Did you ever delight in heading over to the capsule machine, turning that handle, and seeing what popped out? Do you love Japanese media and culture? If so, Sugoi Mart has something that might interest you! The Gachapon Lucky Bag sends you 10 random capsule toys directly from Japan.
Each bag costs $40 USD (or $34USD with coupon code NOOKGAMING15) but is said to have an $80 USD value and the possibility to include toys from popular franchises like Pokémon and Demon Slayer. Sugoi Mart sent us over one of these lucky bags to check out. What sort of toys are inside? Read on to find out.
Mystery Bag
Before delving into the actual toys received, a quick overview. Unlike several other lucky bags or boxes, the items inside the Gachapon Lucky Bag are actually from Japan. They’re not knock-offs, but actually the same items you’d find in Japanese vending machines.
It made its way to me via DHL. Opening the box, I found a black drawstring bag – always handy to reuse. Inside were ten capsules of varying sizes and colors.
They all had a bit of tape on them, presumably so they don’t come open during transit. I grabbed a knife and set to cracking them all open.
Dreaming of Food
The first were these two sushi restaurant-themed toys from a set of five produced by J.Dream. This company seems to create quite a lot of gachapon themed around food and restaurants.
Each toy included two parts of a conveyor belt and two additional accessories as shown above. A whole set could make a complete conveyor belt, with other accessories including plates of sushi to go on top.
I’ve personally never been to a conveyor belt sushi restaurant, but the pieces did remind me of going to restaurants in that part of the world. They’re quite simple toys, but look nice.
Crab or Tank?
The next toy was a bit more complex. Created by Toys Cabin, this weaponized crab came with a variety of pieces. I realized it too late, but it actually separated them into bags based on the side of the main body that they needed to attach to. I did have some trouble getting a couple of the pieces in, despite the instructions including clear pictures.
I was surprised at just how much detail there is on this toy, considering that it’s a capsule toy. It is very sizable too, coming out at approximately 8CM width when the legs are attached. It’s certainly an impressive one.
Cartoon Violence
Two capsule toys were from the popular Tom and Jerry franchise. These are part of the set of five by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S showcasing the characters in various silly shapes.
The one on the left showcases Jerry as a golf tee, while the one on the right has Nibbles with his pilgrim hat, as shown in the 1949 short, ‘The Little Orphan’.
While not what I’d think of as Japanese even if the toys are from a Japanese company, Tom and Jerry is a well-loved series worldwide and I was pleased to find these. If I opened another, there’s one with Tom whose head has become umbrella-shaped which I’d love to find.
Rings
The Gachapon Lucky Bag included two rings. One actually didn’t come in a capsule – it came in a plastic rice container and opened to reveal what appears to be some plastic salmon roe on a ring. The other is Piplup, one of the most popular characters from the Pokémon series.
Being gachapon, they’re both understandably sized more towards children than adults. They both look quite nice, with the roe being translucent to let the light shine through and Piplup being nicely detailed for a capsule toy. I particularly like that the Piplup ring’s capsule looks like a Pokéball and includes the setting to hold it upright. Rather than wearing it, I’m displaying it by keeping it inside the open capsule on my shelf.
Yelling and Ice Cream
Of the final three, two are from a company called Yell. One is from a company that readers of this website will be familiar with from our game reviews – Bandai Namco.
Pictured on the left is a cat with a guitar sitting on a log. This is from a set of five capsule toys by Yell, where four cats are sitting around a campfire. The cat and log are separate pieces, with other cats coming with a camping chair and mug. It’s a nice one to sit on the end of a shelf.
In the middle is a statue from Yell’s ‘Wabi-Sabi’ set of six shrine-themed capsule toys. I’ve seen similar fox statues in Japan before, so it was a nice reminder of that. It features a bright red scarf as a highlight.
Finally on the right is a small keychain of a Parm ice cream bar from Morinaga. It’s a quite popular brand apparently. This is the one from Bandai Namco.
💍They propose with a Piplup #Pokemon ring
🤔What's your answer?
☄️Do they catch you?
[Ring from the @SugoiMart Gachapon bundle] pic.twitter.com/kElgh8QBDI
— NookGaming.com | JRPGs, Visual Novels and More💕 (@NookSite) October 23, 2022
Final Thoughts
All in all, it’s quite a variety. Lucky bags have a random aspect to them, which worked nicely here to find toys that I wouldn’t have even thought to have looked for. The crab tank was surprisingly impressive, a few were from familiar franchises, and the others are interesting finds.
If you decide to give the Gachapon Lucky Bag a try, I’d be interested to see what you get. Make sure to tag @NookSite on Twitter to let us know.
Sugoi Mart has set up a 15% off discount code for our readers: NOOKGAMING15 – this should apply to all products and not just the Gachapon Lucky Bag if you enter it at the checkout.
Many thanks go to Sugoi Mart for sending out a sample for this feature.
A gamer since the days of Amstrad and DOS and someone who has dabbled in a variety of professions. He enjoys a wide variety of genres, but has been focusing on visual novels and virtual reality in recent years. Head Editor of NookGaming. Follow him and the website on @NookSite.
