- Premier Showing of TOYOTA's New-Type VIOS Promotional Animation, "Drive Your Heart," and Related Events -

Toyota Motor Sales & Marketing (TMSM) will exhibit at AnimeparTy (A.T), a comprehensive sub-cultural festival hosted by SOLOYO Information Technology Co. Ltd. on May 18 and 19, 2013. The company will also hold stage events including its animation project PES (Peace Eco Smile) (http://www.toytoyota.com/pes/en/) with STUDIO4C and also a premier showing of its new spin-off animation film, "Drive your Heart," for promotion of TOYOTA's new-type VIOS.    

PES (Peace Eco Smile): Shanghai AnimeparTy exhibition overview

Sat., May 18, 2013: Stage Event; 13:00-14:30; 3F Hall C

(1) Premier showing of PES (Peace Eco Smile) spin-off animation: Drive your Heart: promotional animation for Toyota's new-type VIOS

PES (Peace Eco Smile) is an animation film featuring Pes, an extraterrestrial being, earthling including Kurumi, and a mysterious life form, NaSuBi. Through amiable animation, PES illustrates invaluable time together with Pes, Kurumi, and NaSuBi with automobiles in their daily lives. Drive your Heart features the simulation of love affairs with luxurious Pes and Kurumi enjoying romantic driving with TOYOTA's new-type VIOS. With flowing and dynamic staging which is only possible with animation, you can enjoy splendid transformation of the new-type VIOS wits its sophisticated exterior, and exiting driving space with pop music. The new-type VIOS possesses a thoroughly polished base skeleton, high-quality feel, and technologies realizing the realm of art. This animation, Drive your Heart, is a promotional animation filled with the sensation and supreme joy evolving from driving VIOS. (Chinese voice-over)

In addition to Drive your Heart, the original animation of PES (Peace Eco Smile) produced in 2012, with a theme to love people, will be shown. This is a love comedy with Pes (an extraterrestrial being), NaSuBi (mysterious life form), and Kurumi (a girl) (27 min., Chinese voice-over).

(2) Sweety music live performance

In the Drive your Heart, the cute chorus for the gorgeous mysterious life form, NaSuBi, is played by Sweety, a popular voice-over actor idol unit of three girls. Members of Sweety will be on the stage for their live performance. With live music including songs used for the animation film, Sweety will excite the stage of the Shanghai AnimeparTy.

Sweety:

Sweety is a new-face 3-girl unit of voice-over actors with Yui Hasegawa, a.k.a. Yui Yui, the main vocalist of the group with exceptional voice; Sayaka Takenouchi, a.k.a. Sa-chan, a genuine cosplayer and the costumer for the group; and Yurika Takagi, a.k.a. Yuripon, a radio program hostess who has just debuted and also a self-claimed mascot character of the group. They met at the Holy Peak Voice Actor's School and formed the group. Their debut was as a master of ceremony at a backstage event for the CLAMP FESTIVAL 2011 TOKYO. On May 30, 2012, they achieved their major debut with an ending theme song, UNLUCKY GIRL!!, for the animation program SENGOKU COLLECTION (produced by OSTER project). They also made their debut as voice-over actors in this animation program. Yurika Takagi, playing one of three priestesses in the program, is now serving as a radio program hostess from January 2013 for a digital radio program by Nippon Cultural Broadcasting Inc., titled A&G ARTIST ZONE 2h on Mondays.

(3) Talk show by the director of Drive your Heart, Hidekazu Ohara

The talk show features Hidekazu Ohara, the director of TOYOTA's new-type VIOS promotional animation, Drive your Heart.

Hidekazu Ohara: animation director, producer, character designer, commercial film creator

Ohara was in charge of the original drawing for theatrical animation such as Nausica of the Valley of the Wind, Night on the Galactic Railroad, AKIRA, and more. Ohara also serves as original drawing director and character designer for the theatrical animation by STUDIO4C, Memories. His representative works include: animation for Qoo for Coca-Cola (Japan) Company, Limited and a SLAM DUNK version for men's cosmetics by Shiseido Company, Limited. Ohara creates numerous animations which are remembered by people. In 2012, Ohara directed a commercial film by STUDIO4C for Volvic - To Drink Nature.

