Cats, pigs, and monster princesses grace the covers of these functional and flexible notebooks.

We recently took a look at a line of Studio Ghibli character art pens, featuring illustrations of cast members from some of the most memorable theatrical works in the history of anime. Of course, it would be a shame to use them just to jot notes down on your hand. Special writing instruments need a special writing surface, and so here to fill that role are some very stylish Ghibli notebooks from specialty store Donguri Kyowakoku.

Rather than just slap the movie poster or Blu-ray cover onto the cover, the designers created new pieces of artwork that are both dynamic yet also subtle in that they don’t splash the movies’ titles across the layout. True fans, though, will instantly recognize the mask worn by Princess Mononoke’s San…

…and the headlight eyes of My Neighbor Totoro’s Catbus.

Though the name Rollbahn might sound vaguely Germanic, it’s actually a brand from Delfonics, a stationery company based in Tokyo’s Meguro Ward. The company describes its philosophy as encompassing the idea that “stationery is not only a tool, but at the same time also represents a portal to culture,” and their Ghibli notebooks really do look like just the things for artistic musings, maybe combining text and sketches to really capture what you’re feeling.

Joining San and the Catbus is another feline Ghibli A-lister, Kiki’s Delivery Service’s Jiji, showing surprise at just how much the stuffed animal he and Kiki are asked to deliver looks like him…

…and shifting gears from cats to pigs, there’s also a notebook with Porco Rosso’s Porco and a schematic-like rendering of his Savoia S.21 “flying boat.”

The notebooks aren’t just fashionable, but also functional and flexible, with each having a cloth strap to keep them tidily closed up when not in use…

…and a subtle grid pattern inside, suitable for text, technical renderings, or free-form drawing.

Each of the 140-page notebooks measures 18 by 14 centimeters (7.1 by 5.5 inches) and is priced at 1,320 yen (US$8.85). They’re all available through the Donguri Kyowakoku online shop here following a recent restock.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Top image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2, 3, 4)
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