Books for Looking

A hefty book full of frilly dresses and glittering eyes! Aside from the beautiful artwork, the book itself is very nicely designed. Much of the Japanese text, including an interview, is accompanied by an English translation.

A collection of sketches that seems to have originally been a backer gift for a Kickstarter campaign for the animated series. I actually preordered this at a convention to get signed by whoever was there representing Trigger, but not a single staff or volunteer member I asked could tell me where the autograph station was. By the time I found it, the line was way too long and I would've spent my whole con waiting, so I ended up not getting it signed.

The cutoff year actually seems to be 2000 (as it includes Ojamajo Doremi Sharp), so most of the magical girls of my childhood are exlcuded. It doesn't personally doesn't tickle my nostalgia but it's interesting to see how toys and “weapons” change over time, often in accordance with familiar technology.

A collection of stationery, home goods, accessories and toys marketed to girls in the 80's. There is a focus on character goods, so naturally Sanrio is featured prominently. But there many characters by several companies doing well for themselves at the time. For example, Tama and Friends (Sony) and Headstrong Moon (Kokuyo). Cute bandaid designs also seem to have been popular.

A selection of stand-out toys and products aimed at younger girls with written explanations about them. It's pretty similar to Yukacinnamon's books, but more about specific instances than abundant examples. There's much more pose dolls and Macoto goods as well.

A collection of products and advertisements that feel a little outdated today, but are indeed girly. They're sorted into four different sections and aren't all necessarily centered around being cute, but it's a welcome departure from the sterility of design seen today.

A collection of wrapping paper, origami, and fabric with repeated print patterns from the Showa era. It's fun to see the motifs and colors schemes that were common in this era, and a glimpse at the printing techniques.

A really wonderful collection of chiyogami and kimono patterns reproduced as stationery design by Yonagadou. It really is just a bunch of beautiful prints. This book includes English alongside Japanese text, so if you can find a copy, I highly recommend it!

Big catalog of pretty much everything Sanrio was doing in the 70s and 80s. It's interesting to see the big debut of characters who managed to hold on to popularity, and others that faded into obscurity. Marron Cream (my favorite) is a case of the latter, but since her revival around 2017 or so, she really hasn't changed much! My Melody, on the other hand, is quite different!

A continuation of the above, covering the next two decades. This is the era of kawaii character goods I'm of course more familiar with. They were really trying all sorts of things, including introducting more characters that might appeal to boys. I'm still not sure who Sanrio Danshi was for though...

Toys, character good, influential media, and even snacks! You really get a sense of “these are the cute things everyone had or wanted to have.” The highlights appear in Yukacinnamon's other books as well, but this one is truly everything all in one place.

Booklet released to accompany NU:Carnival's first live show (I attended virtually). Includes recaps of all of the first year's events, a gallery of Eiden's costumes, and an interview with the staff. No nudity, implied or otherwise.

A single standing illustration, head in front and profile illustrations, puppet counterpart, and commentary for each character that appeared in the first season of Thunderbolt Fantasy. The puppets tend to be more elaborate and the girls are more modestly dressed, which is an improvement.

Some illustrations of the main characters, photos of the puppets that appeared in the final season, stills from the episodes, and a little behind-the-scenes.