Holiday Buying Guide: Anime Lovers
With Black Friday behind us, the holiday season is officially here, and that means gift shopping for those people near and dear to your heart. This week we'll be highlighting some great buys for the people in your life who enjoy anime, video games and tech.
Movies/Series
The Collected Works of Hayao Miyazaki ($215-250 - Amazon)While not every anime fan is necessarily a Hayao Miyazaki fan, it's hard to deny his impact on the medium. For fans of his work, the comprehensive Blu-ray collection features all 11 animated films that were directed by Miyazaki:* Lupin III: The Castle of Cagliostro* Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind* Castle in the Sky* My Neighbor Totoro* Kiki's Delivery Service* Porco Rosso* Princess Mononoke* Spirited Away* Howl's Moving Castle* Ponyo* The Wind RisesThe packaging for the set is beautiful, with a classic movie-film band that helps keep it closed, and a storybook-like disc holder that has dedicated "pages" for each film. Though expensive, if this is in your price range it would surely make a great gift for any fan of Miyazaki.Akira 25th Anniversary Blu Ray ($14 - Rightstuf)No anime collection is complete without a copy of the classic Akira. At just under $15, this sharp blu-ray edition of the classic film is a great option as a gift, or even a stocking stuffer for that anime lover in your family! Steins Gate Complete Collection Blu Ray ($32 - Amazon)While everyone's taste in anime is just a little different, Steins Gate has recently emerged as one of the new "gateway series", receiving critical acclaim across the board for its well constructed and thought provoking story, well-developed characters and general accessibility to a wider audience. Or, maybe you've heard your anime fan rant and rave about this show in passing. Either way, at $32 for the complete series on Blu Ray, this is a great buy and would make an amazing gift!
Figures/Toys
Gundam Model Kits ($20-200+ - Gundam Planet)A great gift for kit hobbyists and anime fans, Gundam model kits provide a range of difficulties/detail and the price to match. High Grade (HG) kits are smaller and more affordable, and often the easiest to collect while still providing a sense of accomplishment in constructing the figurine. On the other end of the spectrum, Perfect Grade (PG) kits are meticulously detailed, often featuring moving parts and LED lights on the body. A great gift for collectors, or for younger fans who might be interested in getting started.Roronoa Zoro - One Piece Portrait of Pirates Figure ($85 - Amazon)One of the most popular anime out there, One Piece has amassed quite the audience of adoring fans in the 10+ years that it's been running. One of the more impressive figure collections I've seen in recent memory is the Portrait of Pirates collection based on the central characters. Produced by Megahouse, and sold on Amazon, these figures are of very high quality and would make a great addition for any One Piece fan, especially those who like to collect high quality figurines. Zoro isn't your only option, but seems to have some of the highest reviews out of the collection. Try and figure out which character's their favorite, and go for that one!
Miscellaneous
Crunchyroll Subscription ($7.95/month - Crunchyroll)What started out as a somewhat shady site for fansubs has since evolved into one of the most popular and legitimate anime streaming sites in the world. Crunchyroll boasts hundreds of the latest anime titles that release their series almost immediately after the Japanese premiere. If your anime fan doesn't have a subscription yet, this would be a great gift for them to stay on top of all the latest shows. Plus, it has great apps on PS4, Xbox One and iOS as well, so they can enjoy their anime on many different formats!Anime Expo Premier Fan Badge ($375 - Anime Expo)What do you get for the anime fan who has everything? When the fandom has reached a point where wall scrolls hang from every angle, and the walls are lined with bookshelves stocked to the brim with manga, anime and figurines? Buy them an experience! A VIP experience at one of the largest anime conventions in the country! For $375, Anime Expo premier fans get their badge mailed to them before the convention, saving them precious hours waiting in line for their registration. They also get early access to hotel reservations, access to the monstrously large dealers hall an hour early on day 1, priority access to panels and autograph sessions and much, much more! Though this is the highest ticket item on my list of recommendations, if they can make it to LA for the convention, or are planning on going already, this could certainly be the best gift any anime fan could ask for! That's all for this installment! Come back tomorrow for some great ideas for the gamer in your life!
