ANYCOLOR Sales Up 34% to Record Profit; Chiikawa Park in Ikebukuro [Weekly Oshikatsu News, June 13, 2025]
Here is our roundup of notable corporate oshikatsu (fan support activities) marketing and fan business news from the week of June 6 to June 12, 2025.
This Week’s Highlights
This was a week in which the results of fan business were proven in hard financial earnings figures.
ANYCOLOR, the operator of the VTuber group NIJISANJI, announced its full-year financial results for the fiscal year ended April 2025. Net sales rose 34.0% year-on-year to 42,877 million yen, while operating profit increased 31.7% to 16,280 million yen, marking record-high profits for the company. The commerce segment alone generated 27,842 million yen—accounting for roughly 65% of total revenue—and the number of annual merchandise initiatives reached 190. It was a week that clearly demonstrated the direct relationship in which corporate performance grows the more fans purchase merchandise.
There was also a steady stream of developments in physical spaces. It was decided that “Chiikawa Park” would open as a permanent facility at Sunshine City Annex in Ikebukuro on July 28. At Tokyu Kabukicho Tower in Shinjuku, Tokyo, a collaboration with Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX kicked off, with a campaign to take over an entire train set on the Tokyu Toyoko Line also scheduled. The Westin Sendai announced an afternoon tea celebrating the 20th anniversary of Sanrio’s popular character Kuromi. Meanwhile, Sumitomo Corporation and GeekOut entered into a capital and business alliance to develop shopping experiences on Roblox.
- 42,877M yen
- ANYCOLOR FY2025 full-year net sales (up 34.0% YoY)
- 27,842M yen
- ANYCOLOR commerce segment revenue (up 47.0% YoY)
- 300M+ visits
- Cumulative visits to Sumitomo Corporation's Omochi Studio content on Roblox
- 1,606 pages
- Full manga pages from Volumes 1–11 of Nagi's Long Vacation displayed at Shibuya Station
Source: The Oshi Lab’s summary of the article
Food Service and Apparel Retailers Brightened the Summer Sales Season with Characters
McDonald’s x Jurassic World — Limited-Time Burgers Starring Dinosaurs
McDonald’s Company (Japan), Ltd. announced that it would begin airing a new television commercial titled “Jurassic World Burgers” starting June 17. The commercial introduced collaboration menu items tied to the theatrical film Jurassic World Rebirth (Jurassic World: Fukkatsu no Daichi), scheduled for August release in Japan, and used official footage that could only be seen at McDonald’s within Japan. Each menu item was assigned a specific dinosaur: the T-Rex for the “Thick Beef & Garlic Onion Beef,” the Quetzalcoatlus for the “Spicy Crispy Juicy Chicken,” and the Mosasaurus for the “Cheese Avocado Mayo Shrimp.” The company announced that the new lineup of five items in total—three burgers and two drinks—would go on sale for a limited time starting June 18 (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: What stands out here is the careful attention to designing the product lineup around the habitats of the dinosaurs (land, sky, and sea). IP collaborations can easily end up as nothing more than pasting an illustration onto packaging, but aligning the product structure itself with the fictional world creates the fun of choosing. Developing products based on the lore and settings of an original work is an approach that can be applied across any industry.
GU x Chiikawa and Shimamura x Pokémon — Two Retailers Running Pre-Order Sales
GU offered online store pre-order sales for select items from its “Chiikawa Summer Item Collection,” which originally went on sale on May 23. Although the pre-order window was initially scheduled for June 2 to June 8, strong demand led the company to extend the period through June 12. Meanwhile, Shimamura accepted pre-orders on its online store for coin cases (1,089 yen) and various bags featuring Pikachu and Gengar designs, with shipping scheduled for mid-June to early July (Inside (in Japanese), Inside (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Both campaigns are designed as limited-quantity offerings that end as soon as the maximum allocation is reached. In GU’s case, the act of extending the pre-order window itself served as an announcement to fans that the items were still available to buy. Shimamura also included items in the 1,000-yen range, making them easy for shoppers to pick up. The broader an IP’s fanbase is, the more effective it becomes to offer multiple approachable products across different price tiers.
