Hello everyone and welcome back to another Nihon Box review!
In this article I take an indepth look at what was included in May’s subscription box. A tad late I know, but it appears the global c****a virus pandemic is still impacting the postal service. As there are few international flights available, leading to a lengthy delay on packages reaching their final destination. Either way, let’s get on with it. May’s box ran with an interesting theme, which was ‘Humanity’. It contained merchandise from no less than four anime franchises, as well as a traditional ornament and a tasty ‘wagashi’.
Nihon Box is a Japanese monthly subscription service that handpicks at least 6 items each month that are almost exclusive to Japan and ships them straight to your door. Their items are a mixture of Otaku Anime related merchandise and figures, as well as traditional Japanese items, from sweets to tableware. All of this is available to subscribe to for what I find a very affordable price each month.
Like SoKawaii, the more months you pay upfront the cheaper the price for individual boxes will be. https://www.nihonbox.com/en
Monthly is €29.99 plus shipping costs
3 Months is a single payment of €86.97, making each box €28.99, plus shipping costs.
6 Months is a single payment of €170.94, making each box €28.49, plus shipping costs.
Due to the latest European VAT legislation, the overall cost after shipping has increased slightly. The folks behind Nihon Box have done all they can to make this transition as simple as possible, so they have taken the necessary steps & changes in order to include the VAT directly in the subscription’s price. This change will normally be effective starting from the next renewal of your subscription, with the addition of the VAT in the final price (19% for Germany). And from August, as a small gift of appreciation to their overseas customers they will be including a 1000yen gift card to their YattaJapan.com store. As an idea of how much the charge has gone up, prior to August I was paying €32.89 a month. The new price I pay now is €40.45 a month, which is a nice increase but I believe the value is still there within the box.
Here is a link to their FAQ page, just in case you’re wondering if they ship to your country: https://www.nihonbox.com/en/nihonbox/faq
So let’s begin with our first item this month! Straight to the kettle we go with this Dr. Stone mug, the ideal size for a quick cuppa tea in the mornings. Dr. Stone first hit screens back in 2019 with the first season of its anime, season two finished airing in March of this year so people are still pretty hyped for this show. The plot follows a high school student named Senku, wise beyond his years, has a can-do attitude and is fascinated with science. Something that will certainly stand to him and the remaining survivors of mankind, when a sudden and mysterious event takes place that petrifies all of humankind into stone for thousands of years. It’s down to Senku and a number of other teenagers who broke free, to set about fast-tracking their way back to 21st century society. It’s a show well worth checking out, as its available to stream now over on Funimation and Crunchyroll. Physical release is handled by Manga Entertainment UK.
Our second item is one I am very excited about, as we get a porcelain mini samurai helmet. You can’t get more Japanese, than a Samurai ornament! This small display item is usually used as a decoration item during Kodomo no hi, a traditional holiday that celebrates children which takes place on the 5th of May. Japan is steeped in tradition as you well know, and there is a lot of history involving samurai. I would advise looking it up in your own time if you are interested. This item however is perfect as a holiday souvenir or gift. How would you display this Samurai mini helmet in your home?
We return once again to another anime related item, with this mini Cells At Work plush. Now I haven’t seen this anime, so I have no idea as to what it is actually about. From the look of it though, I would guess that the plot is fairly similar to the 2001 film – Osmosis Jones. Where cells in the body are sentient and with ‘lives’ of their own, fight against any foreign viruses or illnesses that enter the body they live in. The inner workings of the human body I guess, how very relatable to the World these past 18months. The plush is of one of the main characters – White Cell. This miniature plush will have no trouble finding a space to live within your plushie collection.
Now for a short snack break, as I sit back and inhale these two delicious Dekopon Monaka. These pastries are known as wagashi treats in Japan, which are small savoury treats that are usually paired well with green tea. The flavor was quite nice, as it had a rather generous dekopon filling. With a very homemade jam-like texture, dekopon are a citrus fruit that are quite similar to an orange. Sandwiching this filling together, are two small waffles. Very similar in taste and texture to a pair of ice cream wafers. An interesting treat, pleasant taste but not too sure about the waffles. They were a bit too crumbly and messy to eat.
Back now to another anime item, this time from the show Black Clover. This anime has been doing very well for itself since its debut back in 2017. With a total of 170 episodes in all and an anime film currently in the works, it has gathered quite a following of fans. With new merch continuously being released, it stands as another Shonen Jump long standing franchise. The item we received was a medium sized zip pouch featuring all of the members of the Black Bull Squad, including the shows main man Asta. A fairly roomy pouch inside, plenty of space for all those coins you will need for the arcades. Can also work as a make up punch, pencil case, purse, whatever you can cram inside really. Its a nice design on the front, with a strong zip but due to the way the pouch was made the image can be a little lackluster and almost looks like it was bought straight from ebay. That’s my own opinion however, others might find more value in this than me.
,The final item in May’s box that everyone received, is this figure from ‘Welcome to Demon School! Iruma-kun’. Now this is another anime that I am fairly unfamiliar with, but going by the plot over on its Wikipedia page – it seems like a rather fun show. With Season One of the anime first debuted back in 2019, Season Two is currently airing as we speak. The plot follows a human teenage boy named Iruma Suzuki, who is sold by his parents to a demon. How he finds himself in the demon world, adopted by the same demon he was sold to and is now enrolled in the demon school his new ‘demon grandfather’ runs. Only trouble is, he can never reveal that he’s human – as he will be quickly devoured by all his classmates. So the figure we all received in this box was of the lead character Iruma and his friend Mofuego – who I can’t seem to find any information on online. Its a rather large figure of Iruma, well made, sturdy and definitely well painted. Can see no faults with it at all, definitely added to the overall value of the box. The figure could be hitting a niche portion of anime fans, as I believe that this anime hasn’t gotten much advertising to western audiences yet.
Now if you are a regular subscriber to Nihon Box, you are well aware of the added bonus item you receive for free every three months. May must have been my month, as I received a mystery bonus item from Square Enix (pictured above). Its a rather cute acrylic character set, the problem is I have no idea what this is from. If anyone knows, feel free to reach out to us on our social media by tagging @ComicBuzz in your responses.
So there we have it everyone, that was May’s Nihon Box. Did you like it? If so, comment down below or tag us on our social media to let us know what was your favourite item and if you have gotten your own subscription. Nihon Box always does their best to follow the latest anime trends as well as finding items from fan favorite shows in order to always appeal to their customer base. With items from fan favorite Shonen Jump shows such as Dr. Stone and Black Clover, to the newer franchises including Cells at Work and Welcome to Demon School. They not only source out some decent quality figures and plushies, but also to make sure that each month their box represents another unique aspect of Japan – from its food, to its culture, art, history and beliefs. It’s a well rounded box, for both anime and cultural fans. This box’s theme was “Humanity”, and each pamphlet in every box also includes a detailed section called “Discover Japan”. This month’s topic was about Kodomo no hi, a traditional holiday that celebrates and prays for the growth and happiness of little boys. It’s details such as these that make this subscription box so unique and talked about.
For more information on how you can order your own box, look to the top of this review and head over to the link below so you can sign up today!
