Road to Osaka Part 3: International Studios Theme Park
After eating a nice breakfast at the hotel, The Amamiyas, Mana, Mitsu, and Kaito headed over to International Studios Theme Park. All eight of them were looking forward to this part of the trip as this theme park specialized in making attractions based on their favorite movies. They were especially excited because earlier in the year the park unveiled their newest attraction 'Super Funtendo Land'. Riku and Mai went there with their parents, Yuuki and Futaba, on opening day and they had nothing but great things to say about it.
Ren parked the car in the theme park's parking lot before the group disembarked from the vehicle and made their way to the front gate.
"What do you guys hope to see while we're here?" Ren asked the group.
"Harvey Panner World," Mana, Mitsu, and Minto said in unison.
"I want to see some stage shows," Ann said.
"There are some 4D rides I want to check out, dad," Kimiko said as Kaito nodded in agreement.
"We'll do all of that today and then some," Ren said as they made it to the front gates.
Ren paid for the group's admission before he handed everyone their 'admission wristbands' and maps of the park.
"Where to first, everyone?" Kaito asked.
"The Harvey Panner World has the most to do there, so we should probably hit that one up first," Ren said.
"Sounds like a plan!" Minato cheered as the group went over to the Harvey Panner World.
In the Harvey Panner section of the park, it was designed to look like the main shopping area from the books and movies. In the distance, you can see what looked like an exact replica of the Pigblister's School. The group of eight were very excited to be in this section of the park as there was something for everyone there.
First, we see Kimiko in 'Honeydukes' and she's looking over at the selection of candies and sweets that were there. In particular she was transfixed with a section of the store that had dispensers filled with 'Bernie Trott's Multi-Flavored Jelly Beans'
"Oh man, what do I choose," Kimiko asked herself as she looked at all of the different flavors, "Wild Cherry, Raspberry, Sour Apple, Rocky Road, Roast Beef, Peanut Butters & Jelly, Frog Leg, Dill Pickle, Ghost Pepper. Oh, I've got to try them all!"
And just like that, Kimiko grabbed multiple bags and started to fill each of them with every flavor that looked appetizing to her…which was almost all of them.
We then see her exiting Honeydukes holding anywhere from 20-30 bags of jellybeans with some 'Chocolate Covered Toads' thrown in for good measure. As she walked out of the candy shop, she saw Morgana and Kaito approaching her; the brown haired boy is holding something behind his back.
"My sweet tooth got the better of me," Kimiko said with an embarrassed blush on her cheeks.
"Don't sweat it, babe, you're on vacation," Kaito said, "But Morgana and I were over at the Owlery and I thought I'd get you this."
Kaito revealed that he was holding a big plush snowy owl.
"Oh, it's so cute!" Kimiko exclaimed, "Thank you, baby. I'd take it from you but I have my hands full."
"I can hold onto it for now," Kaito said as the two of them walked off to another part of the Harvey Panner World.
With Ren and Ann, they're looking at the clothes in 'Gladrags Wizardwear'. Right now, Ann has her eyes on a ruffled pink dress which she takes into the changing room to try on. When she comes out wearing the dress, she sees Ren paying for something at the counter. She goes up to her husband to see what she thinks of her dress.
"Renny," Ann said cutely, "How do I look?"
"You look absolutely beautiful, Ann," Ren said, a small blush growing on his face, "And that dress will look even more beautiful on you when you have this around your neck."
Ren then presented Ann with what he just bought; a ruby necklace with a gold chain.
"Oh, Ren, it's so beautiful!" Ann said as she graciously took the necklace from her husband and put it on.
"A beautiful necklace for the most beautiful wife in the world," Ren said as he gave a kiss to his wife.
We then cut to Minato, Mana, and Mitsu as the step out of the 'Wand Shop'. They're holding their very own wizard wands in their hands. The other five members of their group find them in the front of the Wand Shop and they go over to them; Ann is back in her street clothes and her dress is stored in a box which she is carrying under her arm. She's still wearing the necklace Ren bought her though.
"Nice wands you guys have there," Ren complimented.
"Thanks," Minato said, "I got the Master's Wand (Elder Wand)."
"I have Flora's Wand (Fleur)" Mana said as she showed everyone her wand.
"And mine is Nessica's Wand (Narcissa)" Mitsu said as she showed her want.
"Very nice, everyone," Kimiko said.
"I think we've done enough shopping here," Ren said, "Let's bring these back to the car before we come back here and check out some of the attractions."
"Okay," everyone else said.
We get a brief montage of the group of eight taking in all of the attractions that the Harvey Panner World had to offer.
Scene #1: We see the group as they ride on a Hippogriff themed roller coaster. Most of them look like they're having a good time, but Mitsu is resisting the urge to vomit and Kaito has his eyes covered the whole time.
