Wow, I'd totally love to have stores like that in my area. Sadly though, the one anime store that I know of in SD doesn't really update their website often, and when they do, stock doesn't necessarily match what they actually have on hand T_T
hey yuuichi. you talking about rising sun creations? because they're exactly like that. takes forever for them to restock and get the latest stuff... like gundam....
i havent been there yet! was it a cool place there? cos the only place i got my anime stuff is either online or at Comic-con...So maybe ill take a trip there...Maybe
i like the place a lot [jeromaru]. the prices are basically like any store that's not in asia or online so its ok. they a lot of things to choose from but their restocking is on the slow side.. so if it's not in stock, dont expect it to be in soon... they're really nice there and they have an good overall selection. but i can only speak for gundam and small figures because those are what i buy. not really figures so i cant really say. love the place though. you really should check it out.
Yeah, I used to shop them fairly frequently when I discovered their carmel mountain store last year, but then they closed up shop. I usually order online from west coast stores so I get them pretty quick, unless it's a recent release. Recent releases that I can't wait to get (figmas, Alter figures, etc) I'll order from HLJ.
Same, it would be nice to have an anime store like that nearby. The only one relatively close to my area only sells bootlegged and import anime DVDs, a ton of anime CDs, outdated magazines and "How-To-Draw" ...books, and old gundam model kits. I went there once...never went back.
I Live in SD ^^ and it is hard to find anything other than going to the big city or your local walmart lol but the best place for me to get anime was samgoody but for some reason it moved T_T now i get everything online now lol ^^
*sighs* "what anime stores?" It would be really nice to have stores like this, but at the moment I don't think it is viable with the economy how it is- even local card shops are having a hard time scraping by. This store looks great though!
how could I have missed a store like that while in Singapore! must go back again. ^^
oops forgot to answer the question, some of the stores here churn out recent releases quite quickly. although most of them have their figures all reserved before it even hit the stores. Wasabi and Great toys are usually the first to import figures, but folks at Wasabi Toys seem more conscientious on pricing their items.
that is the same with the gundam store near door which i told u the last time. ^^;
lol. boku wa stoopid desu ne? oh well, another reason to go back to Singapore.
No despair marvin. This 2 shops are not that widely known I feel. Most of my normal friends do not know about them.
How could that be? These are like the only few good Merchandise stores around other the La Tendo @ Kallang leisure mall and the whole China Town Central building filled with stores like these.
As in only people who are really into anime, figures would know of these shops. Normal folks who watches anime leisurely won't know about it.
Wow, that's an incredible inventory. The only thing they're missing is the ancient memorabilia that Japanese ota-stores (don't know a better term) have.
Also, there are no Japan related stores in my area. I have to go to New York to get books that aren't on Amazon.
Stupid Ann Arbor Michigan has nothing... We used to have wizzywig, but outright sucked. I do get to go to Taiwan in a few weeks, so I wait.
agreed. I can't stand how boring Ann Arbor is, can't wait to go back to Singapore
Anime stores like... don't exist here... I've seen only one modeling stores which sells gundams and a few figures which are like years old... To get anime figures... gotta wait for the conventions, and those usually sell figures which are a couple of months old, and are usually pricier too. As for books, we got Kinokuniya, they also sell a few figures, but they're a few months old and are expensive.
Zephi is right. There are a few anime stores around here though and some of them do sell online. But their stock is almost always disappointing and unfortunately panders to popular shows only (Naruto, Bleach, etc etc.). Its not really real hobby shops for serious collectors but mainly anime merchandise dispensing depots. Not to mention, being overpriced and lacking in imagination (for inventory, marketing, ambition). I can't really blame them solely for I do really think that the anime/manga fan population here are quite slow. However, this is improving and having a vibrant commercial sector will help with promoting new shows and trends. There is a great potential market here since Australia is vast and currently wealthy. And we have New Zealand very nearby as well. I'd really think if someone ambitious and flexible is willing to step up to bat and establish a solid online business in this area, we would rally behind them. They'd ultimately be successful in the long run. Of course, when they become a monopoly, we'll chop them down of course (tall poppy syndrome FTW). For the moment, most of us (serious collectors) resort to buying straight from Japan but the recent fall of the Australian Dollar in the AUD/JPY carry trade has not only caused loss of investment income but a decreased purchasing power. Cliche words: "Tough Times"....indeed...sigh...
Yeah, most products they sell are the mainstream and popular ones in the US. They rarely sell figures which are popular in Japan, until they are licensed in the US. Yeah I have to agree, that there is a potential market in Australia. It's been growing in popularity recently. I've stopped buying figures because of the current AUD/JPY exchange rates. I hope the economy recovers soon... Right now figures costs nearly double the price they were 4 months ago.
