The idol anime mega franchise has a new set of stylish bags to prove your devotion to Uranohoshi High, but they might be daunting to wear outside.
Any fanatic worth their salt knows that Japan is the number one place to grab cute merchandise. For example, if you’re a Pokémon fan then you can buy anything here, from earrings to engagement rings featuring the cute little critters. Usually the biggest sellers are rubber straps, posters and stationery, but occasionally a franchise will splash out and create something really special, like the commemorative Utena wine or one of the many Sailor Moon fashion line-ups.
Fans of Love Live!, the ever-optimistic multimedia franchise about nine schoolgirls who form an idol unit, are spoilt for choice in this regard. The merchandise is so varied and bountiful that it’s hard to cram all the goods of just one girl into an itabag. The series’ second chapter, Love Live! Sunshine!!, is bringing out a helpful new product to store all your excess charms and manga inside, but you might be surprised at the angle they took with the design…
▼ The rucksacks and pouches emulate the top half of the Aqours girls’ school uniforms, complete with stiff sailor collar
Retailer Tokyo Otaku Mode opened pre-orders for the new line of rucksacks and wallets on May 24, and fans will be able to choose between three different bags, with each having a different colored necktie accessory representing the school year. First years get a pretty dandelion yellow, second years get a deep crimson and third years get a stylish aqua green.
▼ The second years’ version in all its glory
▼ The ‘back’ shot (actually the front of the bag) shows off the collar
What better way to show your commitment to the Aqours girls’ fictional high school than to carry around a backpack that looks like the torso of an attending member? It’s almost like you get to go to school with them yourself… almost.
Each backpack is crafted from a mix of 100 percent cotton and synthetic leather, while the lining is polyster. Each bag is 37 centimeters by 42 centimeters (14.6 inches by 16.5 inches) and comes with two sturdy straps at the top, and golden hooks to attach the rucksack straps. You can carry your headless backpack whichever way you like!
▼ The first years’ cute yellow necktie looks great!
▼ The aqua green necktie for third years comes with a gold clip
They also have a bounty of hidden pockets and a cute set of silver studs, just like the girls’ uniforms in the show. And how much for this incredible, bizarre accessory? A mere 5,500 yen (US$50.70) plus tax.
If you feel a little uncomfortable about paying top dollar to tote around a bag that looks like a cross-section of a schoolgirl, there’s the additional option of a pouch on the same theme.
This one also comes in the red, yellow and green neckties for each of the girls’ years, and spans 22 centimeters by 15 centimeters (8.7 inches by 5.9 inches). The smart cut of the pouch emphasizes the sailor suit collar of the uniform, so it looks mega cute even to those who don’t recognize the anime school it’s supposed to represent.
▼ It’s the perfect size to store all of my Chika Takami keychains in!
You can grab one of these cute pouches for 3,500 yen plus tax.
All of the bags and pouches are lined with a gorgeous print relating to the characters from that year, so you can have fun admiring them from both outside and inside.
▼ Pictured here are the symbols for third years Dia Kurosawa, Kanan Matsuura and Mari Ohara, plus the Aqours logo.
While you can pre-order the bags from the Tokyo Otaku Mode website, the bags aren’t planned to ship until October. So you can grab one in good time for Winter Comiket 2018, or use it as a prop in a ghoulish Halloween costume.
The fan response to these fashion items has been positive, with Twitter users boasting about their pre-orders for a preferred year’s pouch and bag.
▼ “Got my order in for the new sailor rucksack and pouch… the first year version, of course! October is so far away…”
Still, some fans are scratching their heads at the Love Live! Sunshine!! merchandising department. It wasn’t too long ago that they came out with the Nippers, after all.
▼ “Most puzzling merch decisions from Love Live! Sunshine!!: 1. The Nipper 2. Sailor Suit Bags 3. ????”
The fact that from behind it could look like you’re carrying away a teenager hasn’t escaped the fans’ scrutiny either. One user commented: “I have no idea where I’m meant to use this” while another chimed in with, “if you guys wear these rucksacks you’re just gonna look like criminals”.
One of the primary messages of Love Live! Sunshine!! is school pride and doing your best in the face of adversity, so stick it to those online commenters by wearing your schoolgirl backpack without fear! Or just go with the pouch. As Aqours sing themselves, “Daisuki dattara Daijoubu!” (“It’s okay if you love it!”) and if you really do love it, you’d better hurry and pre-order before a Buso Liver buys up all the stock for their next suit of armor!
Source: Otakomu.jp, Tokyo Otaku Mode
Images: Tokyo Otaku Mode