A new, official initiative for the Cosmic Princess Kaguya! anime film is seeking to bring fans to its fictional virtual world of Tsukuyomi and meet Kaguya herself.
The endeavor involves the creation of a “condensed” version of Tsukuyomi in the free-to-play VRChat platform, with the virtual world to serve as the venue for the Tsukuyomi Kanshasai (Tsukuyomi Appreciation Event). A crowdfunding campaign on Soreosu was launched alongside the event’s announcement and has achieved 416% of its baseline target at the time of writing, unlocking 3D Iroha and Yachiyo and expanding the scope of the VRchat world to include the rest space and stall area.
Aside from the Tsukuyomi recreation and the 3D character models, the funds will also be spent on the production and delivery of limited, made-to-order Cosmic Princess Kaguya! goods (for residents in Japan only), plus Soreosu’s handling fees. The proceeds from the goods, which include can badges of the main trio, a Yachiyo acrylic diorama, and a Fushi plushie, will go towards the production of the virtual content.
The crowdfunding campaign is scheduled to conclude on April 22. Delivery of the merchandise will begin in August, while the Tsukuyomi Kanshasai will be held sometime in the middle of the year. Those who don’t intend to install VRChat can experience the event via the official Cosmic Princess Kaguya! YouTube channel.
The availability period of the virtual space hasn’t been decided, but the Ｑ＆Ａ section says that preparations are underway to allow the world to be enjoyed for a long while. There are plans to sell the HoloModels that are currently bundled with some of the crowdfunding tiers in the future.
Cosmic Princess Kaguya! made its debut on Netflix on January 22 and saw the start of a one week limited theatrical release in Japan on February 20. The movie is a near-future, yuri reimagining of the The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter that has Shingo Yamashita Shingo Yamashita (Pokétoon chief director, opening storyboard artist and director for Chainsaw Man, Jujutsu Kaisen Season 1, and more) in his feature director debut and music contributions from vocaloid producers ryo (supercell), 40mP, HoneyWorks, yuigot, Aqu3ra, and kz(livetune.
The synopsis reads:
Tsukuyomi is a virtual realm where hopes and dreams come together. Iroha Sakayori, a 17-year-old high school student in Tokyo, leads an extremely busy life trying to balance part-time work and academics. She finds peace by watching a popular streamer named Yachiyo Runami, who is the administrator of an online virtual space called Tsukuyomi. Iroha frequents Tsukuyomi, where people can live different lives and freely pursue their creativity, and she passes the time by supporting Yachiyo and playing battle game to earn a little extra money.
On her way home one day, Iroha finds a telephone pole shining with iridescent hues. To her surprise, an adorable baby emerges from the pole. Unable to abandon it, Iroha takes the infant home and watches her rapidly grow into a girl her own age.
“Are you Princess Kaguya?” The grown-up Kaguya develops a self-indulgent personality. At Kaguya’s fervent request, Iroha helps her start streaming in Tsukuyomi. With Iroha as producer and songwriter and Kaguya as streamer and singer, the two grow steadily closer. Little do they know that ominous forces lie in wait, eager to take Kaguya back to the moon.
This is the tale of Princess Kaguya as never seen before.
January also saw the launch of a manga adaptation and the release of a light novel, with both being published by KADOKAWA. There are also a number of Cosmic Princess Kaguya! music videos, with one of them being an animated product that includes post-movie content.
Staff
• Director: Shingo Yamashita
• Tsukuyomi character designer: illustrator hechima
• Real world character designer: Akihiro Nagae (Drifting Home)
• Scriptwriter: Saeri Natsuo (Sono Toki, Kanojo wa.)
• Scriptwriter: Shingo Yamashita
• Live performance director: Naoya Nakayama (storyboard artist and unit director for YOASOBI’s “Idol” music video, OSHI NO KO Season 1 and 2)
• Background art director: Taichi Shishido
• Color designer: Izumi Hirose
• Tsukuyomi concept designer: illustrator Higashi Mizutamari
• Tsukuyomi concept designer: illustrator Fujimoto Gold from Gokinjo
• Real world concept designer: Hitomi Kariya
• Compositing director: Folium’s Daisuke Chiba (Stardust Telepath and Amane Kanata’s “Oracle” music video compositing director)
• CG director: Stimulus Image’s Masaya Machida (Overtake! co-CG director)
• Music composer: Conisch
• Animation production: Studio Colorido and Studio Chromato
Cast
• Yuko Natsuyoshi as Kaguya
• Anna Nagase as Iroha Sakayori
• Saori Hayami as Yachiyo Runami