There's quite a few anime stores in Melbourne
Absolutely nothing in Sydney. Been all over the city and nothing ^^. I do believe there were a few though, but since have closed down. Anyways I'd rather buy my stuff online anyway. Delivery + get stuff teh fastest ^^
Do you guys know where the new Mandarin club is in the city across the road from "Chinatown"? in that serviced apartment building.. i think it's called Gateway? there's a fairly new shopping center there.. or if you know the fairly new karaoke place called CEO.. it's in the same building.. anyway on the Ground floor, right at the entrance, there is a shop that sells figures.. I remember seeing a few figmas in there.. can't remember the pricing though.. might be more favorable than online at the current exchange rates keke
Aww~ I was just in the city yesterday, would've been nice to have known earlier orz Will have to look for it next time I'm in the city then, thanks for the info~
Hmmm. I'll check it out. I work decently close to Chinatown, so I'm in the city everyday :P. I'll let you know what I find. Although I think I already have every figma I want that's released, but might be something else interesting ^^
stores here get stuff quite fast but they charge an arm and a leg. T_T
LOL at the name's shop on last pic. Shops back home in Hong Kong do get their deliveries pretty quickly for some figures and gunpla. However not that many figures are that available to Hong Kong dependiing on the distributors. The figmas do come dead on time though (but I do remember seeing Mikuru selling a day earlier than its official release date). Say Danny, will you plan to come to Hong Kong again in the near future?
wow, look like Ani-Play is one of the heaven there ^_^ @Danny: All the very best to your Animax workshop & interviews. Please do remember to pick up a copy of "GameAxis" magazine before leaving the island ^^
Suddenly i want go to Singapore again =_=
wow... I'm impressed! There are only two anime stores that I know and one of them rarely open their doors nowadays. The other one is quite well stocked but tend to charge quite a bit. They have a pretty impressive collection of stuff. Too bad half of it is manga... as for how up-to-date their supply is, it depends on demand and such. I had to wait about 4 months to get my Nagato Yuki Figma from them... then again, it was the second run.
Don't remember where you are...are you in Toronto? If you are I presume you're referring to AnimeXtreme, 'cause that sounds exactly like it. Maybe it's a good thing we don't have a decent figure store around here. It's so much harder to control impulse buying in person.
lol I don't know about that. Its easy to control impulse buying in person because I can't walk out of the store with the wanted merchandise when I don't have enough money. Ya I'm talking about AnimeXtreme. Interesting little place... too bad I can't afford to visit it as often as I'd like to.
Damn everywhere I go there aren't any anime stores ... ... maybe if I move to LA
Woot I found one!
Awww >< There isn't too much decent anime stores in Argentina. And the only one -who is near from my house, at least...- Get some stuff, but with a uber delay (notice that just...the las friday they get the FIRST set of suzumiya puchi nendoroids (and it came with a over price, 'cause the travelig costs, and etc...) While viewing the pics, just drop the jaws, seeing all the merchandaising (even the lastest releases) they got just in their hand. If i'm lucky, my anime store "some day" will get for me, some figures I really want (and got to pay too much for they) Some of the disvantages from living in the other side of the world ^^;
Looks pretty awesome. Unfortunately I don't know of anything of the kind around Portland.
I love going to anime stores, it's like heaven on earth.
In Canada I think it's affected by how fast/slow the postal services/customs ^^; Sometimes the mark up is high also due to postal costs ^^;;;;
Wow I wish we have stores like that here ^^;;
KKnM is like the place to goto for affordable Japanese Goods in Singapore... The others are either just ripping people off or dun have the correct selection... Thanks God(Whoever that might be) I live in Singapore... Where everything is at most 2 hours away...
Well, Ani-Play sell some things cheaper then KKnM, La Tendo's fun if u have that membership card!!
No anime stores here. Have to make due with Borders, FYE and the interweb for manga, anime and figures respectively.
Yea, same here. I just horde in on websites like rightstuf or adv,etc, if I want to purchase something anime related. The anime market is such a niche, that most of them don't last long at all, unless your in a place where there is such a dense population, that there is a community. (e.g. LA, San Francisco, New York, etc). Down here there was an anime rental store, I found them back at the end of 1999 came back from college in begining of 2001, and they went out of business, because there just wasn't a demand. Although the community is getting pretty big now thanks to the likes of adult swim, fansubbers, online streaming sites, etc, there still just doesn't seem to be big enough of a community in most areas to keep such a specialty store afloat.
It'd be nice if I actually had a local anime/figure store. -__- That wall o' Manga and boxes makes me drool.
I guess this is one thing I'm proud of living in Singapore... There's still 100250 things that I hate abou it...
It's not that hard to get up-to-date mangas and magazines in london but merchandise? pfft.. Having said that, when I went to Sinagapore many moons ago, I remember the average price of stuff not really being much different from the UK, which are extortionate to say the least... Import goods may be a little different but I don't see it being too much... How much are figures and gunpla usually over there?
lol at 什么店. What Store? XD
I think the official name is "Nandemoya" ^^
good to see you're having a great time in SG, Danny. Looking forward to your workshop this afternoon.
I haven't really found a anime store, per se, here in Manila, but we have a few toy stores that carry anime goodies, but still not to the extent as what's in the pictures. Which is sad and strange because there's a growing crowd of cosplayers and otaku nowadays and it would be great to have a dedicated store. What's anoying me the most right now though is that I've been to Singapore four times in the past three years and never seen KKnM! >_< And I even stayed at Hotel 81 Bencoolen too...
