I bought some MHA merch!

[autumninpluto]

As the title says, I bought some MHA merch...! This will mostly just be me blabbing about them. I've included some pictures though, so they'll be going under the cut.

Note to self: Take landscape photos instead next time.

Here are some Todoroki goods + a postcard with Deku, Bakugo, Todoroki, and All Might. It's not apparent in the photo below, but it's got this holographic thing going on, so it looks very pretty in person. I would not send it to anyone, though. I think the paper is flimsier than typical postcard material, so it's really just for collecting, I feel.

I mainly wanted to buy merch because of the region-based acrylic charms. I'm very partial to region-specific goods, so I was super excited for these. Both of them are of Todoroki; one is Hokkaido, and the other is Osaka.

Here's the official merch page; apparently they also have designs for Bakugo, Iida, Deku, and Ochaco, and the other featured places are Tokyo, Kyoto, Kyushu, Okinawa, and Mt. Fuji.

Apparently it's supposed to be "netsuke" (根付), an item used to help fasten something (usually a pouch or something similar) to a kimono. In the context of anime merch, I don't think people are actually attaching Todoroki to their kimonos, but I think it can be used similar to a bag or phone charm.

Other stuff I bought are a sticker of Todoroki eating soba noodles, a bookmark, and an acrylic stand.

Here's what the Todoroki standee looks like when assembled! I love the action shot and how it really makes use of the transparent space for a suspended feel. I wish more acrylic stands were like this and not just characters in a static, standing position.

Not from the same haul, but I did get it just a few days ago, but I also bought a copy of the My Hero Academia: Ultra Age Fanbook.

It's called a "fanbook" but it's official. I guess it's a book for fans? The word "fanbook" seems to imply it's made by fans, in my opinion, so I feel the need to clarify.

I might write more about the contents later on in this journal. It's all in Japanese, but they'll probably have an English translated version soon as this was only published in May 2025. Once they have an English version, I'll probably buy it, too. I do think this might be hard to translate--it's VERY wordy and also has a ton of pictures. I can only imagine the hell that is called "layouting."

Difficulty-wise, I think it's not super hard since I more-or-less already know what they're talking about, though I still do have to look up some kanji definitions now and then. The pages also have a distinct smell, for some reason. Is it the Japanese bookstore smell? I haven't bought enough books from Japan to know for sure, though.

Honestly, I should not be dropping so much money on merch at the moment (need to practice financial discipline...!) but I did get these at a discount, so that makes me feel less bad about my questionable life choices hahaha.

Other than Todoroki, I'm still on the lookout for merch of my OT3 (Todobakudeku!), more region-specific or limited edition stuff, and fanmerch like doujinshi. Maybe a figure or nendroid one of these days, but I'm not really a figure collector. Nendroids are cute, but my problem is that, even if you take them out of the box, they have all the extra bits and bobs you need to keep somewhere, so you'll probably still need to keep the box it came in, letting it take up space.

If I ever see MHA gashapon though, it's on fucking sight. I'm actually surprised I haven't seen a lot of them here, but I don't doubt they're being made. I don't live in Japan, so I think my country just gets the excess stock. My theory is that if something is super popular in Japan, it's unlikely to make its way here because it'll be all out before then. Such is the case with Apothecary Diaries, for which I could not find a single gashapon machine for when I was in Japan in spring 2025.

Anyway, I've gone totally off-topic, but yeah! Retail therapy! Really needed it as I've been feeling terrible lately (life is kicking my ass).