Nisio Isin Memorial Tokyo Exhibition

Hello everyone and welcome to another edition of Monogatari Thursdays on Tiro Finale! Today, we will be taking a look at the Nisio Isin Memorial Tokyo Exhibition that was held recently from the 27th of July till the 7th of August. For more information about the event and the exclusive merchandise sold there, make sure to check out our introductory post about the event. For the Tokyo Exhibition, the venue was at a fancy departmental store, Matsuya Ginza, in the high-end shopping district of Ginza in Tokyo. Arriving early in the morning, I patiently awaited for the 10 o'clock opening hour but, could not feel more out of place with brands that could not be further associated than what I was there for. Fortunately, as time passed, I was not the only one and a significant crowd started to gather by the entrance as time moved closer towards the opening hours.

A 1/1 scale Shinobu tucked in the corner of the exhibition.

At 10 o'clock sharp, the doors to the departmental store was unlocked where most, if not all, of the waiting patrons headed straight to the 8th floor where the exhibition was held. In typical borderline-walking-not-running-speed, everyone made their way to one of the highest floor. When I finally reached there, a sizable crowd had already formed with everyone in an orderly line and with a ticket in their hand. 

The Ghost Writer exhibit which was narrated by Araragi.

You see, the exhibition required attendees to obtain their tickets beforehand. Fortunately for me, I had purchased my tickets from Lawson several days before. After a few quick minutes of lining up, I was finally in the event hall. The exhibits were entirely in Japanese with a few concept arts along the way. As such, if you did not understand any Japanese at all, much of the exhibits would be difficult to understand. In a chronological order, the exhibits displayed Nisio Isin's work over the years spanning several series and culminating with his biggest hit, the Monogatari Series. 

Within the main exhibition area, photo taking was strictly prohibited with only limited photo taking areas. These areas included the life sized Shinobu, the Ghost Writer and the three placards (above). Upon passing the three placards, attendees are then free to take as many photos as they like of the ensuing products and merchandise on show. 

As highlighted in Takuya's post, the entire exhibition can be split into three main area. The first and largest was the main exhibition haul where photo taking was strictly limited. Immediately after it was the second product showcase area which showcased up and coming merchandise as well as the exclusive merchandise on sale at the exhibition. Finally, the third and final area was the merchandise area where attendees could pick up exclusive merchandise commemorating the exhibition. 

The product showcase area had several big name companies showing up such as Aniplex and Banpresto.

Aniplex themselves showcase several new Monogatari merchandise and iPhone cases. Aniplex even took the opportunity to sell these merchandise as exclusives for the event. Needless to say, the Shinobu tee sold out very early into the event.

They even showcased several long sleeved shirts with character embroidery on them. More on that in a bit.

Some Kizumonogatari merchandise. Strictly photos only.

A large Kiss-shot sure looks intimidating.

The exhibitors were wise enough to put up the merchandise which was on sale on display. This allowed potential customers to get a better idea of what they are getting into. For example, the jigsaw puzzles based of the light novels covers. While, allowing the exhibitors to decorate the display space. Killing two birds with one stone!

Aside jigsaw puzzles, there were also stickers on display. They were stuck on the wall to give attendees a better feel of how they would look and feel like. In hindsight, I probably should have gotten several Hanekawa stickers to decorate my laptop.

Despite their price, the cookies were surprisingly popular among the attendees of the exhibition. Especially the Shinobu Donut Cookies.

Ononoki's sweets were not as popular but, they still looked really cute with the unique wrapping style. And no, those are not free tasters.

With that brief departure, we now return to the Aniplex shirts which struck me as a really unique piece. Here we have Kanbaru stitched onto the hem of the shirt. Because, where else would she be?

Nadeko was placed on the upper third of the sleeve and matched with a white shirt. The shirts came in three colors, white, blue and purple.

Senjougahara was matched to a purple shirt and placed on the left sleeve just like Nadeko. Wearing your heart on your sleeve?

Araragi on the right chest area and matched with a white shirt.

Hachikuji, like Kanbaru, is matched with a blue shirt and placed on the hem of the shirt.

Finally, there was Shinobu, the only one on sale during the exhibition. There were still a good number of them in stock likely each one cost 7,000 Yen.

Aniplex had several high quality iPhone cases featuring screens taken from the Kizumonogatari film. These cases sold out really fast.

The one merchandise which completely perplexed me, the Heroine Cube. It served little to no function besides acting as a decorated paper weight.

Available for pre-order were these power banks decorated with the light novel covers. They looked really good and, not to mention, were really slim and light. I was tempted to get them but, pre-orders were limited to within Japan only.

Some additional merchandise that was also on sale during the exhibition.

These merchandise were strictly on display only.

Banpresto also took the opportunity to showcase their upcoming merchandise for the Ichiban Kuji lottery and their EXQ prize figure.

More that those shown on the official website, there was a whole host of other exclusive merchandise that was not listed but made available during the event.

As the days passed, each item starting selling out one after another.

This tee for example was not listed on the website but, was certainly an exclusive made for the exhibition.

How do I get my hands on that Hanekawa shirt?

Every staff member of the event wore these black tees commemorating the event. It was a pretty neat touch to see them being sold at the event too.

Ever wanted framed art of Shinobu? Now you can.

This may look like a single illustration but, it is actually several clear boards layered together to form the illusion of a single picture. Certainly a great display piece if you have space for it at home.

The three lolis, Hachikuji, Shinobu and Nadeko.

I found these Hanekawa pillows on sale but, they were far too large and expensive to warrant me getting them. Note the glaring Kiss-shot(s) at the bottom of the picture.

This Shinobu cap was just one of the few additional exclusive merchandise offered on sale.

These large tapestries were easily the grandest and also the most expensive item on sale at the exhibition.

Understandably, they did not sell like hot cakes. Nevertheless, they are still a sight to behold.

A Hanekawa Tiger sticker would have been great.

These mirror keychains have the signature line of each character written on them.

Does this look familiar?

Indeed, it is the infamous toothbrush!

For some reason, the exclusive figures were not selling fast or as popular as I expected. Perhaps fans of the series are not big figure collectors?

Every iteration of the light novel from the Monogatari Series as well as Nisio Isin's other works were on sale too.

These iPhone cases will not be selling out anytime soon.

If you needed to catch up on any of your Monogatari media, this was the best place to get your fix. Everything from Blu Rays to music CDs were on sale. Not to mention, a large television played the OP and ED of the entire series on loop. I made sure to stay for several rounds of Chocolate Insomnia.

Having spent close to 4 hours at the exhibition, it was finally time to take my leave. Only on my way out did I notice this little pop-up booth promoting the exhibition. It was probably obscured by the large crowds when I first arrived. 

Having bought what I came for, I had completed my objective for the day. While small, the entire exhibition was certainly worth the 1,000+ Yen entry fee if only just to get your hands on some exclusive merchandise. Now, with Owarimonogatari's Second Season over, I wonder what lies installed for the Monogatari Series?

As usual, if you have any questions or thoughts about the event, do not hesitate to leave them in the comments section below. I would love to hear what you have to say. Until then, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead.