Chiba Days 32 - The Weekly Akiba Stroll

Hello everyone and welcome back to Tiro Finale for another chapter of Chiba Days. In this week's entry, we take a look at several interesting merchandise I spotted in Akihabara during my weekly trip there. Having visited once a week for the past few months, you would think that few things come close to surprising me anymore. Yet somehow, this magical town always seems to have its ways in surprising me, pleasantly or otherwise. 

Starting with this clear file of Hifumi from New Game. Here on Tiro Finale, we are quite the fans of the New Game series especially takuya who's favorite character is the aforementioned Hifumi. Almost a year after the debut of the second season, there still seems to be a strong wave of merchandise for the series and they go for a rather high price too. New Game's continued momentum could be attributed to it being a running manga series and the series being featured in the Kirara Magica mobile game. For now, much of the merchandise seems to be focused on character goods rather than figures.

Next on the list is the Fate series which is likely at the height of its popularity at this very moment. Enter any hobby store in Japan, not just Akihabara, and you will be guaranteed to find an entire section dedicated to the Fate series. Much of this can be attributed to the meteoric popularity of the Fate Grand Order mobile game. Along with the series' reinvigorated popularity, the merchandise machine is not far behind in meeting the demand from wanting fans. 

Another series experiencing the height of its popularity is another cult favorite, Girls und Panzer. With the movie just around the corner, hype and demand for the series' merchandise is higher than ever notably in the form of the Nendoroids. Prior to the release of the first movie, the series was largely a cult following with the Nendoroids fetching astronomical prices at re-sellers. That has since changed following a wave of re-releases by Good Smile Company. How times change.

Surprise does not just come in the form of merchandise as billboards and advertisements too can be a source of pleasant surprise. Case in point, this advertisement for Mandarake's Complex store in Akihabara. Throughout all my time in Japan, this was the first time I have ever spotted a Mandarake advert!

The Akihabara train station is another unique point being one of the few stations with a focus on anime-themed advertisements. Going straight for its target demographic, there are always certainly going to be adverts for the latest big release be it a game or movie. 

Speaking of games, another cult series which has been gaining significant traction is the Madoka Magica series with the release of the Magia Record mobile game. Apparently the game has been doing very well but, remains to be a Japan-only release for the time being. One can hope that they eventually produce an English version as they often do for the top-grossing Japanese mobile games such as School Idol Festival and Fate Grand Order.

With that, we come to the end of today's quick stroll around Akihabara. Personally, I would love to take more photos but, many stores have a policy against photos even if they are not stated outright. Nevertheless, we strive to bring you the best that we possibly can. Until the next time, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!