As you can see by accessing the site, it has been completely changed and integrated into Shogagukan’s website (Shogagukan is the owner of Hamtaro rights in Japan). And it have add a few juicy information.
For instance, they have made a small section about Ritsuko Kawaii, Hamtaro’s creator, where she answered a few questions. Whippu, who has been working with some subs recently, has translated the questions and answers for us:
Q1: So, during the day, what’s the most troublesome thing?
A1: I slept a lot, and now I don’t have enough time for work
Q2: The number of hamsters has increased to 12; that seems troublesome to me. Was this bothersome to sensei?
A2: Actually, there’s 13 hamsters now. I’m bothered by how cute they are
Q3: What other animals do you like besides hamsters?
A3: DOGS! (I really want this dog)
Q4: Who is your favorite Ham-Ham, and why?
A4: It’s Maxwell. He’s like a gentle older brother
Q5: Please think of what Hamtaro’s favorite and least favorite foods are
A5: Of course he likes sunflower seeds the most. He doesn’t dislike anything because he’s a glutton
There are also available a few cute comics (1 and 2) made by Ritsuko, including one that takes us back to Hamtaro’s birthday along with his siblings.
Something quite interesting too is that they have listed every manga and book Hamtaro got, as well as most of the DVDs and other videos. It is a good thing to see that trivia listed on the official site so we can know what to get.
On the “history” tab of the site, they explain how Hamtaro was born from a small kid book to the big anime it became, and they also talked about last year’s 20th anniversary magazine. At the end, they talk about the update of the site and there is this sentence:
新たなるとっとこ伝説の誕生の準備があるとかないとか…？？
Which (roughly) translates to:
“Would this mean that a new trotting legend is about to be born…??”
To top, there is this news post on the site that says that this year the twitter account was “taken over” by the “Hamtaro, where are you going?” event (a cute Hamtaro felt plushie was shown up in a few different places, including Russia’s Soccer World Cup stadiums), and that we “should be looking forward for August 6th for what will happen”.
Something that I noticed too, is that Hamtaro’s logo has changed yet again. While last time it was “Tottoko Hamutaro dechu” it now says “Tottoko Hamutaro nanoda”. Keep in mind “dechu” is what Bijou usually said when finishing her sentences, while “nanoda” is what Hamtaro usually said when finishing his sentences.
So this may imply another season of the anime, or a total revamp with new episodes. Dechu covered up the 52 first episodes of the anime, which is your usual “long” anime season. So perhaps this “nanoda” season will cover 53-104? It seems too much effort to only add a few extra HD version episodes.
So… What do you guys think? Are you excited? Are you expecting a new series, or just a revamped version? Perhaps more books, since Ritsuko herself seems to be involved?
I want to thank 8111Fhamtaro because he is the first one to notice the changes on the site, he is always vigilant for some good Hamtaro stuff!
