Free! Eternal Summer is Part 1 - Rakuten Launches Online Lottery Site

EVENT
Aug. 25, 2014 00:00 PDT

Products that are won through drawing tickets in a lottery are as popular in the realms of anime and characters as ever. A secret to the success of these no-lose lotteries is that you don’t know what you’ll get. There have been many lottery products developed so far for convenience stores and other stores, but now fans can enjoy the fun online.

On Aug. 20, Rakuten launched the online lottery site Rakuten Books Click Ji Store. Available to win are Rakuten-exclusive goods themed after popular anime and characters.

The structure of the service is easy to understand. Each entry into the lottery costs 800 yen and you simply click the button in the store to enter. Players can check the site to find out which prize they won, and their prize will be shipped to them the following day. Shipping is free, so there is nothing to pay for but the entry ticket.

Already, a huge title has been chosen as Part 1 of the service. That title is the popular TV anime Free! Eternal Summer. The anime is a sequel to last year’s Free!, which proved very popular during its summer broadcast. The sequel continues the youthful story of a male high school swim team. The anime is by Kyoto Animation, which is known for its many hits including The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya and K-On!, and it gathered interest for its target being primarily females. However, the series is popular with a wide audience.

The Free! Eternal Summer lottery will be held for roughly one month from Aug. 20 to Sept. 19. The prize lineup includes life-size character panels, towels, reversible cushions, specially drawn posters, and more. In total, there are 5 prizes available in 19 varieties, all of which are Rakuten exclusives.

Using the advantage of shipping the prizes, a characteristic of the lottery is its many large prize items. Also, 100 people who enter the lottery will be chosen to win a tapestry printed with an illustration drawn for the occasion as a double chance. Rakuten plans to expand its prize lineup from here on to ramp up the Rakuten Books Click Ji Store.

Rakuten Books Click Ji Store
800 yen per entry (tax excluded, shipping included)

Source: animeanime