Loot Anime - October, 2016 - Delicious

Hey, everybody! I am super excited today because I just received my Loot Anime box. Now, before you go thinking I somehow got my hands on some kind of early release November crate, I have to point out that I live in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Up here in the Great White North, we get our crates late. So, this entry is for the October Loot Anime box. Aw, don't feel bad for us poor Canadians. We're used to getting everything late. LOL Anyway, here's the latest unboxing and review video for my Loot Anime box.

I hope you enjoyed that. Now, it's time for the written part of this blog, and we'll begin with the usual photo of the box with everything in it. ^_~

In case some of you haven't heard of Loot Crate, it’s a monthly subscription box that caters to "nerds" and "geeks". Each month, subscribers get a box of items that match the announced theme. Loot Anime is the Japanese animation and comics spin-off version of Loot Crate. Like its parent program, Loot Anime has different subscription options. Here's a breakdown with shipping to Canada included:

1 Month Plan - $34.95 USD / $47.00 CAD per month

3 Month Plan - $101.85 USD / $138.00 CAD per 3 months

6 Month Plan - $197.70 USD / $268.00 CAD per 6 months

1 Year Plan - $383.40 / $519.00 CAD per year (includes free bonus T-Shirt)

If you've seen the pricing for Loot Crate, you will notice that Loot Anime is more expensive. Plus, the conversion to Canadian Dollars is pretty painful due to the weak dollar at the moment. One can only hope the items are still worth the price tag.

OCTOBER, 2016 - DELICIOUS

I have only ever subscribed to Loot Anime for one month and it was mainly to get an idea what it was like. So, what drew me back to it for yet another month? The theme! I love food. I post tons of food photos on Instagram. I eat a lot. (I also have to work out a lot to work off all those calories. LOL) So, when I saw the food theme for Loot Anime, I just had to subscribe and then cancel once again! So, did the box live up to my expectations? Let's find out! For starters, here's a list of items in the box with approximate Canadian prices:

- Loot Anime Poster ($3.50 CAD)

- Loot Anime Phone Charm ($4.50 CAD)

- Naruto Ramen Bowl ($10.50 CAD)

- Sweetness & Lightning #1 ($15.00 CAD)

- Food Wars! Apron ($16.00 CAD)

- Himouto! Umaru-chan Figure ($7.00 CAD)

- Gudetama Plushie ($10.00 CAD)

Loot Anime Custom Box

This Loot Anime custom box design features food and utensils, which are quite fitting for the theme. It's simple, but fun and effective.

Loot Anime Poster

Instead of getting a mini magazine like in a Loot Crate or Loot Gaming box, Loot Anime subscribers get a poster with great art on the front and item descriptions on the back. I think this girl in a dessert cafe design is wonderful and would represent me quite well if it featured a boy instead. :)

Loot Anime Phone Charm

Another place Loot Anime deviates from the standard Crate format is with this phone charm, which takes the place of the Loot Crate pin. On its own, the ice cream sundae design is already a winner. With a little metal spoon, this phone charm reaches "epic" level.

Naruto Ramen Bowl

I'm a pretty big fan of "Naruto" and this bowl is the perfect food-themed product for that series. I love the design! My only criticisms are that it can't go in the microwave or the dishwasher... WHAT?!

Sweetness & Lightning #1

It's always wonderful to receive the first issue of a comic I've never heard of. The art in "Sweetness & Lightning" looks fantastic, so I'm pretty excited to start into this manga.

Food Wars! Apron

I have never heard of "Food Wars!", but this apron is super cute and probably going to end up being used by Jess while cooking. Great item!

Himouto! Umaru-chan Figure

This adorable little collectible figure is from yet another Anime series I've never heard of. This won't stop me from displaying the figure, though. It's so cute! <3

Gudetama Plushie

Gudetama rocks my world and this little plushie is so perfect that I can't look at it for more than 3 seconds before squealing in delight like a little schoolgirl. This is by far my favourite item in this crate. Love love LOVE!

OVERVIEW

I can't compliment this Loot Anime box enough. The theming is on point, the items are fantastic, the value is great, and I can't stop hugging that Gudetama Plushie, making it very difficult to type this entry. This is what a themed nerdy Anime box should be like every single month and I can't recommend Loot Anime enough.