Hotels, Commercial Facilities, and Railways Created Reasons to Visit Through IP
Sanrio x The Westin Sendai — Kuromi 20th Anniversary Afternoon Tea
An event celebrating the 20th anniversary of Sanrio’s popular character Kuromi, titled “KUROMI Afternoon Tea Party,” was announced for Restaurant Symphony on the 26th floor of The Westin Sendai, with a scheduled start on July 19. The special menu incorporated Sendai local specialties such as zunda mochi (sweet mashed edamame rice cake), zunda succès pastries, and Sendai beef roast beef. The menu structure differed between weekdays and weekends, with adult afternoon tea pricing set at 5,500 or 7,000 yen on weekdays and 7,500 or 9,000 yen on weekends. The weekday evening service cost 8,500 yen (Cho! Animedia (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: The defining feature here is how local specialties are reconstructed to match the character’s world. Zunda mochi and zunda succès are not unusual in Sendai on their own, but once tied to Kuromi’s signature colors and favorite food (rakkyo, or pickled scallions), they become a menu that fans feel they can only eat right here. The larger a national chain is, the more room its individual properties have to differentiate themselves by combining regional identity with an IP.
Tokyu Kabukicho Tower x Gundam GQuuuuuuX — A Multi-Pronged Rollout of Merch, Food, and a Train Takeover
A collaboration project between Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX and Tokyu Kabukicho Tower ran from June 12 through June 30. A special space on the tower’s second floor sold merchandise such as acrylic stands and T-shirts featuring newly drawn illustrations, while restaurants and cafes inside the building served collaboration food inspired by the characters. Alongside the venue activation, one train set of the Tokyu Toyoko Line 5050-4000 series operated as an interior ad-takeover train (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Deploying merchandise, food, and transit advertising all at the same time is what distinguishes this campaign. Unlike a standalone pop-up shop, even commuters who have not visited the building encounter the series inside the train. This serves as a practical example of how a commercial facility can partner with surrounding transit operators to invite people outside the building to come visit.
JR Central x Gundam GQuuuuuuX — Third Shinkansen Collaboration in an Approximately Five-Month Continuous Series
Central Japan Railway Company (JR Central) announced a collaboration project with Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX. This initiative paired the Gundam franchise, celebrating its 45th anniversary, with the Tokaido Shinkansen, marking 60 years since its opening. Structured as a continuous campaign spanning roughly five months across three titles in the franchise, this marked the third installment. From July 8 through August 28, plans included an exclusive onboard special radio program, original digital wallpapers awarded for listening to the onboard radio on the Tokaido Shinkansen and checking in at Shin-Osaka or Nagoya station, and merchandise sales at Animate Umeda and Nagoya stores (Inside (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: The key takeaway here is not ending with a single one-off collaboration, but featuring three consecutive titles within the same operational framework. Once a campaign template is built, simply swapping in the next featured work removes the need to design everything from scratch each time. Even in businesses like railway operators that require ongoing passenger traffic, this approach makes it possible to sustain campaigns without tiring out fans.
Chiikawa Park — A Permanent Experience Facility at Sunshine City in Ikebukuro
Juice, in cooperation with Spiral Cute, opened the permanent experiential facility “Chiikawa Park” at Sunshine City Annex in Ikebukuro on July 28. The facility features exhibition areas recreating scenes from the series, an exclusive merchandise shop, and a paid game corner. Advance tickets were sold via a pre-registration lottery system, with the first lottery window running from June 16 to June 23 and general admission priced at 3,500 yen (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: The decision to make this a permanent installation is the major difference from a temporary pop-up. Limited-time events are great for generating buzz, whereas a permanent facility can keep repeat visitors coming back by preparing fresh reasons to visit each month through merchandise rotations and seasonal events. This case clearly illustrates how investment design differs completely between short-term traffic generation and long-term customer attraction.
