It’s time to organize your organizers.
Pricing for anime items in Japan tends to be at one of two extremes. On one end, you’ve got Blu-ray box sets and animation-inspired fashion items that cost the equivalent of hundreds of dollars, but you can also find all sorts of tiny trinkets and knickknacks that can be yours for a couple of bucks.
However, fandom is a powerful force, and depending on the series or character being represented, or the memories attached to its acquisition, a modestly priced piece of anime merch might have an emotional value for you that far outstrips its sticker price. For example, last year the Internet went nuts over a simple way to clean rubber character keychains, which the manufacturers often don’t envision anyone using for long enough for them to become that dirty.
Another sentimental favorite of anime fans are clear files. The name is a bit misleading, as “clear files” are actually translucent or opaque, and also covered with character artwork.
Clear files are the cheapest of cheap anime merchandise. When sold, they only cost a few hundred yen, but they’re often given out for free as part of fan events or contest consolation prizes. Less hardcore fans use them for their original purpose, stuffing them with work, school, or household documents. But if you’re a serious collector, and want to keep you clear files looking nice, then you need a file for your files.
While browsing through the shelves of anime mega-retailer Animate, Japanese Twitter user @t_bisco came across the Clear File Storage Holder. The bound booklet contains 20 see-through pockets, large enough to slip clear files into without bending, folding, or otherwise warping them. This means that the item also turns your stack of clear files into an art book.
As a matter of fact, if you purchased a clear file that itself is already wrapped in plastic, you can slide the whole thing in as-is to give your precious file two layers of protection.
The irony of a protective holder for a protective holder wasn’t lost on @t_bisco, who likened the Clear File Storage Holder to a surreal Zen riddle. Nevertheless, she bought one, adding “Only otaku can understand why you’d need something like this.” That’s as a good a test as any to determine if you’re a real super-fan, and if the answer is yes, the Clear File Storage Holder can be ordered here from Amazon Japan for 756 yen (US$7).
Follow Casey on Twitter, as he ponders whether this would also be just the thing in which to keep that napkin he took home from the Final Fantasy restaurant in Shinjuku.
Sources: Otakumu, IT Media, Twitter/@t_bisco
Top, insert images: RocketNews24