Fans of the popular high school competitive road-bike racing anime series “Yowamushi Pedal” – based off the manga series of the same title by Wataru Watanabe – will be pleased to know that it has teamed up once again with a real-world race event. The event of collaboration this round is the prestigious “Tour de Tohoku 2018” road-bike race organised by Yahoo Japan Corporation, and will take place this very weekend (spanning the duration of 15 ~ 16 September 2018)!

© Wataru Watanabe / Akita Shoten / Yowamushi Pedal Glory Line Production Committee ©2018 Yahoo Japan Corporation

The popular anime series will lend its strength to the event’s marketing efforts in this collaboration with a series of specially designed original event posters that feature series’ characters cycling against various beautiful scenic backdrops. These backdrops are the actual representations of the race routes/locations during the Tour de Tohoku. The areas’ names and race-stages will also be listed clearly in these posters. Let’s take a look at some of these!

© Wataru Watanabe / Akita Shoten / Yowamushi Pedal Glory Line Production Committee ©2018 Yahoo Japan Corporation

Starting from the Sendai Watari Cycling Course located in Sendai City, the full race-route will span nine cities within the Miyagi Prefecture.

© Wataru Watanabe / Akita Shoten / Yowamushi Pedal Glory Line Production Committee ©2018 Yahoo Japan Corporation

Stage 3 of 9: Higashi-Matsushima City feat. the current six regular cyclists of Sohoku High School Road-Bike Club

© Wataru Watanabe / Akita Shoten / Yowamushi Pedal Glory Line Production Committee ©2018 Yahoo Japan Corporation

Stage 4 of 9: Ishinomaki City feat. Sohoku High School alumni-climber Yusuke Makishima

© Wataru Watanabe / Akita Shoten / Yowamushi Pedal Glory Line Production Committee ©2018 Yahoo Japan Corporation

Stage 6 of 9: Minami-Sanriku Town feat. Sohoku and Hakugaku climbers duo and best rivals Yusuke Makishima and Jinpachi Todo

Miyagi Prefecture has seen its fair share of a long history of small-scaled regional road-bike races since 1952, but it was not until 2013 that the ‘Tour de Tohoku’ race event inaugurated under the sponsorship and joint organisation of Yahoo Japan Corporation and Kahoku Shimpo News Publishing. The main aim of the event is to have the race-course span through areas affected and devastated by the 2011 East Japan Great Earthquake/Tsunami disaster and to bring charity and rebuilding relief fundings to those areas as a by-effect of outside visitors-influx to the small cities and towns via means of the large-scaled Prefecture-wide road-bike race event. In his interview for the current collaboration, “Yowamushi Pedal” mangaka Wataru Watanabe – himself an avid cyclist – was quoted saying he felt ‘very honoured to be involved in this project and charity cause. The East Japan Great Earthquake was one that many people of this generation would not easily forget, and despite nearly 7 years having past since the natural disaster, it will take much, much longer to rebuild and restore the affected regions to their formal glory.’

© Wataru Watanabe / Akita Shoten / Yowamushi Pedal Glory Line Production Committee ©2018 Yahoo Japan Corporation
© Wataru Watanabe / Akita Shoten / Yowamushi Pedal Glory Line Production Committee ©2018 Yahoo Japan Corporation

The special collaboration posters will be on billboard display in JR Shinjuku Station and 13 major Tokyo Metro subway stations from 10 ~ 16 September 2018; as well as in JR Sendai Station from 11 ~ 17 September 2018 to maximise exposure and media coverage. Some photos of these in-station billboard displays as picptured below:

© Wataru Watanabe / Akita Shoten / Yowamushi Pedal Glory Line Production Committee ©2018 Yahoo Japan Corporation
© Wataru Watanabe / Akita Shoten / Yowamushi Pedal Glory Line Production Committee ©2018 Yahoo Japan Corporation
© Wataru Watanabe / Akita Shoten / Yowamushi Pedal Glory Line Production Committee ©2018 Yahoo Japan Corporation

Fans who are interested to read up more on the ‘Tour de Tohoku 2018’ race event may check out the event’s official website!

 

Source: NetLab Girl Side