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Kuroko's Basketball Ichiban Kuji Rescheduled for Mid-January

The Japanese character goods maker Banpresto has announced that it has rescheduled its Ichiban Kuji lottery merchandise line for the Kuroko's Basketball franchise for the middle of this month. The campaign was slated to begin near the end of December, but was delayed. Banpresto's staff apologized to fans for any trouble caused by the delay.

Banpresto had previously cancelled sales of the lottery line as well as display, sales, and giveaways of other Kuroko's Basketball-related merchandise at last month's Jump Festa event after event supervisors cancelled the Kuroko's Basketball Super Stage event as well as other Kuroko's Basketball events, exhibits, and sale of tie-in goods.

Since October, at least 50 locations linked to Kuroko's Basketball creator Tadatoshi Fujimaki have received threat letters with powdered and liquid substances. A source in the investigation said there is a high possibility that the liquid sent to Sophia University on October 12 could emit a lethal dose of hydrogen sulfide if vaporized. At least six Kuroko's Basketball dōjinshi events were canceled in November.

Tokyo Big Sight received a threat earlier in October, but the "Shadow Trickster 3" event proceeded without incident there on October 20. The official "Kuroko no Basuke produced by Namco Namja Town" event in Tokyo did end 19 days early as a result of the threats, and Animate Café Tennoji in Osaka cancelled a planned Kuroko's Basketball collaboration event. Additionally, the Comic City Osaka 92 dōjinshi event asked dōjinshi circles to show self-restraint by not distributing any Kuroko's Basketball-related material at the January 6 event.

Most recently, the organizers of Comiket, the largest dōjinshi event in the world, decided to bar all Kuroko's Basketball circles from participating after receiving a threat letter on October 29. About 900 fan circles reserved tables to sell self-published items inspired by the Kuroko's Basketball manga and anime, but the committee refunded their entrance fees. The organizers reported last week that three threat letters were discovered in the area once reserved for Kuroko's Basketball circles, but they were considered to be copycat threats.

[Via Yaraon!]