OMG That place looks like heaven..... my student loan would be gone so fast if I ever got near a place like that.... To see so many in person....... They do NOT get them in quick in the UK in most cases... I'm still waiting for my usual place to get the Haruka Nogizaka I preordered back in August........ :sob: I knew there'd be a delayed release... but when it was finally released.... I thought I'd have her soon.... BUT I'm still waiting... Same for the Hatsune Miku Figma, which I'm just waiting to come in stock in places. But so far no luck.....
huh ? that's KKnM ?? o.O wow it's been ages I havent go there & its really so much different!! that KKnM shops previously sells figures too but not this good, so I stopped coming to sunshine plaza anymore. Since things are changed now, I think I need to go get a visit & compare prices :3 Thinking of prices.. I wonder if Danny-san found anime figures in Singapore more expensive than the ones in Japan ? There also another building with figurines shop, its Chinasquare central located at Chinatown, only 1 shop with anime figurines though but mostly sells thouse western figurines like McFarlane,star wars, etc.
yes, the one in chinasquare central, it's treasure land, right?
That's such amazing inventory they have there! I wish a store like that existed here where I live, orz. I usually have to get everything online. (T A T)
nice... thanks for the info, friend of mine's heading to Singapore for a few days and I've just handed him a figma-hunting mission, the address was just on time:)
There are no stores like KKnM where I live. You can buy manga and a sparse selection of anime on DVD but no OSTs or Japanese anime mags, let alone figures. It's a shame! But then again..how can you live anywhere close to a store like that without going broke? :D
KKnM is the shop I frequent the most, mostly due to its wide range of figurines that you can pre-order (the deposit is pretty cheap too, at only $10) and goods, from stickers to posters to pencil boards. the shopkeepers are well-informed and up-to-date too ^^
I like their range of accessories best, which is why i visit there from time to time. However when it comes down to figures, I can find better deals at other places.
seriously, I wish in the Bay Area, CA, there is a better place to look for anime related goods that are not made in the USA, or don't have to take a trip to any Japan Town, and look at extremely inflated prices.... seriously, I'll just stick to online and wait for delivery...
Oh lordy, you just got my hopes up. I recently started going to an anime club that takes "field trips" to San Francisco Japan town. I was looking forward to going there and buying some things. Looks like it will remain a window shopping experience just to help me find things to look for on the internet =( Oh well, I got a g1 phone now, so I can kind of simulate the experience by going into the store, and rather than taking the item i want to the counter and buying it, i just throw it in my online cart instead. lol
is there a good place in japan town? i go for manga @ kinokuniya but the little toy store in one of sf jtown malls is pretty sparse when it comes to pvc figures. i thought there was another store further down geary but haven't found it yet ^^;
i'm from Singapore so you already know the answer. and yes, KKnM is definitely one of the more well-stocked and friendly anime stores in Singapore. the rest are rather impersonal in terms of service but the store owners of KKnM are friendly, and very much into anime as their customers, which makes it a pleasant experience just to hang out around them. AniPlay across their store isn't that great a store because it seems to price its items significantly higher than KKnM's and their stocks are rather old (pricepoint perhaps?). and yeah, there're quite a couple of food stalls there. the wonton noodles are nice but serving's rather small. the laksa next to KKnM is good according to gits_sac. and there's a dimsum store slightly further down which's decent. i'm slightly more interested in which are you favourite Singapore foods Danny-kun. and did you manage to try durian or chilli crabs?
Regardint items in anime stores here. We always end up asking them to place an order then return a month later to pick it up X_X Tons of anime goodies! Just wish we had a shop like that here in PH aka Clovisland
Wow that store has everything I want :D
in singapore, other than KknM which danny visited in this post, the other one is ToynToys in China Town. i get majority of my figures there. most shops here don't display the latest figures on shelves. they do pre-orders as they will not know how well a figure will sell so it's risky to bring in too many. Ani-play has a big selection on display but it's all older and less popular releases.
My mouth is currently on the floor... That store sure have things that we don't have in Canada... Like you said...takes like 10 years to come here... That is one heck of a store...I want to go... Wish there was a store like that here!!!!! So much manga... I feel that the stores here are just more into dubbed DVD and translated goods then up to date goods from Japan...
Anime Stores in Brazil are all Fake DVDs and products that they record, like t-shirts with someone else picture, fake toys, and of course, EXPENSIVE A LOT .
I really don't know if there is any anime stores, where my parents live just south of chicago in N.W indiana (thats where I am currently staying) I am going to have to search the net see if there are any stores near by. I usually buy my anime online.
wow!! Singapore will be my second place to visit after Japan, since they have figures too ^^
They took like months to get good stuff, and if they do, it's TOO damn expensive. (double or triple the price in Japana). But, in part it's "ok", because Chile it's just in the other side of the world xD. Nice store T__T
Donno if someone posted about this yet, but the last image, the name of the shop in Chinese means "What Shop". xDD;;
And it is correct. inside of the shop is actually three shops. Comprising of KKnM, Figurine and japanese anime goods, The Manga shop(Which i goto but forget the name) and a DVD shop(That i dun think have a name...) that carries Taiwan R3s... That is why overall it's called What Shop...