Scene #2: Now they're all in front of one of the restaurants sipping on butter beer with happy looks on their faces.
Scene #3: Kimiko is in the joke shop looking at all of the novelty items that are on sale.
Scene #4: The group is taking a photograph in front of a replica of the Pigblister Express.
Scene #5: Everyone is watching a live show that reenacts the Tri-Wizard Tournament as seen in 'Chalice of Flame', with the main group taking lots of pictures and recording each performance.
After everyone was done in the Harvey Panner World, the group then decided to see what other attractions the park had to offer.
We first see them riding the Triassic Park log flume ride. Even Morgana managed to sneak on board. As they float on by, everyone is admiring the dinosaur animatronics and taking in all of the set pieces before going down a huge slide where they land with a huge splash that gets everyone all wet. Suffice it to say, Morgana did not like that part.
The group wasn't done with boat rides yet as they were now seen on the 'Maws' ride (Jaws). The group of eight are seen jumping back in shock whenever the large shark animatronic came out of the water.
The next ride was the 'Space Fantasy' ride. Ren, Ann, and Morgana decided to sit this one out as the five younger members of the group got on. They're seen laughing and cheering as they fly through set pieces that made it look like they were flying through the vastness of distant space.
They decided to take a break from rides as they check out the next attraction, 'Exterminator 2: 3D'. All eight got a seat in the front row as they watched the short film based on one of the greatest action movies of all time, and they were taken aback with how well the effects held up after all these years.
The next screening room they entered was the one for the 4D 'Tarantula-Man' ride. The seats rocked and swayed as Tarantula-Man swung through the skies on the movie screen, and since it was a 4D theater, the seats vibrated everytime the titular superhero landed a punch on one of the villains.
When they finally had their fill of every other attraction that looked appealing to them, the eight of them made their way to 'Super Funtendo World'. Right away they were amazed at how accurate the park looked when compared to the actual video games it was based on. They knew they were in for a great time.
"I've been looking forward to this all day," Minato said.
"What are we waiting for?" Ann asked everyone, "Let's go!"
As everyone rushed into Super Funtendo World, we see just what kind of fun they get up to.
Scene #1: We see the group as they take photographs with characters from the Super Marco Brothers series; Marco, Louie, Princess Mango, and Toshi.
Scene #2: The group is taking a relaxing ride in 'Toshi's Adventure'. Ren and Ann are riding a Green Toshi. Kaito, Kimiko, and Morgana are on a Blue Toshi. And Minato, Mana, and Mitsu are riding a Red Toshi.
Scene #3: Now they're seen riding the Marco Cart ride, which utilized state of the art AR technology. When everyone wasn't blown away with the state of the art technology presented, they were laughing and squealing with delight as the ride made them feel like they were in an actual Marco Cart race.
Scene #4: As they explored the park, they caught a glimpse of some construction that advertised an expansion of the park, one that advertised another famous Funtendo character; the big ape Dopey Kang. They knew that they had to come back here once the expansion was finished.
Scene #5: Now they're at the gift shop buying souvenirs based on power-ups from the Super Marco series. Ann, Kimiko, Mana, and Mitsu even bought hats that looked like Princess Mango's crown.
Scene #6: As the sun goes down at International Studios Theme Park, they all have dinner at the cafe that was there. They were eating burgers, sandwiches, and cakes in the shape of Super Marco characters and power ups.
"Mmm, delicious!" Mana said.
"I can see why Riku and Mai love this place so much," Kimiko said as she took a bite from a piece of cake.
"If you're all not too tired of International Studios yet, there's one last thing I'd like for us to check out before we leave," Ren said.
After dinner, the group of eight went to an area where a huge crowd was gathered as if waiting for something.
"What's going on here?" Minato asked.
"You'll see," Ren said.
A few more minutes of waiting and a series of colorful floats and park workers, both of which resembled characters from various International Studios film characters, came down the street.
"Wow, a parade!" Kimiko said in excitement as she, her brother, and her friends took out their phones to record the spectacle.
"I knew you all would like it," Ren smiled.
"I haven't seen a parade in so long," Ann said as she snuggled close to her husband, "Great idea, babe."
"Thank you very much, my darling little princess," Ren said as he gave a kiss to his wife's cheek, alluding to the fact Ann was still wearing Princess Mango's crown on her head.
Ren, Ann, Morgana, Minato, Kimiko, Mana, Mitsu, and Kaito happily watched the parade and the fireworks display that was held immediately afterwards before leaving the park to go back to the hotel.
Once they made it back to their hotel suite, all eight were so exhausted that they got into their pajamas and went straight to bed. Even though they were completely wiped out, they went to sleep thinking how this was the best day of the vacation so far and the following days would be a tough act to follow.