Sapporo Haul

Hello everyone and welcome back to Tiro Finale for the last piece in our March Sapporo Special. And what better way to mark the conclusion of it all by going through all the goodies that I got in my short but, sweet time there. If you have been following us our the part month, you would probably have noticed me teasing some of these items in the previous posts such as the clear files and one particular Nendoroid. Now with the souvenirs sorted out, here is everything from my personal Sapporo haul. 

Starting with the fabrics, we have this really unique Love Live table cloth of sorts which features an illustration of Hanayo in her Shrine Maiden outfit. To top things off, she is even hugging onto a barrel of her beloved polished white rice. While I do claim to know a large majority of the Love Live Shrine Maiden merchandise, this one somehow did not register as something that I had seen before. So, when the opportunity arose to grab it for just 400 Yen, needless to say, I did not have to think long. The thing is, I know have to think of what to do with it. 

Practical and memorable, I managed to get two more tees to the collection both of events that I hold fond memories off. Mandarake was selling the official Live tee for Muse's 5th Live for just 1,000 Yen! How could I possibly say no to that? After all, the 5th Live is extra memorable where they celebrated Kussun's (Nozomi's seiyuu) birthday on stage after performing Dancing Stars on Me. Next to it is a commemorative tee shirt for the 70th Anniversary of the Sapporo Snow Festival, the very one I attended. Guess that does not need any further explanation, right? 

Moving on to another subtle obsession of mine, clear files. Of all the trinkets I collect, clear files has to be up there in terms of sheer amount. Even more so than rubber straps, I reckon. Why? I suppose it has to do with their practical aspect mated with illustrations of my favorite characters. Killing two birds with one stone? Things like these always appealed to me in a special kind of way. 

And then from there, things quickly take a sharp turn into the realm of insanity. If you ever wonder, this is what 9,000 Yen worth of clear files look like. Take it all in as each of this plastic sheets cost a whopping 400 Yen each! The Love Live x Powerpuff Girls collaboration was perhaps one of the most unexpected collaborations for the series and ran for a very limited window with merchandise being in an even more limited quantity. As such, getting hold of merchandise from this collaboration often meant paying a hefty premium. A premium which, in this case, I was willing to swallow. 

Speaking of Love Live, you would have probably noticed the largest piece of the entire haul just obnoxiously smiling away. That is right, it is non other than Sega's Mega Jumbo Nesoberi Ayase Eli Snowhalation version. Now, I really was not expecting to get any more Nesoberi(s) in Sapporo especially considering just how humongous Mega Jumbo Nesoberi are. That was until I saw this brand new Eli Nesoberi selling for just 1,000 Yen!

While I would have loved to collect the Snowhalation version of Nozomi first, Eli's price was just too hard to pass up on. By adding the blonde beauty to the collection, that would make it my second Snowhalation Nesoberi joining Honoka who was the first. Admittedly, Eli does look a little lonely with her Nozomi. An issue that I will have to resolve soon enough. 

You cannot expect us to run a blog called Tiro Finale, be the Church of Mami and not feature any Tomoe Mami content in our haul, would you? That is where this Nendoroid of Mami in her School Uniform comes in. Which leads things to the next question in mind, would I not already have this particular Nendoroid? Indeed of which I already do own one copy of the Nendoroid making this my second copy of this particular Mami Nendoroid. Commence Mami collection 2.0? 

Well, not quite. While Nendoroid No. 379 may have an illustrious history of first being launched in limited quantities during Wonder Festival, it is not that hard to find in the re-sale market these days and at a good price too. Seeing as how Mandarake was selling one, unopened, for just 2,500 Yen, I could not pass up on the opportunity to add her to my collection without hesistation of keeping my first copy in its mint condition. After all, what was it they said? Collectors always buy three copies of a certain item? 

The final and smallest piece of the haul comes to a little tradition of mine when visiting new places and events. Wherever it is, I would always like to collect a metal pin badge that then goes on my camera bag. This way, I can keep track of all my photographic trips over the years. There were no shortage of pin badges to commemorate the 70th Anniversary of Sapporo's Snow Festival and I certainly liked the Snow Miku one the best hence, my decision to go with it.

Now that you have seen it all, I will also share with you my favorite part of this haul. Aside from the contents of it, I love just how compact this particular haul is. Yes, the huge Eli Nesoberi probably does not fit that description well but, if you subtract her, you can see just how little space all the items take up. No large premium scale figures this time and for good reason as, traveling light meant making certain concessions. But the size of the haul in now way represents how much fun I had shopping this time. Getting to hand pick your own hobby merchandise never gets old and is infinitely irreplaceable in spite of the convenience of online shopping. Do not take my word for it though as you should definitely go out and experience it for your own self too! 

With all the piece of this haul accounted for, I can finally pen the last few lines of my Sapporo special. As we move on to the month of April, do expect more fresh content from us over here on Tiro Finale. What would you like to see next? Do let us know in the comments section below. Until the next time, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!