Fukubukuro, lit. “lucky bag”, are a wonderful way for stores to shift merchandise at the start of the year, not unlike western stores’ New Year’s sales but with far more mystery and intrigue involved. Shoppers take a gamble when they purchase these gift bags as they are completely sealed and their contents unlisted, and they don’t always contain products that we desperately need, but fukubukuro usually contain items whose cash value far exceeds the bag’s asking price.
So when our reporter Kuzo heard that the fast food chain and home of 30-patty cheeseburgers Lotteria was offering up special collaborative Evangelion bags for just 2,000 yen each, he powered down his Wii U, stepped out into the sunlight and sprinted – well, sort of jogged while wheezing quietly – to his nearest store to grab one for himself.
Was it worth the US$22 purchase, or was Kuzo lumbered with a cooking-oil-scented bag of tat? Find out after the jump.
Arriving back at his man cave, Kuzo placed his special edition bag on the floor, spread its contents out and took a handful shots for our delectation here today. Let it be known, Rocketeers, that Japan’s lucky bags are nothing to be shy of; there’s some quality merchandise to be had here!
▼Well, well, well; what do we have here…?
The contents of Kuzo’s Lotteria x Evangelion Fukubukuro:
– 1 x Evangelion free-paper
– 1 x Evangelion plastic file
– 1 x Evangelion yunomi Japanese tea-cup
– 1 x Evangelion postcard
– 1 x limited edition coupon book for Lotteria
As our reporter reminds us, by their very nature, the contents of fukubukuro are known to vary greatly from bag to bag, but we have to agree that pretty much any Evangelion fan would be more than satisfied with this little assortment!
“The design on the yunomi in particular is really nice; whether you’re a fan or not it’s definitely worth having,” Kuzo told us before sheepishly admitting that, of all his new trinkets, he was probably most pleased with the Lotteria coupon book, which we’re sure he’ll put to very good use over the coming weeks.
“I really don’t need the free-paper, though,” he scorned, “I mean, it was free to begin with, wasn’t it!?”
Let’s take a closer look at the Evangelion gear Kuzo picked up:
▼That plastic file is actually pretty flash
▼We’re sure Kuzo would look stunning in these Evangelion-inspired outfits…
▼ More likely to be kept in a frame than stamped and mailed to a pal…
▼ And this yunomi tea-cup is definitely one to keep in mint condition
▼These coupons ought to keep our man going for a while!
Did you pick up any interesting toys in your fukubukuro this year? Let us know in the comments section below!
[ Read in Japanese ]
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