by In the TV anime “Lycoris Recoil” (Lycoris Recoil), which is being broadcast on TOKYO MX, etc., the “cafe account” of the coffee shop that appears at work is different from the official Twitter account (@lycoris_recoil), is a follower. It boasts popularity with over 150,000 people (as of the 26th).
Everyday one-cuts and interactions between characters not depicted in the main story have been updated and play a role in making the work more deeply immersed in the worldview. We asked the person in charge about the background and purpose of opening the Twitter account.
The work is an original anime depicting the uneven days of Senzoku Nishiki and Takina Inoue, who are agents “Likoris” of the secret organization “DA” that protects Japan’s peace, but ostensibly work at a typical Japanese cafe “Ricoriko.” Since the start of broadcasting in July, the charming characters, including the two and the detailed description of their relationship, have been well received.
They are trending on Twitter every time the latest episode is broadcast. In addition, the famous character designer, Imigimuru, has been appointed, and illustrations by many fans have been posted on SNS.
The Twitter account “Cafe Rico Rico” made its first tweet on March 26, before the anime aired. Until the broadcast’s start, we introduced the interior and exterior of the restaurant where Senzoku and Takina work and the menu offered.
After the opening, post a newly drawn illustration, a notice of the next time by the character’s dialogue, and an image of the trouble consultation the nature answers. He draws everyday life, human relationships, etc., that were not drawn in the central part of the anime and is responsible for the composition and production of the worldview.
On the 1st of this month, after the 4th episode was broadcast, Takina posted an illustration of her wearing her plain clothes chosen by Senzoku and doing sparklers in the same story. As of the 26th, the tweet was posted with the words, “I’ve come to see fireworks with Takina. It’s a pity there’s no fireworks display, but this kind of thing is fun, isn’t it?” Acquired over 6,000 likes. The voices of praise were received, such as “the plain clothes are the best” and “such everyday scenes are irresistible.”
According to Aniplex’s Satomi Takahashi, an advertising producer who responded to the interview, the idea for the “Cafe Ricorico” account was directed by Shingo Adachi.
In the first episode, there is a scene where photos of four people working at the store are uploaded to SNS, so it was launched with the same ID as the one that appears in the main story. At first, it was planned to be used as an “official account of the work,” but Mr. Takahashi thought it could be used as a place to convey the charm of the worldview and characters of the work.
“I think you can enjoy the main part of the anime even more if you can see the narrative that there are living characters in it, not just mechanical notifications.” So different from the official account, it has been disseminating its information.
Mr. Takahashi thought that the “daily lives of characters” and “the relationships between characters” were attractive due to the recent popularity of Vtubers. She said, “Even when you’re not watching the main anime, I hope you can feel close to Senzoku and others and expand your imagination about the story ahead.”
The so-called “oversight” is often published in text short stories, voice dramas, etc. On the other hand, from the point of view of publicity, he expressed his opinion, “Right now, I feel that one light tweet is easier to reach fans’ daily lives than a 1,000-character, 5-minute, elaborated tweet.” “Especially, I think Twitter is the most SNS that anime fans use. YouTube is the main battlefield for Vtubers, but they also send detailed tweets. In this era, SNS communication is suitable. I thought so,” he explained.
It is said that there are also fans who recommend following, saying, “It’s not just the official one, but this one is also interesting.” Before the broadcast, the number of followers was less than 10,000, but now it has more than 150,000. Regarding the future of the account, Mr. Takahashi said, “I would like to continue posting everyday photos (illustrations) as the story progresses, so please look forward to it.”
The anime “Ricoriko” has become even more attractive thanks to the “story-type promotion” that matches the Reiwa era.
The main story seems to move towards a more severe development towards the climax. On the 24th, a new key visual with a completely different atmosphere was released. Mr. Takahashi commented on the highlights: “Senzoku, I want you to pay attention to how the ‘bond between two people will develop until the end. For those interested in characters other than Takina, please watch until the end.”