If you're interested in learning more about Loot Anime and Loot Crate, please check out their web site HERE. If you decide to subscribe, use discount code SAVE10 to keep some dollars in your bank account.

Thank you for reading and watching. Stay tuned for more In Box coming soon!

~ Mike

Loot Anime - January, 2016 - Episode 3: Equip

Heya, peeps! Mike here! Do you remember when I criticized Nerd Block a while back for going crazy and creating a whole bunch of different themed subscription box programs? Well, it looks like others have decided to join the madness, and Loot Crate is among them. Behold... LOOT ANIME!

So, if I'm not a fan of a ridiculous amount of genre-specific subscriptions, why did I go and order myself a Loot Anime box? Honestly, I just wanted to see if I'm the one who's actually nuts. LOL

Before checking out what my box had inside, let's get some business out of the way. If you're new to Loot Anime, it's a subscription program that sends you a box every month filled with Anime-related goodies based around a theme. Here are the different subscription options they have:

Monthly - $34.95 USD

Every 3 Months - $101.85 USD

Every 6 Months - $197.70 USD

Yearly - $383.40 USD

All prices include shipping and handling to Canada. Also, payments are recurring until you cancel. I decided to keep the pricing in US Dollars because the Canadian dollar conversion keeps changing (mostly for the worse as of late). I recommending checking the current rate to make sure you have the funds for this or any other subscription box program.

OKAY! Let's move on to the good stuff. 

JANUARY - EPISODE 3: EQUIP

You may be wondering why the title says that this is the January box when it's already mid-February. That's because this is how long it took for my box to arrive! It was quite the wait, so let's see if it was worth it. Here's what I was greeted with when I opened my Loot Anime box:

And, here's a list of the items themselves, along with approximate Canadian pricing:

- Loot Anime Charm ($3.50 CAD)

- Loot Anime Poster ($5.00 CAD)

- Hi-Chew Candy ($1.50 CAD)

- Steins; Gate #1 ($13.00 CAD)

- Monster Hunter Pen ($12.00 CAD)

- Dragon Ball Z Scouter ($17.00 CAD)

- Akame Ga Kill Tote Bag ($8.00 CAD)

- Kill La Kill T-Shirt ($18.00 CAD)

Loot Anime Custom Box

I am a sucker for custom boxes and this one is by far my favourite ever. It's so friggin' cool and something I am more than happy to display. Good job, Loot Crate peeps!

Loot Anime Charm

I loved the pins from Loot Crate, but this? This is genius. This "charm" can be placed on your keychain or plugged into the headphone jack of your cell phone. Its metal backing also makes it sturdier than it looks. I can see that a lot of thought has been put into designing this charm, which is something I appreciate very much.

Loot Anime Poster

I can't pinpoint why a poster just feels very appropriate for an Anime-themed subscription box to me, but it does. This one has an awesome design. I'm not sure where the design is from and the items list on the back of it doesn't mention anything about it, but I don't care. I like it.

Hi-Chew Candy

I had never heard of this candy before, but now that I have and have tried it... I WANT MORE. The cherry flavour is delicious! Other Looters could have gotten different flavours and I want to try them all. Can someone please direct me to where I can buy some more? Thanks!

Steins; Gate #1

Wow, another thing I hadn't heard of until now. Thankfully, Looters were given the first volume of this manga so I can start from the beginning. Splendid.

Monster Hunter Pen

Back in 2014, Loot Crate subscribers were given a custom "Dead Rising" pen. I'm pretty sure the company that made that pen also made this incredible "Monster Hunter" one. The attention to detail is phenomenal.

Dragon Ball Z Scouter

Looters could have received one of 2 variations of this awesome "Dragon Ball Z" wearable Scouter. It's lots of fun going around with it on and screaming at people about how their Power Levels are over 9,000 (8,000 if you're referring to the manga).

Akame Ga Kill Tote Bag

What-a-what Kill, now? When I saw this tote bag, I thought the design was from "Kill La Kill" and the title on it was some kind of joke or reference I didn't get. I mean, look at the scissors! But, as Google has informed me, "Akame Ga Kill!" is a completely different, absolutely unrelated series. Well, then. More for me to watch!

Kill La Kill T-Shirt

We now come to my favourite item in the box. Yes, it's only a T-shirt... But, it's not black! And, it has a "Kill La Kill" design on it that's actually pretty cool! And... and... I just love it. Period.

