Zombieland Saga – Anime representation in Saga. “Everything you need can be found in Saga”
When I first received my placement, I remember thinking “is that the same Saga from Zombieland Saga?” My knowledge of Saga was literally just that prefecture from that one anime and nothing more. I had never seen images of Saga, never heard of it outside of the one show, was unaware of its specialties and festivals. I was curious if when I arrived there would be anything anime related available. A little digging revealed an image of the mayor of Saga dressed in Producer San cosplay and I felt a small spark of excitement.
When I finally landed in nearly 40 degrees heat my answer came quickly. As I climbed the stairs to enter Saga airport a sign welcomed me to my new home. Welcome to Saga hung proudly and around it was many anime and game characters! It was then I realised that yes, anime in Saga was represented and often in fun ways. Saga has Cygames! Located very close to the station and housing Drive in tori promoted in the Zombieland Saga anime and the star of an earlier blog! Cygames have produced several games and animes titles, but for me their most notable was Zombieland Saga! They also produced Shadow verse a card game I had been hooked on briefly for a summer even going as far to make my own mouse plush!
When I arrived at Saga station for the first time, I noted two cute anime mascots who were dotted around promoting things. Cygames had taken the time to create two characters specifically for Saga and to me that was exciting!
Zombieland Saga in a nutshell is about zombie idols whose goal is to put Saga back on the map! Saga is an overlooked prefecture with very little tourism and the people living there often vote the prefecture as unattractive. However, this year Saga was third from the bottom of that list! Perhaps there is hope? I have even been told the story of another ALT from my prefecture going to Tokyo for a trip and being asked where they live by their hotel. After replying “Saga” the receptionist proceeded to take out a map of Japan and asked them to show them where Saga was. My JTE also told me how when she went to University in Tokyo her classmates truly believed you needed a passport to enter Kyushu.
The anime is set in Saga and shows local specialties, places and restaurants that are all real and can be visited. The attention to detail in the show is impressive and for those who have visited Saga, a rewatch of the show will have you recognising a lot!
But how much does Saga lean into its own personal anime? Surprisingly the answer is a lot. From the mayor cosplaying, the characters being featured on signs. The characters can be found at sightseeing hotspots throughout the prefecture. My trip to Karatsu castle saw merch galore! My trip to the balloon museum also produced unique designs that Cygames had created just the balloon museum. At the recent balloon festival, they created unique designs to promote Saga Gyu! Sagas own wagyu which is very tasty and readily available in supermarkets. Drive in tori sells merch from the two seasons of anime permanently as Cygames is a floor above them.
This October the awaited movie finally came out and the build-up and release was buzzing! Posters were everywhere! All my schools received posters to promote the new movie. I received my own poster as we received a lot of posters. The station started playing the movie trailer! There were promotions for the CD everywhere! There was a Zombieland Saga bus with all the girls hanging from pegs! Posters and flyers were everywhere. The balloon museum had standees of the girls from the movie, malls also had standees, sold movie merch and even displayed the costumes from the show! In saga there was a roadshow which saw trucks driving around the city blasting the music and playing the movie trailer and interviews.
In saga only, limited merch could be gained from seeing the movie in one of the three movie theatres in the city. I was very lucky to pick the movie theatre near me and gain freebies, limited merch and be in the theatre featured in the show! The trucks seen in the city were also in the show making it more exciting and as if the movie was taking place in real time! Release night was something truly special. The movie theatre was packed, and items were sold out! The limited drinks are still sold out, and merch is being restocked very slowly. There was no doubt that people in the city loved Zombieland saga.
An obligatory trip to drive in tori was made the weekend after and the place was packed! The new movie merch was being sold, and my favourite character again was sold out. I am still holding hope to grab him in an eventual restock. Drive in tori was even offering a unique coaster to those ordering their set meal.
Like mascots in Japan, it feels like each prefecture has an anime or two that represent them. They are not always present in everyday life, but whenever there are events, they are visible. People are at least aware of the name of the show. Being part of the movie release night will be a treasured memory for me, the atmosphere and vibe felt magical. The effort made to make it connect to the movie to the city was impressive. I am glad I braved the movie despite having no subtitles. The movie was hilarious, and I was able to follow the plot and eagerly await a subbed version to get more answers. I really recommend checking out the anime if you haven’t!
Since coming to Japan, I have been impressed by the presence of anime from pop up stores, prefecture specific shows, restaurant collaborations and stamp rallies. Japan certainly knows how to create hype and excitement, and I am excited to see what other events come up during my time here.
