News
Lucky Star Cast, Fans to Visit Real-Life Shrine
posted on by Egan Loo
Kagami Yoshimizu, the creator of the Lucky ☆ Star four-panel gag manga, and four members of the Lucky ☆ Star anime's main cast will attend a brunch with fans and make an official visit to the real-life Washinomiya shrine that appears in the anime on December 2. The "Lucky ☆ Star's Brunch and Official Shrine Visit in Washinomiya" event will feature Yoshimizu, Hiromi Konno as the character Akira Kogami, Emiri Katō as Kagami Hiiragi, Kaori Fukuhara as Tsukasa Hiiragi, and Minoru Shiraishi as the character named after himself. In the anime, Katou and Fukuhara play twin sisters who work at the shrine as miko (shrine maidens).
The brunch will take place in Ootorichaya Washinomiya, a restaurant next to the shrine, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. The Lucky Paradise organizers are planning an exclusive selection of dishes just for the brunch. The event will also offer official Lucky ☆ Star character postcards, mobile phone straps (in the form of wooden shrine wish plaques — mockup samples are pictured below), cork coasters, stickers, and other goods.
After the brunch, the "Hiiragi sisters" will lead the other two cast members and the fan attendees on a official visit of the Washinomiya shrine. There, they will pray for a "bright future for Lucky ☆ Star."
Fans began flocking to the shrine after the anime series premiered in April and depicted the Hiiragi sisters as living at Washinomiya. Even more came after the August issue (on sale July 10) of Newtype magazine printed a map and directions to the shrine. The shrine officials and local citizens' initial reactions to the fan influx ranged from indifferent tolerance to vocal opposition, but many eventually embraced the increased tourism that resulted.
Various businesses, including the Ootorichaya restaurant, began selling mobile phone straps shaped like the ema wooden plaques that contain written wishes from shrine visitors. The anime even directly referenced one of the wishes that an anonymous fan left at the real-life shrine.
Kadokawa Pictures USA and Bandai Entertainment announced that they will be bringing the Lucky ☆ Star anime series to North America.
Source: Saishin Anime Jōhō
Images © Kagami Yoshimizu/Lucky ☆ Paradise
