After finally tearing myself away from the toy isle I ventured upstairs to check out the cosplay goods on offer. Most of the outfits seemed to be in the 6000~18,000 Yen range ($70~$200), which I thought was fairly reasonable considering the detail that goes into some of these costumes.

Also on this floor you’ll find a considerably large collection of "fan-made girl’s manga," i.e. manga published by amateur (predominately) female artists, for (predominately) female readers. Don’t be fooled into thinking this refers to manga depicting stories of female empowerment or the stereotypical high school love story though! This girl’s manga actually refers to the extremely popular sub-genre of comics in Japan known as “Boys Love,” depicting homoerotic relationships between (formerly straight) male characters of popular manga series. While it seems some of these manga will focus purely on the plot and romance, others are much more graphic and depict a much more physical side...

…A little piece of my innocence died that day, but my role here is to report on the wonderful AND the weird of Fukuoka and Japan, so if you’ve ever wondered what 'One Piece' might be like were Zoro and Luffy a little more than just shipmates, or what Kakashi and Iruka sensei really get up to when they’re not training Naruto in the ways of the shinobi, than perhaps this fan-made girl’s manga is for you! …(Lol)

In summary, MANDARAKE has it all! And if you plan on making a few purchases it might be wise to set yourself a budget before you go! But whether you’re an otaku, a rummaging hobbyist, or just curious, there’s so much to see in this store that just browsing through is entertaining enough.

'Til next time!

Tweet
Follow @asianbeat_en