The Four Color Media Monitor

Here's an article from Japan's Asahi Shimbun in English that talks about a manga series called Detective Conan, and a kind of role-playing game that was done for a day as a tourist attraction:

It didn't take a detective to figure out why there was a queue of about 300 people on a street in Hokuei recently.

The crowd was anxiously awaiting the opening of the Gosho Aoyama Manga Factory, an attraction that local leaders are hoping will put the town of about 16,700 people on the tourist map.

Aoyama was born in what now constitutes Hokuei, and he is best known for the "Meitantei Conan" (Detective Conan) manga series.

On March 18, the manga factory opened its doors to the crowds of fans and curious locals.

A taped message from the famous manga artist was played at a ceremony to welcome those gathered.

"I hope you will check into every little corner of the entire facility because it is filled with the essence of all of the works I have produced so far."

Facility officials said after the large numbers at the opening, they were confident of reaching their annual goal of 130,000 visitors.

In keeping with the Detective Conan motif, visitors became amateur gumshoes for a day, using special film sheets to read special hidden messages laid throughout the factory.

That sure sounds like a lot of fun!

Labels: manga and anime