Garurumon & Yamato G.E.M. Series Figure to Ship in July, Preorders Open

Over December 25th, the complete page for the Garurumon & Ishida Yamato G.E.M. Series figure was uploaded to Premium Bandai, opening up orders for MegaHouse's latest Digimon figure set. Previously featured at Jump Festa 2016 and the Mega Hobby 2015 Autumn Expo, the figure is preordering for 11,232 yen, approximately $94 at present. Garurumon & Yamato will ship in July, and are sized to be compatible with MegaHouse's existing Digimon figures.

The G.E.M. Series is a line of high quality figures aimed at young adult women, featuring characters from popular anime and manga series. The G.E.M. Series has most recently featured Wizarmon and Tailmon from Digimon Adventure, which has been one of MegaHouse's most popular G.E.M. Series franchises since it became a part of the line in January 2014. Past Adventure G.E.M. figures include multiple versions of Takaishi Takeru and Yagami Hikari with the various forms of their Digimon partners, repeated reissues of Yamato and Taichi, and other members of the Chosen Children.

The Digivice Ver. 15th Will Be Reprinted in March 2016

Over December 25th, Premium Bandai tweeted that the Yagami Taichi, Ishida Yamato, and Anime Original Color models of the Digivice Ver. 15th will all be reprinted in March 2016 to coincide with the recent preorder launch of the D-3 Ver. 15th. Preorders for the second run of the Ver. 15th are currently open until the launch date. The price of the device is set at 9990 yen, approximately $83 at the current exchange rate, and unlike the D-3, no specific limit on orders has been set. Tamers will have to order their Ver. 15ths before the launch date to receive them, and those outside of Japan will have to go through a proxy to purchase the Digivices.

Premium Bandai is Bandai's dedicated web shop, which sells directly to consumers rather than to toy stores. From August 26th to December 25th, 2014, Bandai sold the Digivice Ver. 15th in orange and blue to commemorate the fifteenth anniversary of Digimon Adventure, and the Anime Original Color Ver. 15th later became available from March 3rd to May 11th, 2015. The AOC Digivice shipped with a flyer for the D-3 Ver. 15th, a limited six thousand units of which are currently available for preorder and will ship in June 2016. The Ver. 15th series has helped revive a long tradition of play in the Digimon fandom, becoming one centerpiece for the fan-organized DIGIMADO tournament series.

Full Color Ishida Yamato & Garurumon G.E.M. Figure Leaked at Jump Festa 2016

Original image uploaded by @mega_girlshobby

December 19th, 2015. Representatives of figure news outlet Mega Hobby have leaked photographs of the upcoming G.E.M. Series Digimon Adventure Ishida Yamato & Garurumon figure, revealing that the figure will go out in July 2016, priced at 9,800 yen (approximately $81 at the current exchange rate). Reservations for the figure will open up on December 25th. An unpainted sculpt of the figure had previously been leaked late last November at the Mega Hobby 2015 Expo.

The G.E.M. Series is a line of high quality figures aimed at young adult women, featuring characters from popular anime and manga series. The G.E.M. Series has most recently featured Wizarmon and Tailmon from Digimon Adventure, which has been one of MegaHouse's most popular G.E.M. Series franchises since it became a part of the line in January 2014. Past Adventure G.E.M. figures include multiple versions of Takaishi Takeru and Yagami Hikari with the various forms of their Digimon partners, repeated reissues of Yamato and Taichi, and other members of the Chosen Children.

Digimon Adventure tri. Tote Bags Available at Comiket 89

December 14th, 2015. Bandai Fashion Net posted several upcoming products that will be available at Comiket 89 from December 29th to 31st. Alongside the previously-announced Virus Agumon plush toy, four types of tote bags and microfiber mini towelettes featuring the cast of Digimon Adventure tri. will be available as a set for 3000 yen (under $25 at the current exchange rate). The designs feature Ishida Yamato, Yagami Taichi, Tachikawa Mimi, and Takenouchi Sora, each with their respective partner Digimon. Labeled "Digimon Adventure tri. ZZZ With My Friend Tote Bags," the collection is part of Bandai's overall goal of targeting older female consumers with new Digimon merchandise.

Like with the Virus Agumon plush, the collection is very limited. 200 sets of tote bags and mini towelettes will be sold at Comiket 89, with 100 more being sold through the Premium Bandai web shop.

Comiket (an abbreviation of "Comic Market") is an annual doujinshi fair, where unofficial manga drawn by fanartists are sold alongside official products. Doujin events of this type are tolerated by large companies like Bandai and Toei because of a combination of factors; the fans typically operate at a loss when going to the event, with more than 50% of fanartists losing money by selling their work, and the events have an important role in cultivating fanbases that will be receptive to buying official merchandise. The success of doujin markets as an advertising tactic has even lead to corporate organization of these markets and other conventions, as seen in the Digimon-only event Digital ∞ Infinity organized by Studio YOU.