Traditional Crafts and Global Brands Turned Characters into Commercial Products
Maisendo x Precure — Five Items Made with Kyoto Kumihimo Braided Cord
Yes! Precure 5 GoGo! collaborated with Maisendo, a Kyoto-based folding fan manufacturer, to roll out five items—including bracelets and keychains—made using the traditional Kyoto craft of Kyo-kumihimo (braided silk cords). Pre-orders had opened on May 28, with release scheduled for early September. Each Kyo-kumihimo bracelet and spring-frame pouch set was priced at 3,850 yen (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Here, an anime that originally aired in 2008 is turned into traditional craft products now that its childhood fans have grown into adults. Character merchandise aimed at children tends to stop being used as fans grow up, but switching the materials to something suited to adult daily life allows a company to broaden its customer base while keeping the same IP. Long-established companies with traditional artisanal techniques are especially well positioned to reimagine children’s titles as products for adults.
atmos x Crocs x One Piece — Triple-Collaboration Limited Clogs
Limited-edition clogs created through a triple collaboration between the TV anime ONE PIECE, atmos, and Crocs were set for release on June 21. Designed around Luffy in his Gear 5 form and priced at 13,200 yen including tax, the footwear was offered via a purchase lottery on the atmos online shop from June 6 to June 20 (Anime! Anime! (in Japanese), CharaLab (in Japanese), Animage Plus (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: What is clever here is how the iconic eye-popping scene from the original work is recreated using Crocs’ existing Jibbitz charm system. Rather than sculpting an entirely new shoe mold from scratch, the character is mapped onto the customization mechanism the brand already possesses. This method keeps development costs down while achieving a level of faithfulness that delights fans of the original series.
A Professional Baseball Team and a VTuber Agency Teamed Up at the Ballpark
Los Angeles Dodgers x hololive — Announcing What Organizers Call MLB’s First Stadium VTuber Livestream
The Los Angeles Dodgers and hololive production announced their collaborative event “hololive night” for July 5 at Dodger Stadium, marking its second edition following its 2024 debut. Ninomae Ina’nis, IRyS, and Koseki Bijou of hololive English were announced as participants, along with a VTuber livestream from the stadium described by organizers as the first in MLB history. Collaboration merchandise and themed food and drink packaging were also announced, with tickets going on sale on June 9 (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Because the previous year’s event established a track record, the organizers were able to bring it back as a second installment. One-off collaborations often fade away as temporary buzz, but holding an event consecutively encourages fans to view the collaboration as an annual tradition. When a sports team partners with a fandom from an entirely different genre like VTubers, not ending it after a single event is what builds long-term value.
VTuber Operators Demonstrated Their Presence Through Earnings and Alliances
ANYCOLOR — Sales Up 34%, Record Profit Driven by Strong Commerce
ANYCOLOR Inc., operator of NIJISANJI, announced its full-year financial results for the fiscal year ended April 2025. Net sales grew 34.0% year-on-year to 42,877 million yen, operating profit rose 31.7% to 16,280 million yen, and net income increased 31.9% to 11,511 million yen—all record highs. Its core commerce segment expanded 47.0% to 27,842 million yen, representing roughly 65% of total company revenue, with annual merchandise initiatives reaching 190 (up 32.9%). In the events segment, viewing ticket sales rose 35.9% to 536,000 tickets. As of the end of April 2025, the published count was 135 VTubers in NIJISANJI Japan, excluding members of the former NIJISANJI ID and NIJISANJI KR groups, and 35 in NIJISANJI EN, while registered ANYCOLOR ID accounts stood at 1,687,000 (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: At ANYCOLOR, the commerce division accounts for approximately 65% of company-wide sales. At ANYCOLOR, commerce in physical products and digital content generated more revenue than the livestreaming segment. Companies that rely solely on livestreams as their touchpoint with fans have significant room to grow revenue depending on how they design their merchandise operations. These are numbers well worth reviewing alongside our analysis of the Oshikatsu Market Size.
