Seiko Alba My Neighbour Totoro V501 watch

Today's watch mixes a major manufacturer with a well loved Japanese anime character.
The watch is part of the My Neighbour Totoro collection by the Seiko brand Alba. My Neighbour Totoro is a feelgood anime from the famous Studio Ghibli, and one of their most loved movies. The story features the adventures of two young girls who, after moving house, meet various creatures around their house and garden, including soot sprites and Totoro, King of the forest. The movie was released in 1988 and is one that helped bring Japanese anime to a global audience, with Totoro being viewed as one of the greatest animated characters. I'm a fan of the movie, so it's nice to get a watch that matches.

The Alba brand seems to be a major south Totoro watches, with many different designs featuring in their My Neighbour Totoro collection. This model is a 3 hand dial design which is powered by a Seiko V501 movement. It is a ladies/children's size watch with a gold case and blue strap. The watch has a Japanese movement, but was cased in China, and the strap has a series of Japanese characters I can't read on the back.

The face is a light gold with a shiny gold picture in the middle, but was also available in silver. The picture depicts one of the small Totoro sitting on a leaf and holding some acorns.

The full model number is V501-0BB0, and the catalogue number is ACBS738 (or similar, as that number has the same case but a brown strap). The Alba Totoro watches have been around since at least the 90s, but from the serial number (and the Chinese construction), I would guess this is from 2003 and I found it in the 2003 catalogue too. Online, I've seen this for sale originally for ¥6,300, and that was the rrp including tax.

Kaworu 04 - Evangelion watch

Today's watch is another of my anime merchandise watches, and for an anime I've got a few watches from.

The watch features a black & white picture of an anime character and the text Kaworu 04. There is also a quote in small red text around the bottom saying 'God's in his heaven. All's right with the world'.

Fans of the series will have recognised that this watch is from the anime story Evangelion. Kaworu refers to Kaworu Nagisa, and the picture is of the character. The character is hard to explain in a few simple sentences for those who aren't familiar with the basis for the series, as saying that Kaworu is the 17th Angel, one of the Fifth Children, and a Seed of Life won't be helpful to many. If you are interested in finding out more, check out the anime or one of the many Evangelion wiki sites online.

Kaworu only appeared in one episode of the TV series, but had such an impact on fans that the character appeared in many of the later movies and alternative continuities (in the rebuild, he is first and thirteenth Angel). I've also seen on one of the Eva wikis that the Kaworu merchandise is very popular, and his items are often the top of the best sellers list.

I don't know where the 04 comes from, but in the PSP story for Neon Genesis Evangelion, Kaworu is linked with the Eva-04 unit, so there could be a link there.

The quote "God's in his heaven..." is one that is part of the NERV logo in the series. NERV is a paramilitary agency under the control of the United Nations who are using the Eva robots to protect the earth from the Angels. The quote originally comes from a verse drama by Robert Browning called Pippa Passes. The verse was originally published in 1841, but became more well know after an 1848 reissue, and the line used on the watch is the most quoted line in the poem.

The watch itself is a simple 3 hand dial design with a quartz movement. It has a large metallic case, which is very light, and features fake screws to make it have a more industrial look. The case has 4 fake buttons, and has hidden the crown so it looks more complex than it really is.

Based on the light weight, and cheap feeling build, this was a low cost promotional item, possible an arcade prize, but I don't know when it is from.

GeGeGe no Kitarō Nurikabe watch

Today, I decided to blog a manga/anime watch today which is still in its box.

This watch is from the series GeGeGe no Kitarō which started as a manga (Japanese comic) series in 1960 by Shigeru Mizuki (but with an original name Hakaba no Kitarō). It tells the story of a type of spirit monster called a yōkai and their adventures based on original Japanese folktales. The main character is Kitarō who is a yōkai boy born in a cemetery who fights for peace between humans and yōkai. Many different anime have been produced (one every decade since 1968), along with a couple of live action films and a computer game.

This watch comes from 2008, so could be tied into the anime series which ran from 2007 to 2009, an 11 part anime from 2008, or the 2008 live action movie.

It is a 3 hand dial design watch with the character Nurikabe on the face. Nurikabe is a large grey well-shaped yōkai, who protects Kitarō and his friends using his massive size.

The watch box is written almost entirely in Japanese, so it's hard to work out much information from there. The two names that can be read are Max Co., Ltd and Plex. The Max Co., Ltd company seems to be a Japanese manufacturer of precision parts, while Plex makes toys and TV Hero products and is linked to Bandai Namco. The other information I can see is that the watch was made in China and it uses an SR48 battery.

Pocket Monsters rocking clock

I've decided that this weekend will be a clock weekend for a change, but today's is a little more outrageous looking.

The clock today is also part of my Pokémon timepiece collection which seems to be getting quite large.

The Pokémon games/series came out in several generations which is how the Pokémon were originally grouped. The Generation 1 Pokémon came out in 1996 and were shown in the games Red, Blue, (green in Japan), and Yellow, and in season 1 of the anime.

This clock is celebrating the gen 1 Pokémon with a couple of the starter Pokémon (Charmander and Blastoise (2nd evolution of Squirtle) ), the well liked (Pikachu and Arcanine (evolution of Growlithe)), and the final legendary of gen 1, Mew (number 151). It is a Japanese model as it refers to Pocket Monsters rather than Pokémon.

It is a large foam rubber watch with a 3 hand dial clock in the centre. On the top of the clock is a see-saw mechanism with the Pokémon on which rocks with the seconds. It is run by a large quartz clock mechanism. The copyright for the clock is to Nintendo, Creatures, Gamefreak, TV Tokyo, Sho-Pro, and JR Kikaku.

