Japanese anime has a huge following all over the world, including a large one within the MENA region. Many kids born in the 1980s and 1990s grew up watching some of the most prolific animes still in production today, such as “Captain Majid” (Captain Tsubasa), “Mazinger,” “Pokémon,” and, of course, “Grendizer.”
The Middle East, and more specifically Saudi Arabia, even started collaborating with Japan to create a full Anime movie, the first of its kind. Titled “The Journey,” it followed the main character “Aus” during the famous “Year of the Elephant” when an army of southern invaders attacked the holy city of Mecca with the main intent of destroying the Kaaba. Now that same Saudi company, Manga Productions, announced that they’re starting a new collaboration that’s based on the beloved franchise “Grendizer.”
What Is This New Project?
Dubbed “Project G,” the announcement came Thursday night during an event at Riyadh Boulevard City. There, the subsidiary of Saudi Arabia’s MISK Foundation stated that this collaborative effort would see the company working with several highly-respected Japanese partners that have experience in Anime and Manga production.
One of the aforementioned partners includes the holders of the right to the “Grendizer” series and will offer the opportunity for fans to help shape the franchise’s future with a competition.
What’s “Grendizer”?
“Grendizer” was an anime that was first created as part of the “Mazinger” franchise by Go Nagai in the 1970s. The show followed Crown Prince Duke Fleed, who manages to steal the Grendizer, the robotic embodiment of the Fleedian God of War, which he uses to fight off the Vegan invaders on his planet.
“We are here to announce project G, which is about ‘Grendizer’ anime, and announce the partnership between Manga Productions and the Japanese company Dynamic Productions,” Abdulaziz Al-Naghmoush, the marketing manager of Manga Productions, told Arab News.
A New Competition!
The company also launched a competition that doesn’t just include Saudis but also Arabs from the region and fans worldwide, where participants can take part in designing and creating “hostile UFO vehicles known as ‘Saucer Beasts’.” Of the people joining in the competition, a panel will choose three winners, who will share a cash prize of $15,000. The first-place winner, on the other hand, will get an extra prize, their design introduced to the franchise.
Submissions to the franchise are open and will close on October 16, with the judging beginning a week later. The winners will be announced on November 17, 2022.
As for how the process will happen, submissions will be judged based on the ability of the participant to communicate artwork through design, innovation and creativity in the work presented, quality of drawing, choice of colors and overall aesthetic, and finally, uniqueness of overall work.
The panel includes Go Nagai, the original Grendizer creator, Dr. Essam Bukhary, Manga Productions CEO, and Ichinao Nagai Dynamic Planning producer. Submissions will be done over social media including Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram only.
“We are developing an international competition open to Saudis, Arabs, and people worldwide for amateurs and professionals. People can join us and submit their artwork for character design. We have a design competition where we ask everyone to create their own mechanical anime character inspired by the world of ‘Grendizer,’ and the winner will have their artwork included in Project G as well as receiving a cash prize,” Sara Al-Taweel, communication and PR manager with Manga Productions told Arab News.
At the end of the night, fans were treated to a massive drone display that did synchronized flying to create murals of Grendizer in the night’s sky using lights and aerial positioning.
Why This Matters
This is a great opportunity for the region to not only get new fans into the “Grendizer” Anime and Manga but also prove to the world that the MENA region has talented artists and incredible stories that need to be shared with the world.