Ohhh... so 'what' is like 'misc'? *doesn't really get it;slow*
If only I lived near a store like that...
ha! im glad i dont. i would build a camp inside the store and live there!
no one in my town.., my bad Nice Store! i agreed
haha Sunshine plaza and china square in Singapore sells lots of figurines......
lots of stuff. wish there was a store like that here which wouldn't sell at exorbitant prices.
T_T Sadly, I have to drive all the way to Los Angeles just to go to Jungle, which also has a Japanese branch. But lately, even there... I cannot find exactly what I want. Stupid sold out items. And with trading figures, I'd be looking for certain ones. But even then, I'd hear my conscious say "I'm not interested in ordinary figures." Plus, Danny, it is hard forming a resistance against Figmas here. There are five I want, six including a limited edition, but the issues ranging from paint to joints causes me to go back and forth. :P *sighs* They better make figurines of the Lucky Star characters, and not limited edition types in 2009. Plus, with Singapore... They do a better job with their manga than the companies do here. I even bought a copy of ".hack//Legend of the Twilight" from a guy there and read it. And then, when I got the Tokyopop version, I noticed a huge gap in quality when it came to the translations. Which is why I am also picky about my anime and manga, and only have some in Japanese. :P
I'll freak in a place like that.
Yeah, you might want to try checking out China Square before leaving. http://www.chinasquarecentral.com/about.php But the shops open at irregular timings...
The "What Store". Don't really go in there often. Still find it more comfortable to step into the nearby HAG instead.
No nearby anime related stores for me. Closest is probably Tokyo Toys in london but its far away and can be expensive. A shop like that is heaven for me but hell for my wallet.
Well, I only go once a month so wouldn't know if they have new quickly since I only focus in buying Gunpla.
Sorry, I meant 'new stuff quickly'.
KKnM is only 40mins train ride away from me. I often ask my friend to come along when I want to buy some figs since he is a member there thus I can get discounts.
such an awesome looking store...i know id go broke there.
That's quite an epic store. So much merchandise yet so orderly, is there no chaos theory at work here?!
Nice store. I have yet to find a purely anime store in the area. Borders carries some stuff, and there's always rightstuf.com. But no purely anime stores. Unless they are new. I have yet to check the phone book this year.
That store is soo effin perfect. I only got one anime store here that I know of in chicago and its in the far suburbs, but it only sells naruto and bleach stuff and some pretty old low quality stuff. I go to borders or mitsuwa for manga and best buy for dvds, the only other places that I know of that sell anime stuff but nothing new are the comic book stores here. The main way I get stuff tho is waiting once a year for a convention. I need help lol.
Wow, this article was fast commented. Like 65 posts already. Anyways, in my region I needed to go downtown which is the San Francisco main area. That's why I don't know if they got grubs that fast, but I know they are true Japanese living in there. But basing from what I see last time in there, it seems they are slow in acquiring goodies fast.
Sorry wrong word *grubs* should be *piece*
oh.. we are consider lucky on this part ^^;
I would certainly given the pictures any chance at all of being of a store outside Japan if Danny wasn't telling us it a Singaporean shop, good stock! I practically never visit any store like that here in the States, the closest would be Book-Off (Imported Japanese 2nd hand bookstores) or the Kinokuniya bookstore. The whole idea of going to a store in the US to find something like this is just so alien to me (since I've been an Otaku from around 92'ish) that it just doesn't click in my head: "Go to a store!". I buy everything online or at conventions like I've done forever. I do know NYC has http://www.imageanime.com/ which seems like a worthwhile shop to visit, in the middle of Manhattan no less, but I've never been. Wonder if anyone else here has?
The best we can hope for around here is the anime section in shops such as Zavvi and HMV. There are some pretty crappy "specialist" shops like 'Nostalgia and Comics' and 'Forbidden Planet' but they're populated by pale skinny men in long leather jackets ("I'm not a geek! I'm Neo from the Matrix!!!!111")
This is a nice selection of goods. Probably the best I have seen outside of Japan.
Our anime store was pretty pathetic in comparison, but we used to have one. But, as I've said in other anime-store related posts, it was in a *really* bad location. We call it the Bermuda Triangle because businesses there disappear, never to be seen again. . . Of course, the fact that the guy never held consistent hours sure didn't help. I wasn't too up-to-date on Japanese releases at the time, so I'm not too sure if he got stuff quickly or not. Given how long it takes most online US-based retailers to get stuff, though, it's safe to say there was probably about a two-month lag.
I hardly go to any anime stores cause I am just too lazy
What an awesome store
Wow... I dream of (and my wallet have nightmares) with stores like that. Here were I live there are no stores that sells imported stuff like that. But I've been in a city this past weekend were you do find some stores that sells figures and imported magazines. They don't even come close to those Danny visited, but at least they do exist. :P I'l make a post about them sometime next week probably, along with my loot. XD I was surprized to find some new figures there, but they are very sparse, they cost 4 times what you'd pay in Japan and there is no stock (it's like, the store buys one figure, and the lucky buyer who happens to be there at the right time and with enough money, takes it). I got lucky this weekend, finding several figures I wanted for a long time. But I was also unlucky, because I didn't have enough money to buy even half of them, and I simply know they won't be there the next oportunity I have to visit the stores. T_T
Stores in Ontario are very back logged. Their anime store doesn't seem to fit in with today's recent anime listings, or even ones during Spring 2008 for that matter. The only one recommendable is @ Pacific Mall in Markham, but most of the Good Smile stuff they sell are not legit (comparing it from the real products found on the GS website). There is only one store worth looking at and that is the one with all the gundam models on one side and Magazines and military stuff on the other near the cashier. They have revoltech and those are pretty recent.
