entertainment

New 'Dragon Ball,' 'Death Note' and 'One Piece' attractions coming to Universal Studios Japan

4 Comments
By Casey Baseel, RocketNews24

Some of the biggest stars of anime and manga are going to be spending their summer at the Universal Studios Japan.

You have to respect the ability of the theme park to make lemons out of lemonade. Obviously, Disney’s extensive pantheon of beloved animated characters are out of the Osaka amusement park’s reach, since their images are reserved for use at Tokyo Disneyland and DisneySea. The other side of the coin, though, is that USJ (as Universal Studios Japan is also known) can theoretically create themed attractions based on just about any fictional characters that aren’t Disney properties.

In particular, the rosters of anime and Japanese video game series are wide open, and in the past USJ has teamed up with franchises including "Attack on Titan" and "Evangelion." This summer the park is going back to the anime and manga well again for the Universal Jump Summer event, a collaborative effort with the Weekly Shonen Jump manga anthology.

Three of the magazine’s biggest hits will be represented. Pirate tale "One Piece" has been the basis of previous live-action performances at Universal Studios Japan, and is coming back again for a brand new show dubbed the "One Piece Premier Show 2016."

Fans of psychological/supernatural thriller "Death Note" won’t want to miss "Death Note The Escape," in which they join forces with the series’ detective L for what sounds like a themed version of the “escape games” that have become increasingly popular in Japan over the past few years.

Finally, "Dragon Ball Z The Real 4-D" pits "Dragon Ball’s" heroic Goku against the evil Frieza. The term “4-D” often gets used in Japan to describe movie or video attractions that also make use of atmospheric effects such as flashing lights, gusts of wind, or sprays of water, all of which sound like they would make fine enhancements to the experience of watching the two martial artists pound on/fire energy blasts at each other.

The one flaw in this manga-rich ointment is that supplemental tickets will have to be purchased for admission to the "One Piece" and "Death Note" attractions (access to "Dragon Ball Z The Real 4-D" is included with regular admission to the park). Pricing has yet to be announced, but even if it means shelling out a few more yen, we imagine plenty of fans will think its money well-spent.

The Universal Jump Summer attractions open on July 1, and will be around until September 4.

Source: IT Media

Read more stories from RocketNews24. -- Life-size Attack on Titan statues coming soon to Universal Studios Japan -- Universal Studios Japan to (probably) get Nintendo-themed attractions -- See life-size Dragon Ball & One Piece statues fight & turn Tokyo street into rubble

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4 Comments
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USJ (as Universal Studios Japan is also known) can theoretically create themed attractions based on just about any fictional characters that aren’t Disney properties.

Tailoring the park with homegrown themes. Nice try. They'll never match up with Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, E.T. and all of Hollywood's stuff. Just another way to exploit Universal Studios by using anime and manga which are not even in the same league as Hollywood's classics.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Overpriced tickets to get in the park, then more to board an attraction?

Riding the escalators @ 109 in Shibuya is more fun and costs far less.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

It is a matter of culture..they are far more significant for Japan than Hollywoods shallow and silly work. It is right to honor Japanese literature and art that Anime and manga are above the shallow work of other cultures.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

keep anime out of universal studios please, usj is about movie studios, not Japanese cartoons. keep then in Odaiba

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

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