Twentythree

Our best Ghibli merchandise haul to date!

Our Japanese reporter K. Masami is a big fan of Studio Ghibli and the Donguri Kyowakoku chain of stores that sells the studio’s official merchandise. While she loves to browse the shelves at Donguri Kyowakoku for new Ghibli goods throughout the year, she knows to save some money for New Year, when the chain releases its annual fukubukuro lucky bags, as they’re always filled with fantastic goods worth more than what you pay for, and they haven’t disappointed her yet.

The only downside to these bags is their popularity, which means you can miss out if you’re not in the know with how and when they should be purchased. Thankfully, Masami knew that reservations, which had to be made in-store, began on 8 December, but as she had to work that day, she was unable to get to a branch until the afternoon, by which time a lot of places had already reached their reservation quota.

The store in Osaka that she was relying on to make her reservation had also reached its quota by the time she got there, so in a panic, she called a store in Kyoto to see if she could make a reservation there. They told her they had a few spots left but they were going to close soon, so she hopped in a taxi, asking the driver to take the fastest possible route, and spending 1,400 yen (US$10.68) on the fare.

At the end of her panicked cab ride, Masami was successful in making a reservation, handing over 5,000 yen ($38.13) for the bag and receiving the below voucher in return, which she would have to hand over to staff at the store between 28 December and 4 January to redeem her fukubukuro.

Since the fukubukuro is paid for in advance, it has to be picked up from the same store where the reservation was made. Masami had reserved hers at the Ninenzaka branch, right near Kiyomizudera temple in Kyoto, so that’s where she returned to pick up her bag at the start of the year.

▼ The Ninenzaka branch is located in a tourist area that isn’t frequented by a lot of locals, which is likely why she was able to secure a reservation there.

It was a happy day when Masami picked up her fukubukuro, especially as she’d been so close to missing out on it, and when she opened the bag to see what she’d received, she was thrilled to find it was her best haul to date.

Let’s take a closer look at everything she received, starting with the Spirited Away Accessory Box Feast, which turned out to be her favourite item.

This cute container is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, yet it has a solid feel to it.

Normally priced at 4,730 yen, this item alone pretty much makes up the entire cost of the bag, meaning that everything else would be like free bonuses!

So what did she essentially receive for free? A whole swag of goods, including a Kiki’s Delivery Service Nostalgic Piggy Bank in the shape of magical black cat Jiji.

▼ There was also a Kiki’s Delivery Service Rain Bag…

▼ …a My Neighbour Totoro Antibacterial Lunch Box…

▼ …a slightly larger My Neighbour Totoro Antibacterial Lunch Box with more compartments…

▼ …a Kiki’s Delivery Service Antibacterial Dishwasher Compatible “Combi Set” containing a reusable spoon and pair of chopsticks…

▼ …and an Earwig and the Witch Badge.

▼ Oh, and we can’t forget the cute “Donguri Kyowakoku” (“Acorn Republic”) branded bag it all came in.

The price of this Ghibli lucky bag may have increased from previous years — the bags cost 4,000 yen in 2022 and 2020, and 3,000 yen in 2019 and 2018 — but Masami reckons it was totally worth it, as it was the best bag to date in terms of value for money as well as contents.

She’ll definitely be purchasing a bag again next year, providing she can find one before they sell out, of course. Ghibli goods are always in high demand, so much so that the recent humidifiers and New Years’ decorations sold out as soon as they went on sale, so she’ll definitely be clearing her calendar for lucky bag reservation day come December!

Photos: ©SoraNews24
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Plus, Bocchi the Rock! creator’s newfound fame causes chaos at the venue.  

Every time a new year appears on the horizon, a league of cosplayers appears on the horizon too, over at the Tokyo Big Sight convention centre where Winter Comiket is traditionally held on the last few days of December.

Like last year, when the event returned after a two-year pandemic-induced hiatus, this year’s Winter Comiket was a scaled-back affair, held across two days from 30-31 December, and with a cap on visitors, who were required to purchase tickets in advance.

