The Insane Train-Themed Anime Featuring Shinji Ikari and Hatsune Miku

Summary

Shinkalion collabs with Neon Genesis Evangelion and Hatsune Miku.
Shinkalion is a mecha franchise involving kids piloting robot JR trains.
The international release of Shinkalion is unlikely due to high collaboration costs and niche appeal.

Today, most seasonal anime are released internationally on streaming platforms like Crunchyroll, Netflix, and Hidive. Shows that don’t go global tend to either be too focused on the Japanese audiences or long, established franchises that are, at the same time, probably too expensive to acquire, too costly to translate, and too niche to the public outside of Japan (or at least outside of Asia) – one example is Sazae-san, the longest-running animation on TV, according to the Guinness World Records.

However, there is one anime that is quite popular among Japanese children and that could attract a good portion of anime fans, especially due to its insane collaborations with renowned franchises like Neon Genesis Evangelion and Vocaloid’s Hatsune Miku. Despite all of that, Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion remains unlicensed outside of Japan.

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What Exactly Is Shinkalion?

Shinkalion is a franchise created by Takara Tomy, one of the largest toy companies in Japan, in partnership with Japan Railways Group (also known as JR Group), the largest railways groups in Japan, formed after the government privatized the Japan National Railways company in the 1980s.

With this presentation, it’s easy to imagine that Shinkalion was created to sell toy models of trains based on JR lines/trains – and that’s correct. The series is actually based on another model train franchise owned by Tomy, Plarail (whose name comes from plastic and railroad). But there’s a special touch to Shinkalion: this is a mecha franchise in which kids pilot robot forms of JR trains.

The first Shinkalion anime aired in Japan in 2018-2019 – it spawned a movie, released in 2019. A second series (Shinkalion Z), related to the first one but with different main characters, was broadcast from 2021 to 2022. Both were animated by Studio OLM (Pokemon). Finally, a third series (Shinkalion: Change the World) recently concluded – this one was animated by Signal.MD and Production I.G.

Why Are Hatsune Miku And Shinji Ikari In Shinkalion?

Well, the simple answer to that question is: because the production wanted them to be. Shinkalion collaborated with Evangelion in the first anime, introducing Shinji Ikari as the pilot of Shinkalion 500 TYPE EVA in Episode 31. Then the franchises collaborated again in the movie and in Shinkalion Z, Episode 21. As both series are mecha stories set in Japan, it’s easy for them to collaborate, though unexpected.

However, Hatsune Miku’s appearance in the franchise is a bolder move, though. She appeared in Episode 15 of the first anime, but quickly became a main character in the series and is also featured in the movie. She is the pilot of Shinkalion H5 Hayabusa in the story, but becomes a singer by the end of the story.

Of course, she is part of a collaboration with Crypton Future Media, but, in this kind of collaboration, characters usually make occasional appearances, like Shinji, so it was bold to just bring Miku and turn her into a major recurring character – well, now she’s getting her own anime.

In addition to these two iconic collaborations, the franchise has also featured characters from Galaxy Express 999, Hello Kitty and Godzilla (and maybe even more).

Are There Any Chances Shinkalion Gets An International Release?

After reading all of this, one could wonder: why hasn’t Shinkalion been officially licensed outside of Japan? Could it still be licensed?

Well, one of the reasons might be the timing of the series: Japanese producers were more skeptical of international streaming services in 2018, and, despite everything, this is a series made to sell toys based on real Japanese trains – that means it was primarily aimed at Japanese audiences.

Producers might have thought that there was no reason to license this overseas without a proper strategy to sell the toys worldwide – and they probably imagined that these toys would be less attractive to non-Japanese audiences.

However, probably the biggest challenge to license Shinkalion today is the collaborations themselves. A distributor would need the approval of all companies involved, which might not only be problematic but also expensive. With so many high-profile series making special (or recurring) appearances in this show, the price to buy the rights to it is probably higher than the expected return – and imagine having to deal with the approval of all of them if the distributor wants to highlight these collaborations as a way to market the series.

So, despite being possible, an international release is unlikely to happen in the near future, unfortunately.

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The Insane Train-Themed Anime Featuring Shinji Ikari and Hatsune Miku

Summary

What Exactly Is Shinkalion?

Why Are Hatsune Miku And Shinji Ikari In Shinkalion?

Are There Any Chances Shinkalion Gets An International Release?

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Summary

What Exactly Is Shinkalion?

Why Are Hatsune Miku And Shinji Ikari In Shinkalion?

Are There Any Chances Shinkalion Gets An International Release?

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