News

TOEI Animation Europe is set to play a leading role once again at the 2024 edition of Lucca Comics & Games with a series of unmissable events dedicated to fans of Japanese animation and some of the most beloved properties by the audience: One Piece, PreCure, andDigimon will be the highlights of the festival in Lucca.

The celebrations for the 25^th anniversary of One Piece, which began on May 5^th simultaneously in Milan, Berlin, London, Madrid, and Paris, will conclude in Lucca. For the occasion, two special guests from Japan will attend: Tatsuya Nagamine – director of the latest years of the One Piece series and previously of many other TOEI titles, including Dragon Ball Super: Broly – and Kenji Yokoyama – historic animation director and part of the staff from the first episodes to today.

TOEI Animation will once again be present at the same location as last year (Baluardo Santa Maria, Caffè delle Mura) with an even larger One Piece stand. As the previous years, the aim will be to enhance the experience for Italian fans both inside and outside the stand, where exclusive TOEI Animation products and a selection of partner products will be available every day (fans waiting in line will be able to check the product availability before entering the stand). Inside, visitors can also enjoy an exhibition of exciting One Piece images and take a selfie with life-size Luffy and Zoro figures.

But that's not all: fans can collect the One Piece passport for free, created in collaboration with TOEI's numerous partners (details will be announced soon) and much more! There will be also some unmissable events:

• A live meeting with Tatsuya Nagamine and a drawing session with Kenji Yokoyama will take place during a panel at the Teatro del Giglio on Friday, November 1^st, at 1:00 PM.
• On Friday, November 1^st, at 5:00 PM, some very special episodes of One Piece will be screened at the Astra Cinema. The screening will be introduced by Tatsuya Nagamine, through a video message from Tokyo, and by an exclusive video created for the 25^th-anniversary celebrations at Lucca Comics & Games. (Tickets for the screenings will be available on Eventbrite. The exact day/time for the ticket release will be announced soon on the social media accounts of Lucca Comics & Games and Toei Animation Italia. The tickets will be free and available to all festival-goers with a ticket for that day.)
• On Friday, November 1^st, at 4:00 PM, a One Piececosplayers parade will start from the stand, heading to an impressive location that will be revealed soon. This will allow fans to greet the two special guests right before heading to the Astra Cinema for the episode screenings!
• Tatsuya Nagamine and Kenji Yokoyama will also hold a shikishi signing session on Wednesday, October 30^th, and another one on Thursday, October 31^st. The shikishi will feature a special design created by Yokoyama himself (spots are limited to 50 people per session. Reservation methods will be announced soon on the Instagram accounts of TOEI Animation Italia and Lucca Comics & Games).

TOEI Animation is also pleased to bring PreCure back to Lucca and proudly announces that producer Aki Murase will once again attend Lucca Comics & Games to talk about the franchise and introduce the screening of Wonderful PreCure – The Movie, which was released in Japan on September 13th and grossed 510,682,960 yen (€3,200,000) with 415,009 tickets sold in its first five days. The event, which will take place on Thursday, October 31^st, at the Astra Cinema at a time to be announced soon, will also feature a special message.

TOEI Animation is also excited to announce that throughout the festival, PreCure will be the focus of an exhibition at Casermetta San Colombano, where, starting from October 31^st, attendees will have the chance to meet producer Aki Murase every day. The exhibition will be open during the festival's opening hours and will be accessible to all ticket holders for the day. The times of Aki Murase’s presence at the exhibition will be communicated closer to the event.

Last but not least, TOEI Animation Europe is thrilled to bring Digimon to Lucca. To celebrate  the 25^th anniversary of Digimon, incoming surprises are on their way out:

• Digimonproducer Yu Kaminoki will be attending Lucca to introduce the events and meet with fans.
• On Wednesday, October 30^th, Digimon Adventure: Bokura no Wargamewill be screened, with an introduction by producer Yu Kaminoki. The exact time and location of the event will be announced soon.
• Additionally, Digimon will have its own exhibition running for the entire duration of the festival at Casermetta San Colombano, where fans will have the chance to meet producer Yu Kaminoki daily until November 1st (included). The exhibition will be open from October 30^th to November 3^rd during the festival's opening hours, with free entry for all daily ticket holders. The specific times of Yu Kaminoki’s appearance at the exhibition will be shared closer to the event.

One Piece, PreCure, and Digimon are all part of the TOEI Animation Festa 2024. As the last year, TOEI Animation Europe wants to celebrate in a special way. With over 400 titles produced, the studio has a rich history and wants fans to experience as much of it as possible. This is the reason why, once again, the festival won’t focus on just one title, instead, there will be an everyday special screening of a different title from the catalogue.