OVERVIEW

For all my complaints about subscription box companies branching out with specialized programs, I have to hand it to Loot Crate for putting together an excellent Anime-themed box. The items were great and were definitely worth the price of admission (at the current USD to CAD conversion rate). I'd say that at least with Loot Anime, if they can keep up the good work, it'd be worth considering. I wouldn't say it's better than Loot Crate, especially if you're not all that into Anime or are not looking to only get Anime-related items. But, if you are in the market for an Anime box, then I think this one's pretty good, especially considering what I've seen from its previous months on other blogs.

If you're interested in learning more about Loot Anime, check out their web site HERE. Also, if you look up "Loot Crate" on Facebook and join their Page, you can get discount codes for money off a new subscription.

And, that's all for Loot Anime. I wasn't interested in more than one box, so I didn't renew. But, I do have more reviews coming soon for other boxes and toys, so stay tuned!

~ Mike

Loot Crate - March, 2014 - Titan

Hey, peeps! Mike here, and Jess and I are excited to bring you our first ever Loot Crate entry. As some of you may already know, I used to subscribe to Nerd Block. However, after months of disappointment, I nerdvorced them and jumped over to Loot Crate.

For those of you who haven't heard of Loot Crate, it is a monthly subscription box that caters towards "nerds" and "geeks". Each month, subscribers get a themed box of 6 to 8 items. What's interesting is that Loot Crate has different subscription programs. Here's a breakdown:

1 Month Plan - $19.37 USD / $29.95 CAD per month

3 Month Plan - $55.11 USD / $84.00 CAD per 3 months 

6 Month Plan - $105.99 USD / $162.00 CAD per 6 months

MARCH, 2014 - TITAN

The theme of the March Loot Crate this year is "Titan", which is a combination of the Anime "Attack on Titan" and the video game "Titanfall". When I got my Loot Crate, I was a little concerned by the smaller size of the box compared to Nerd Block. However, it didn't rattle when shook like with Nerd Block, so I figured the box was either completely full or had some kind of stuffing to keep things in place. Let's see what was inside:

- Loot Crate Mini Magazine ($2.00 CAD)

- Loot Crate Theme Magnet ($3.00 CAD)
- Loot Crate Theme Pin ($0.75 CAD)

- Titanfall T-Shirt ($15.00 CAD)
- Titanfall Lanyard ($5.00)

- Titanfall Prima eGuide Voucher ($9.99 CAD)

- Attack on Titan - Volume 1 ($11.99 CAD)

- Attack on Titan Wrist Sweat Band ($4.99)

- Salt Water Taffy x 2 ($0.75 CAD)

- Coupon Card

Loot Crate Mini Magazine

I was pleasantly surprised to find a full-colour mini magazine when I first opened my Loot Crate that introduces "Attack on Titan" and "Titanfall". I appreciate that the people who put this box together understood that not everyone is a fan of or even knows about the two showcased titles. But, what really blew me away was the amount of detail the magazine goes into. There are reviews, an interview, and even descriptions and photos of the included items! Here, check out this pic:

Review of "Attack on Titan"

Loot Crate Theme Magnet

You may have noticed that the cover of the mini magazine features a pretty awesome art piece that combines "Titanfall" and "Attack on Titan". Well, that art is also found on a custom magnet! I already have it on my fridge. It's too good not to display!

Loot Crate Theme Pin

As if one piece of custom art wasn't enough, Loot Crate included a pin featuring a second "Attack on Titanfall" art piece! Fantastic!

Titanfall T-Shirt

I have too many black T-shirts in my closet because of Nerd Block and you've heard me complain about it, but I was not dismayed when I received this black "Titanfall" shirt from Loot Crate since it has a pretty cool design and I'm definitely going to wear it. I just hope Loot Crate doesn't end up having the same black shirt problem as Nerd Block.

Titanfall Lanyard

I don't know what I am going to use this lanyard for, but it looks really cool. Maybe the next time I go to Disney World with Jess, I can use it for Pin Trading?

Titanfall Prima eGuide Voucher

For those of you who don't own "Titanfall" or don't plan on ever owning it, this is pretty useless. Me, I'm planning on getting it on PC since I don't think I will get a XBOX One anytime soon. So, the inclusion of a voucher that gets me a Prima eGuide for the game is quite welcome.

