*update : added more photos from Nakano Broadway and each photo is clickable to inspect at higher resolution.

There are plenty of guides on the Internet, but have they been updated?  Akiba has changed again, not to mention Nakano Broadway.  Here’s your Mandarake update for 2019!

Video which briefly summarises what’s written below.

Mandarake started as a bookstore, and while it has expanded into vintage figures, dolls, and merchandise, printed material remains its main activity, being the 2nd biggest comic retailer in the world (Japan Company Handbook 2019).

Nakano Broadway

This is where Mandarake actually began, as a used manga store, and they have swiftly moved to acquire a ton of space.  Head inside the shopping mall and keep going till you see the escalators or stairs to go up.  You’ll probably stumble across Robot Robot and a few other shops.  However, where there used to be independent shops, now we can see the red label of Mandarake pretty much everywhere. This is Mandarake territory.

Leave the station, walk over the courtyard, and go straight into the mall. Keep going till you see the escalators and then go up.

On the upper floors you’ll find more vintage stuff like posters and art books.

I think this is their mascot girl but not sure.

You might even be lucky to find a cel from one of your favourite animes….

Dolls also have a market, and Mandarake deals in that too.

Western toys have increased in value even though they should be more accessible… still if you have something rare you could sell it here (but you’ll need a Japanese friend to do it).

The Vintage collection is pretty crazy!

Of course their manga and books section takes a fair bit of space, but the figurine shops are much greater in total.

 

Notice the price of Breakers. 400K Yen, that’s about 4000 USD……. well, can’t find it on eBay to compare, but if Mandarake sets the price, others will follow. And if other carts can’t be found, it justifies the hike.

Even Windjammers has a good price!

Update: remember we said Nakano Broadway is Mandarake territory? We had no idea how much this is true. They have a video where you can see how many stores they have now.

Akihabara

Of course Mandarake are in Akiba too.

The owners didn’t sit around and one of the first tower stores I remember was Mandarake’s in Akiba.  Of course Liberty had their own, but the darkness and cramped conditions, not to mention the prices found on Mandarke’s towering 8 floors, left their mark.

  1. Ground Floor and collection
  2. Gallery
  3. Comics
  4. Men’s echhi stuff
  5. Women’s BL etc
  6. Games
  7. Card Games and some toys they couldn’t fit on the floor above
  8. Figures of games and anime

The Manga collection also contains posters and special editions with any merchandise that came with them. Definitely worth a look.

Apparently Mandarake is the no2 biggest supplier of 2nd hand comics in the world.

That Cowboy Beepop SwordFish looking so nice.  Here it’s 10k which is about 85 euros. On Ebay it’s about 120! Can’t tell you if there’s any damage though. Remember unless marked clearly, everything here is 2nd hand.

SMT Alice is the rarest drop of the gacha packs. Here it’s 9800 yen…. Thinking again, I think the price has remained stable… and may go up.  You may notice the Figma P3 protag is much higher here, the other Figuarts figure (below) may have parts missing or in worse condition…. or just not seen as comparable… Figmas are not really my favourite but if you like poseable figures, it’s the best choice.

Notice one version of Skywarp is twice the price, again, the other may be damage or missing parts, or be a later production run (the first run is more rare of course)! Beware of cheap prices!

This edition of Grimlock is amazing as it’s based on the Western comics.  Did the Japanese readers even follow these comics?  Grimlock had 2 production runs… so the first run will be more expensive. One issue of the 2nd run was spotted on eBay for 234 euros. Here it’s 170… Well… considering the price of a flight to Tokyo… On the other hand Mandarake has an English language shop and now ships worldwide.

Stores are trying to group their stock by title, it’s less of a hell to find things now.  I really appreciate stores that do this.  Mandrake used to have stuff grouped by genre and it was a veritable Jungle to cut through, now it’s much better.

Unboxed figures are always cheaper and you can find bargains in great condition.

I would not recommend buying mainstream current figures at Mandarake. You can get better prices at Rashinban or the other stores in Radio Kaikan or Mulan.  You go to Mandarake for the great selection of vintage items.  Don’t know if their online stock includes the shop floor.

Sunstorm!? I’m lost.  This edition with the cloak runs for around the same price on eBay… but do you trust eBay listings to have genuine items?  In my experience, there are too many fake items on eBay.

They made a nemesis Rodimus eh, would love to read the story on that. Not.  But check out that Predaking. How awesome is that!

Street Fighter X Transformers.  Transformers has adapted the Hello Kitty business model. Anything goes…. Ghostbusters, Evangelion, you name it…..

Good luck trying to fit these in your suitcase…. Look how big they are!!

I think that’s the mechanised Dominator gun from Psycho Pass. There is a cheaper version that doesn’t automate modes…. but why would you want that?

RIP Stan.

Mandarake has a vintage collection of mecha including some bootlegs, which are so well made, they just have to be accepted.

On the lower floors, check out the books collection, some real gems, limited editions with their included merchandise such as figures or posters etc…!

1,800 is good price actually, but technically this is a used item (but it’s not), you could find that price for a “new” condition one if you shopped around.

Over at Nakano Broadway, the classics are perhaps more likely to be in stock. Remember that Mandarake started at this location.

ebay is flooded with fake Figma Iori Yagami for cheap. Don’t be surprised when the mould looks like crap.  You should be paying 50 euros minimum now.

Mandarake also stocks some “ecchi” items and has a floor dedicated to “men’s” interests…

At the end of the aisles you can find “junk” or just little items at ‘cheap’ prices.  You’ll find bagged goods here too.

Bridget for 1000? That’s too cheap for h- oh wait, that’s 10,000….

The bike! THAT BIKE!

Note that we couldn’t find the Ikebukuro store this year…

So all in all, Mandarake is still a great store to check out, but some of those prices are still crazy. I’d put it on the end of your shopping trip, and go with the aim of finding something vintage. For newer, mainstream current items, go to Ranshinban or Jungle.

Couple of pics from 2014 

Back to the Japan Gamer Guide!

Mandarake has an English language shop and now ships worldwide.

They have twitter too!