Was it worth it? In terms of quantity, yes. To satisfy my curiosity, yes. In terms of contributing to my collection, not really. For $55 you get literally hundreds of items, but how many of those items are relevant or significant to you is highly “mileage may vary.”

Japanese second-hand goods retailer Suruga-ya is currently offering “lucky bags” (random lots) of 100+ Japanese doujinshi for about $20, often with free international shipping.

I have no affiliation with Suruga-ya. I just think these grab bag lots are neat.

Until Wednesday, May 22nd at 6pm Japan time, second-hand retailer Suruga-ya is offering free international shipping. That’s a discount that could save American collectors anywhere from $30 to $300 off shipping fees! I took advantage of the opportunity, and recorded a show-and-tell with the items I purchased for my own collection.

The prizes are one-of-a-kind, signed illustrations by mangaka Sei Takano featuring the manga’s star characters. The best three reviews will win these prizes, which can be sent to legal U.S. addresses in the continental states. Check out full contest details and rules—as well as a preview of the prizes—in One Peace Book’s recent Tweet.

Parallel World Pharmacy, which inspired the hit anime series, describes what would happen if a modern pharmacist prodigy decided to rescue a world of swords and magic from its own medical malpractices. After a determined pharmaceuticals researcher dies of overwork, he awakens in the body of young Farma, son of the court physician — and magic, action, humor, and rock-solid science ensue. The title is currently available in paperback and eBook format on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Indiebound.

On Saturday & Sunday, January 7-8, 2003, I’ll have a dealer table and present two anime panels at the St. Pete Comic Con in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. In advance of the comic show, I made a large purchase with Mandarake of Japan for convention goods and also items for my personal, permanent collection. Here’s the second of three videos of my purchases.

On Saturday & Sunday, January 7-8, 2003, I’ll have a dealer table and present two anime panels at the St. Pete Comic Con in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. In advance of the comic show, I made a large purchase with Mandarake of Japan for convention goods and also items for my personal, permanent collection. Here’s the first of three videos revealing my purchases.

See what new bargains and oddities I picked up in my recent purchase from Mandarake of Japan.

The Comic Big Spirits magazine that I thought contained the first chapter of Yoiko turned out to be the wrong issue.

The first episode of Non Non Biyori Nonstop doesn’t show a character’s face until nearly two-minutes into the episode. This sort of emphasis on atmosphere and tone was common in 70’s and 80’s anime; however, with modern anime that’s so heavily dependent upon the marketability of its characters, most contemporary anime make certain to reveal a primary character’s face within the first few seconds of a first episode. It’s a subtle change in the style of anime, but a difference that’s very noticeable and consistent when you consciously look for it.

This is the last of the five. A can of Detective Conan white soda.

My friend explained that during a Uniqlo stores promotion, purchasing two t-shirts included a bonus choice of an exclusive RX-78 or Zaku Gunpla kit in “Uniqlo color.” This is, obviously, the Zaku kit in red & white rather than its traditional dark green.