Comic Alley: Every Otaku’s One-Stop Shop
Comic Alley, the no. 1 Anime Chain Store in Luzon, has finally opened it’s doors to the Otaku population in Cebu. Known for their quality supply of goods like plushies, costumes, Domo-Kun merch, and other paraphernalia, many are becoming regular customers since its grand opening on Sept. 30, 2011.
My eyes weren’t prepared when I first walked in. I peered into the store and a flurry of anime odds and ends met me. I didn’t know where to begin! The establishment may not be big, but it did a good job of maximizing the area—the store was lined wall-to-wall with merchandise and there were racks in the center of the place, too.
Stuff They Sell
Amidst the crowd of customers, I checked out their stuff. I was impressed with the collection of items! They had the generics for otakus like figurines, stickers, bags, and other everyday stuff with a picture of *insert-name-of-popular-anime-series* slapped on, but it definitely didn’t stop there. Why? Comic Alley also supplies novelty items. Here’s a few pieces of merch that really caught my interest.
They had the umbrella sword from Bleach! Personally it was a bit pricey for me, but it was such a uniquely-designed item that I had to think twice… lots of times! Let’s just say that day I bid adieu to some of my hard-earned moolah. It was worth it and they sold like hotcakes! I recall returning there, finding only one of the four designs left and that was after their second restock! Here’s the umbrella sword I bought. I think it gave my outfit an edge. ^_~
Another item I found interesting was a Death Note bag. There were other run-of-the-mill bags there, but I really took a fancy to this particular one. It was made to look like Light Yagami’s Death Note book. I found it really cool and the white strap clasps added a touch of class to it. Daisuki! (Japanese expression professing a deep liking)
One last item that caught my attention was one section of the racks at the center of the store. There were mouse pads that had wrist rests. What made them stand out were the anime girls strategically printed on those products! Say goodbye to carpal tunnel the otaku way!
Ja mata ne! (Japanese for “See you later”)