Aww that store looks awesome. The stores around here take a while to get some new products. >w<
Jesus Christ! The retailers in Singapore are 100 times better than they are here in Los Angeles. In Los Angeles you would have to visit multiple stores, which we do have. For example the retailers here in L.A. do not carry figures and imported anime magazines in the same store. You would have to visit a retailer for figures and walk down the street to the local Japanese bookstore for a copy of Megami. Also, retailers in Singapore have more anime goods. We probably won't have Clannad clocks in stock at retailers. Maybe at Anime Expo 2009. And lol for those who said "What Anime stores?" It does suck to be you since you have to resort to online orders.
I wish the ones over here do...but if I don't find them in the store around here, I have to wait til next anime expo...which is like another 8 months or so...
It's my dream to have my own anime shop like that who distributes and sells real otaku-related items and not those bootleg legs items which you could see at some shops here in my region. Fortunately we have some hobby shops here that are updated and get their stuff quickly and not to mention not those bootleg stuff but the real deal.
I am suddenly so jealous that Singapore has a nice store like that. I have a local anime store but they don't sell a lot of new items but I have bought from them like 2 figures in the past. This forces me to buy everything online. Nothing beats walking into an actual store full of anime merchandise, books and figures. It adds for a fun experience rather than looking at webpages
tokyo kid? i remember idk 3 years back a couple mass guys and me were talking about it in the comments, might be in dannys archives
they have a store near by, anime nation, but its like an hr drive to get there.. and its a hole in the wall, few good things though.. cheaper for me to order it on hlj or sometimes ebay.. sometimes hit the local hobby shop for some gunpla but there a few bucks more than improting them.. but if i want it now.. i'll pay the extra bit.. figures... import them myself... if i ever get an more moneys.. >_<
In regards of anime/manga/music/movies/other stuff, a good amount of the stores are pretty fast. The problem is that in some cases, they ask for too much. The good thing about them is that you can find pretty rare goods. I mean, I actually got a Rurika (from the "Sentimental" games) plushie from San Francisco and you will have trouble finding them online. Also, I have to go to Nikaku if I want a series like "Cleopatra D.C." for example. As for games, the Bay Area is seriously behind. If you want an import, you are better off going to Temple City and that will take you a while. Seriously. (Try at least 3 or 4 hours.)
Now I know where to go to when I'm in Singapore. :D
man I wish Newtype USA still existed...
There is on in the Grand Rapids area of Michigan. It is not that godd. I go to it every now and then but it is hardly stocked with cool of stuff and they do not know what is hot as well as they used to.
There are no anime stores in my region! (~.~)
Looks like a badass place to go to. Sadly, the only anime store that was near me closed down two years ago. At least I have conventions, but that's never the same.
Don't see any kind of stores that's dedicated to otaku stuff as much as this one around my area. otaku sure is a quiet hobby in america.
DC, u should visit "Chinatown Square" during the weekends, it's like a mini Akihabara in Singapore. Avid figurines collectors gathers and trade/sell/buy figurines and there's much more figu shops there.
What anime stores? :P We only have two bookstores that sell manga and they have a very limited selection. But luckily in one of them you can order anime titles. It takes a long time, but is generally a little cheaper than ordering from online.
I guess we don't have a single anime store in the whole country... maybe like 2 stores and a kiosk with like 10 items each.... :(
You kidding me? We got nothing here that even slightly resembles that store. The only thing I can guarantee you'll find here is a Hello Kitty pencil case.
holy crap.. i want that freeing yuki!
Not that big and awesome, but they do import new figures.
There is some anime stores here, high price and poor material. I saw good Figma figures in your pics, would be nice to read nihongo correctly to understand it all :P
Well there are a few Japanese markets around my California residence like Marukai, but they mostly specialize in things not otaku :( great for buying other things though (especially food)! I buy hobby related items online or while in Japan ^^
What a good selection of products. We don't get many figures in so i have to order most of mine.
fawk...as pacific and Asian Vancouver is...we dont have that kinda store here... and if we do its horribly Americanized and expensive
Yea we have hobby shops similar to that here and they are not that outdated from japan's release dates. Well shops i know i used to get like new shipments around every 2 weeks. But now, due to the downturn of the economy, shops are holding back their shipments till the end of the month, so you can say we are a month behind from japan's releases. >___>
Dayum! I wish the local stores around here were like that. Those stores make my local stores look like crap. The local stores are quite decent but most items are very overpriced =(... so I do most of my anime shopping online instead.
My friend gets stuff pretty quickly as well, but it depends on how quick the supplier is, normally Euro shops only get stuff around one month after 'X' figure is launched in Japan, although I might get my figs a bit later than buying from Japan, they get much cheaper buying from him because there's no import. tax
I can only wish this side of the US only have stores that is even A QUARTER of what you've experienced in Singapore, Danny. just a quarter!
