They say not all superheroes wear capes, and it's true; as a matter of fact, if they're anything like Yoji and Kei from short animated film "Fastening Days," they'll be equipped with modules on their wrists that shoot out zippers to help save the world. Created by the YKK Group, most widely known as the world's largest manufacturer or zippers, the animation follows the two young heroes as they dive to the assistance of those in need in their community. As orphaned children themselves and living with their adoptive parent Anna, life isn't exactly a walk in the park for this duo either — but that never stops them from doing what they can to put a smile on people's faces.

Fastening Days was directed by Studio Colorido's Hiroyasu Ishida, and was released in 2014 under the theme of "Little Parts. Big Difference." The 10-minute film has since garnered over 3.8 million views on YouTube, and has even won the Silver Prize for this year's First Annual Ani Monozukuri Awards in the Original Content Division. You can watch the English dubbed version below:

"Fastening Days"

Perhaps due to its popularity, a sequel to Fastening Days was released last year. Although the voice actors for the English version is different from the first film, the story still centers around Yoji and Kei, as well as a new character named Kelly who at first appears to be a new rival...

"Fastening Days 2"

This isn't the first time a Japanese company has taken to the power of animation to appeal to their customers, as we've previously seen bread commercials made by Studio Ghibli animators. Still, it doesn't change the fact that these short films are extremely impressive, and that many of our favorite animations might soon come from similar companies hoping to get their name out in this creative way.

If you're not a huge fan of the dubbed versions, you can also check out the animations with the original Japanese voices. Click here to see the Japanese audio version of "Fastening Days," and here for "Fastening Days 2."


By - grape Japan editorial staff.