Shopping Guide
Animate Ikebukuro Honten, which moved and celebrated a re-opening in 2012, is gaining popularity from anime, manga, and game fans. The store is showing great momentum and flow of people as a spot that is being newly recognized in Ikebukuro, an area that is home to many shops related to Japanese pop culture.
However, the former Animate Ikebukuro Honten location is not to be forgotten about. The building, located at the front of Sunshine City, is a landmark for the so-called “Otome Road,” a popular area that is filled with shops intended for female otaku. Because of its reputation, the building opened anew under the name Animate Sunshine. The entire building has finally opened this month, and it’s been powered up over its previous version.
The characteristic of Animate Sunshine is the importance of otome fans that it proudly shows; the entrance even appropriately opens up to Otome Road. Everything from the layout of the floors to the lineup of products was done for the benefit of female fans. Floors 1-3 are dedicated to the cosplay goods shop ACOS Ikebukuro Honten, which assembles all kinds of cosplay goods under one roof. The Rashiban Ikebukuro Honten Costume Hall on the fourth floor includes second-hand character costumes and doll-related goods. The cosplay amusement studio HacoStaduim Cosset Ikebukuro Honten, an area at which cosplayers can hold photo shoots, makes up the fifth and sixth floors. The seventh and eighth floors are home to Animate Cafe Ikebukuro. Animate Sunshine is a one-stop shop where fans can buy and sell cosplay goods, hold cosplay photo shoots, and relax at the cafe.
The ACOS area that spans floors 1-3 is Animate’s cosplay shop. In addition to cosplay outfits, they also sell makeup for theater and cosplay use, accessories like replica weapons, and even wigs. The store is targeted toward all cosplayers, from beginners to pros.
Rashiban Ikebukuro Honten Costume Hall is a specialty shop that buys and sells used costumes. HacoStadium Cosset is a special studio at which cosplayers can hold photo shoots. Areas include a classroom, clubroom, abandoned building, confectionery, and various antique-style settings that cosplayers can make use of.
Animate Ikebukuro Honten, Animate Cafe Ikebukuro, and Animate Sunshine each make use of its own specialties and each seems likely to play a major role in magnifying the Ikebukuro culture from here on.
Source: animeanime
