Interest
Haruhi Exoskeleton Mecha Toy, Yuki Coffee for Sale
posted on by Egan Loo
The toy maker Bandai is now taking pre-orders for a Haruhi Suzumiya figure with a mecha exoskeleton toy that will ship next February. Popular mechanical designer Hajime Katoki (Gundam 0083, Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz, Super Robot Wars Original Generation, Virtual On) had originally drawn an illustration of the "Haruhi-taichō Senyōki Zenryōiki Hanyō Hitogata Kessen Gaikokkaku" for the third official Haruhi Suzumiya comic anthology book last year. Bandai first revealed the figure at its Tamashii Nation event on September 30, but did not give price or other details then.
The exoskeleton's name is a mishmash of various words used in technical specifications for anime mecha, and it roughly means "Commander Haruhi's Personal All-Regime General-Purpose Humanoid Final-Battle Exoskeleton." Bandai's Composite Ver. Ka figure line features various mecha that Katoki designed — or redesigned for the toy series — such as the Virual On games' Temjin or the Code Geass anime's Lancelot. The suggested retail price for the new figure is 5,040 yen (about US$62), although Composite Ver. Ka figures are often available at a discount.
In a separate development, the food maker Pokka Corporation will begin selling "Yuki Nagato's Coffee" in Japan in Japan on December 18. The canned drink is the second one that Pokka is offering in collaboration with Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Newtype magazine to mark the publication's 25th anniversary. The first was "Haruhi Suzumiya's Fruit Juice" in July. Each coffee can will cost 200 yen (US$2.50), and there are three different illustrations. The Chara-ani site's online store is offering a pack of 30 cans with a bonus telephone card for 5,800 yen (US$72).
Bandai Entertainment licensed the various anime related to Nagaru Tanigawa and Noizi Ito's The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya light novel in North America, while Yen Press is releasing the manga spinoffs. Little, Brown Books for Young Readers is publishing the original Haruhi Suzumiya light novels in English.
[Via Temple Knights, Walker Plus]
Images © 2009 Nagaru Tanigawa, Noizi Ito/SOS Brigade