Attack on Titan - Volume 1

As if a review of "Attack on Titan" in the mini magazine wasn't enough, Loot Crate went one step further and included the first volume of the Manga. Honestly, I think this is a phenomenal intro to the series for anyone who is not into it. Me, I've watched the Anime, but have been eyeing the comics. Well, now I have no excuse not to read them. :p

Attack on Titan Wrist Sweat Band

Do you want to feel like a part of the Recon Corps while playing tennis? Badminton? Basketball? Some sport where players wear wrist bands? Well, this is the perfect item for that. I think it looks great and the quality is pretty good. I'm going to bring it to the gym with me!

Salt Water Taffy x 2

I just... I don't... I... OM NOM NOM NOM NOM NOM...!!!

Coupon Card

Finding coupons to save money on stuff is pretty sweet. I won't personally be using any of the ones from this Loot Crate since I already have a good gaming headset and have no need for a game system carrier or gaming glasses. But, I'm sure some of you out there would find the discounts useful, so this coupon card gets a thumbs up from me.

OVERVIEW

I was completely blown away by my first Loot Crate. In fact, I was more impressed with this box than any of the Nerd Blocks I received. The theme was great, the introduction of the theme was phenomenal, and the items were well worth the more expensive Canadian subscription price.

I honestly think having a theme every month instead of just throwing in random items is a great idea. I signed up on the 18th of this month and already knew what the theme was going to be going in. The Loot Crate site says you can cancel at least 48 hours before your next billing date (which can be found in your profile on the site). So, depending on when you signed up and which plan you're on, you may be able to cancel if there is a theme you don't like and then sign up again when a good one comes along. Brilliant!

At this time, I can confidently recommend Loot Crate for anyone looking for a nerdy subscription box. Based on this month's box and the previous boxes shown on Loot Crate's web site, I also feel it is a better product than Nerd Block. I am extremely glad that Jess found Loot Crate and that both her and by buddy Ryan encouraged me to jump on board.

If you're interested in Loot Crate, please check out their Web Site.

Alrighty, that's all for now. See you again soon!

~ Mike

Dragonball - Capsule R

Mike here, and for 2 months, I had been eyeing a box at 401 Games in Toronto that contains a bunch of Dragonballs. The price of $12.99 for a single ball containing a mini vinyl statue made me hesitate, but I finally gave in to temptation and bought the Number 5 ball. Check it out!

Opening the Capsule R ball was easy. All I had to do was pull open the label along the perforated line and pop the ball open. Inside, I found a sealed package containing 3 pieces that I had to put together to make the vinyl mini statue and then a fourth piece that is used to build a special statue. More on that below.

I was thrilled to discover that I had gotten the statue I wanted - Goku chasing Bubbles. The statue itself was not hard to put together since each peg and its corresponding hole is a different shape and size. There is no mistaking where each piece goes. I found that the plastic is tough and of seemingly good quality. The paint job was what really sealed the deal for me, though. It's great for something this small. Here, take a look.

I am absolutely impressed by the quality of this mini statue and have no doubt that the other ones in the series are equally good.

You've probably noticed that the blue dragon tail piece is not part of this statue. As mentioned above, each statue comes with an extra piece. If you collect all 7 statues, you will have all the pieces necessary to make a statue of Son Goku as an angel flying over Serpent Road. Here's a scan of a Japanese product sheet found on www.kanzenshuu.com.

Man, I would definitely like to get all the statues to make the special one, but to be honest, I don't have the funds to do so. $12.99 is expensive and I can't justify buying more Capsule R balls, especially since getting a double would be a huge blow to my wallet and I'm sure I'd get one along the way. Interestingly, I noticed that my Number 5 ball came with what seems to be the Number 5 set. Look at the packaging in this picture.

The big question I have is whether this means that the number of the ball corresponds to the number of the statue, making it easier for me to get all the pieces to make Angelic Goku since all I'd have to do is buy the other 6 balls. If you have bought a Capsule R that is not the Number 5 ball, please let me know which statue you got. Thanks!

Overall, I love the Capsule R mini statues. I would have been happy regardless of which statue I got since they're all really cool. The price is a little high, but nowadays, a lot of vinyls are expensive and not all of them are made as well as a Capsule R statue. If you're a Dragonball fan, I would definitely suggest getting at least one of these. It'll look great on display.

Thanks for checking out this entry. I'll leave you with one last picture. :)

~ Mike