After the tragic death of Kento Nanami in season two, episode 18 of Jujutsu Kaisen, the Government of Malaysia wants to offer the character his dream—to spend the rest of his days on a beach in Kuantan, Malaysia.
Jujutsu Kaisen’s creator, Gege Akutami, appears to love torturing his fans as he kills off our favorite characters one after the other without mercy. The anime recently played out the tear-inducing death of Nanami, the Grade 1 sorcerer who just wanted the time to sit on a beach and read books instead of fighting for the existence of humanity.
His final scene was both beautiful and painful to watch. Already severely injured from his battle with the curse Dagon as well as being burned alive by the curse Jogo, he then went on to slay a hoard of transformed human monsters. As he slashed and cut through them, he pictured himself on a beach, walking along the sand, the sun shining as the waves lapped the shore. “Malaysia. That’s right, Malaysia. I should go to Kuantan,” he said. The two diametrically opposing scenes spliced together only served to heighten the despair felt when Nanami was finally finished off by the curse Mahito, right in front of a disbelieving Itadori.
Since this scene, fans have been searching for the beach in Malaysia in the hopes of discovering where Nanami wished he were in his last moments. The Malaysian government must have seen this uptick (or they have a huge Jujutsu Kaisen fan among them) and are taking the opportunity to capitalize on the new interest in their country.
According to CBR, the Malaysian Government is set to reach out to Akutami to endorse their plan to turn Kuantan beach into a memorial site for the character. It was also reported in the New Straits Times that State Unity, Tourism and Culture Committee chairman Leong Yu Man spoke up at the Pahang (the region of which Kuantan is the capital) Assembly to say,
Recently, a beach in Kuantan was mentioned in the popular Japanese anime series Jujutsu Kaisen. Kuantan became trending and popular among anime enthusiasts… the state government will take the opportunity to promote the beach.
When a discussion about which beach in Kuantan was to be used, as it was unclear in the anime, Leong pointed out that fans of the show have marked the beach on Google Maps as “Kento Nanami Memorial Shrine.” They now seek Akutami’s blessing for the project, saying, “The state government will contact the Japanese side to obtain the approval from the anime creator to decide (memorial).”
She wants to utilize the popularity of the show, and of anime in general, as a way to bring in more tourists he may feel compelled to visit the location:
The beach, according to the character in the series, is appropriate for living after retirement, reading books … Perhaps there will be a location for anime lovers to check in, which could be a new attraction for anime fans all over the world.
This is an extremely smart move by the Malaysian government that could see a rise in tourism. For fans truly traumatized by a man who escaped the salaryman life to find his passion, only to have that kill him, the memorial could come as a sort of comfort that he eventually ended up where he wanted to be at peace.
(featured image: MAPPA)
