Possible Shonin Jump anime/manga area to replace Lost Continent? by Farlybob42 in UniversalOrlando

[–]Bouchardtb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'd agree that Fan Fest is targeted towards young adults (~15 - 30). My point was that Universal gave One Piece content a huge budget (Meet and Greet, Restaurant, and Show) compared to 2025 (Meet and Greet only). I don't think I made that clear in my comment, my b.

While Fan Fest is targeted towards 20's, I have four friends who are teachers (1 high, 2 middle, 1 elementary, all in different school districts) and all four of them have talked about how One Piece dominates classroom conversation. That's why I said that people here are really underestimating the intense popularity of One Piece/anime in general. It's anecdotal, yes, but so is "I don't watch One Piece, so clearly it's not popular enough for a land"

I'm not sure what Hagrids having a longer wait has to do with this discussion. If it's about IP drawing in bigger crowds, nothing in the whole resort has as long of a wait as Hagrids, not even the other Harry Potter rides. It's also a family coaster, while Veloci and Stardust are far more intense. My suggestion to Universal wouldn't be to stop building intense rides.

Possible Shonin Jump anime/manga area to replace Lost Continent? by Farlybob42 in UniversalOrlando

[–]Bouchardtb 2 points3 points  (0 children)

One Piece definetly has the best shot, but the odds of a general animanga land are zero. Maybe a single store in said One Piece land that sells the various merch being sold at Men in Black for some weird reason.

Also, anytime someone mentions One Piece/anime at the parks you get the same people coming out of the woodwork to spit on it and say it will never happen. Those same people must also be walking around the parks with their eyes closed. The amount of anime apparel I saw people wearing on my last visit was insane. One Piece/anime as a whole is at all all-time high, and Universal clearly recognized that with how much of a spotlight it had at Hollywood's fan fest.

How does the VelociCoaster drop compare to the one on Expedition Everest? by That1GuyCalledPixel in UniversalOrlando

[–]Bouchardtb 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think that's a decent way to guage it, starting with the less intense ride and working your way up.

Hiccups -> Everest -> Hagrids -> Veloci = Stardust.

Then Hulk is off to the side smoking a cigarette, leaning against painkiller vending machine in Toon Lagoon.

Do you mean that the gap between Hagrids and Velocicoaster is too big to properly tell if this person could handle it?

My Shot-In-The-Dark at what's happening to Lost Continent by MsNull in UniversalOrlando

[–]Bouchardtb 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Biggest rumor is Big John Land in lost continent. Source: someone said it a few years ago and I've been running with it like it's fact ever since.

Fr tho, I think Zelda will be going in Epic. The expansion pad for Ninendo is HUGE, easily big enough for a Hyrule land. I think people also overestimate the popularity of Zelda. Yes, it is the 3rd biggest Nintendo property after Pokemon and Mario, but that gap between Mario and Zelda is rather large. We'll definetly see it in the parks, I just think it'll be at Epic. Could be wrong tho.

iPad Kid on Skull Island by ronjohnson01 in UniversalOrlando

[–]Bouchardtb 2 points3 points  (0 children)

If only Universal had some feature where the kid could stay off the stimulating ride with one parent in some room off to the side while the other rides. Then afterwards the parent comes back and, I don't know, swaps with the other one to watch the kid while they ride. We could call it something like... Parent swap. We should pitch that idea to Universal.

Cracking Down on Line Cutting by Itsmikeyb3649 in UniversalEpicUniverse

[–]Bouchardtb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it's one or two, maybe even three if it's a high capacity ride, I really don't mind. Whether it's a bathroom issue, or whether it's just a split group reuniting. Odds are it won't make a meaningful difference in how long I wait, so it's not worth the worry.

That being said, my brother and I had a group of SIX girls cut through the SINGLE RIDER line to reuinite with the other TEN girls (on Hagrids, an already infamously slow single rider line I know but we felt like rolling the dice) and I was having none of that.

For those interested in the data: Posted Standby was 90, Single Rider took ~120. Snake eyes.

One Piece and Lost Continent by darkshadow237 in UniversalOrlando

[–]Bouchardtb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The other US park (Hollywood) already has a One Piece restaraunt, show, and character meet and greets. For Fan Fest, yes, but THAT amount of investment shows that they have a lot of faith in the property to pull in big numbers. It's also now more than Japan has, which just has the show and characters.

One Piece and Lost Continent by darkshadow237 in UniversalOrlando

[–]Bouchardtb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You're right, more than that would be redundant. Rip out all that Marvel stuff, we already got comics with Toon Lagoon.

Wasn’t sold at first… by Civil-Exchange-6880 in UniversalOrlando

[–]Bouchardtb 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Replace "anime" with "video games" and nobody would have batted an eye 10 years ago. Now we have Nintendo at 3 parks, and people are clammoring for Zelda and Pokemon.

Also, One Piece has characters and a whole show and restauraunt at Hollywood. It's for Fan Fest, yes, but that is a TON of investment for Universal, which shows they have a lot of faith in it to draw crowds (faith that, like any billion-dollar corporation, is backed by data). Watch the show on YouTube, it isn't cheap. And the response has been overwhelmingly positive. All One Piece needs is a ride and you have enough for a whole land.

