New LED manhole covers have been installed in Tokorozawa, Saitama; celebrating popular anime series such as Sergeant Frog and Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!
Sora News 24 reports the new manhole covers have been installed in the city of Tokorozawa to celebrate the opening of Tokorozawa Sakura Town on August 1st. Tokorozawa Sakura Town is a new pop culture center.
It features an event center, mall, hotel, and museum all themed around Japanese pop culture and anime. The manhole covers lead the way to the center from the nearby Higashi Tokorozawa station.
The manhole covers are different from conventional decorative manhole covers, as the anime pictures are not painted or engraved on. Instead, the images are projected on a blank LED screen day and night. The manhole covers have built-in solar panels around the screen in order to keep them on.
The LED projection leads to clearer and brighter images and the manhole covers. Speculatively, the LED manhole covers could also allow for an easy change as pop culture trends change. Presently, the manhole covers feature popular series such as Slayers, Sergeant Frog, and new series like Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out!
You can read the full list of titles featured on the manhole covers, and where they appear in Sakura Town (via Sora News 24) below.
1: A Certain Magical Index
2: Re:Zero -Starting Life in Another World-
3, 17, 22, 28: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin
4: The Five Star Stories
5, 13: Anime Tourism Association mascot Junrei-chan
6: Bungo Stray Dogs
7: Uzaki-chan Wants to Hang Out
8, 23: Yamato Takeru
9: The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya
10: Lucky Star
11: Slayers
12: Date A Live
14: Overload
15: Sword Art Online
16: Full Metal Panic
18: Rascal Does Not Dream of Bunny Girl Senpai
19: Neon Genesis Evangelion
20: Record of Lodoss War
21: Sgt. Frog
24: Spice and Wolf
25: KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on this Wonderful World
26: Kino’s Journey -The Beautiful World-
27: The Hero Is Overpowered but Overly Cautious
Some of the manhole covers can be seen on Tokorozawa Sakura Town’s official Twitter page.
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Image: Twitter