Kara Dennison
September 14, 2022 
This month, the Re:ZERO mobile game Lost in Memories is celebrating two years in service. While you may not be able to play the game in the U.S. just yet, you can dive into its metaverse counterpart right now!
While the exhibition is ultimately a simple virtual chatroom, it still holds a lot of promise in terms of virtual events for anime and manga fans. The simple walkthrough makes an intriguing boilerplate for bigger, wilder future ventures.
Global Accessibility
The metaverse mentality might not have sped along so quickly if we hadn’t all spent a couple years stuck at home. That very human desire to interact means the Internet became an even more social place than ever starting in 2020. That’s also one of the reasons many anime and manga companies started making virtual exhibitions. Via browsers, VR headsets, or whatever you’ve got, you could “walk” through an exhibition hall while staying safely and comfortably at home.
This had the bonus side effect of making previously inaccessible events all the easier to get to. For example, the Lost in Memories second anniversary exhibition is open worldwide. No need to jump a plane to Japan—you’re there with a few mouse clicks!
Innovative Displays
A while back, Go Nagai’s Devilman franchise made its own metaverse leap with an enormous virtual exhibition. This was even bigger than the Re:ZERO event (and came, understandably, with a ticket price). Entering that virtual space took you through museum exhibitions, horrifying hellscapes, and moments from the manga and anime. The event achieved things that would be difficult, if not impossible, to do in reality.
For the Lost in Memories event, you can tour Roswaal’s Mansion as you take in works of art from across the history of the isekai series. Then at the back, there’s a concert stage with music and videos playing. At present it’s a very simple setup, with the big exhibits promised in the event’s final week. But the sky is the limit when your exhibition space is virtual!
Unique Bonuses
If you explore the metaverse Re:ZERO exhibition, you can “take home” a cute hapi coat featuring an idol version of your favorite girl from the series. As much as we’d love a real version of these, it’s still a fun bonus. And this isn’t the ceiling for what digital goods can be. Downloadables for your favorite games, bonus animated shorts, and all sorts of other goodies could be on the horizon!
In short—nothing will replace reality. But if a little Re:ZERO runaround can be this fun and inventive, there’s no telling how accessible the anime world could become.
Need a different type of escapism? Check out these fantasy anime recommendations.
