Tetsudō Musume

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Tetsudō Musume
鉄道むすめ
Created byTomytec
Novel
Ganbare! Tetsudō Musume
Written byKoichi Muraki
Illustrated byNatsuki Mibu
Published byGakken
ImprintGakken Mook
PublishedMarch 30, 2007
Manga
Tetsudō Musume: Terminal Memory
Written byTomytec
Illustrated byMatsuda98
Published byASCII Media Works
ImprintDengeki Comics
MagazineDengeki Daioh
Original runJune 27, 2008 – February 27, 2009
Volumes1
Video game
Tetsudō Musume DS: Terminal Memory
PublisherTakara Tomy
GenreAdventure game
PlatformNintendo DS
ReleasedOctober 9, 2008
Television drama
Tetsudō Musume: Girls Be Ambitious
Original networkTV Kanagawa
Original run October 10, 2008 – January 9, 2009
Episodes13
Anime television series

Tetsudō Musume (鉄道むすめ; lit. "Railway Girls") is a Japanese multimedia franchise created by Tomytec, a subsidiary of Takara Tomy. It focuses on girls working for various railway networks in Japan, with each girl based on a real-life railway or train. The girls are used as mascots in promotional material and collaborations. The franchise was originally launched in November 2005 with the release of toy figures by Tomytec, which was followed by the release of novels, voice dramas, a manga series and a video game. A television drama aired from October 2008 to January 2009, and an original anime television series based on the franchise is set to premiere in 2026.

Premise

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The franchises focuses on a collection of characters who work at various real-world railway networks across Japan. Each character has a name based on a real-life train station or a railroad's characteristics, and each is depicted wearing their respective railway network's uniforms. The characters are then used by these railway companies as mascots for promotional activities.[1] One example is Arisa Nishiura, a character designed for the Matsuura Railway who has become a mascot and tourism ambassador for Arita, Saga.[2] Another example is Konori Kinosaki, a character designed for the West Japan Railway Company.[3]

Media

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Figures

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The franchise was originally launched as a toy figure set by Tomytec, a subsidiary of Takara Tomy, in November 2005.[1] By 2010, 1.3 million figures had sold, and the basic series itself had sixty types of figures.[4]

Several collaboration events have been held for the figure line, including a Sanriku Railway train in Iwate Prefecture which offered Arisu Kuji-themed sweets and reached full capacity, as well as a local revitalization event dedicated to Minami Kurihashi, formed due to the 2010 merger of Kurihashi and Kuki in Saitama Prefecture.[4][5]

Audio

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A collection of CDs featuring voice dramas and character songs was released by Lantis from June 2007 to March 2008.[6]

Novel

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A novel adaptation titled Ganbare! Tetsudō Musume (がんばれ！ 鉄道むすめ) written by Koichi Muraki and illustrated by Natsuki Mibu was released by Gakken under its Gakken Mook imprint on March 30, 2007.[7]

Manga

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A manga series titled Tetsudō Musume: Terminal Memory (鉄道むすめ 〜Terminal Memory〜) illustrated by Matsuda98 was serialized in ASCII Media Works' Dengeki Daioh magazine from June 27, 2008 to February 27, 2009.[8] The series' chapters were collected into a single tankōbon volume published on April 27, 2009.[9]

Video game

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A video game titled Tetsudō Musume DS: Terminal Memory (鉄道むすめDS 〜Terminal Memory〜) was released for the Nintendo DS on October 9, 2008. Two versions were released: a standard edition, and a limited edition that included a figure of the character Tsukushi Tonokawa.[10]

Television drama

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A live-action television drama titled Tetsudō Musume: Girls Be Ambitious (鉄道むすめ～Girls be ambitious～) aired on TV Kanagawa and other channels from October 10, 2008 to January 9, 2009.[11] The opening theme was "Want You Darling" by Mao Abe, while there was a rotating selection of ending songs by three artists: "Ichibanhoshi" (1-2) and "Kimi e no Chizu" (3-4) by Aya Inaoka; "Yume no Kakera" (5-6) and "Destiny" (7-8) by Ceui; and "Kinenbi ni Aimashou" (episodes 9 and 10), "Susume" (11 and 12), and "To The Light" (13) by Jinco [ja].[12]

