Augmented Reality Girls Trinary

The project was a collaboration between Koei Tecmo Games and Toei Animation, aiming to merge mobile gaming with anime storytelling in real-time. Renowned talents like scenario writer Akira Tsuchiya and character designer neco contributed to crafting distinct personalities and atmospheric settings. The storylines were carefully woven to blur lines between the player's world and the fictional universe. The involvement of well-known companies and creators aimed to create a next-generation "media mix" that pushed the boundaries of interaction.

The story unfolds in a near-future Japan, shaken by the sudden appearance of an enormous cocoon-shaped phenomenon called "Phenomenon" in the Tokyo metropolitan area in 2016. Inside the Phenomenon, people behave as if they are part of its world, leading to growing concern as it expands. Only a select group of girls, immune to its mind-warping effects, are recruited into a special attack unit known as Trinary. These girls act as the last line of defense in the ongoing struggle to quell the Phenomenon and the mysterious beings, called "Clans," birthed from human emotions within.

The narrative centers around five main heroines, each with her unique background, personality, and struggles:

• Tsubame Ouse is a gentle and resilient girl from Shizuoka, who recovers from a serious illness thanks to her favorite artist FreyMENOW's music. She is scouted for Trinary after witnessing the Phenomenon in Tokyo.

• Ayami Kunimasa, the dependable blue-haired university student and group leader, aims to become a kindergarten teacher while leading double lives as a Trinary member and club volunteer.

• Gabriela Lotaryńska is a 14-year-old Polish transfer student, a sharp shooter haunted by a tragic accident from her childhood, softening only for takoyaki and traditional dolls.

• Miyabi Koigasaki is a high school tech whiz from Kochi Prefecture, a world-class hacker who values her online friendship with the enigmatic "Rabbit Anima," unaware of her real identity.

• Kagura Uzuki, secretly the celebrated artist FreyMENOW, is a bubbly first-year student obsessed with games and light novels, hiding her true self behind a playful persona.

Each heroine's journey intertwines as they explore their own and others’ inner worlds, fight psychological manifestations called Clans, and face the secrets of the organization they serve. The girls deal not just with physical threats but with deeply personal traumas and hopes, gradually unearthing the true nature of the world—and themselves.

• Trinary: A special government unit fighting the Phenomenon, composed of girls with the ability to withstand its mental effects and resolve the chaos within.

• Phenomenon: Mysterious cocoon-like anomalies appearing without warning, altering reality and trapping people inside "mind-worlds" shaped by their subconscious.

• Clan: Manifestations of a person's subconscious, acting as both allies and adversaries within the Phenomenon.

• Core Sphere: Represents the mental world of each person, supervised by unique librarians who organize and manage memories and feelings within.

• WAVE: The in-universe chat app functioning as an SNS, used for both casual and tactical communication among characters.

Augmented Reality Girls Trinary launched as both a mobile game and a unique web anime in 2017. The game involved real-time, player-driven interactions with the heroines, blending interactive storytelling and RPG mechanics. The anime was distributed episodically within the app, but also on major streaming platforms like YouTube, NicoNico, and Bandai Channel. It consisted of 6 acts and 34 episodes, with cross-media exclusives deepening the plot.

Directed by Itsurou Kawasaki with a script by Kazuhito Hyodo and Akira Tsuchiya, the anime was produced by feel., known for its emotive animation style. Character design by neco established a colorful, memorable cast, while music by Takeshi Nakatsuka added emotional depth. Guest contributions from illustrators like KEI and Namori brought extra flair to the game's special Clan designs.

The series' opening, "Tekutora! - Yumemille feuille guruRemiX.," and ending, "The Truly Lovely Show!!," are performed by TRINARY, a unit of the main voice actresses. Each act and character arc also features bespoke insert and extra music videos—spotlighting character themes and story moments with catchy, genre-blending J-pop and dramatic ballads like "Epyllion" and "Commiato."

Although the game’s service ended in 2018, Augmented Reality Girls Trinary is remembered for its daring attempt to unite anime and mobile gaming in a single, cohesive experience. Fans appreciated its multi-layered characters, philosophical undertones, and the way the story played with the boundaries between reality and fiction. The show and game received praise for innovative design and narrative, maintaining a niche but passionate following.

From July 2023, the anime was re-released via the Toei Animation Museum Channel on YouTube, allowing a new generation of viewers to experience the unique world of Trinary. Prominent illustrators contributed to the project’s bonus visual content, adding further richness to its universe. Although its game servers are offline, the project’s archive and remaining media continue to inspire fans of cross-media storytelling.