Sumitomo Corporation x GeekOut — Investing Capital into Roblox-Born Shopping Experiences
Sumitomo Corporation and GeekOut entered into a capital and business alliance aimed at creating new shopping experiences using Roblox. Sumitomo Corporation had been rolling out content on Roblox under the name “Omochi Studio” since 2023, surpassing 300 million cumulative visits. Going forward, the partners planned to pursue sales initiatives that simultaneously release in-game Roblox avatar items and physical store apparel, turn Roblox-originated characters into physical merchandise, and offer consumer services such as digital fashion (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Sumitomo Corporation made the decision to invest capital only after building a track record of 300 million visits first. While many companies dabble in emerging platforms, accumulating proven results before forming a capital alliance is a sound sequence. The concept of simultaneously releasing items across virtual spaces and physical retail stores looks poised to become a standard model for retailers engaging with the metaverse.
Gugenka x IP Bookstore — A Store-Based Theater for Experiencing the World of Kamitsubaki City
Gugenka Inc. announced an in-store immersive theater called “NIJIGATE” as a joint project with IP Bookstore (IP Shoten). Using MR headsets and spatial audio, it delivers an immersive experience that feels like being transported into a two-dimensional world, with Kamitsubaki City Under Construction (Kamitsubaki-shi Kensetsuchuu.) as its first featured title. It was announced that the Tokyo venue (SHIBUYA TSUTAYA) would run the experience free of charge on June 13 and 14, while the Osaka venue (TSUTAYA EBISUBASHI) would run it for 1,000 yen from July 1 through August 31 (Mogura VR (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Separating the pricing structure by region—a free showcase in Tokyo followed by a paid full run in Osaka—is a practical approach. When an experience format is brand new, setting a high price right from the start makes it hard for people to try. Letting audiences verify the quality of the experience for free first and then transitioning to a paid rollout allows a project to expand without disappointing fan expectations.
Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics, and Publishers Connected with Customers Through Characters
Rohto Pharmaceutical — Turning Its Official VTuber into Generative AI for Interactive Customer Service at the Expo
“NEO Cocoro,” a digital human created by integrating generative AI into Rohto Pharmaceutical’s official VTuber Nebasei Cocoro, appeared at Expo 2025 Osaka, Kansai, Japan. Positioned at the Reborn Stage in front of the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion from June 9 to June 11, NEO Cocoro was able to converse with visitors in real time across Japanese, English, and Chinese. The system adopted “Spaike,” a generative AI solution developed by ULTRA SOCIAL Inc., and guided visitors through specialized eye-care and skin-care knowledge in an easy-to-understand manner (Mogura VR (in Japanese), PR TIMES (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: This was a decision to transform a character who had been sharing information through one-way broadcasts since 2018 into an interactive format capable of two-way conversation. Long-beloved corporate mascots often carry the constraint that they cannot easily be changed after so many years. By using generative AI, a company can elevate the quality of customer service without disrupting an existing character’s established world.
Kao KATE x Jujutsu Kaisen — An IP Strategy Carrying Shadow Makeup Across Asia
On June 4, Kao’s global makeup brand KATE announced a new global growth strategy centered on the Asian region, aiming to spread the “shadow makeup” (in’ei makeup, contouring and shading techniques) advocated by KATE to Asian markets with makeup cultures similar to Japan’s. As part of that initiative, the brand collaborated with Jujutsu Kaisen starting June 2, featuring the character Satoru Gojo. KATE announced that it would set up a photo spot at its flagship store, KATE TOKYO Shibuya Sakura Stage, and strengthen its social media outreach (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Kao is using an IP collaboration as a vehicle to spread its own proprietary makeup technique—a cultural practice—overseas. Explaining a brand from scratch in an overseas market takes time, but partnering with a series that already has a local fanbase makes it possible to build brand awareness in a short period. For companies eyeing international expansion, IP can serve as both market research and advertising at the same time.
