Say I love you with the magical charm of characters from My Neighbour Totoro and Kiki’s Delivery Service.

In Japan, Mother’s Day is celebrated annually on the second Sunday in May, which this year lands on 10 May. With just under two months to buy presents, Studio Ghibli is here to make our choices easy, with the release of two special Mother’s Day Carnation sets, which come with a pot of fresh flowers and a beautiful “diorama box” to display them in.

▼ The first product in the two-product range is called Totoro and Mei’s Drawing Set.

In My Neighbour Totoro, Mei’s determination to see her mother and give her a special gift of corn makes her a beautiful symbol of filial love. Her actions are enough to make any mother’s heart melt, and the heartstrings will be tugged once again upon seeing the scene depicted on this polyester resin model.

There, next to a giant Totoro nibbling on an acorn, is Mei, hard at work creating a unique piece of art on a plaster wall that looks similar to the walls seen at Tokyo’s Ghibli Museum. Using glass shards and acorns she’s collected, Mei decorates the wall while standing on her toes to complete a curved line, creating what looks to be the body of Totoro.

▼ Mei’s look of concentration has been beautifully depicted.

▼ Meanwhile, Totoro’s concentration is clearly focused on the delicious-looking acorn.

While the big Totoro has his mind set on food, the smaller Totoros can be seen keeping Mei company, with the blue “Medium” Totoro engrossed in the marks on the wall and the white “Small” Totoro distracted by the bucket, which has seemingly been kicked over by Mei’s foot.

On the other side, we can see what appears to be a previous design by Mei, showing a Totoro surrounded by trees.

The childlike artwork within the model adds an incredible amount of charm to the diorama, and the charm continues with the message card that comes with the set.

To top it all off, the diorama acts as a pot cover for a pot of magical cherry red carnations called “Magical Tutu“. These flowers change colour from white to red, capturing a sense of the Ghibli magic that appears in the film.

▼ Of course, you don’t have to use the diorama for flowers, as it acts as a handy accessories holder too.

▼ If your mother prefers the charm of Kiki’s Delivery Service, then the Kokiri’s Magic diorama box will put a smile on her face.

This model recreates the charm of the herb room used by Kiki’s mother to grow plants and concoct potions. Black cat Jiji likes to spend time in this plant-filled room, and here the feline can be seen sitting on one of Kokiri’s mysterious old books.

The beautifully designed amber jar looks like it’s leapt out of the anime setting and into real life, and it can be used to hold the red carnations that come with the set…

▼ …or small charms, accessories, and candies.

Pluck a sweet or candy from the jar and you’ll feel like you’re taking one of Kokiri’s magical potions.

▼ The details on every item in this diorama have been beautifully recreated, with Jiji’s eyes looking up at you inquisitively…

…while a pink rose and colourful gems bring extra colour to the piece.

In addition to the red carnations, which act as a nod to Kiki’s distinctive red bow, the set comes with a message card showing a tender moment between Kiki and her mother.

Both sets are showstoppers that are arguably more impressive than the sets released last year. The Kiki’s Delivery diorama is priced at 14,080 yen (US$88.36), while the Totoro version is slightly higher, at 14,300 yen. Reservations are being accepted online (links below) from 10 a.m. on 13 March to 11:59 p.m. on 28 April, but only in limited numbers so best to get in early to avoid missing out. Orders are set to arrive between 6-10 May, just in time for Mother’s Day.

Source: Donguri Kyowakoku
Featured image: Donguri Kyowakoku
Insert images: Donguri Kyowakoku (1, 2)
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