Universal Studios Japan has revealed that “Universal Cool Japan 2018” will be begin Jan. 19! The event was first held in 2015 to show the “coolness” of world-renowned Japanese entertainment brands.
In addition to the upgraded versions of last year’s Detective Conan and Monster Hunter attractions, Sailor Moon and Final Fantasy were added to this year’s lineup as well.
Takeuchi Naoko’s magical girl manga Sailor Moon (1991) and the anime that followed took the world by storm, the former being translated into 17 languages, with the anime series being broadcasted in 40 countries. The series has since then expanded into books, musicals, and various collaboration projects. It is also celebrating its 25th anniversary this year.
The Final Fantasy series is loved world-wide for its top-notch animation, unique world, and rich story. It has a total of over 135 million units sold and it also hold three Guinness World Records: Most prolific RPG series, longest end credits in an MMORPG, and the most original pieces of music in a video game. The series is celebrating its 30th birthday this year and a new game titled Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is set to come out on Jan. 11, 2018.
Based on Aoyama Gosho’s long-running manga, Detective Conan is highly popular in more than 20 countries. In addition to breaking the 200 million mark for total number of copies sold, Detective Conan reigned over Japanese movie charts for the first half of the year with Crimson Love Letter. The latest installment brought in 6.87 billion yen, continuing the trend of topping the previous year’s movie.
Monster Hunter is a popular game series that brought players the joy of hunting down huge monsters in 2004. A new game titled Monster Hunter: World is set to come out in early 2018.
“Universal Cool Japan 2018” will be divided into two periods: The first round will be open from Jan. 19 to June 24 and will feature FF, Detective Conan, and Monster Hunter, while Sailor Moon will be coming in the second round starting from spring.
More info regarding the attractions and open days will be coming soon, so stay tuned!
©Takeuchi Naoko, PNP, Toei Animation ©2017 Square Enix Co., Ltd. All rights reserved.
Original work / Aoyama Gosho Detective Conan (Shogakukan Weekly Shonen Sunday ) ©Capcom Co., Ltd. All rights reserved. Calligraphy: Shishu TM & © Universal Studios. All rights reserved.