List of episodes

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No.Title [13]Directed by [12]Written by [12]
1–2"Railway Idol Apprentice: Raika Tachibana"
Transliteration: "Tetsudō Aidoru Minarai: Tachibana Raika" (Japanese: 鉄道アイドル見習い 橘らいか)		Makoto Tanaka [ja]Yoshimasa Akamatsu
3–4"Ueda Electric Railway: Mai Yagisawa"
Transliteration: "Ueda Dentetsu: Yagisawa Mai" (Japanese: 上田電鉄 八木沢まい)		You HiroseTomohiro Yokomaku [ja]
5–6"Tokyo Monorail: Airu Haneda"
Transliteration: "Tōkyō Monorēru: Haneda Airu" (Japanese: 東京モノレール 羽田あいる)		Masatoshi Tōjō [ja]Tomohiro Yokomaku
7–8"Chōshi Electric Railway: Tsukushi Tonokawa"
Transliteration: "Chōshi Dentetsu: Togawa Tsukushi" (Japanese: 銚子電鉄 外川つくし)		John HijiriYoshimasa Akamatsu
9–10"Fujikyuko: Mina Otsuki"
Transliteration: "Fujikyūkō: Ōtsuki Mīna" (Japanese: 富士急行 大月みーな)		Ryuken SatoYoshimasa Akamatsu
11–12"Saitama Rapid Railway: Misono Kawaguchi"
Transliteration: "Saitama Kōsoku Tetsudō: Kawaguchi Misono" (Japanese: 埼玉高速鉄道 川口みその)		Masatoshi Tōjō [ja]Tomohiro Yokomaku
13"Keisei Electric Railway: Yukari Nakayama"
Transliteration: "Keisei Dentetsu: Nakayama Yukari" (Japanese: 京成電鉄 中山ゆかり)		Ryuken SatoTomohiro Yokomaku

Anime

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An original anime television series based on the franchise, Tetsuryō! Meet with Tetsudō Musume, is set to premiere in 2026.[14][15]

References

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  1. ^ a b "『鉄道むすめ』とは？ | 『鉄道むすめ～鉄道制服コレクション～』公式サイト". Tomytec. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  2. ^ Kawashima, Taro (June 27, 2024). "鉄道むすめが有田町観光大使になった理由　"アニメ化"まで展開できたその背景とは" (in Japanese). Yahoo! Japan. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  3. ^ Chapman, Paul (July 22, 2018). "West Japan Railway Company Debuts New Mascot Konori Kinosaki". Crunchyroll News (in Japanese). Crunchyroll. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Sugino, Kentarō (2010-05-04). "秋葉みらい、栗橋みなみ…「鉄道むすめ」活躍中". Yomiuri Shimbun. Archived from the original on 2023-01-25. Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  5. ^ "鉄道むすめ「栗橋みなみ」を活用して地域振興 あす10日、久喜で「栗橋みなみ祭り」 全国から鉄道ファン訪れるイベントとして定着 声優の河原木志穂さんらが出演する鉄道町おこし座談会、鉄道関連グッズの販売など". Saitama Shimbun (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  6. ^ "鉄道むすめ | Lantis web site" (in Japanese). Lantis (company). Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  7. ^ "がんばれ！　鉄道むすめ" (in Japanese). Gakken. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  8. ^ "フィギュア「鉄道むすめ」が実写ドラマ化". Gigazine (in Japanese). August 28, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  9. ^ "鉄道むすめ~Terminal Memory~ (電撃コミックス)". Amazon (company). Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  10. ^ "ライセンス商品｜鉄道むすめDS 〜Termimnal Memory〜｜鉄道むすめ～鉄道制服コレクション" (in Japanese). Tomytec. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  11. ^ "鉄道マニア萌え～！マニアックな高梨臨「千代田線の国会議事堂前駅のニオイが好き」発言". Cinema Today (in Japanese). September 4, 2008. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  12. ^ a b c "鉄道むすめ - ドラマ詳細データ". TV Drama Database (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  13. ^ "ドラマ 鉄道むすめ～Girls be ambitious!～". tetsudomusume.siteinfo.jp (in Japanese). Retrieved 2025-10-01.
  14. ^ Cayanan, Joanna (October 1, 2025). "Tetsudō Musume Train Characters Inspire Original TV Anime". Anime News Network. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
  15. ^ "『鉄道むすめ』完全オリジナルテレビアニメ『てつりょー!』、2026年放送へ ティザービジュアル&映像公開" (in Japanese). Oricon. October 1, 2025. Retrieved October 1, 2025.
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