Ask John: What is Di-Gi-Charat Fantasy?

Question:
I viewed the Di Gi Charat music video clip that came on a special CD which accompanied an issue of Sony’s AX magazine from Japan. It featured the song, “Welcome {2000 Remix}” by the Di Gi Charat seiyuu as well as many characters which I do not recognize from the Di Gi Charat anime. According to English sites, the name of this music video is “Di Gi Charat Fantasy,” but I’m not sure if it is a special stand-alone animation or part of some bigger Di Gi Charat title.

I heard that there is a Di Gi Charat movie coming up, so would this be a promotional music video of the theme song for that? Or did this clip appear somewhere in the Di Gi Charat anime and I missed it? Or is Di Gi Charat “Fantasy” the opening sequence to the Di Gi Charat game? Or (knowing how Broccoli works) is it a cross-promotional tool?

Answer:
The most accurate answer would be to simply call Di-Gi-Charat Fantasy a promotional tool, an attempt to turn Di-Gi-Charat into a fantasy dating simulation. Di Gi Charat started life as a series of illustrations that became the mascot character for the Gamers chain of anime shops mainly located in the Shinjuku, Shibuya and Akihabara sections of Tokyo. According to Dejiko.org, “Digital Character Total Shop Gamers was shortened into Di Gi Charat and Gema.” After becoming increasingly popular, Dijiko and friends first appeared in a pair of anime TV commercials for the Gamers stores, then in their own TV series and currently ongoing series of seasonal TV specials. Late last year the Di Gi Charat creator Koge Donbo evolved her Di Gi Charat illustrations again by creating “Di Gi Charat Fantasy,” an alternate universe version of Di Gi Charat where all of the characters look like teen-age human girls and have innocent, sweet personalities. This “Di Gi Charat Fantasy” was given shape in a Di Gi Charat PC game and its Dreamcast port. In the opening animation of the game, the player, an un-named teen Japanese boy, visits a typically chaotic day at the Akihabara Gamers store where Dijiko works. For some reason, when Dijiko attempts to use her “meikara beam” (eye lasers) they don’t work, and instead open up a dimensional portal in one of the shelves that sucks in Dijiko, Puchiko, Rabi~en~Rose and “you.” When “you” wake up, you’re in a “fantasy” world and Dijiko’s appearance and personality have changed dramatically. For example, Dijiko looses her cat ear hat, and her habit of ending sentences with “nyo,” and becomes a sweet, innocent and timid teen girl.

The official Japanese Di Gi Charat Fantasy homepage has details on the story, the PC and Dreamcast game, and an introduction to the numerous characters exclusive to the Di Gi Charat Fantasy universe.