‘Bakemono Story’
Hello everyone and welcome back once again to another subscription box review. Today let’s take a look at what was included in October’s edition of Nihon Box. I have been looking forward to this particular box, as it will be focusing on Halloween so there is bound to be a good number of treats inside for all! This months’ theme is ‘Bakemono Story’, with Bakemono being another word for Yokai or creatures that change shape such as kitsune or tanuki, which are monsters from Japanese folklore. This months’ box also includes a number of items from a vast number of very well known anime franchises including Pokémon, Demon Slayer, Jujutsu Kaisen, Assassination Classroom and Chainsaw Man. So let’s get this review started with a quick note on who Nihon Box is and how you can get your very own!
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 monthly, just keep reading along to see just how affordable it can be.
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 of this year, 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. Now once it arrived in Ireland, I have been charged customs through An Post. Totalling just under €9euro the first month, with this particular box being around the €10 mark on top of the €40.45 I pay each month, making this a rather expensive price hike in the end. However this is all due to inflation and the recent customs changes within the EU, whilst Nihon Box is still cramming in as much value into the box as possible from their side.
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
Our first item this month is from Chainsaw Man, which has made a big impact in the anime and manga community in recent years and is set to be a massive success when the anime drops from Studio MAPPA possibly next year. Featured in the pages of Weekly Shonen Jump, the story involves an alternate world to ours based in 1997 where humans true fears can become personified into monsters known as devils. These monsters are hunted by people known as Devil Hunters, with this show following one person in particular – Denji. So if you are a fan of the manga series thus far, you are sure to be excited about this item, as Nihon Box has included the above house mat featuring the Chainsaw Man himself getting ready to cause some carnage! Hopefully this will not be the last time we see this series being featured in the box.
Our next item is for all you Jujutsu Kaisen fans out there, with this strong cotton tote bag. A fine size indeed and one that would have been ideal for all of you going out trick or treating this past Halloween night. This bag was available in four different designs, each featuring a different exorcist from the series, including Gojo Satoru, Yuji Itadori, Nobara Kugisaki and Megumi Fushiguro. With each image being taken from a scene from the hit anime series.
Our third item this month features the most dangerous but nuturing teacher in the entire anime world – Koro sensei from Assassination Classroom. I have never seen such a well depicted plush such as this before, it has Koro sensei perfectly designed right down to the very last tentacle. There is something about his goofy smile that just encourages you to just keep going – ‘Ganbatte!’. The Assassination Classroom manga and anime franchsie both finished up in 2016, so it is so nice to see the show still getting so much love even today that a plush such as this has been included in the box. Well done to the team that handpicked the products for the box, ye all did a great job!
Now let’s continue as we get to the halfway point of this box. Next up is a Pokémon clear file folder from the ‘Sepia Graffiti’ range. Now I have actually lost track as to how many times this particular Pokémon range has been included in these subscription boxes, although it has become a tad repetitive it has also helped build up the collection if you have also been enjoying these particular designs. This particular clear file first went on sale back in 2018, so this design range is a bit old but mustn’t have done very well in its sales for Nihon Box to be able to acquire its remaining stock for its boxes. In my opinion the range is just adorable, with its classic Pokémon designs which reminds me of its early beginnings back in the 90s. A great piece of nostalgia for all us OG fans.
Next up is certainly a special sweet treat that I highly enjoyed consuming on Halloween. With this packet of Karintó Kuroppi, a wheat flour ‘biscuit’ dipped in black sugar and sprinkled with chopped peanuts. Don’t let the appearance fool you, (even though it does seem to resemble cat turds), it was oddly delicious and I certainly couldn’t compare it to anything that we have over here in Ireland. It had a strong enough flavour and was more designed to just nibble on now and again. Unfortunately I managed to finish the entire packet whilst watching a few episodes of Gargoyles over on Disney+. The one good thing about this treat, is that seeing as it had zero chocolate involved there was no risk of anything melting during shipping.
So for the many of you that have already enjoyed Demon Slayer, you would remember that Tanjiro’s mentor Urokodaki wore a red tengu mask. Well there is a small porcelain one included in this month’s box, very similar to the one seen in the anime but instead it features a white mustache and eyebrows. This is our ‘Made in Japan’ exclusive piece of culture and is also known as an Omen Tengu.
Speaking of Demon Slayer, each October box also included a gachapon from the show. Inside is a single character from the show, out of a total of six to collect. These mini figures are known as cable huggers and can clip onto the end of your charging cable in order to protect it from bending. And who did I get in my box, none other than the cry baby himself – Zenitsu.
And last but now least, we have our final item in this 1000 Yen gift card from Yatta Japan, which can be used on their website. Don’t delay in ordering for too long however, as these gift cards expire on New Years Eve. It can be used at check out, on all items except pre-orders. So watch out for that folks, also you can only use one card per transaction, Shipping is also a bit pricey for those of us in Ireland, as they only offer express shipping. Also don’t forget that you will have to pay Customs separately for anything from outside the EU through An Post when it arrives in the country. So it all adds up unfortunately.
So there we have it everyone, that was October’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 Demon Slayer, Pokémon, Jujutsu Kaisen and even the latest Shonen Jump hit – Chainsaw Man. They not only source out some decent quality figures and plushies, but they also 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 “Bakemono Story”, and each pamphlet in every box also includes a detailed section called “Discover Japan”. This month’s topic was about the many cultural events that take place in October. From ‘Tomin no hi’ to ‘Sports Days’, to the latest international holidays they celebrate including Halloween and Oktoberfest. 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!
