Luffy makes a Jurassic friend at USJ.
One of the keys to Universal Studios Japan’s success is that the Osaka theme park is strongly committed to the “Japan” part of its name. So while Tokyo Disneyland has to limit itself to IPs under the Disney umbrella, USJ is free to forge partnerships with whatever Japanese anime franchises it pleases, many of which have fanbases just as large and passionate as those of the Hollywood movies featured at the park.
With Universal Studios Japan celebrating its 25th anniversary this year, it’s saluting both sides of its theming mix at once with new artwork that pairs two of the most enduringly popular anime series with two of Universal’s biggest live-action hits. First up is One Piece’s Luffy meeting someone who maybe (but only maybe) is as enthusiastically carnivorous as he is, Jurassic Park’s T. rex.
▼ If anyone could overcome the apex-predator dinosaur’s aggressive tendencies and become nakama, it’s Luffy, right?
Or, in contrast to those wild individuals, there’s this allusion to great intellectuals with Detective Conan’s titular sleuthConan Edogawa and Dr. Agasa cosplaying as Back to the Future’s Marty McFly and Doc Brown.
▼ You could make the argument that, with Conan being stuck in the body of a child, Detective Conan is kind of a quasi-time travel story. Though if we’re being picky, they could also have swapped out the DMC DeLorean for Toru Amuro’s Mazda RX-7.
Both of the illustrations will be adorning new merch, with the One Piece/Jurassic Park design on T-shirts, tote bags, and insulated drink bottles, and the Detective Conan/Back to the Future artwork on shirts and mugs, plus adapted into a figure set.
The whole lineup will be available at the Studio Style shop inside Universal Studios Japan starting September 9, the same day USJ’s Junji Ito horror manga merch goes on sale. And should you find yourself wondering what sort of footwear would go with that Luffy shirt, Nike has an idea.
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