NEWS
The Journey of Yanmar’s Anime Project
The anime “未ル(Miru): Paths To My Future,” airing in Japan on MBS and TOKYO MX from April 2, 2025, is an unprecedented anime project produced by Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd., a global innovator in a wide range of industrial equipment.
In this article, we’ll look back at the journey so far and reflect on the full scope of the project!
1. How It All Began: From Recruitment Branding
Yanmar’s venture into anime began in November 2022 as part of its recruitment branding efforts aimed at new graduates.
Driven by the desire to inspire the next generation, those who will help shape the future, Yanmar chose anime as a means of communication, believing in its strong appeal to younger audiences.
At the time, the project was called “Yanmar Project Socius.” The word “Socius,” meaning “companion” or “ally” in Latin, reflected Yanmar’s wish to always stand beside people and support them.
If you’ve watched the trailer, you might recognize the voice of Maaya Sakamoto, who narrates and also plays the mysterious girl in the prologue. This prologue animation was produced by REIRS, the same studio behind Episode 630: “Re: MIRU.”
【Animation Production】
REIRS
Director: Naofumi Mishina
Animation: Mayuko Yamamoto, Miyu Nagayama
Backgrounds: Murasaki
2. A Surprise Leap to the World Stage: Anime Expo 2023
As the project progressed, it became clear just how influential Japanese anime is on a global scale. This prompted Yanmar to expand the project from a recruitment initiative into a full-scale corporate branding effort. The company chose to unveil this bold move on the international stage—at Anime Expo, North America’s largest anime convention, held annually in Los Angeles.
At Anime Expo, Yanmar introduced “未ル(Miru)” as a commercial anime project and showcased the robot “MIRU,” a symbolic figure embodying the company’s vision for the future.
The robot “MIRU” was co-created by Yanmar’s Design Division and illustrator Yuu Iguchi.
Early development of “MIRU” robot design
The final concept visuals and video that gave shape to the project’s worldview were created by YKBX, a visual artist and director known for his distinctive style.
Key visual created by YKBX
Based on this concept and visual, a 3.4-meter (over 11 feet) tall statue of “MIRU” was constructed.
“未ル(Miru)” booth at Anime Expo 2023
The compelling visuals resonated with the audience, the panel event drew a full house, and the project quickly gained attention on social media and in Japanese news media!
【Robot Design Original Concept】
Design: Design Office, Brand Division, Yanmar Holdings Co., Ltd.
Concept Artist: Yuu Iguchi
【Key Visuals】
Art Director, Illustrator, Character Design: YKBX
【Concept Movie】
Movie Director: YKBX
Sound Designer: cubesato
3. Five Stories Weaving into One
The enthusiastic response from fans at Anime Expo gave the project a strong push forward. Inspired by the compelling world envisioned by YKBX and the robot “MIRU” designed by Yanmar’s design team in collaboration with Yuu Iguchi, executive producer Masuo Ueda proposed transforming the project into an anthology-format anime.
“未ル(Miru): Paths To My Future” became an anthology anime series by five animation studios, with each story centered on the message that “the future is in our hands.” The production was entrusted to five innovative animation studios: LinQ, TriF Studio, SCOOTER FILMS×SHIROGUMI, REIRS, and LARX×Studio HIBARI.
Though each episode has its own unique visual style and story, they are all connected by the same core message and by the presence of the robot “MIRU.” Each studio interpreted it in its own way, designing unique attachments for “MIRU” and animating the story using their signature techniques. The result is a richly diverse collection of episodes that captures the true appeal of the anthology format.
【Animation Production】
Visit the website for full details!
Episode 079：https://miru-anime.com/en/episode079
Episode 101：https://miru-anime.com/en/episode101
Episode 217：https://miru-anime.com/en/episode217
Episode 630：https://miru-anime.com/en/episode630
Episode 926：https://miru-anime.com/en/episode926
4. When Five Become One
While “未ル(Miru) is an anthology, it’s not simply five separate stories. All five episodes are connected through a shared theme and concept: the “Butterfly Effect.”
These connections come together in the prologue, which serves as the “beginning” of this story.
We meet a mysterious girl (voiced by Maaya Sakamoto) and catch glimpses of multiple parallel worlds in this prologue. What could it all mean…?
The prologue was brought to life through animation by REIRS and YKBX, and features illustrations by renowned artists Syd Mead, Kenichiro Tomiyasu, and Hidetaka Tenjin.
Watch the full series to see how “未ル(Miru)” brings five distinct stories together into a single, unified concept!
【Prologue】
Animation Production：LARX×Studio HIBARI
【Prologue Illustration Cooperation】
Syd Mead／Kenichiro Tomiyasu／Hidetaka Tenjin
【Prologue Movie Cooperation】
YKBX／REIRS
5. In Closing
What began as a recruitment branding effort has grown into a full-fledged five-episode TV anime.
Just as the themes and concepts of this story suggest—“The future is in our hands” and the butterfly effect—this project, which began from something small, grew into a large-scale production thanks to the efforts of many people.
Through these contributions, ”未ル(Miru)”, an original work with its own unique worldview, was produced.
We hope you’ll enjoy this unique work by the passion and creativity of so many individuals.
From all of us on the “未ル(Miru)” anime project team, thank you for reading!