Ack! Has it really been a month? Time sure flies when you're on vacation! Sorry for the delay everyone, life's hectic and I'm no exception! But enough about me, you want to hear about another toy from my bin, right? Sure hope so!
This week we're going to look at the forgotten toys from the Stars Series. The Sailor Stars FOOD items. Which, also included a nifty cash register, if anyone's interested..
What it looks like: Well, aside from the typical pink packaging in a gashapon sized box, we actually get to see Usagi and the Starlights in DIFFERENT attire!!! We have the all popular Seiya dressed as a master chef, and Taiki and Yaten as what would appear to be waiters, and finally, our beloved Usagi as an adorable waitress, armed with a dish of food in hand (isn't that dangerous for Usagi?! Especially with a SUNDAE on the platter!). Of course, on the front, we also have the official BANDAI logo, the "Sailor Stars" logo, as well as a nifty picture of all the items offered in this series.
Each side of the box, as 2-3 "menu" items. #1 being a scoop of ice cream, complete with stickers on top, and an ice cream scooper (dish included), #2 being a fried egg with pan and spatula, #3 being (my best guess) Flan or Jello, complete with a flag to stick at the top of it (usagi's face on it), stickers, plate to put it on, and molded top, #4 being an apple that has been cut in half, that sticks together with velcro, a knife, and a plate (so you can cut it in half for all your friends!), and finally #5 is a piece of cake, once again, giving that same appearance as the apple, to be cut in half, complete with plate and knife.
Our back of the box, consists of the usual information (choking hazard), along with other items you might want to collect, to make your own restaurant. A scanner with what appears to be a menu, some kind of ordering calculator, a cash register, and a portable phone. Of course, lovely Usagi is modeling herself with a phone in hand, and that plate of a burger and coffee in the other. And the top of the box you ask? Of course has Usagi once more, smiling merrily for everyone. The number of the item is clearly seen at the top, along with a basic label.
What does it do: Aside from give you hours of total fun? Nothing. There really isn't anything spectacular about this set. It's your basic average food set, that you'd find in a dollar store, or maybe even your local Wal*Mart for kids to play with. And at 200 Yen (which is roughly a bit less than $2.00) each set, you're better off buying those! The set's are pretty flimsy, and everything seems to come apart really easily. The velcro on the apple for example, is VERY small, and surely doesn't keep it together long. Along with this, the stickers and velcro seem to come off in time (which is likely a gimmie). The food is nice enough to be small to fit into a gashapon sized box (somewhat on the large side), but aside from just being adorable, I truly fail to see how any of this relates to the Stars Season.
Overall this really isn't anything spectacular. The idea that this came from Bandai floors me, as typically this company likes to come out with items relatively insync with what's going on in the show (I could see this going well with the Tokyo Mew Mew crowd). The items are pretty simple, and there's nothing really entertaining about them (unless you enjoy playing pretend?). As far as being a collectable? It's probably on the LOW end of the totem pole. Most try and collect items that can be easily recognized as "Sailor Moon" items. Where as, if the items were out of the box, one wouldn't even KNOW these came from Sailor Moon.
My daughter and I give this a 3 out of 10. My lowest rating EVER. If you're looking to collect items that are slightly on the rare side, this is likely for you. I've personally only seen this item maybe twice in all the time I've been collecting. I wouldn't buy this item without the box however, and in somewhat mint condition. It's really a waste otherwise. If you enjoy collecting the Sailor Moon Stars (and other season) items that have nothing to do with the show, then this is just the cream of the crop for you! (As I see the register on ebay all the time) It's a cute little addition to any collection, but definitely not a must right now. Again, it IS a rare item (rare meaning, hard to find..) there's no doubt about that. But certainly not worth more than $5.00 a set ($25 at most for all 5) in MINT condition.
Next week, we're going to take a look at some more Sailor Moon items. This time we're going to look at the PGSM Shogakukan books VS. the Kodansha books.
Thanks again!
This update is brough to you by YesAsia. Grab the Sailor Stars and Live Action DVDs before they're gone!
