When you think of Japanese arcades, you probably think of fighting games, music games, and racing games. You might, however, completely forget about one of the most popular staples of arcades in Japan: crane games.
Late last year I had my own experience with a Japanese crane game — because it taunted me with a figure I was willing to pay the “big bucks” to own. And last weekend at the JAPEO arcade expo, arcade makers and toy manufacturers showed off the variety of prizes that will be taunting me and many others over the coming year.
From Macross to Evangelion, Persona 4 Arena to Hatsune Miku, there were tons of figures from games and anime at JAPEO 2013. But perhaps the most surprising prizes I saw were a collection of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic stuffed animals (a series that won’t even begin airing in Japan till this April).
To see the best the show had to offer, check out the gallery above. (Click “expand” in the bottom right hand of the picture to see it at full size.)
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