These safety precautions didn’t dampen Comiket 101, as this 101st iteration is officially known, as cosplayers came out in force to pay homage to some of the industry’s hottest characters. While Comiket — short for “Comic Market” — is famous for being Japan’s largest convention for doujinshi (self-published manga) and otaku culture, it’s often the cosplayers that steal the limelight, and that was definitely the case again this time around, so let’s take a look at some of the best cosplayers from Day One below!

▼ Raiden Shogun from Genshin Impact | Cosplayer: @umnik0

▼ Hitori Goto from Bocchi the Rock! | Cosplayer: @mizuki_fuuka_

▼ Miorine Rembran from Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury | Cosplayer: @takane_88

▼ Guel Jeturk from Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury | Cosplayer: @chateauxmarugo

We’ve gotta say, cosplaying as a character from a camping scene where he simply sits and eats is a pretty genius way to avoid tiring yourself out at a big event like this one!

▼ Daitaku Helios from Uma Musume: Pretty Derby | Cosplayer: @hu_ton_

▼ Marco Polo from Azur Lane | Cosplayer: @rinyanpassan

▼ Keqing/Kokusei from Genshin Impact | Cosplayer: @NeK_neneko_

▼ Bloodhound from Apex Legends | Cosplayer: @gs_pochi

▼ The attention to detail here is insane!

▼ Catalyst from Apex Legends | Cosplayer: @sigma_1223

▼ Octane from Apex Legends | Cosplayer: @Maggot7274

▼ Maka Albarn from Soul Eater | Cosplayer: @Kaori_Gaia

▼ Rem from Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World | Cosplayer: @cos_asari_1028

▼ Megumin from KonoSuba: God’s Blessing on This Wonderful World! | Cosplayer: @tan_raiko

▼ Kaoru Mitoma and the Video Assistant Referee | Cosplayers: @Dahutsana and @Biscos_74yen

This clever cosplay is a nod to the Germany vs. Japan match at the 2022 World Cup, when the ball appeared to be over the line to the naked eye, but the VAR ruled otherwise.

While most of the cosplayers were outside the venue, there was cosplay to be found inside as well, in amongst the big company booths that had been set up. Before we take a look at those, though, we have to mention an interesting development that occurred on the day with Aki Hamaji, the creator of Bocchi the Rock!

Bocchi the Rock! started off as a four-panel manga series in 2017 and was later adapted into a TV anime that ran from October to December 2022. The anime became a popular hit, catapulting the series and its creator to stardom, so much so that Hamaji, who had set up a booth at Comiket to sell doujinshi for the Blue Archive mobile game, had to be moved outside for safety reasons, due to the massive crowds that gathered around her booth.

▼ Hamaji tweeted about the move outdoors to her followers on Twitter.

設営完了しました pic.twitter.com/Vc6Nkd1A70

— はまじあきアニメありがとう (@hamazi__) December 30, 2022

Nobody had predicted that so many fans would be drawn to Hamaji’s booth, but the new outdoor setting was much better suited to accommodating lines of people interested in meeting and purchasing goods from the artist. Given Hamaji’s newfound popularity, a bigger booth might be needed for the next meetup, at Summer Comiket in August.

▼ Now let’s get back to the cosplay at the company booths…

Company booths shared some official cosplay costumes and props with the public, like the ones pictured below from the Yostar booth…

▼ …and these ones from Echocalypse – Scarlet God’s Testament.

That about wraps things up for our cosplay coverage from Day One at Winter Comiket, but before we leave, there’s just enough time to grab a drink from this special vending machine.

This limited-edition vending machine sold us a limited-edition tea, wrapped in artwork by doujinshi artist @panno_mimi.

According to the Comic Market Preparation Committee’s after-sales report, 90,000 visitors attended Day One of the event, which had 117 company booths and 10,000 doujinshi stalls. It was also the first time international tourists were able to attend Comiket in three years, after Japan finally opened up to foreign tourism in October.

It was a great day out for doujinshi creators, cosplayers, and attendees, and now we’re counting down the days until the next event rolls around on 12-13 August!

Photos © SoraNews24
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