In which everything, furoku and magazine, come together as cool and smooth as ice cream.
It’s an almost horrifyingly wonderful time to be a fan of cute things from Japan right now, as several characters are doing their best to wring every penny I own from me. At the same time, though, this makes each issue of magazines like Chara Parfait (related to Hand Made Parfait, which we talked about a while back, and others) extra packed with amazingness. So let’s talk about the Sept-Oct issue!
I am so enamored with the Tapioca Park theme for Sumikko Gurashi it’s alarming. The pastel colors are just so soothing, and I love every single picture of Tonkatsu with his two fried foster kiddos, Ebi Furai no Shippo and Aji Furai no Shippo. You can’t tell me there’s a better Meat Dad.
It’s not just Tapioca Park for Sumikko either — there’s also the Penguin Ice Cream theme, which will carry through to the cute little furoku we’ll get to shortly.
I had to include the following because Neko’s abject gluttony in this is so darling. I can just hear them asking Tonkatsu if he’s going to finish that….when poor Tonkatsu hasn’t barely started…
I wouldn’t recommend giving Shima Enaga a stick, watermelons or no, but nonetheless I’m always glad to see Koupen-chan:
I don’t know much about this character Nekoron, whose name combines neko (cat) with macaron. Apparently this little kitten is kind, hard working, and likes to listen to people. So there’s that.
More Rilakkuma in the dinosaur theme. I could handle it if it were just the Rilakkuma characters in dinosaur suits, but those tiny dinosaurs on the right page are just too. Freaking. Irresistible.
As with Jinbee-san and the combination of tiny purple penguins and a sea of stars:
I was extra delighted by these new characters, Nyakko (the name combines the nya sound a cat makes with rakko, sea otter). Their long tails make for some cute snuggling!
Honestly, I don’t remember if I kept my previous promise to Hoppe-chan not to skip her when I got to her in the next magazine review or not. But either way, King and Queen Hoppe-chan make me smile.
Let’s move on to furoku! There are two main draws here. The first is a handheld Sumikko Gurashi fan in the shape of a popsicle. With the included stickers, you can decorate it in the Penguin Ice Cream Theme.
Maybe it was that these stickers were of dramatically better quality than those in that accursed Umikko House, or maybe it was that this fan is surprisingly powerful and refreshing in the current icky heat, but I quite like this. For some reason my office is extra warm in the early morning, and bringing this in helped.
The other main furoku is this Animal Crossing guidebook, with character profiles, customization tips, and activities.
Nice, right? Overall, with a price of less than eight dollars, it’s hard not to love this one. I’m more than happy I let this magazine tag along on my latest CD Japan order!
hello somebunny 
This looks so cute!!! 😍
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