Mei and Totoro bring the Ghibli moment’s rain to your home.

It’s a testament to the artistry with which the film was made that My Neighbor Totoro took something as simple as waiting for a bus and made it one of the most memorable scenes in animation history. It’s a sequence that shouldn’t be all that interesting, just a couple of characters standing around in the rain and not really saying or doing much else, but the visual and aural details make all the difference, and are crafted with such care that the audience feels like it’s been drawn into the anime’s world too.

So a figurine that seeks to recreate that scene would also need to not only look the part, but sound it too, which brings us to this offering from Studio Ghibli specialty store Donguri Kyowakoku.

The figurine features the big/gray Totoro, and Mei, plus a few other characters we’ll get to in a second. What you might think is really mesmerizing, though, is how realistic the water effects look.

But while the modelers who created the piece are indeed talented, those water drops aren’t sculpted out of ABS and PVC polymers like the rest of the scene. They’re actual streams of running water!

The piece is officially called the My Neighbor Totoro Water Garden Bonsai Kasayadori (kasayadori referring to a temporary refuge from the rain), and it’s essentially a fountain for your desk or shelf. Powered either by USB cord or three AA batteries, when turned on rivulets of water fall down from above Totoro and Mei, which are then caught in the base of the figurine and cycled back up again.

As an extra touch of adorable realism, the small/white Totoro is spring-mounted, so that when the water hits his leaf umbrella, he sways from the impact.

The sound of running water creates a cozy, soothing atmosphere, but in addition to a continuous mode, there’s a setting that shuts off after five minutes, in case you’re just in the mood for scattered showers. Included with the 22-centimeter 8.7-inch) figurine is a tray to place it on, in order to catch any errant splashes that may occur.

▼ The Soot Sprites up in the branches of the tree will be forever dry, though.

Even without the fountain function, this is a beautiful piece of anime art, and displaying it with the water stopped also lets you give fellow fans a surprise that’s sure to put a smile on their faces when you turn it on.

The Totoro Water Garden Bonsai had been sold out for some time, but it’s now available once again, priced at 17.600 yen (US$117), through the Donguri Kyowakoku online store here.

Source, images: Donguri Kyowakoku
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