Posted on August 7, 2017
Just got my latest LootAnime box -- [ACTION COMEDY] -- and I was a little puzzled by the direct choice of wording for their theme. I guess it's to the point, but I kinda like the contents to feel more mysterious?
Let's take a look at what's inside!
Wow- it's been years since I've seen TRIGUN stuff. Back in the early 2000s, it was the biggest thing since sliced bread.
Badlands Rumble is a film that was released in 2011 in the US (2010 in Japan) and made it's US TV debut in 2013 on Adult Swim's Toonami block.
The shirt is a nice mishmash of everyone's favorite characters -- the chaos of the montage is pretty much on point with the feel of the series!
KonoSuba (Kono Subarashii Sekai ni Shukufuku o!) is another anime series that I've been recommended, but have not gotten past the first couple episodes. While it's another Sword Art Online-ish type of story albeit the main character is dead (-not really a spoiler-,) and living a very D&D/MMORPG type of existence in his afterlife.
This is the manga adaptation of the light novel, written by Natsume Akatsuki, drawn by Masahito Watari. The art is moe-cute and a little fan-servicy, but it's packed with humor. This edition also comes with a shiny reflective cover!
FLCL (Fooly Cooly) is another series I have not yet seen... (I know, this is becoming a trend, isn't it) It's a 6 part OAV series that studio giants Gainax, Production IG, and King Records collaborated on. Apparently, there is also 2 more seasons that aired in 2016. (I am really behind the times here.)
The art print is on nice watercolor-type textured paper, making the art look less "digital" and more "analog". I'm also guessing the art is from the more recent seasons of the anime.
Hrm.. another series I haven't seen.. nor am I sure this is a series I'm interested in?
It's a popular light novel series that has been adapated into both an anime and manga. The art style is reminiscent of earlier 2000's trends with sharper eyes and pointier, defined hair. The genre seems to trend towards harem with a hefty dose of ero. If this is your thing, the manga is licensed thru Yen Press and the anime thru Funimation!
Like the FLCL print, it's printed on textured art paper, which gives it a slightly more artsy feel. I'm not sure it's the right choice of paper for this particular style of art, but hey - it's a nice print?
Probably the most premium item of the box is this One Punch Man collectable duo. There are 4 versions -- all have at least 1 version of Saitama. Some with Genos, 1 with Lord Boros.
I have the double Saitama version.
The toys are made by Zag Toys and they kinda remind me of those blind bag plastic or vinyl keychains of various Marvel/DC/Disney/whatever-is-popular-these-days series. Or... maybe better -- those crank machine toys you find at the supermarket, but slightly better made and packaged nicely?
They're sculpted in a chibi style and come with a stand to maintain a levatating pose. I can't quite call them "cute" but they're glazed with a iridescent paint to make them feel a little more exclusive.
This month's charm is the return of Kitty, popping face first out of a star, surrounded by "NYA!!" in katakana.
This marks the first vinyl charm in my lootanime collection so far! It's cute, soft and pretty colorful.
This month's poster is by Hans Tseng, formerly Slimu. He does fantastic background art for series like Bee & Puppycat and Steven Universe and I personally love how his colors sing in all his illustrations!
The poster feels like an extenstion of the Kitty phone charm inlcuded in the box.. or perhaps the aftermath of the kitty pounce!
You can find him online as @oxfruit on Instagram!
★ ★ ★
And that's a wrap!
Thoughts? Where do I start.
To me, this month's box feels... anemic. Maybe the offerings were limited for the theme, but this is the first time I've questioned the value of the crate. The shirt, book, and toy are OK, but 2 prints?
The series choices feel pretty varied and are unusual. Perhaps it's a ploy to get people interested in some back-catalog anime, but without better context, the purpose feels lost.
Ah, you win some, you lose some I guess.
★ ★ ★
Next month's crate is [WORK FOR IT].
I'm glad they're moving their way back to a proper theme! With series like GinTama, Soul Eater, Bungo Stray Dogs, and Miss Kobayashi's Dragon Maid, it really feels like a winner box!
(Even I'm getting excited for this one!)
Deadline is 8/27 at 9pm PST! Get your orders in before then and use my code: NEMUNEMU to save $3 on whatever your order may be -- 1 box or a whole annual subscription!
Thanks again to Lootcrate for sending me this box for review! See you next time!
Share this: