Bandai products are a common sight in stores. The company makes merchandise for many different anime and manga properties and has a massive market share in the toy and hobby sectors. Bandai also runs Premium Bandai, a website that stocks limited-edition products that are not released into stores.
Because of this, the site's Japanese end stocks some very unique anime items and some dramatically strange and unexpected ones. From super-expensive furniture to formal office wear, if an anime license can be put on it, Premium Bandai likely stocks it. Here are some highlights from Premium Bandai's gigantic catalog.
Sailor Moon Bathroom Set
Over its long history, the Sailor Moon brand has been put on everything from instant curry to government-issued condoms. However, that doesn't make this bathroom set any less surprising. This three-piece set features a mat, a toilet paper cover and a toilet seat cover that shows the various transformation trinkets from the series on a charming white background. While this color palette does fit the aesthetic of the series. It would show stains, so you would have to be very careful with it. However, if you want your bathroom to radiate moon power, this is the set for you.
G00 Gundam Snow Globe
When you think about Gundam, you likely think about giant mechs and political intrigue, not charming Christmas novelties. However, this Gundam 00 snowglobe aims to change that. Inspired by Gundam 00's second ending, this snowglobe features a ruined Gundam covered in flowers, slowly being claimed by the elements. It also contains some glitter that swirls around whenever you shake the snowglobe. However, due to the size of the Gundam and the painting style used to represent the flowers, the robot looks a lot like something you would put in a fish tank.
Madoka "I'm Not Scared Of Anything Anymore" Cake
Premium Bandai stocks a wide range of food, including decorated frozen cakes. This Puella Magi Madoka Magica set comes with a peach cake, a Mami figure, a Madoka figure and some forks that resemble Mami's rifles. The whole thing comes in a box themed around Charlotte, the candy witch. Fans will quickly realize that this cake recreates the scene where Mami fights through the witch's candy lair. Famously, this ends badly for Mami, who gets her head bitten off by the witch, giving this cake a dark twist.
Yu-Gi-Oh! Lava Golem Neck Pillow
Yu-Gi-Oh! has no shortage of iconic things. From the elegant Dark Magician to the Millennium items, there is a lot of stuff to make merchandise of. That's why this Lava Golem neck pillow is such an odd choice. While the monster does appear in the anime, being found in both Yami Marik and Yubel's decks, it is not the most memorable monster. But it does make a cute neck pillow, its long lava arms acting as the perfect support for sleepy heads. The monster's angry face perfectly conveys the feelings of everyone who wants to nap on a plane.
Mobile Suit Gundam Float
Mobile Suit Gundam isn't particularly well-known for its beach episodes. However, thanks to these floats, you can make your real-life beach escapades Gundam-themed. There are two options available: one looks like the head of Char's Zaku, and the other looks like the regular mass-produced Zaku head. While these do look really cool, their unusual shape and large size might make them slightly hard to use as traditional floats. However, if you want to give your pool a Gundam twist, this is pretty much your only option.
Noriaki Kakyoin Doll Mascot Pouch
There is no shortage of Jojo's Bizarre Adventure merchandise. Its massive popularity has led to everything from action figures to high fashion being made in its name. However, this Noriaki Kakyoin doll looks really creepy to the uninitiated. This doll depicts the result of Noriaki's videogame duel against Terence T. D'Arby. When Noriaki loses the contest, Terence pulls Noriaki's soul out and puts it in a doll. However, the face resembles a cross between Frankenstein and a Tiki glass, giving it a very uncanny aura. While it looks good in the anime, it doesn't work well on a physical product.
Evangelion Angel Cake
This chocolate roll cake is filled with chocolate and vanilla cream fashioned into the shape of an angel head. Of course, Evangelion fans will question if consuming a strange and horrific angel is really a good idea -- it mightl lead to something much worse than elevated cholesterol. This set also comes with a special cake knife, designed to look like the Progressive Knife weapon that many Eva suits are equipped with, and an Asuka knife holder, allowing you to safely display your angel cake-slaying weapon.
Gut Buster Taro’s abs
Kamen Rider 01 was set in a world where androids, called Humagears, were common. One of the first Humagears the audience was introduced to was Gut Buster Taro, a robot comedian whose signature act was to cause his own abs to explode. This character became popular online, and Bandai cashed in with this lump of silicone, polyester and metal, designed to resemble one of the exploded abs. Even the website admits it doesn't know what you would do with it, though it does suggest that it would make a fantastic good luck charm if you're into that kind of thing.
A.T. FIELD Adjustable Spanner
Made in collaboration with Workson, the A.T.FIELD range is a collection of items painted in Evangelion colors. This spanner comes in designs that resemble all of the main Eva suits, including the famous green and purple Unit-01. While weird Evangelion merchandise is nothing new, seeing it on regular tools is still pretty funny and unexpected. However, the whole range of tools is a testament to Evangelion's design language. Despite just being common tools with little to no overt Evangelion branding or theming, it is still recognizable as an Evangelion product due to the distinctive and vibrant color palettes.