The popularity of ]anime and manga continues to rise, and it’s likely that if you ask any of your friends if they enjoy either medium, at least one of them will say “yes”. So, what better way to make your otaku friends happy this Christmas than by getting them an anime or manga merch as a gift?
It’s not just manga books and anime Blu-rays though. From clothes and art books, to Crocs and phone cases, there’s something for everyone — no matter what series they’re into.
Here’s our list of the best gift ideas for anime and manga lovers.
CASETiFY phone cases
CASETiFY is always bringing out new anime-themed phone cases, so if you know what anime series your gift recipient likes and what kind of phone they have, these cases are sure to be a hit.
Anime clothes
If you know what size clothes your mates wear (not as weird as it sounds), then clothes with anime prints are a great gift for that one friend that wears anime merch everywhere. Both Uniqlo and Culture Kings stock officially licensed anime clothes, so you know it’s the real deal.
Uniqlo UT Graphic Tees
Culture Kings Anime Clothing
A manga box set
Save money on gifts this year by getting your manga-loving friend a box set of books rather than individual volumes of manga. It’s a great way to get them into a new series or help them show their appreciation for a series they love, but might not have a physical copy of yet.
Plus, if it’s a long-running series (*cough* One Piece *cough*) there’ll be multiple box sets, so you can add to your mate’s collection every year.
Here are some of our favourite manga box sets:
- Assassination Classroom Complete Box Set: Vol. 1 – 21 ($215.49)
- Bakuman Complete Box Set: Vol. 1 – 20 ($200.40)
- Chainsaw Man Box Set: Vol. 1 – 11 ($85)
- Demon Slayer Complete Box Set: Vol. 1 – 23 ($189)
- Fullmetal Alchemist Complete Box Set: Vol. 1 – 27 ($238.87)
- Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind Box Set ($83.02)
- One Piece Box Set 1 East Blue and Baroque Works: Vol. 1 – 23 ($199)
- The Promised Neverland Complete Box Set: Vol. 1 – 20 ($185.54)
- Tokyo Ghoul Complete Box Set: Vol. 1 – 14 ($169.40)
Anime Crocs
Maybe you know your mate’s shoe size instead — no judgement here. If you do, Crocs has hopped on the anime merch train, so you can cop them a pair of these sweet Demon Slayer Crocs for Christmas.
Anime Blu-rays
While streaming is still the go-to medium for watching anime, physical media is becoming more popular as people want to grow and show off their collections. It’s also a way to ensure that the media never gets lost (and there’s rewatchability if streaming services take down the series). The other great thing about anime Blu-rays is that they’re lighter and take up less space compared to manga volumes.
Here are some of the best Blu-rays to give as gifts to anime lovers:
- Clannad Collector’s Edition Steelbook ($188.67)
- Cowboy Bebop The Complete Series 25Th Anniversary ($80.45)
- FLCL: The Complete Series ($76.37)
- Neon Genesis Evangelion Complete Series ($194.58)
- Perfect Blue Limited Edition Steelbook ($51.44)
- Soul Eater: The Complete Series ($92.09)
- The Future Diary Complete Collection ($68.70)
The Art of Spirited Away
Spirited Away is just as good at age 7 as it is at 26. That’s because it’s accessible, refined and gorgeous. Director Hayao Miyazaki doesn’t skimp on details: Spirited Away‘s spirit bathhouse is intricate in architecture, full of bizarre creatures and set in a stunningly strange otherly world.
The Art of Miyazaki’s Spirited Away features sketches, commentary and storyboards from the world-class anime, which, to those outside the fandom, could grace a coffee table or give them a lead-in to Miyazaki’s phenomenal corpus of work.
Where to buy the Art of Spirited Away:
A Crunchyroll Premium subscription
This list skews heavily towards manga-related books and fashion, so let’s go with a gift idea that’s a bit more anime-centric. Crunchyroll has firmly established itself as the big dog of anime streaming services and a Fan Tier membership is a good place for them to start.
They’ll have access unlimited access to the Crunchyroll library, so they can hit up all-time classic series like One Piece, Yu Yu Hakusho and Initial D, along with newer ones like Chainsaw Man, Mob Psycho 100 and Gundam: The Witch from Mercury. It’s an anime gift that’ll keep on giving, for both newbies and long-time lovers alike.
Grab a Crunchyroll Premium sub here, starting from $7.99 for one month.
This article has been updated since its original publication.
Lead image credit: Crunchyroll/Kotaku Australia
Leave a Reply