I think I’ve really developed a stationery habit in 2021. I’m not complaining, as it gives me lots of cute items to use both in every day life and when I’m working on my journal! I love the practicality of having stationery subscription boxes, and I’m finding I’m getting much more out of them than the regular subscription boxes I was getting, so I’ve continued!
In February I got a few smaller subscription boxes via Etsy, which I didn’t do posts on, but I also got an Inku Crate as I have done in previous months. It was a little smaller than ones I’ve had before, but still jam-packed with cute goodies!
First up, I got this pencil case with Taa-chan on, who I believe is an established character (I’m actually not a cat person at all, so I don’t generally check out many cat characters, sorry everyone!). A pencil case was definitely needed, what with all the pens I’ve been getting in these sub boxes! Speaking of, I also got a Pokémon pen which I’ve already used in my bullet journalling! I also got a pencil that made me very nostalgic – it’s one of the ones that you take out from the bottom and then put in the top to change the colour you’re using. A rubbish explanation but I hope you know what I mean!
Next, the most adorable mini memo pads which came with their own pouches. It says they’re pocket sized – I’m not sure I can think of a situation I’d be in where I need to carry memo pads in my pocket, but you never know!
I also got a Sumikko Gurashi paper pad and a gluestick – again, both perfect for bullet journalling! I’m going to use the paper for a theme for a future month as it arrived a little too late for me to use for this month, but I’m thinking of cute ideas I can implement when I use them!
Finally, I got these stickers! They’re all chocolate themed, and were supposed to be for Valentine’s day, but that’s obviously been and gone now. They’re still really cute, and aren’t overly themed so it’s no big deal they weren’t here in time for Valentine’s.
A pretty decent haul, I think you’ll agree! What was your favourite item in this month’s Inku Crate?
The first thing that struck me when I opened up my mystery box was how many things were in the box. I could immediately tell that the items were easily worth over how much I spent on the box, which is always a good thing. It was also really colourful and had a big visual impact as soon as I opened it, and I could instantly see some items that looked really exciting! Let’s get into it.
First up, some really cute pens! I love the design on them. The ones on the right have a highlighter end and a fine felt-tip pen end. They’re actually a lot darker in tone than the pastel outside would let you believe, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as I have plenty of pastel pens as it is! The pens on the left are blue fine-liners, and so cute!
Next I got some stickers! The ones on the left came with a couple of pencils too, and are all cat themed and very cute. The right hand ones are Molang, which isn’t something I really know too well, but I also got some Molang stickers in my last box from ISpyKawaiiSupplies, and I thought the characters were really cute then and I still do! As I said before, I really love getting stickers so I can jazz up my bullet journal!
I also got a Sumikko Gurashi PVC wallet file. At first I wasn’t totally sure what to do with it, but I realised it’s the perfect size for a pencil case! Again, I’m not too familiar with Sumikko Gurashi, but I seem to get something in every subscription box I get so I should probably get into it more!
I’m getting quite the collection of sticky notes! I got these two in my box this time. I love the shiba one, I have used it already for some work reminders that I have stuck up on my desk and every time I look at it I smile, he’s just so cute! I actually just did a quick online search for the pack on the left, and I found out that sadly it is counterfeit art stolen from a Korean artist, so it’s a little disappointing that it’s in the box, but I will give the benefit of the doubt and assume that the seller didn’t know. The original artist is Studio Dalgona, and here is 
To end on a much lighter note, my two favourite items in the box! The item on the left, believe it or not, is a Pikachu themed pair of scissors! They’re just so cool, I’m amazed by them. You pull the top half off, and then the actual scissor mechanism is spring loaded. I’ve used them at every available opportunity this weekend. On the right is some My Neighbor Totoro washi tape, which is something I use a lot of for journalling, so I’m very happy to have it.
We’ll kick off with my new anime additions. If you remember back to the 
I started the year by playing a lot of Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla, and it reignited an interest in mythology within me. I wanted to read more about Norse mythology so my knowledge wasn’t just formed from Valhalla and Marvel movies. I also bought a book on Japanese folk tales, which was on my Christmas list but actually became really difficult to buy around that time for some reason, but I managed to get my copy on eBay for pretty cheap!
And finally (I know!) rounding off the post with some manga. I bought the latest volume of My Dress Up Darling despite still not having read the previous volume. I wrote a quick review of the 
I saw an advert for Blippo Kawaii Shop, and thought it would be a really cute idea to get a fukubukuro this year. A fukubukuro, for those that don’t know, is a Japanese New Year’s custom of filling up lucky bags with leftover stock and selling them at a big discount. Mine was actually fairly cheap, approximately £19 including shipping. Initially I wanted either the ‘Kawaii Stationery Bag’ or the ‘Kawaii Sticker Bag’, but annoyingly both of those were sold out when I placed my order, so I opted for the ‘Kawaii Mixed Bag’ instead. I’m still not sure how I feel about the bag overall, but here’s what I got…
I also got a lot of stationery, which I’m really happy about! In my last unboxing post I mentioned that I wanted more practical items out of these boxes, so that box is definitely ticked! I got some sticky notes in the shape of a little bottle (not sure what, I could make an effort and translate the writing, but I’m not that bothered!), a pen, a lipstick shaped rubber (eraser for you over the pond), and some Disney stickers. I’m sure I’ll get plenty of use out of all of these items! The only one I’m less certain of is the transport themed stickers, as they’re not really my aesthetic, but you never know!
