Monday, November 28, 2005

Paradise Kiss Official Merchandise

Here's an introduction on some of the Paradise Kiss merchandise coming our way soon. Well, except for the accessories which cannot be bought by non-Japan residents, the DVDs and soundtrack can be bought via online merchants.

First of all, there's the ring with the huge butterfly which appeared in Ep 7 and Vol 4 of the manga where George made this as an accessory for the fashion show. There are only 100 pieces for sale and each costs 39,900 yen (about SGD 565 according to today's exchange rate). This ring is available in 3 dimensions i.e. S (for sizes 5-7), M (for sizes 9-11) and L (for sizes 13-15). According to the description on the official website, this item is made from sterling silver and Swaroski crystals. If you encounter any problems with the size, the first adjustment will be free of charge while any subsequent adjustments will warrant a fee to be paid.

As this is a limited edition item, a poster measuring 72.5cm by 51.5cm will be given away. This poster is used for promotional purposes by the TV station and is the picture you see on the main page of the official website. As the ring will be made according to the number of orders received and it seems that the manufacturer is flooded with orders, the expected date of delivery is in the beginning of Dec but it may be delayed without notice. Although I find this item quite exquisite, I think it may be a hindrance to wear given the size of the butterfly just like how George told Yukari. As such, I would prefer getting the smaller butterfly ring which seems more suited for daily usage. The larger version is likely to be a collector's item instead of being used for practical purposes. Of course, I can't buy neither of them since the manufacturer will only ship to addresses in Japan. This really defeats the idea of online shopping which should not be restricted to the domestic market only since I'm sure many of us who are not living in Japan would be interested in this. By the way, the price is rather high so I would think twice about getting the limited edition. I guess the Swaroski crystals and sterling silver are the main reasons for pushing the price so high.

Here's the smaller ring which is manufactured in bulk and it costs 15,750 yen (about SGD 223). This first appeared in Vol 3 of the manga and looks like the one which appeared in Ep 7 too. The ring comes in 3 dimensions like the limited version and will also be shipped in Dec. There is a disclaimer on the website which says that delivery will be delayed if the number of orders exceed expectations. Personally, I feel that this is more affordable to the general public and the size of the butterfly is not a hindrance to daily activities. There's no freebie which comes with this item though. By the way, the materials of this ring is the same as the limited version but it seems that the lustre of the crystals are subdued in this version.

The last accessory in the lineup is the long butterfly earring which appears in Vol 4 of the manga. I vaguely remember that this did appear somewhere in the anime but I may have remembered it wrongly though. It is sold as a single item at 10,290 yen (SGD 146) but you can choose to buy 2 units and wear it as a pair too. Same conditions apply as the normal version ring and this is also made from the same materials. This looks more outstanding as a single item to me because the uniqueness of the earring will not be emphasized if it's in a pair. Of course, wearing it on its own would require suitable clothing since this seems to suit the classy or stylish image. Casual streetwear may not bring out the elegance of this accessory. No matter how much I may fantasize about how to wear these accessories, I still can't lay my hands on them which is really a pity. I might have to seriously consider signing up for Vpost Japan to get such items which can only be shipped to Japanese addresses. I think I'm probably going to give up these items since there are a number of DVD releases over the next 3 months which is going to burn a big hole in my pocket like the Hagaren limited DVD Box in Jan, ParaKiss Act 1 limited Box also in the next month, Hachikuro's Vol 5 & 7 to be shipped in Feb and ParaKiss Act 2's limited box in Feb. However, if I could buy these accessories, I might buy the small ring only since I don't like to use earrings and the big ring is too busy and bulky for my liking.

Next is the ParaKiss Act 1 limited edition DVD box which consists of 2 discs with 4 episodes and special footage. There are also original illustrations from Yazawa Ai and a specially-made booklet. Last but not least, there's a cossage produced by A/T. In the picture, it's blue in colour but I'm not sure whether this is standardised for all or there will be different colours in each box. It costs 7980 yen which is inclusive of tax but when you purchase via online merchants, I believe most if not all will deduct the tax component since this is not applicable to people not residing in Japan. For me, I ordered this from Amazon Japan where after the existing 20% discount and deducting the tax, the total charge is actually 7780 yen inclusive of the shipping costs.

As for the normal edition, it does not have any of the premiums and costs 3990 yen which is about half of the price for the limited edition. There's only one disc containing 4 episodes so that's why the price is so much lesser than the first press. However, when I made the decision to buy the limited edition, I guess I was very tempted by the premiums so I made the plunge to buy the more expensive item. Of course, this doesn't apply to every J-ent related item I buy. The premiums offered have to attract me strongly enough so that I am prepared to accept the price difference.

Last but not least, there's the soundtrack to be released on 21 Dec which consists of 2 CDs. According to the official website, the music included is up to Ep 4 of the anime. However, without more information on this item's track listing or any premiums it offers, I'm apprehensive about whether I should buy this since this costs 3590 yen inclusive of tax.

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