Akita Shoten — A Transit Ad Letting Commuters Read All 1,606 Pages to Commemorate a Manga’s Finale
On June 9, Akita Shoten put up a transit advertisement at Shibuya Station to commemorate the release of the final volume of Nagi’s Long Vacation (Nagi no Oitoma). The display allowed passersby to read all 1,606 pages from Volumes 1 through 11 in one place. With the 12th and final volume scheduled for release on June 16, the advertisement remained on display until June 15, the day before launch. A representative from advertising agency Yomiuri Advertising Inc. explained that because a short preview or simple character introduction could not fully convey the series’ appeal, they designed the campaign to let people read the entire story (AdverTimes. (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Deliberately foregoing the conventional approach of clipping out famous scenes and instead showing every single page is an unusual move. The longer a serialization runs and the more complex its characters’ backgrounds become, the harder it is for brief excerpts to communicate its appeal. The idea of showing everything without summarizing becomes a compelling option when companies with information-dense content create advertisements.
Voice Actor Concerts and Live Dubbing Replayed Ten Years of Story
Tokyo Ghoul FES — Natsuki Hanae and Five Other Cast Members Closed Out the 10th Anniversary with Live Dubbing
“Tokyo Ghoul FES. -PLAY BACK-,” the 10th anniversary event for the TV anime Tokyo Ghoul, was held on June 8 at Tachikawa Stage Garden. Six voice actors—including Natsuki Hanae, Sora Amamiya, and Kana Hanazawa—appeared on stage and recreated famous scenes from across the entire series through live voice acting (nama-afureko). For the live music performances, TK from Ling tosite sigure, People In The Box, österreich, and Cö shu Nie took the stage. The event was organized by Sony Music Solutions (USEN Music Information Site (in Japanese)).
The Oshi Lab Note: Rather than merely screening past famous scenes, the event was structured so that the original voice actors re-performed their roles live on the spot, looking back on ten years of story in a single night. Anniversary events often lean heavily toward merchandise sales, whereas the experience of hearing the original cast perform the same roles again in person becomes an asset that competitors cannot easily replicate. The longer a series runs, the more effective it is for a company to design initiatives that turn shared time itself into value.
Verifying through concrete numbers
- ANYCOLOR proved fan business scale with 42,877M yen in sales (up 34.0%) and 27,842M yen in commerce revenue
- Commerce accounted for roughly 65% of total sales across 190 annual merchandise initiatives
- Sumitomo Corporation confirmed over 300 million visits on Roblox before forming its capital alliance with GeekOut
Building designs others cannot easily copy
- JR Central's roughly five-month continuous Shinkansen collaboration across three Gundam titles
- Tokyo Ghoul FES replaying ten years of story through live voice acting by the original cast
- Maisendo reimagining 2008's Yes! Precure 5 GoGo! for adult fans using traditional Kyoto kumihimo braided cords
Source: The Oshi Lab’s summary of the article
This Week’s Reflections
This week was a week in which the results of fan business appeared in financial statements—numbers that anyone can read.
ANYCOLOR’s total sales grew 34.0% to 42,877 million yen; its commerce division generated 27,842 million yen. Sumitomo Corporation’s decision to enter a capital and business alliance after seeing a track record of 300 million visits on Roblox followed the exact same sequence of confirming the numbers before making a move. While fan business is often discussed in terms of intuition, looking at this week’s developments shows that it is a domain that can be verified through financial results and visitor counts.
At the same time, creative ingenuity that does not show up in raw numbers also stood out. The roughly five-month continuous campaign between the Gundam franchise and JR Central, the live voice-acting re-performance at Tokyo Ghoul FES, and Maisendo’s Kyoto kumihimo braided cords are all designs that either do not end after a single activation or cannot be easily imitated by competitors. You can examine which of these models your own company’s fan business more closely resembles alongside our guides on the Design Principles of Oshikatsu Marketing and the Oshikatsu Market Size.
Weekly Oshikatsu News brings you a weekly roundup of oshikatsu and business news every week. You can browse past issues in the Oshikatsu x News category.
