3 Life-size bronze anime statues unveiled in ‘the birthplace of anime’ in Nerima, Tokyo

Three new anime-inspired bronze statues can now be seen guarding the Ooizumi-Gakuen Station on the Seibu Ikebukuro Line in Nerima, Tokyo, Japan, and they are none other than Lum Invader from Urusei Yatsura, Tetsuro and Maetel from Galaxy Express 999, and Astro from Astro Boy.

The new video showed the Lum statue being unveiled by legendary female manga creator, Rumiko Takahashi, who is also responsible for Ranma 1/2 and InuYasha.

Leiji Matsumoto, creator of Galaxy Express 999, meanwhile unveiled the Tetsuro and Maetel statues. Matsumoto is also the creator of Space Battleship Yamato and Space Pirate Captain Harlock.

Also unveiled is Astro from Astro Boy, which was created by the late great Osamu Tezuka.

The statues were unveiled to promote Nerima as the birthplace of Japanese animation. Several anime studios, including Toei Animation and AIC, are found in Nerima, Tokyo. The Ooizumi-Gakuen Station itself is quite famous in the area because of its many anime collaborations.