My Tomoe Mami Mug

Hello everyone and welcome back to Tiro Finale where we are back once more to feature our bread and butter content, Tomoe Mami merchandise. Last featured in my Tokyo Summer Haul, it has been quite a while since I last did a feature or review of any one specific Tomoe Mami merchandise. The fact that this is a mug, makes it the first of its kind on the blog too. Not that I have not owned any Mami mugs or glasses in the past yet, more like there has been none that I have taken the liberty of removing them from their original box. So without further ado, let us jump right into it.

Starting with the box, you have a rather plain looking brown cardboard box which makes up the entire packaging for the mug. Aside from all the brown on display, there is also a small sticker which correctly identifies the mug's design being that of Mami's and a small Aniplex sticker above it designating that this indeed is an official licensed product. A nice touch I like on my particular Mami mug is the plastic wrap that Mandarake has put over it. Together with that, is the price tag from where I originally purchased it, Mandarake Nakano, just a very fair 800 Yen.

Moving on, opening up the box reveals the white mug within it and there are no additional frills just as you would expect from, well, a mug. While it would be fair to expect some form of shock dampening to be placed between the empty spaces which the mug does not occupy in the box, we have none of that here. Not that I think it would make much difference as the box itself is already made of some really stiff cardboard and the mug itself, certainly one of the heavier ones I have carried in recent years. 

Taking the mug out of the box, the first thing you immediately notice is the heft of it. If you are used to more commonly store bought porcelain mugs, the difference in weight is immediately different. As it is not just the thickness of the walls which are increased but, the overall density of it too. 

Appearances wise, it certainly strikes that of a very stereotypical mug design albeit with a themed pattern on it. In this case, Tomoe Mami herself. While the design of the mug itself may seem very unimportant at first, it is actually more important upon further handling. For starters, the large ear of the handle makes it extremely easy to carry and maneuver despite the heft. Moreover, the thick and heavy base ensures stability and a satisfying "thump" every time you lay it on a surface. The fact that it is a mug with Mami designs on it would have been more than sufficient for me. The mug happening to be a very high quality one just happens to be icing on the cake. 

That being said, let us not focus our attention too much on the built of the mug and instead shift towards the main reason I bought this mug in the first place. Decorating the outer walls of the mug are various Tomoe Mami motifs which are immediately apparent to her character. Such as, her yellow Soul Gem, tea cup and floral hair piece. In keeping with the Madoka Magica art-style, these illustration are bright and colorful yet has a sense of airiness and lightness that compliments the white base color of the mug.

When you take the time to carefully examine the details, you would notice how sharply printed they are and how the colors play off each other very well. A great deal of pastel colors are used accented by several shades of yellow which is Mami's signature color. A nice touch is the addition of the signature colors of the other Puella Magi which are used as highlights throughout the rest of the mug's design.

With printed mugs, I would normally be rather worried about the longevity of the printing as they most fade, scratch or even chip off over time. Fortunately, the quality of the printing on Mami's mug feels top notch. Not only are the printing markers clean and sharp, you can hardly even feel the printing itself as it is almost flush with the rest of the mug's surface. Certainly helps in reassuring me that it would not scratch off as easily when it comes to day to day usage. 

Those familiar with Mami would immediately recognize the silhouette above. The origin of which stems from the original character design for Mami conceptualized by Aoki Ume. Having ticked the boxes for both design and quality, the only thing that is left for me to do is to spend some actual mug-time with it to see how well it holds up to the rigors of daily life. 

How well then would this mug hold up over daily usage? Only time will tell. In the meantime, I certainly have no qualms about this mug especially at the price I got it for. I have said it before but, it is worth re-iterating that Tomoe Mami and Madoka Magica merchandise as a whole have started to slow down drastically in terms of new releases. At least, until the new season comes out. Until then, I am more than happy with the slow trickle of side merchandise such as this mug and am glad we can still keep the torch lit. As I patiently await the day for when Mami merchandise starts flooding the hobby market once more. Until then, thank you so much for reading and hope you have yourself a wonderful day ahead!