In addition to the above-mentioned stage events, there will be exhibition booths like a toy box full of playful spirit so that visitors can enjoy games such as NaSuBi targeting games.

ToyToyota project: What is PES (Peace Eco Smile)?

ToyToyota is a challenge of TOYOTA to deliver joy of transport with the concept that the "TOY" in its corporate name as the origin of this lively and cheerful joy. With this concept, PES (Peace Eco Smile) was created to deliver attractiveness of cars, sensation, excitement, and joy which are brought about by cars through heartwarming animation. In collaboration with STUDIO4C, which is highly evaluated internationally for its constant challenges for original visual expression, delicate graphic depiction, animation full of stories, the dynamic staging and mystical world views are created via animation. As a result, we could realize high-quality animation which even adult can enjoy.

PES (Peace Eco Smile): http://www.toytoyota.com/pes/en/

- New-type VIOS

New-type VIOS is a commercial car with new model concepts, released at the 2012 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition for the first time. From the end of this year, VIOS will commence its production and sales in China. New-type VIOS is fully equipped with stylish design with overwhelming presence, high-quality interior design, superb environmental performance and numerous detailed features to further evolve the car into the utmost excellence.

The car's characteristic line boldly flows over the surface of its body to shape its exterior car design. Its exterior design is sporty but elegant, with the flowing design at the car front towards its center and the dynamic upward line from the bottom part of the car body towards its rear part, visually representing a strong impact. The car front embodies under priority a dynamically structured trapezoidal under grill. Functionalities such as aerodynamic performance, cooling, pedestrian protection and the characteristic keen look of the front mask design are beautifully integrated.

Its interior designs also feature numerous craftsmanship of the automaker. Fully eliminating all compromising for its comfort, operability, functionality, and taste, the new-type VIOS realized the highest quality going beyond its car rank. The new-type VIOS offers an ergonomically designed cockpit, high-quality interior space with various materials, genuine relaxation, invitation for sporty driving, and fully liberating space.

TOYOTA considers that quality is not only for manufacturing. Creative lifestyles, styling to surprise people, pioneering new fields, and repeatedly refined technologies are all quality for TOYOTA. We define that heightening the quality to the realm of art is genuine quality TOYOTA pursues. To form a tough basic skeleton, numerous high-tensile steel sheets are incorporated into its body structure. Moreover, with increased spot welding at more than 100 locations, and utilizing panels, casting components, and extruded materials, in addition to its sporting handling, the new-type VIOS realized improved performances including running stability, safety performance, braking performance, acceleration performance, and low fuel consumption. Once you hold the steering of the new-type VIOS and start driving, you will surely feel its high-speed stability, unparalleled handling performance, assured body rigidity with a sense of reassurance, and comfortable ride quality.

YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/user/toytoyotaPES/videos

- Animation production: STUDIO4C

STUDIO4C is a creator group constantly challenging original and high-quality visual depiction. Their brand name is now internationally known for their original animation for all categories including movies, OVA, TV program serials, commercial films, music clips, visual materials for all events, and individualistic short stories. Representative works include: the movie MEMORIES (directed by Katsuhiro Otomo), MIND GAME (directed by Masaaki Yuasa), TEKKON KINKREET (directed by Michael Arias) and more. Their collaborated works with overseas productions include: Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc. production THE ANIMATRIX, BATMAN: GOTHAM KNIGHT; US Microsoft Halo Legends; and Russian Molot Entertainment FIRST SQUAD. These are highly evaluated globally. Awards include: Mainichi Film Award's Noburo Ofuji Award; Japan Academy Prize's Best Animation Film; Moscow International Film Festival's Kommersant prize; The Clio Awards for commercial films, and CANNES LIONS Silver Lion and more. Their latest works include: the movie BERSERK and PES (Peace Eco Smile), produced in collaboration with TOYOTA.

Source: Toyota Motor Sales & Marketing (TMSM)