Hmm, we have a few stores but they're all located in my neighbouring province >.< So, people in my area have to settle for a small store that charges you insane amounts for products. In the end, we use online stores and purchase from the neighbouring province store ^^
The local places here have a pretty pathetic amount to offer really. Seriously old and boring stuff and nothing much of interest if you're not a total fan of the big three (Narutard, Bleach and Deathnote)
Wow! That's fast! 117 comments. Danny, you should visit La Tendo at Kallang and a few other stores at China Square Centre. Had a wonderful time today at the Animax Blogging event. Cheers Danny!
danny sporting the gangster beaner look.. lol..
there is no anime shop i know around here :(
Do visit KKnM from time to time and normally I will eat the fried wonton noodles there. Will only buy figures from La Tendo when I really can't find them at KKnM and China Square Central as they tend to sell at a higher price and the location is not convenience. Danny, I enjoyed your workshop today and your interview with Animax. It's funny. ^^
*sigh* if i were to buy a copy of Megami at Kinokuniya (the ONLY decent place to get anime related paper media), i'd be labeled instantly as a pedo. Even HOLDING up a copy, drags stares from everywhere/one ^^" sometimes i just hate Sydney
In Singapore, Megami is sold out pretty quickly at Kinokuniya.
the only i could get is ordering online store only.
I splurge money every time I go there. Its great having an otaku enclave in your country.
Ugh! Too much pr0n for my eyes! We get stuff around a week after figures release, but they're usually overpriced. I'm patient enough to wait for my orders to arrive.
Can't believe I missed this store when I was in Singapore. Must check it out next time. The closest anime store to me is probably an hours drive away in Birmingham. :(
KKnM! great shop <3 bit hard to find though..
Danny, I didn't know you were in Singapore! T_T I just came back from Singapore in the wee hours of Monday morning... If I'd known, I'd have tracked you down and shake the hands of the man inside the legendary Stormtrooper and take a peek into your brain while I'm at it. XD I was only there for 2 days, wanted to look for the anime stores, but couldn't remember where they were or what they were called either... So sad... If this post was 5 days earlier, I'd have been able to smite 2 birdies with 1 nendoroid. XD Oh well, mata kondo... Hopefully I can trot down to Singapore this weekend for AFA08. ~_~;;
Is it in Sunshine plaza???The next time i went to Singapore,need to try that place...
Lovelly photos,so many manga,dvd,music and more great things. Here in Poland we don't have shops like that and have to order otaku goodies on internet shops :/ .
Caught Danny at the Animax Blogging Event this afternoon 1.30pm to 3.00pm+ or so at Escape Youth Park at *Scape Youth Center, 113 Somerset Road,Singapore 238165. Danny comes across as quite soft-spoken and approachable in person and he has a killer cockney and Singaporean accent! Very useful tips on blogging that came across as very useful "learnings" to me. Danny's presentation was prefaced by the Head of Animax talking a little bit about Lamb, their new animation that is produced in Singapore. The main meat of his presentation covered dannychoo.com evolved and some key takeaways. Great presentation. I saw a fellow participant blogging about it even as the talk started and he also video'd the entire session I think. Perhaps he would be so good as to youtube up Danny's presentation.
Wow, I wish the stores here were like that. :|
The anime/otaku shops we have here are really nice, usually they have a lot of stuff, but can`t compare with asian shops, of course!
Here I have no problem to find manga. but everything else is impossible to find to me
There's only 2 shops where I live that would stock anything to do with anime/manga and they hardly had anything in. All the good shops are in London. I can't really afford to spend so much money on a train ticket to go there though. What they had though was great. I found a shop called Orbital Manga. It had so much good stuff. Shame it was quite expensive. I just buy online from hobbylink japan.
i wish there was a anime store in Weston (Miami Florida) if any one knows any stores tell me XD
Awww man. To bad I don't have a store like this near me. I have to rely on the Internet. Thats okay with me. Although I wold like to see up close a pruduct and not pay for shipping.
The stores over here get new manga very quickly, but I can't say the same for figures :S
My local Japan store, Neo Tokyo, is pretty small, so they don't have much stuff in there, but their web site has plenty of stuff. I guess they order it from Japan when you buy it or something. For manga, we've got Outland, a hyoooge store dedicated to comics, mostly manga. No shortage of ways to get anime and manga goods here, at least ^^
I wish we had a store like that around here... We have gaming stores and they have a few figures, but nothing like an anime store...
Having been to JP...the selection here are not as wide....the figurines may range vary...in prices and date of release...and at times, slow on stocktaking and unreliable distributors....rather take my business online where is easier...
We need anime stores in England, or more specifically Devon. Neeeeeeeeed!!!
There are barely no shops like that where I live. There's one that is for selling anime DVDs. But, who the heck buy one anyway..^_^
Ohh, those artbooks, figures, mugs, magazines, soundtracks... Zetsubou shita!!! My answer is "What anime stores?" of course, so I'm in utter despair after seeing those pics with tons of stuff I would love to have or at least see with my own eyes. World is not fair. Life is very cruel.
