Who needs copyrights when you’ve got over nine dozen iconic anime characters?
The past few years have seen a handful of anime projects featuring anime characters crossing over from one franchise to the other. Famed thief Lupin III crossed paths with the great detective Conan himself in 2009, and the pirates of One Piece have teamed up with both omnivorous master hunter Toriko and Dragon Ball hero Son Goku.
But what if instead of just combining one or two series, you tried to combine all of them?
Produced to commemorate Children’s Day, this fan-produced poster packs in dozens of stars from hit series stretching back over the last few decades. The poster’s old timers are the original anime hero himself, Astro Boy/Tetsuwan Atom, and robotic cat Doraemon.
The 1980s are represented by characters from Saint Seya, Chibi Maruko-chan, Dr. Slump, sports titles Touch and Captain Tsubasa, and Studio Ghibli films Nausica, My Neighbor Totoro, and Laputa.
The 1990s were apparently the boom time for anime in China, as we see cast members from Yuyuhakusho, Hunter X Hunter, Saiyuki, Slam Dunk, Crayon Shin-chan, Yu-Gi-Oh, Chuka Ichiban, Cardcaptor Sakura, Fushigi Yugi, Cyber Formula, Ranma 1.2, and Inu Yasha. Also noticeable are visitors from currently continuing franchises Evangelion, Initial D, Ghost in the Shell, Great Detective Conan, and Sailor Moon.
More recent entries include the heroes of Fullmetal Alchemist, Yakitate Japan, Eyeshiled 21, Spirited Away, Hikaru no Go, and Prince of Tennis.
We also spot at least three Gundam mecha, and cast members from long running action hits Bleach, One Piece, and Naruto. And of course, front and center is the archetype of the modern anime action hero, Dragon Ball’s Son Goku.
But the fanservice doesn’t end there! Add in video game characters from the Sonic, Mega Man, Bomberman, Digimon, and Pokémon franchises, and you’ve got a fairly decent who’s who of the anime/game industry.
Despite the exhaustive roster, some people still found fault with the artwork. Internet gripes included Howl’s Moving Castle being represented by, well, Howl’s moving castle, and not the wizard Howl himself. Others expressed their suspicions of favoritism that the protagonist of Chuka Ichiban, a series about cooking Chinese food, is given such prominent placement despite the series having been more or less forgotten by anime fans everywhere else in the world.
But like they say you can’t please everybody. Color us impressed, even if we’re secretly hoping for a Macross character or two if the artist decides to make another poster for Children’s Day next year.
Source: Alfalfalfa