by The real-life event “FGO Expo ~Fate/Grand Order Fes. 2024 9th Anniversary~” commemorating the 9th anniversary of the smartphone game “FGO,” also known as “Fate/Grand Order,” was held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba for two days on August 3rd and 4th. Comic Natalie reports on the state of the venue.
Three PVs have been released to commemorate the 9th anniversary. Shaft is also in charge of production. “FGO” celebrated its 9th anniversary on July 30th. The event took up four halls at Makuhari Messe and was the largest-ever event for “FGO” alone. The “Expo” event, an exhibition, featured five pavilions and various content such as exhibits and attractions.
At the opening, visitors were greeted by character costumes and cosplayers. New costumes included Goldolf from Rio’s “Masumasu Manga de Wakaru! Fate/Grand Order” and Ritsuka Fujimaru from the short anime “Fate/Grand Order Fujimaru Ritsuka wa Wakaru ” based on Tsuchida’s original work, making for a lively welcome. Three anime PVs commemorating the 9th anniversary were shown on the monitors at the venue and on YouTube live broadcasts before and after the stage.
The PVs, themed around Japan, North America, and China, were released simultaneously, adding luster to the 9th-anniversary event. Rouse Act handled animation production for the Japan-themed “Fate/Grand Order Explore Movie 2024 “Nippon memoir,” Shaft for the North American-themed “Fate/Grand Order Explore Movie 2024 “WANTED!”, and HANABARA Animation for the China-themed “Fate/Grand Order Explore Movie 2024 “Food & Adventure” A treasure hunting adventure with your chosen servant The first attraction that many visitors headed to was the “Chaldea Treasure Hunting!” attraction at the “Chaldea Pavilion.” Here, you can experience an adventure with your chosen servant through Live2D images and full binaural voice.
I chose Oberon, a servant with character designs by Chika Umino, from the six available servants. I experienced a story of exploring the Steam town with Oberon, dressed in a steampunk outfit explicitly drawn for this event. During the adventure, there was a scene where I suddenly got closer to Oberon due to a particular incident.
The story was content, lasting over five minutes, and I enjoyed the feeling that Oberon was talking to me. Many newly recorded voices were also available to listen to at the venue. When I drew my fortune at the “Gudaguda Temple” in the “Gudaguda Pavilion,” the voices of Himiko, played by Yukari Tamura, and Ichiyo, played by Ari Ozawa, were played.
Additionally, at the “Forest Witch’s House” in the “Howatoria Pavilion,” a conversation between Toneriko the Rain Witch, played by Ishikawa Yui, and Bavan Shi, played by Waki Azumi, can be heard through a window in which their silhouettes are reflected. Many other newly recorded voices can be heard near the character panels, and character announcements played during the attraction.
“FGO Fujimaru Ritsuka Isn’t Understood” Attraction Also Appears At the “Understand! Don’t Understand? Pavilion,” there are attractions “Masumasu Manga De Wakaru! Fate/Grand Order” and “Fate/Grand Order Fujimaru Ritsuka Isn’t Understood.” Visitors could be seen enjoying a game where visitors had to find the female protagonist of “Masumasu Manga De Wakaru! Fate/Grand Order” from among many characters, and “Genie Coconut Lineup,” where visitors line up balls to complete “Genie Coconut Milk.” Large panels also explained the anime production process for “Fate/Grand Order: Fujimaru Ritsuka Doesn’t Understand” and the story’s progress in “Masumasu Manga de Wakaru! Fate/Grand Order”.
There was also a 3D exhibit that recreated the locations and characters that appeared in the limited-time event in the game, which many people enjoyed taking photos of. The props and wall posters in the recreated “New Sakamoto Detective Agency” exhibit were meticulously crafted, and in the center was a character panel of Okada Izo. At the “Moerunnos Photo Spot,” visitors could take commemorative photos while standing on top of a giant Moerunnos. Visitors also stopped to look at the exhibit that recreated the cockpit of the Maanna.
Ueda Kana was moved to tears by cheers, and the stage was filled with talk and new information. The stage that closed the two-day event, “Fate/Grand Order Chaldea Broadcasting Station 9th Anniversary Special”, featured Ishikawa, Ueda Kana, Kawasumi Ayako, Shimazaki Nobunaga, Takahashi Rie, and Toyonaga Toshiyuki—appeared on stage, with Mafia Kajita as the MC.
The final stage event of the year is where the latest information on the game is announced, and many people gather on stage. Toyonaga gave a greeting that sounded like Oberon’s lines, raising the excitement of the venue. Shimazaki, who often appears on stage in cosplay at “FGO” stage events, appeared in a costume of Monte Cristo, the Count of Monte Cristo, which was drawn specifically for the actual event this time. While the audience laughed, Shimazaki was greeted with loud cheers. In the variety corner, the participants were divided into Team Mash (Ishikawa, Shimazaki, Takahashi) and Team Artoria (Ueda, Kawasumi, Toyonaga) and competed in “FGO User Survey Predictions.”
The two teams predicted the survey results that users had answered in advance and competed for the most correct answers. The first question was, “Who is suitable to be a teacher?” Team Mash predicted “Shimazaki, Ishikawa, Kawasumi,” while Team Artoria predicted “Shimazaki, Ishikawa, Toyonaga.” Shimazaki, whose name was mentioned by both teams, showed an excited expression, but in the end, “Ishikawa, Kawasumi, Toyonaga” was not chosen by the users, and she was disappointed with her shoulders slumped. Next, in predicting the topic “Which Servant do you think will be having fun at the ‘FGO Fes.’ venue?”, Team Artoria got more correct answers than Team Mash, and the match ended with Team Artoria’s victory.
On stage, the topic of “Fate/Grand Order Fujimaru Ritsuka is Unknown” Season 2, which was announced yesterday, was also mentioned. The cast members commented on the slide that the timing of the anime’s distribution was loosely stated as “around noon” and “around evening.” Shimazaki also said she “doesn’t know” about the distribution time.
After that, while the venue was still excited about the latest information on the game, Space Ereshkigal, a beast-class servant that will be implemented in time for the 9th anniversary, was announced. On this day, the venue was filled with thunderous cheers, and Ueda, who voiced the character, was also moved to tears of joy at the magnitude of the response. It was also revealed that the final chapter of Part 2 will take place in 2025, and the 9th-anniversary celebration came to a close with a fitting finale.
