DRAGON QUEST’S “LUIDA’S BAR” IS GOING TO OPEN IN TOKYO

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  The most popular video RPG series in Japan, “Dragon Quest” has a bar in its game world called “LUIDA’S BAR”.  SQUARE ENIX  JAPAN,the production company of the “national RPG series” announced  on the 8th that it was going to open “LUIDA’S BAR” in the “real” world on this 28th. The “real bar” is to open  in Roppongi, one of the busiest areas with many exotic bars,restaurants, commercial high rises being popular especially with the young Japanese and  foreign tourists and residents.

 Like I wrote on a previous page here, “FF  (Final Fantasy)” series and  “DQ”( “Dragon Quest”,  in North America some of  the past versions were  released with the title of “Dragon Warrior”)  series are the most popular top two RPG series with  the oldest history in Japan nationwide. http://www.dragonquest.jp/

DQ series has nine titles with some other spin-off  titles as of  today and first ones were of  old video game machines, such as  Nintendo Famicon (or NES, Nintendo Entertainment System),SuperFamicon, and PS 1 (Play Station) .  Yet latter titles have been of newer machines, such as Ps2 and NINTENDO DS.   The latest title, DQ9  that went on market on  Jul.11th 2009 was the first version for DS, but some other older titles, such as DQ4 and DQ5  were remade as  DS works, too.  Actually DQ6,whose original version was released as a  Superfamicon work is going to be remade as a DS one to go on market on this 28th, the very same day of the grand opening of  the real  LUIDA’S  BAR.      DQ4,5,and 6 are called “the Roof of  Heaven” series,while the first 1,2,and 3 are called the “Legend of Alefgrad” or “Legend of Loto” series.

And the coming new title of  DQ10 was announced to be going to be released as the first version for Wii , whose on-sale date has not been decided yet.  DQ9 fully utilizes the functions of DS and for the first time in its series, it started the new service of “Surechigai Tsuushin”(/「すれ違い通信」、”Passing-by correspondence” service),which is the most prominent characteristic of the version. As DS is a tiny portable game machine having Internet correspondence function, you can use it outside and easily contact other players of the game and exchange your maps of  dungeons and items in the game which you get like a “virtual barter”. Through this function , many players have made friends on the DS Internet service like some other MORPG of  PC  Internet system. This function is one of the causes of the rapid prevalence and getting popularity of this version in addition to its series’  great shiny history. The new version of DQ6 will have the passing-by correspondence service,which the original version didn’t have .   Especially, with the new version of DS, “NINTENDO DSiLL” whose display is 190% larger than the existing versions having started on sale on Nov.21st 2009,  we have become able to play these games with good visual recognition of the finer  details of each depict of actions.This new machine may boost the popularity of DQ even more than before.

Anyway, with the help of such vigorous and supporting circumstances,  the real LUIDA’SBAR is to open at the end of this month. this project is tied up with a  karaoke box chain, Pasela and actually the bar is to be on the first floor of  Pasela Roppongi.http://www.pasela.co.jp/shop/roppongi/index.html   The location of the bar is, like I wrote, adequate and there are popular national tourists’ destinations of  both business and entertainment , such as Roppongi Hills http://www.roppongihills.com/en/   and Tokyo Midtown http://www.tokyo-midtown.com/en/ .   

Though the project may be temporary,  the closing date of the bar has not been decided.   The inner decorating, food, and drinks of the bar are to be something to describe the atmosphere of the game’s world. For example, the upper picture of the left is the door, and the lower one is a dessert to be planned to be served at the bar,which has the shape of  the ” Fruit of  the goddess” that is one important item in the game world. The bar also prepares “Passion Merazoma”(“Merazoma” is the name of one of the fire magic in the game) and “Hyado Cool”(“Hyado” is the name of one of  the ice magic in the game), and it  plans to add more items of food and drinks related to the game’s world to the menu.

 This bar is to be the very first “real” bar or any other kind of  real virtual shop relating  DQ series or any other work of  the production company. One of the causes of such great popularity of DQ series (ex. DQ9 has sold more than four million copies worldwide as of today)  may be the funny yet humorous characters’ designs by Akira Toriyama who is well-known as the original cartoonist of “Dr.Slump” and “Dragon Ball” series , Especially  “Dragon Ball” series are one of the most popular series of  manga and anime works  in the whole wide world today,which was filmed also as a live-action movie in Hollywood recently . Therefore, if  Toriyama is also in charge of the inner decorating’s designs, that would strengthen the attractiveness of  the new bar may be even more. And the attempt of this new style of service of the series will enhance their popularity even better.

 As one huge fan of DQ series, I am personally  interested in this new institution and do hope it will be so successful.

Posted in Old and New Cultural Scenes in Japan, Travel • • Top Of Page

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