M’sia’s ‘Mechamato Movie’ opens in Japan

Going international: Amato with his school friend, Pian, who is a genius in building stuff from the film ‘Mechamato Movie’ can be seen on the big screen in Japan.

KUALA LUMPUR: The nation’s number one animated film, Mechamato Movie, has made history as the first local animated film to break into the Japanese market.

It will begin screening in over 30 cinemas starting Jan 19.

The film, a MONSTA and Astro Shaw production, garnered RM36mil during its 2022 release.

In a statement yesterday, MONSTA chief executive officer Nizam Abd Razak said a premiere screening was held at a cinema in Tokyo on Sunday.

He said voice-over actors, the media, Japanese fans and MONSTA’s strategic partners attended the event.

He added that the audience’s reaction was very positive and animation enthusiasts praised the quality of Mechamato Movie.

“We received many pleasing reactions from the audience at the Japanese premiere.

“They did not expect Malaysia to produce an internationally acclaimed animation film with a storyline that could ‘glue’ their children to their seats for 116 minutes.

“We plan to bring the Japanese-dubbed version to Malaysia because we believe Mechamato fans wouldn’t want to miss the opportunity to watch this version,” he said during the premiere at AEON Chofu, Tokyo, on Sunday, Bernama reported.

According to Nizam, MONSTA received advice and assistance from strategic partners in Japan to secure famous “seiyuu” (voice actors) for the movie which featured renowned actors such as Ayumu Murase as Amato, Yoshitsugu Matsuoka as MechaBot, and Kenjiro Tsuda as General Grakakus.

“We found that the marketing style in Japan is very different. Their voice actors have a fan base and unique appeal.

“We hope this effort will attract the interest of the Japanese audience to watch the Malaysian film and share their experiences,” Nizam said.

The Mechamato series’ first and second seasons were the first works from Malaysia successfully broadcast on Japanese national television through the TOKYO MX channel.

The theme song of Mechamato Movie titled Temaniku, sung by local artist Yonnyboii, was also re-sung in Japanese by singer RUKA from Japan, titled Tomodachi.

The move is in line with international marketing efforts outside of Malaysia.