Photo courtesy of NTT QONOQ.Inc. ©NTT QONOQ.INC. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS
Source: NTT QONOQ, Inc. press release
Official Site: https://xrcity.docomo.ne.jp/contents/ultraseven-ar196837/ (Japan)
NTT QONOQ, a division of the mobile network services company NTT DOCOMO, has launched "Case File AR196837: A Star and a Girl" (CaseFile AR196837 星と少女, CaseFile AR 196837 Hoshi to Shōjo) as an official tie-in to ULTRASEVEN IF STORY 'THE FUTURE 55 YEARS AGO' (ウルトラセブン IF Story 『55年前の未来』, Urutorasebun IF Story '55-nen Mae no Mirai'), a short concept movie developed by Tsuburaya Productions as part of their year-long Ultraseven 55th Anniversary Project (ウルトラセブン55周年, Urutorasebun 55-Shūnen).
The mysterious girl (Mion Okai). Photo courtesy of NTT QONOQ.Inc. ©NTT QONOQ.INC. ©TSUBURAYA PRODUCTIONS
Running 7 minutes, ULTRASEVEN IF STORY 'THE FUTURE 55 YEARS AGO' connects the present and 55 years into the future through an "If Story," an episode which "may have existed" as part of the original ULTRASEVEN television series. It uses new digital technology to have virtual recreations of the show's main characters Dan Moroboshi (played by Koji Moritsugu) and Anne Yuri (played by Yuriko Hishimi), looking as they did back in 1967.
"Case File AR196837" is the second in a series of interactive mystery-solving events utilizing "XR City," a new augmented reality (AR) app from QONOQ that allows participants to immerse themselves in the world of ULTRASEVEN. It is being held at Sukagawa Civic Center tette and Canal City Hakata through Thursday, December 21, 2023.
In the game, the player investigates a mysterious radio signal from outer space and discovers a strange girl (played by Mion Okai) at the destination of the transmission. Who is she and what is her connection to Ultraseven? What is the content of the radio wave? The player must decipher it to solve the mystery.
Additional Case File events are scheduled to be held in other areas and facilities. Please check back with SciFi Japan for further information.
"Case File AR196837: A Star and a Girl" Outline
Location: Sukagawa Civic Center tette (4-1 Nakamachi, Sukagawa City, Fukushima Prefecture)
Dates: Through Thursday, December 21, 2023
Mystery-Solving Kit Sales Location: Sukagawa Civic Center tette
Participation Fee: 2,000円 (Approximately $13.80 U.S., Tax Included) Per Kit
Cooperation: Sukagawa City, Sukagawa Sightseeing Product Center
About NTT QONOQ, Inc.
NTT QONOQ. started its business as a wholly owned subsidiary of NTT DOCOMO, INC. on October 1, 2022. They provide a variety of services and solutions to individual and corporate customers using XR, including VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality), and MR (mixed reality), based on the three business pillars of Metaverse, Digital Twin, and XR Device.
About Tsuburaya Productions
Tsuburaya Productions, creator and copyrights owner of the superhero ULTRAMAN series was founded in 1963 by Eiji Tsuburaya, world-renowned special effects wizard also known for his special effects work on the Godzilla series. With more than fifty years’ experience, it is one of Japan’s oldest and most respected independent film and television production houses. Its popular Ultraman TV and film series which premiered in 1966 has been seen in over 100 territories worldwide and has spawned over 3,000 licensed products. In addition to production, the company also handles character licensing and program distribution and staging live stage shows both domestically and internationally.