Daimaru Umeda tries its first horror-and-mystery pop-up, leaning on licensed anime and game IP
Daimaru Umeda's seventh-floor event space turns over to a first-time genre fair built entirely on licensed horror and mystery IP -- from a Kazuo Umezu classic to a Konami game franchise -- a small test of whether several overlapping fandoms, not one big franchise, can fill a department-store floor.
Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores said Daimaru Umeda will hold "Horror & Mystery Fest in Daimaru," its first event of this kind, on the store's seventh-floor special venue from October 28 to November 8, with free admission and hours of 10am to 8pm (6pm on the final day), according to a company release.
The line-up draws on several licensed properties rather than one headline franchise: Kazuo Umezu's manga (via Shogakukan), the anime "Summer of Light Death" (via Mokumokuren, KADOKAWA and its production committee), Konami Digital Entertainment's game catalogue, horror-game studio Chilla's Art, occult magazine Monthly Mu, and content from Twin Engine and YAM, with photo spots built around each world and creator-collaboration merchandise for sale.
Running a debut event on a roster of mid-sized horror and mystery IP, rather than waiting for a blockbuster tie-in, suggests Daimaru Umeda is treating its upper-floor event space the way a convention organiser would -- betting several overlapping fan communities add up to enough footfall, rather than needing one dominant title to do the work. It is a lower-cost way to test a new genre slot before committing a full seasonal calendar to it.