わーい！
Have you met Miraitowa and Someity yet?
They are the mascots for Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic and Paralympic Games.
These mascots are expected to help finance the Tokyo Games through merchandising and licensing deals.
Miraitowa is named after the Japanese words for "future" (mirai) and "eternity" (towa).
Someity is named after "somei yoshino" a type of cherry tree. Someity's name also sounds like "so mighty" in English.
It is said they represent a deep Japanese/Shinto tradition of treating natural phenomena as having spirits and being alive.
They are also quite modern and bring to mind yurukyara and manga.
Old and new at the same time.
Animism and Anime.
Sounds like Japan.
According to their fictional biographies, Miraitowa and Someity have conflicting personalities, but they nonetheless have a strong friendship and respect for each other. Perfect for the Olympics.
There is an interesting back-story regarding how the JOC (Japan Olympic Committee) made the final selection for the mascots. Rather than the marketing team members voting on it, they delegated the decision to a group of children. This type of inclusion is often overlooked, but nonetheless valuable for engaging the full potential audience and keeping the Olympics relevant for generations to come.
More here ...