I then got a few items which just baffled me. These were a clip in hair extension with bright pink hair, a set of mesh clip-in hair bows, and an iPhone case for a model so old I’m not even sure what it is. I’m pretty certain I’m too old to pull off the hair accessories, and I don’t know anyone with the model of phone that the case would fit, so sad to say, all of these items went into the bin.
Finally, I have the larger items. First up, a Hello Kitty notebook. Hello Kitty is dressed like a cow, because it’s the Year of the Ox! At first I was totally baffled by it, but when I realised, it all made sense! I also got a daruma doll sticky note set, which are always useful for putting little reminders on! There’s also the cutest little rubber (eraser!) set, which is fairy tale themed – mine are Alice in Wonderland, which is just perfect for me as I’m not really a traditional fairy tale kind of person. Last up is a clear file decorated with Japanese New Year iconography. I use these clear files all the time to store documents!
My final set of anime merch this month was this Ouran High School Host Club mirror and pass case. Both are such amazing quality and feature my favourite host, Mori! The mirror is a really decent size – small enough to keep in a handbag, but big enough to be a good sized mirror. When I can eventually leave the house again, I’ll use the pass case for travel tickets and stuff like that! I really love the art on both of these items, and the photo definitely doesn’t do them justice.
I can’t seem to make it through a month without buying a game, so this month’s addition to my ever growing collection was Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla. I haven’t played an Assassin’s Creed game in a really long time, but I’ve heard a lot of really good things about the latest installments to the franchise, so I thought I’d delve back in. I’m looking forward to some quality time with my PS5 too! I feel like I haven’t got much mileage out of it lately!
Finally, as ever, we round off with some manga. Not a lot this month, just the latest published volumes Haikyuu!! and given. I’m getting very close to having a full Haikyuu!! collection, which is kind of exciting but also sad. At least I’ll have the anime to keep me going for a while!
Let’s get it out of the way – first up in the mystery box was King’s Game. This is the only one of the five that I’ve actually seen (technically I haven’t watched Roar of Awakening, but I have watched season 2 of Attack on Titan). I actually started it when it was airing, and stopped watching because I didn’t like it much. I then got fed up of it being incomplete on my AniList, so I finished it off earlier this year for Anime August. I still didn’t like it much (I gave it a 5/10 when I rated it), but against my judgements I will keep the bluray as I might give it a second chance later down the line – perhaps the disjointed way I watched it didn’t help with my overall dislike of the show.
Next up, as mentioned above, was Attack on Titan: Roar of Awakening. For those who don’t know, this is a recap movie retelling the ‘Clash of the Titans’ story arc in season 2. I’ve seen season 2 of Attack on Titan, albeit a long time ago when it aired, and I don’t have any of the other seasons or recap movies in my collection. If there’s anything I hate, it’s an incomplete collection, so I kind of feel obliged to fill in the rest of the collection if I end up selling Roar of Awakening on.
Speaking of preorders, my copy of Ride Your Wave also arrived. I first saw Ride Your Wave when it was showed at Scotland Loves Anime last year, and it was my favourite film of the whole festival. I’m so excited to watch it over and over again, it’s definitely up there in my favourite anime movies list.
Last but not least, I got these Sumikko Gurashi chopsticks – I’m also amassing quite the chopstick collection! Luckily I’m not too bad with a pair, so now I just need to learn some Japanese recipes to put them to use!
My first lot of manga was me continuing existing collections. I bought all three copies I had left to get of That Wolf-Boy Is Mine, but only two arrived in September. Typical. I also bought volume 40 of Haikyuu!!, which is kind of bittersweet because it means that there are only 5 volumes left, boo! I also bought the next volume of My Dress Up Darling because I really enjoyed the first volume (review to come!).
As is customary, I also bought a lot of BL this month. In fact, I might have got carried away. My problem with having incomplete collections once again reared its ugly head and I felt compelled to buy all the volumes of Don’t Be Cruel that I didn’t already have, as well as The Cornered Mouse Dreams of Cheese and The Carp On The Chopping Block Jumps Twice (collection complete), and the new volume of given. 
I bought a couple of blu-ray this month to add to the collection too. Firstly, Weathering With You, which I got to see at Scotland Loves Anime last year and I already know that I love, and secondly Bartender, that I’ve never seen before, but the concept seemed interesting and the special edition looked really cool.
Finally for this month, I bought some games! I was recommended Nelke and The Legendary Alchemist as I wanted something that was like a world building simulation. I haven’t started it yet, but I’m excited to! I also bought 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, which I also haven’t started, but I’ve heard nothing but good things about it!
Culture Shack 