection in this event. At the time, we were total amateurs about product production and tended to entrust it to a production agency on a whim. Of course, the plan was a hit, and the products we sold were well received and sold like hot cakes, but at this time a small goal clearly sprouted within me to create something more unique and special.
So, everyone was waiting for Cyber Formula products. I wanted to make the passionate Cyber Formula fans living in Hong Kong even happier, even more excited. This experience, I believe, became the starting point for me to plan my own products, obtain licenses, and proceed with planning and production.
I would like to talk about why I quit my previous job and started making character goods in another blog.
That’s all.
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