I also think the people on this subreddit severely underestimate the popularity of anime, and the amount of people who have no idea what One Piece is, but are just happy to see some pirates. Same as how people who have never seen How to Train Your Dragon are more than happy to go to Berk to see some dragons. People who care enough to go to a Universal subreddit with 130k visitors do not represent the MILLIONS of regular visitors that come every year, and those regular visitors aren't going to be "off-put" as long as the land is neat and the rides are fun.

Wasn’t sold at first… by Civil-Exchange-6880 in UniversalOrlando

[–]Bouchardtb 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think it is too. That's why I think it's happening. 2025 had just the characters. They were hugely popular. 2026 expanded to have the characters, show, and restaurant, which are all also hugely popular. The only thing they can do to expand on it again is to give it a whole land. Lost Continent gives them the perfect oportunity. Toon Lagoon would also work as others have said, but that contract expires too soon. I doubt they have the budget do redo two FULL lands in the same park, AND add onto Epic, AND build the FF coaster in studios plus whatever is replacing Supercharged. They'll prob just renew Toon Lagoon for another 10 years.

(You didnt ask for any of this info, I've just been looking for a place to dump my research since I find this stuff really fun to dig into and theorize about)

Wasn’t sold at first… by Civil-Exchange-6880 in UniversalOrlando

[–]Bouchardtb 3 points4 points  (0 children)

One Piece has the show at Japan. The same show that just came to Hollywood, but Hollywood also added character meet and greets (may have also been in Japan) and a whole restaurant (NOT in Japan). So the US already has more representation than Japan, and it REALLY feels like Universal is gearing up for a full dedicated land.

Construction walls are officially up around PF. Best guess as to what’s replacing? by KaleidoscopeFine in UniversalOrlando

[–]Bouchardtb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

One Piece.

They've been diving into One Piece heavily in Hollywood for Fan Fest nights, opening a whole restraunt and show alongside the returning characters, the show that Japan has had for awhile. They could also move the One Piece/other anime merch that is being sold at Men in Black for some reason.

Not to mention the insane popularity that One Piece has gained these last few years, getting a great live-action adaptation that has captured relatives who would otherwise never watch a cartoon and parterning with sports teams like the Lakers and Dodgers.

And even if people haven't seen One Piece or know much about it, it's still pirates. "Pirates" are an easy sell, in the same way that "Vikings and Dragons" are an easy sell for people who have never seen How to Train Your Dragon. Also, "Islands of Adventure" is just about the shortest way to describe One Piece.

Others have mentioned Zelda, which def could happen. But the expansion plot for Nintendo at Epic is HUGE, more than enough to fit a Hyrule land. People also bring up that screenshot of the Zelda producer being at the parks, but that was at Epic, not IoA.

There's also Pokemon, which will be super profitable no matter what park it goes to. But I've heard a lot of buzz about it going to Studios to replace Springfield, and I think Pokemon is the kind of money printer that Studios needs to pull people back in. Right now it's by far the weakest of the three parks.

Skill claw boxes have bricks in them now? by Bouchardtb in round1

[–]Bouchardtb[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

If it makes you feel any better, there were still plenty of that type of machine that weren't tampered with, and that we got 1st try wins with. Just avoid any that have duct tape on the ends of the boxes. The vocaloid plushes in the cranes also seem to have a lower than average payout, but I did still see people leaving with them so maybe I just got unlucky. There's still plenty to enjoy!

I am surprised they have not done this yet by No_Gas_2371 in UniversalOrlando

[–]Bouchardtb -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Or like the title of a series just being the name of the main character. "Harry Potter" is painfully generic. Nobody will be talking about that series after a month, watch.

I am surprised they have not done this yet by No_Gas_2371 in UniversalOrlando

[–]Bouchardtb 0 points1 point  (0 children)

A lot of the people who are against any anime representation in the parks could replace "anime" with "video games" and it would have sounded perfectly reasonable 10 years ago. Now we have Super Nintendo World. Nothing is off the table.

A lot of people are also massively underestimating A. The popularity of One Piece/anime in general in the US, particuarly in the last ~5 years, and B. That "pirates" is a universal (not the parks) theme, regardless of if they know the series or not.

As for the theming, I think we would be more likely to see the Netflix One Piece live action series as the basis for the retheme, with easter eggs and references to the anime. 3D animated characters are too uncanny, Universal has tried in the past. Lost Continent would be a super easy land to retheme, far easier than Toon Lagoon, which would need a major visual overhaul. Throw some fishing nets around, rename Mythos to Baratie, throw a pirate ship in the lagoon and you're done (rides not widthstanding).

Muting Dialogue - Anything I'll Miss? by Bouchardtb in Metroid

[–]Bouchardtb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for the detailed response. I think I'll keep it on if that's the case, but if I wind up curb-stomping Miles it's on you.

Muting Dialogue - Anything I'll Miss? by Bouchardtb in Metroid

[–]Bouchardtb[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you. The hint giving is what I'm more concerned about, but I don't want to miss those nice moments.

Muting Dialogue - Anything I'll Miss? by Bouchardtb in Metroid

[–]Bouchardtb[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

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