Cute Japanese Kid Wants “Karipap” After Watching Mechamato Movie
The Japanese dubbed Mechamato will open in Malaysian cinemas tomorrow.
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In recent years, the animation industry in Malaysia has witnessed significant growth.
Malaysia’s highest grossing animated film to date, Mechamato, is currently showing in cinemas in Japan since 19 January.
The film, which was originally in Bahasa Melayu, has been dubbed into Japanese with a cast of great voice actors.
The title was changed to メカアマト (Mecha Amato) Movie and in the latest update, the Japanese version of the animated film will be shown in 60 local cinemas starting tomorrow.
The original version aired in Malaysia in 2022 and amassed a collection of RM36 million.
Positive reaction in Japan
Film-goers in Japan reacted positively to the movie as seen in a clip shared by @boboiboy on TikTok.
@boboiboy Mechamato Movie (Dubbing Bahasa Jepun) bakal ditayangkan di MALAYSIA mulai 25 January ini! 🇯🇵🇲🇾 #Mechamato #MechamatoMovie #メカアマト #メカアマトムービー ♬ original sound – MONSTA
An adult female said she burst into tears watching the scene where the characters met each other, adding that it was very impressive.
She said it was a fun movie and she wanted to watch it a few more times.
The children interviewed also gave rave reviews with one cute kid saying he wants “karipap”. For context, the Mechabots in the movie love to eat curry puffs.
Voice actors play huge role in success
The voice actors involved in the Japanese dubbing of Mechamato include Kenjiro Tsuda who played the role of Kento Nanami in the anime Jujutsu Kaisen, and Yoshitsugu Matsuoka who voiced Inosuke Hashibira in the series Demon Slayer.
The voice of Amato, the main character of Mechamato, is played by Ayumu Murase who has been involved in several animes such as Haikyuu! and Goodbye, Don Glees!.
READ MORE: Malaysia’s Mechamato To Screen In Japan
READ MORE: Mechamato Is First Malaysian Animation To Air On Japanese TV Station
READ MORE: Mechamato Creates History At 2023 Tokyo Anime Fan Award
Mechamato is being screened in over 30 cinemas in Japan through a collaboration between local animation studio Monsta, Astro Shaw and AEON Entertainment Japan.
According to Malay Mail, Monsta’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Nizam Abd Razak, said his side was advised by a strategic partner in Japan to use the talent services of popular voice actors.
Nizam said they found that marketing methods in Japan were very different. In fact, voice actors in the country have their own fans and appeal.
Nizam was informed that the audience did not expect Malaysia could produce animation films of international standards.
They added that Mechamato’s storyline successfully retained their children’s attention for the entire 116-minute duration.
The Mechamato series shown on Japan’s national television channel, Tokyo MX, is the first Malaysian animation to penetrate the country’s market.
What makes this an even sweeter success is that the series was the first animation outside of Japan to win the Anime Fan Award at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival (TAAF) 2023.
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