Ishida Yamato & Garurumon Figure Announced at Mega Hobby 2015 Expo

Original image uploaded by @figsoku_b

November 28th, 2015. At today's Mega Hobby 2015 Autumn Expo, anime figure production studio MegaHouse unveiled a new official Digimon figure, featuring Digimon Adventure's Ishida Yamato and Garurumon, his partner's Adult-level evolution. Yamato & Garurumon are the next entry in the G.E.M. Series, a line of high quality figures aimed at young adult women, featuring characters from popular anime and manga series.

The G.E.M. Series has most recently featured Wizarmon and Tailmon from Digimon Adventure, which has been one of MegaHouse's most popular G.E.M. Series franchises since it became a part of the line in January 2014. Past Adventure G.E.M. figures include multiple versions of Takaishi Takeru and Yagami Hikari with the various forms of their Digimon partners, repeated reissues of Yamato and Taichi, and other members of the Chosen Children. Of the entire G.E.M. Series figures, Ichijouji Ken is the only Digimon character to hail from Adventure 02 rather than the first season.

An exact date and price for the Garurumon figure has not yet been given, but past Digimon figures were priced at between 4,800 yen and 11,000 yen (approx. $40~$90).

Original image uploaded by @mega_girlshobby

Mynavi Interviews Hanae & Hosoya on Digimon Adventure tri.

Original image uploaded by Mynavi.

November 20th, 2015. In an interview done in advance of Digimon Adventure tri.'s Japanese premiere on the 21st, Japanese news outlet Mynavi conducted an interview with voice actors Hanae Natsuki (Yagami Taichi) and Hosoya Yoshimasa (Ishida Yamato). In the interview, Hanae discussed his shock at the original cast being replaced for Digimon Adventure tri., and the challenges he faced in becoming the voice for one of his childhood heroes. Hanae saw Taichi as being Fujita Toshiko, his original voice actress, and went into the audition believing he would never be chosen for the role of Taichi. For his own part, Hosoya had no knowledge of Digimon prior to being asked to audition for Adventure tri., but felt the need to portray a Yamato that Kazama Yuuto (the character's original Seiyuu) could never perform as. A complete translation of the interview was published on the 24th by fan translator Onkei-kun.

"When I attended the Digimon event and saw the bright, shining eyes of the fans who anticipated this series, I felt over again how much love these pure-hearted people have for this anime, and how I'm going to be voicing in such a cherished series."
—Hosoya Yoshimasa

Many fans both in Japan and abroad have remarked on similarities between Hosoya's and Kazama's voices when used for Yamato, with several theatergoers initially mistaking Hosoya for the original actor by the sound of his voice alone. The similarities in the film are reinforced by Yamato's character in the film, which of the cast displays the least amount of change since Adventure 02. In contrast to this, Hanae's Taichi has been immediately singled out for the differences both in portrayal and tone when compared with Fujita's presentation. Hanae is normally chosen to portray very youthful and boyish characters, and his more mature version of Taichi is somewhat surprising to the industry as a whole.

The second chapter of Digimon Adventure tri., Decision, will premiere in Japan on March 12th, 2016, and be simulcast overseas by Crunchyroll.

Agumon Pouch, A3 Poster, Stickers in 9/20 Issue of smart e-Mook

November 17th, 2015. Japanese distributor Elpaka Books announced over Twitter an upcoming special editorial of the e-mook series smart [sic], focusing on Digimon Adventure tri. Contrary to their name, e-mooks are not electronic but are instead "enhanced magazine-books," a recent form of Japanese publishing which come packaged with special gift items that drive up the price of the issue, enticing consumers to buy the mook for the item. This special editorial will contain a large Agumon pouch ("Original Big Pouch") from clothing brand BEAMS, an A3-size poster for Digimon Adventure tri., and a sheet of stickers featuring Ishida Yamato's new band "Knife of Day."

The issue will become available on November 20th, one day before the first tri. film's Japanese premiere. It will feature a special interview with the new voices of Yagami Taichi and Ishida Yamato, Hanae Natsuki and Hosoya Yoshimasa, and will retail for 2000 yen, approximately $20 in US money.

Earlier today the blog Digi-Egg mistakenly reported Elpaka's magazine-book cover as a poster for new charms, misconstruing the word 魅力 miryoku "fascination/charming" to mean a charm item. Elpaka Books is a subsidiary book distribution service of Lawson, a Japanese chain of convenience stores. Originally prominent for its e-book distribution, Elpaka shut down their e-book service in 2014 and has since focused on print.