Broccoli's Di Gi Charat Mascot Franchise Gets New Mini Anime

The cast members of the Di Gi Charat mascot franchise announced during a live-streamed "Sudden Big News Special" on Saturday that production on a new mini anime has been green-lit. The new anime is the first part of the Reiwa no Di Gi Charat project that marks the franchise's 24th anniversary next year, and that also celebrates Japan's current Reiwa era.

Hiroaki Sakurai is returning to direct the new mini anime, although this time, LIDEN FILMS is animating. Atsuko Watanabe (GA: Geijutsuka Art Design Class, Hanayamata, Valkyria Chronicles) is designing the characters. The franchise's original character designer Koge-Donbo* drew the above key visual, as well as the following sketch to celebrate the news:

The mini anime will feature familiar characters as well as a new one: Bushirodo-no-Mikoto or "Bushi-chan," Bushiroad's guardian deity who was born in 2007 (the company's founding date). She enjoys freshly cooked white rice, mentaiko cod's roe, and oysters, and her specialty is pro-wrestling.

Cast members Asami Sanada, Miyuki Sawashiro, and Kyoko Hikami also profiled their respective characters Di Gi Charat, Petit Charat, and Rabi~en~Rose. The other returning cast members include:

• Yoshiko Kamei as Gema
• Megumi Hayashibara as Piyocola Analogue III
• Kousuke Toriumi as Rik Heisenberg
• Chihiro Suzuki as Ky Schweitzer
• Tomo Saeki as Coo Erhard

In addition, Satomi Akesaka plays Brocco-desu, the goddess of Broccoli.

The Di Gi Charat franchise features characters who were mascot characters for Broccoli and the GAMERS retail chain. The franchise stared in 1998 and features manga, anime, video games, and voice actor events. The franchise follows the alien-hybrid cat-girl Di Gi Charat who wants to be a superstar as she works at an anime chain store called Gamers.

The original 16-episode Di Gi Charat television anime series aired in 1999. Synch-Point released part of the series in North America on DVD in 2005, and Sentai Filmworks released the series on DVD in 2013.

Bushiroad, as part of its new partnership with media company Broccoli, featured a collaboration between Di Gi Charat and Bushiroad's Lost Decade smartphone game, as part of an overall plan to "reboot" Broccoli's Di Gi Charat franchise. Bushiroad stated the Di Gi Charat franchise was a trailblazer in "moe culture."

Source: "Sudden Big News Special" stream