I had pretty bad experience at Ani-play, stopped ordering from them already. However The Anime House is still one of my favorite place to go shopping for cospa merchandises =) the lady boss is very friendly too
WHAT ANIME STORES! I have never seen anything in Ohio. I have never checked out larger cities like Cleveland, Columbus, Cincinnati. Even if they had a shop or two, the driving distance from where i live (West Salem) would hardly be worth it. Local comic bookshops often carry the most popular mainstream mangas, as do Borders and other book stores, but those are very very limited in my area. Perhaps someone in my situation will find this useful: I do everything online through J-List, AnimeOC, DiscountAnimeDVD, GK World, Ebay, and even some Amazon sellers from time to time. GK World is very limited in their supplies as far as figures go, but they have a wide range of posters and wall scrolls and some cheap figures from time to time. The main i reason i order through them is they are based out of Penn, and that really saves me on shipping most times. DiscountAnimeDVD was one of my favorites. They sold Manga for very very very cheap and its great for acquiring the mainstream titles. good figure selection but there DVD included many imports and bootlegs....I actually got a Rebuild 1.0 from them...lately i haven't been able to get on their page so i fear they may have gotten in trouble selling bootlegs and such. It is also worth mentioning that Ebay is okay but prices are often very outrageous on hard to find figures. Most of the goods you search for come up from Chinese sellers...Thats make shipping absurd as far as cost and time is concerned. If that wasn't enough you have to deal with "Fake" figures and i learned my lesson there. If you choose the Ebay route do your homework and have some patience otherwise you will spend to much, wait too long, and maybe even get duped by a fake. Sorry for the wall of text.
Over here in Belgium we mostly have Super Dragon Toys as store with anime goods, but they mostly focus on DVD and manga and their figure selection is rather slim. However we do have the www.archonia.com online store where I buy a lot of stuff from, they tend to have a bit more, not everything but still quite a good selection. Alas some of their figure release dates can sometimes be behind those of Japan and the US. I pre-ordered Asakura Ryoko's 1/4 Freeing bunny there but their release date is only end of this month. Still a good store though.
Oh... I just noticed www.archonia.com is on Danny's partner list. ^^;;
I own the only known anime store on Long Island and I'm only online ~_~ There's nothing here for otaku until you hit NYC. Saturday Night Matinee at the mall near me claims to be the "Anime Headquarters" but I have 10X more figures than they have.
down the road if I can open up a brick-mortar store I would and hopefully people here on Long Island can actually say that there is a true anime store here when anime tends to just be a side thing in comic and video stores ~_~
Well, there is only one anime store near here, and they don't have much. Half of the shop has english and french language dvds and manga. A few posters, t-shirts and figures and that's it. That shop used to have more and also imported games. And there used to be a second shop too, but that's also gone. So I mostly get my stuff online from archonia (which is located in belgium so it's shipped quick and has all the new and old stuff). Magazines I buy in japan ;p
Local stores here get mangas and magazines fast but when it comes to figures, it's pretty much 'don't hope for it' case -_- And price is sorta ridiculous, Max Factory Haruhi figure was priced at $60...
yikes...that is rough. Here's a little trade secret, most of the anime wholesalers for anime stores in the US are in California so they are just ripping you off ^ ^;
is this heaven??
Sigh, as far as I know there aren't any just anime stores. There are some comic stores that carry some anime related stuff. I haven't been to any of them in awhile so, I don't know if their stock has gotten better or not.
There's two anime stores near me but not that grand. All the stores mostly contain a lot of Gundams but not much figs.
o__o WOW.
in my region they only sell gundam plamo!
It should be made a rule that everyone should get a cash cow at least once in their lives so they can spend it on shops like this. XP
If I have lots of money, I would buy a lot of things there. But with each figurine and most of the other anime goods costing around SGD50 each and, along with the strong JPY currently, I don't know... probably not much.
Wow lucky. In France we have only bootlegs...
Japan has the best shops. End of story.
agreed
damn, I want a store like that near my place
i wish i could live in that store! Though the I guess just having one of those stores near me would be good too but alas, there is no anime store to be found in my entire state. Except for one store but a twelve year old runs that store and doesnt sell very much stuff. The only place I can get my anime goodies is online. *sad face*
The only anime stores near me are in liverpool, they are both VERY overpriced, and the stock is rather old. They manage to keep up with the latest US shonen jump, but stock no japanese magazines. They have odd gachas etc, but..... We have some good general japanese shops in chester though, good supply of pocky, choco pandas etc!!!!! No anime stuff in them though, sometimes an odd manga volume or keychain.
Too bad I don't live anywhere near Singapore >_> Tho yes, we have an Asian Food Market thing of sorts chock full of foods and stuffs ^^ So that keeps me entertained.... >_> almost...
There are no anime stores in my area as far as I knoxD I know they sell a few manga series at our local borders book store... and thats about it D=
I live in Ohio you would think that there would be more than one Anime store. There is one for food like Ramen Soda and Pocky but nothing in the way of over all Otaku stuff. I mean there is a FYE and Best Buy but have to drive a bit to get to them. Kinda sucks. I do know there is one in Columbus but that is about it. I live in Northeast so not likely I will be going there soon.
