Reviewed by
Mary
I have to tell you right now, I knew virtually nothing about Dragon Ball. All I knew was that it’s manga/anime (which is blindingly obvious). Of course, after writing and researching this review I know a little more, but nonetheless, it’s pretty limited. So this review is written from a point of virtual ignorance, though I will endeavor to be as thorough as possible!
It is always lovely when a Lootaku box arrives, because they are generally so damn good, even if the theme isn’t totally my cup of tea. When I opened it up and saw from the first item what the theme was (don’t worry, I’ll get to the details) I asked my husband “honey, what do you know about Dragon Ball?”
His answer was “It’s’one of the most famous and popular manga and anime series ever.” So there you go.
On with the show.
The Lootaku box is always the same (so far), and it’s terrific. It looks like a treasure chest. It’s sturdy, well sealed and protected, which is a good thing considering how far it’s travelled.
The Fragile sticker was a little indication it might contain something fragile (brilliant deduction huh?) and the bubblewrap seemed to confirm this. Generally fragile means a mug, but we shall see. First of all, though, that thing on the right looks like a cap…
And it is! I’m so cool huh? Check out the back:
Even cooler. Down wid da kidz. I’m not sure it’s going to make its way into my regular wardrobe, but it’s good quality and adjustable. The box menu (you’ll see that later) explains the symbols, and the picture quality should be good enough for you to read it.
Next up, off with the bubblewrap
I was right, it’s a mug. And not only that, it’s one of those colour change mugs. Here’s the other side:
I didn’t put a hot drink in to it, but you can see from the box how it changes. Ideal for drinking your morning tea while reading/watching your favourite manga/anime.
This figure is pretty nice. OK, I’m not about to put it on my mantel or anything, but it’s very well made, beautiful details (those hair spikes are damn sharp) and would be an excellent addition to anyone’s anime figurine collection. Plus he’d be great motivation to do those daily ab crunches.
On to the little stuff.
This one one of those mystery figures, where you don’t know which one you get until you open the little bag in the box. This little guy is called Piccolo, and he’s from Dragon Ball Z. He’s a cutie here, but looks way scarier in the actual series. Though that’s generally the thing with the little POP figures, even the most sinister character is all rounded edges and big eyes.
Another little figure, this time with poseable arms and legs. It’s called a 66 action figure because it’s 66mm tall. There ya go. I didn’t open the box of this one for some reason, but it’s Trunks.
And finally…
It’s a keyring. This one has two stars, but my meticulous research informs me that there can be any number from one to eight. It’s nice, as keyrings go, but it’s a little bulky, and probably wouldn’t fit too well in your pocket.
Here’s the menu. You should be able to see the blurb. As always, it’s excellently detailed, and at the bottom of the box, so no spoilers!
VALUE
(Some of this will be a repeat of things I’ve put in previous reviews)
As well as useful info, the menu also contains the estimated value of the contents, and once again I shall do a UK conversion. Conversion rates are as of the day of writing. As usual, I use Auntie Google to find the bits and pieces. Amazon is frequently the best value, but if an item is priced elsewhere I’ll say so. Prices are of the day of writing this review, and I’ll include P+P where appropriate.
Prices and values on the menu are given in Hong Kong dollars with approximate US dollar equivalents. A one month subscription is $380HKD/$49USD. According to my currency converter this is £37.37. There are two shipping options, approx. £12.76* for 7 – 14 days or £26.05* for 2 – 5 days. Personally I think this is a little steep, but then HK is a long way away.
*All Lootaku subscriptions are currently marked as Sold Out on its website, so I can’t get up to date shipping prices. Those above are from a previous review, during which time the exchange rate has changed slightly. So I will use the amounts above, although today’s prices will be slightly different, but not significantly so.
Total: £50.03 (7 – 14 day shipping)
Baseball Cap: £11.74 (This was really tricky. I could only find this exact cap in one place, prices at $20. However according to the menu it’s worth $15, so I’ve converted accordingly)
Mug: £12.96 (Amazon) I couldn’t find the exact same one anywhere, and according to the menu it’s an exclusive item, so I’m going to go with their value ($17) again.
Master Stars Piece Gotenks (Big Figure): £17.50 (Amazon)
Minifigure: £6.99
Poseable figure: £6.99 (Amazon)
Keyring: £2.25 (This was hard to find. There were a few sets of seven out there, but I finally found singles at $2.95 with free shipping)
Total value: £58.43
CONCLUSION
As I said at the start of this review, I don’t know much about this theme. Manga and anime aren’t really my thing, so while I was impressed with the contents, they didn’t speak to my personal geekdom. That being said, this is a great box. There’s a good variety of stuff, practical as well as fun, and there’s clearly a lot of thought put in to these. One thing I especially like about the Lootaku boxes is that they never contain any items that were clearly promotional freebies (I’m looking at you Loot Crate).
I also love that Lootaku themes are very clear. One could argue they’re limited to a particular world/character, but I like the fact that they’re specific. So much better than a menu- and theme-free box full of random stuff that was picked because it would fit in the box (I’m looking at you My Geek Box).
As to value, in monetary terms you’re certainly up, but the difference in value to price paid isn’t quite as high as usual. That being said, at least a couple of these items are pretty hard to track down – you can’t just hop on over to Amazon and scoop up the lot – so that’s worth something in itself.
Another great box from Lootaku!
