Japanese anime “Jujutsu Kaisen” has unexpectedly called attention to the beaches of Kuantan, prompting the Pahang government to plan the installation of a memorial featuring a character from the show.
Pahang state executive councillor Leong Yu Man said the move is to attract anime enthusiasts to visit Kuantan.
In episode 42 of “Jujutsu Kaisen”, sorcerer Kento Nanami in the final moments before his death said he wanted to go to Malaysia, before specifying the city on the peninsula’s east coast.
He then expressed his wishes to build a house on an empty Kuantan beach and spend his time reading the books he never got around to starting.
When the scene first played out in the original manga (comic book) source material in 2022, it already made Kuantan a focal point for global manga enthusiasts.
With the recent broadcast of the animated version, Kuantan beaches have garnered even more attention, to the extent that someone created a “Kento Nanami Memorial” location marker on Google Maps near Pantai Kempadang, which has been removed.
Perhaps inspired by this phenomenon, the state government is planning to build a physical Kento Nanami memorial site on a beach in Kuantan as a tourist attraction for the region.
Leong who oversees the unity, tourism, and culture portfolio told Malaysiakini the Pahang government is in the process of contacting the manga’s artist, who goes by the pen name Gege Akutami, to gain their endorsement for the plan.
“Since Kuantan has many beaches... we hope to get (the artist’s) endorsement and suggestions on which beach, so we can do something about it,” the Triang assemblyperson said.
Leong said the state government first considered carrying out the plan themselves but was concerned about misinterpreting the artist’s intentions.
“What if (the artist) says that’s not what he wanted, or that’s not the beach he meant in the comic?
“So, we hope to contact him first then we can promote more easily,” she added.
The DAP lawmaker revealed that the state government is seeking Akutami’s contact details through the Japanese embassy.
Last week, Leong told the state assembly that the Pahang Tourism Board had also extended an invitation to the anime artist to visit Kuantan.
Mayor, Tourism Ministry express interest
If the state government is unable to receive a response from the artist, Leong said its backup plan is to collaborate with anime associations to organise related events in Kuantan.
She said the Tourism, Arts, and Culture Ministry as well as the Kuantan mayor have expressed interest in the plan.
She hoped this initiative would boost tourism in Kuantan, making it a tourism destination for anime enthusiasts globally.
While the idea may sound strange to those who are not anime or manga fans, Japanese shows and literature have inspired tourist booms before.
For example, a seemingly unremarkable flight of stairs from a temple leading down to the back streets of a residential neighbourhood in Tokyo has become a famous photo spot for fans looking to recreate the ending from the anime “Your Name”. - Mkini
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