Anime Pilgrimage: Future Diary
The site AnimePilgrimage.com purports to share the real-life Japanese locations that were the basis for places in various anime. And that includes 29 locations from Future Diary.
I've shared some info in the past about this kind of thing; specifically, looking at a blog that compared the real-life to Kinugawa Onsen to the resort location where Yuno held Yuki hostage. But AnimePilgrimage claims to have identified many more locations from Mirai Nikki in real life than just Kinugawa Onsen.
(Note: These locations are only from the anime; the original manga does not show the same detailed backgrounds.)
However, these identifications are ultimately performed by fans who simply believe these sites are the real-life inspirations of specific frames by comparing Google Earth images and the online pics to the backgrounds from the anime in question.
For example, get a load of this comparison from Episode 2: Contract Terms. I'd say this is location identification is iffy. The background building definitely looks like a match, but it's hardly a unique piece of architecture. And the railing of the bridge shown does not appear to match.
Then again, some of the claims seem pretty much wrong. Get a load of this comparison from Episode 26: Initialize.
The fan who made this identification was trying to argue that the building ont he right is the same in both images, but... it's not. no. And there's no bridge there. And the street isn't remotely the same width. And the nearby buildings aren't similar, ETC ETC ETC. Absolutely not.
On the other hand, there are some that are certainly at least partially matches. Get a load of these locations that inspired scenes from Episode 3: Initial Failure.
It's safe to say that Yomiuri Land is definitely the inspiration for the amusement park that Yuki and Yuno go to! That rainbow bridge is pretty hard to deny. On the other hand, the skyline actually ISN'T a match; the rides shown in the background of the anime shot don't align with the rides currently visible from the same angle in Yomiuri Land. Of course, it's possible the rollercoaster and other rides were different back when the anime was produced...
Finally, there are the locations that seem pretty definitively accurate, IMO.
In this comparison using Episode 13: Number Withheld, I can't imagine there's any way they got this one wrong. Sure, the plant life on the edges of the parking lot has changed in the interim years, as has the painting of the lines in the lot itself. But come ON - the curvature of the parking lot, the locations of the two outbuildings on the left? It seems like this HAS to be the inspiration.
So yeah, this is a pretty fun little thing to explore! I was originally going to go through every location cited on AnimePilgrimage as being a spot from Future Diary, but there's WAY too many to put into a single post, and for real: Does anyone want my opinion on EVERY SINGLE LOCATION cited? Just click on an anime screenshot on the left, and you'll see a pic of the associated location appear on the bottom-right along with a dot on the map in the middle.
Have fun!
