During AnimeJapan 2023 held between March 25 and 26, Monster Strike’s developer Mixi surprises fans with a new road cycling comic and anime project titled Rinkai! The project will see both a comic serialization and an anime, with the comic coming out this year and an unspecific release date for the anime as of the time of writing.
The project certainly has a peculiar background, when Mixi joined hands Chari-Lotto in 2019., which provides the internet voting service for bicycle race tickets (winner’s ballots), as a group company.
In 2020, the company launched TIPSTAR, a cooperative sports betting service, and group company Net Dreamers launched “netkeirin,” a comprehensive bicycle racing media outlet, and continued its bicycle racing-related business.
Project Rinkai! pretty comes out because of this as it aims to promote the appeal of “bicycle racing” as a sport through the power of characters and stories, as well as to stimulate interest in local regions by incorporating the characteristics of the regions where bicycle racing tracks are located into the characters’ settings.
▍ Rinkai! Synopsis
In Rinkai!, the story takes place in an era where it has been several decades since women’s bicycle racing, which was born during the chaotic post-war period, ended its short history after only 15 years.
The female bicycle racing industry, which has been revived as the Rinkai League, has begun to show unprecedented excitement with the birth of major stars who are active on the world stage.
Invincible queens, silver veterans, athletes who have reached the pinnacle in other sports, and challengers with no experience in sports but with big dreams in their hearts…The passionate battles of these unique and fascinating female cyclists unfold at bicycle race courses across Japan!
▍ Rinkai! Characters
Two characters were introduced on the official website. Judging from the big map of Japan on the webpage, however, it seems we’ll see more and more characters introduced over the course of the project. For now, though, here are our two characters:
■ Izumi Itou – CV: Umino Kawamura
DoB: September 16 / Age: 20 / Height: 161 cm
Favorite place: Komuroyama Park / Favorite food: Inarizushi and soft ice cream
■ Nana Hiratsuka – CV: Azusa Aoi
DoB: November 22 / Age: 20 / Height: 164 cm
Favorite place: Hiratsuka Beach, Observation Deck / Favorite food: Hiratsuka tanmen and fluffy omelette
▍ Rinkai! Comic Serialization
The comic serialization of the project is set to begin in 2023 and will be distributed through the Manga Bang app. More information about the exact release will be coming at a later date.
