A New Project Begins for the Subaru x Gainax Web Anime “Wish Upon the Pleiades”

Wish Upon the Pleiades is a collaboration web animation between Gainax and the Japanese automaker Fuji Heavy Industries (brand name: Subaru) as a branding project. The anime was released on YouTube on Feb. 1, 2011, gathering attention from anime fans due to its high quality that crosses over the bounds of being a mere business promotion.

The reason the work was noticed is that while being a work aimed at promoting Subaru’s cars, it expresses the world and brand of Subaru itself without showing cars. The essence of cars is used in the designs of elements such as the key to the waiting room and the characters’ staves.

The story begins when Subaru, a girl who loves stars, meets a mysterious boy named Minato in the viewing room after school. Wish Upon the Pleiades is a fun anime that progresses to include a mysterious world and cute characters.

Other than the web anime, a collaboration with United Cinemas took place in June 2011 in which a manner movie based on Wish Upon the Pleiades was screened for a limited time in theaters. At that time, goods and original drinks were sold as well.

Even after its web distribution, its popularity has remained. At this year’s Tokyo International Anime Fair (TAF), a reboot of the anime called Wish Upon the Pleiades: The Movie was announced at Gainax’s booth. The release date for this movie is still unknown. Fans are looking forward to seeing Subaru and the rest in theaters once more. Look forward to more on this as new information is released.

Wish Upon the Pleiades (English Subs):
“First Night”

“Second Night”

“Third Night”

“Fourth Night”

Wish Upon the Pleiades Official Site

This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.