The crowdfunding campaign for the Sister Princess franchise’s 25th anniversary project ended its 63-day run on August 30.As reported, it had already reached its original target amount of 20 million yen (136,200 USD) by August 12. After reaching the initial amount, the project announced additional stretch goals, including new 3D models of two other sisters, Yotsuba and Rinrin, as well as swimwear costumes for a total of seven sisters. Thanks in part to the new goals, the money continued to pile up during the last two weeks of the campaign.Ultimately, the campaign raised 73,079,928 yen (498,940 USD) from 1,586 supporters, which was 365 percent of the initial goal of 20 million yen. These numbers proved the popularity of the franchise, which is still strong after 25 years.
It is now official that the following content will be realized:
Chikage, Yotsuba, and RinRin’s 3D models
Sister Princess joins HoloModels, an AR & MR application that allows users to enjoy digital figures using VR devices and smartphones
A virtual space recreating “Kita no Hanare,” a memorable place that appeared in the Sister Princess anime
“SisPri Virtual Live,” in which eight sisters sing and dance
Sakuya, Kaho, Mamoru, Aria, Chikage, Yotsuba, and Rinrin’s swimwear costumes
During the latest live streaming program on August 30, Karen also announced that due to the great success of the crowdfunding, her live-streaming may become a regular monthly event. The next streaming is scheduled for September 23, which is also Karen’s birthday.
The Sister Princess franchise’s 20th anniversary project featuring the sisters’ virtual YouTuber activities launched in September 2019 as a one-year limited project, and suspended its activities after the five sisters’ second and last virtual concert “Sister Princess Live Stage ZERO ~Dream Ship~” on September 23, 2021 and the last episode of Karen’s YouTube program on October 1.A total of five sisters—Karen (CV: Natsuko Kuwatani), Sakuya (Yui Horie), Kaho (Hisayo Mochizuki), Mamoru (Yumiko Kobayashi), and Aria (Nana Mizuki)—were able to make their virtual YouTuber debut in the 20th anniversary project.And thanks to the success of the crowdfunding for the 25th anniversary project, it has been decided that Chikage (Ayako Kawasumi), Yotsuba (Tomoe Hanba), and Rinrin (Chiro Kanzaki) will have their 3D models produced.
Natsuko Kuwatani, the voice of Karen, posted an illustration of her gratitude on X (formerly Twitter).
Sources: press release, Crowdfunding site, Natsuko Kuwatani official X ©Naoto Tenhiro, Sakurako Kimino/KADOKAWA