Here (in the middle of nowhere, arizona) we don't have an anime store. T_T I has the intrawebs. :D
only a few "otaku related" stores here, some times I find more things in barns & noble and other places than in the specialized stores
I really wish we had a anime store here in Sweden T_T I buy all my goods via the internet.
Aniplay just opened a new branch near my place recently xD blew $150 on two figurine pre-orders immediately ;_;
Never seen an anime store around here. Such a pity!
Well what do you know! There's a Naruto poster in the upper left corner in the photo! Cool!
Who would have thunk it right? A poster from one of the most popular anime series displayed in an anime store ! =p What I am trying to figure out though, is the poster beside it, to small for me to have a clean look at it.
Right now there is only online stores, but in some months there will be a great store here in São Paulo
Wow that is alot of anime stuff. I mean a fan boy will die if he saw that. In the eastcoast barely have anything more than a wall dedicated to anime stuff.
here in the Philippines its really a pain in the ass to get anime stuff coz most of the things you find are either fake or not good so online ordering is my way to go~
It's sad for me. My anime place is not loaded with goodies like you show us. The best way is to order online.
Closest thing I have to an anime store in BestBuy. Not kidding.
At least your Best Buy has anime... ^^ Only one in the entire province here [actually the entire four atlantic provinces] and the only anime it has is Bleach.
is* I just woke up. @.@;
I'm a little late on this, but oh well. To my knowledge there aren't any anime stores in the area. I use to have to drive about an hour just to get to a Suncoast years ago because they were the closest thing to carry anime related items. The comic book stores in the area use to carry some random figures, but not so much anymore. There was a big boom in FYE, Suncoast, similar retailers, carrying random figures/keychains/plushies for a while, but they seem to have cut back. I was in an actual anime store when I was out in Arizona, though. I can't remember what all they had, I think it was mostly a huge DVD/Manga collection and the typical Suncoast spread of figures/keychains. My ex-boyfriend bought me a keychain for Christmas, and now that I look at it, I think it's a fake... lol. Oh well. Closest thing to an anime store would be Otakon's Dealer's Room. I didn't get to go this year, though. ; ;
eh.... that's absolutely awesome... in my country...a store only sells some anime posters....uhh, a bunch of mangas(25-50 pieces), and a figure....pity isn't it?
I wish there were anime stores where I live.
Only been once to KKnM, it has an incredible atmosphere to it I feel. I was a bit overwhelmed ^^;;
If I had a store like that around my town I may just live there ^^. There are no anime stores but instead we have Hybrid stores that sell Anime and manga as well as American comics . These hybrids are everywhere around my town , but there are a few anime stores . I have not been to one cause their usually about an hour and a half away so we decide to go to the closer hybrids to save on gas .
Wow! Look at all those stuff! Man if ever there's an anime shop near my residence, I'd go broke! XD
wish they had this in america.....
Thats one loaded anime store! Wish I can go there >_<
For me about a 30 min train ride to get to the anime store around here. Its small but it has a ton of figures, magazines, posters etc so I'm not complaining. They even have weekly events like cosplay dance contests. Pretty interesting place.
There's only a small anime store in the japanese market nearby. But it is nothing like this. I wish it was though.
HI i love your pic i just wanted to know if the store was in Tampa fl because i would love to came and see all of the anime thing that you have so if any could help me can somebody tell me were it is.
Wah, need to go to the KKnM to find and get Lion Saber Nendroid... d@@b
oh my god!!! I wish this store will be in Brunei though. When I buy anime movie or series some of it are not original and that is not awesome when the anime series is not original.
T-T man Barely any anime stores, ... Only one anime store and it's closed on weekends and it's located in the middle of nowhere... man... =_= I only got one fig from anime store and rest from Anime Expo and Taiwan.(two figs from taiwan got fragile over the flight)acursed... Man wish I had a local anime store.
Luckily for me I live an hour away from Little Tokyo in L.A. which has a few stores that sell anime, most notably of which would be 'Anime Jungle', along with the Kinokuniya which has a nice collection of stuff as well. Not to mention all the tasty places to eat nearby. =3
We do have Anime Stores in Toronto but speed of various thing depend on what store and the item in question. We got mainly DVD's and some figures in the downtown core and you get a little more variety in Spadina (Chinatown) and then there's the Pacific Mall which has a lot of specialty anime stores which include some cosplay sets.
dang, figures are cheaper in singapore than in malaysia. damn, damn!
Otakus Heaven ^,^ Wan´t this here to.
knock knock...it this what they call " HEAVEN " ?
O_O;;; i think i need to buy a plane ticket and move...
In New York, you have to go to New York City for stores that seel japanese book, figures, and other items.Unfortunetly, if your a hardcore figure collector like me, you have to get everything online
I saw a lot of good figures there! Nendoroid Mikuru Maid ver., Princess Resurrection, Fate/Stay Night GSC trading figures from quite a while ago...... IS THAT CHUA CHURAM!! *dies* I REALLY want her. Like-murder-to-an-epic-extent-want.
Megami for SGD$18.20.. too pricey for the current me.
there are no anime stores near me that place is like heaven
goin to singapore next friday so this shop is on my hit list!