As it is for the gen 1 Pokemon, I assume this is from around 1996.

Tonneau style Astro Boy Limited Edition watch

It seems I can add another sub-collection to my watch collecting, but I haven't decided whether it is just Astro Boy watches or whether I should admit already that it is manga/anime watches in general.

This watch one of my Astro Boy watches. Astro Boy is known in his home country as Mighty Atom or Tetsuwan Atom, and he was created by the God of Manga Osamu Tezuka. Osamu Tezuka is one of the most famous Manga artists in Japan, and has been thought of as a Japanese Disney (which has also more recently been said of Hayao Miyazaki from Studio Ghibli). Astro Boy is probably his most famous work outside of Japan, but his productivity has resulted in over 150,000 pages of Manga. This watch is slightly unusual in that it has Japanese text as well as the name Astro Boy, so is mixing the Japanese and western names.

The watch is a 3 hand dial design in a tonneau (barrel) shaped case. There are also 2 smaller dials at the 3 and 9 o'clock positions which cover date and day respectively. The dial features two pictures of Astro Boy, with his face at the 6 and 12 o'clock positions. The face also has the Astro Boy name in the centre circle with the same Japanese text on the clasp on the strap. The back also feature the same two Astro Boy pictures as the dial and shows that this is a limited edition with a release of 500 units. The other information on the back is the standard, stating this is 3atm water resistant, and that it uses a Japanese quartz movement. The one major piece of missing information on the watch is the manufacturer, with only the copyright (Tezuka Productions) being included!

The date is again difficult to pin down, but if I assume that the watch came out for a special event or novie/series release, it would suggest that the most likely link would be to the 2003/04 series restart or 2005 Japanese movie. Not much had happened in the 90s with Astro Boy, and I think this looks too modern for an 80s watch, but the 2009 computer animated movie is a remote possibility.

Mighty Atom LCD watch

Watches made for TV series, characters, or films come in all manner of different styles and qualities.

This is a watch for the character Mighty Atom (or Tetsuwan Atomu) who is better known in the West as Astro Boy. This is the third Astro Boy watch, but is at the other end of the scale from the previous watches which were a Seiko AirPro and an GSX limited edition. The Astro Boy /Mighty Atom story is about a scientist who builds a robot boy as a replacement by a Dr Tenma for his son who was killed in an accident. When he realised the robot could never be human, he was given to a circus but rescued by a Prof Ochanomizu and ended up using his power to help fight crime, injustice, and other threats to humanity. The cartoon was created in a Japanese manga in1952 by Osamu Tezuka, who is known as the God of Manga.

This watch is a simple LCD watch for Mighty Atom with a 4 digit LCD, and the usual time, date, and seconds displays. It is a little temperamental so I couldn't get the display to stay on for the post. Around the LCD window is a hologram style sticker with a picture of Mighty Atom, his name, and the copyright to Tezuka Productions.

To get to the insides, you need to take off to tabs from the top and bottom of the case, and then the glass can be removed and the module lifted out. There is no way in from the back which is solid plastic, and only reveals this was made in China.

I'd guess that this was an 80s watch from the styling of the graphics, but is could a a cheap later model instead.

As an extra bonus - The background that the watch is sat on in the pictures is an original drawing used in some of the frames of the Anime.

326 Thick Glass watch

Yesterday, it was 'out with the old' and today for the new year it is 'in with the new'. In reality it is not so new, being from the 90s, but it's never been worn so it is technically new...

This watch is the third of the watches I have by 326, but is probably the most normal looking. 326 is the alias of Japanese artist and singer Mitsuru Nakamura. He released a Wonderswan game in 1999 with Megahouse, and it seems that these watches were released to mark that occasion.

This model is a 3 hand dial with the 326 logo on the face, along with some Japanese writing which I've not yet translated. The back states that this has a 2035 movement using an SR626 battery. This is probably referring to a Citizen Miyota 2035 movement, which is strange as one of the other 326 watches seemed to have a Seiko movement. The usual part of the design is how thick the glass is sticking out almost 1/2 cm from the front of the watch.

Pororin (ポロリン) Dance Art Mix Watch

It's an unusual Japanese character watch again today.

The watch was released in 1994 by Super Planning Co., Ltd. Super Planning Co is a Japanese company involved with life and fashion accessories and character design, and was founded in 1984.

The watch features an oval headed character called ポロリン or Pororin (or Pan Pororin) from an anime called Pan Pororin which aired from 1973 to 1980, and was also associated with a series of singles as well. I've been through the Japanese wiki page, but this doesn't tell me anything about the story in the Anime.

Below the character name, it calls the watch Dance Art Mix (as a registered trade mark), but not sure what this means.

Under the face is the LCD display. It has a standard 4 digit display with two buttons below. The module is the usual basic model with time, date, and seconds display options.

There is maybe a model number on the bottom of the packaging which says 578001 (Yel), as well as 1200 in a small box.

Inazuma Eleven - Toramaru/Hooks

Today is the fourth (and currently final) of the watches from the anime series Inazuma 11.

Inazuma 11 is an anime and manga series, along with a couple of console games (3 for Nintendo DS, and one for Wii). It follows the story of a soccer mad boy called Mamoru Endō /Mark Evans and the Inazuma 11 team he builds back up.

As with the others, this is one of a series of LCD watches produced by Sega and made in China as a prize from a Sega toy machine. The watches were released towards the end of the series (based on the characters used), which had lasted for 127 episodes.

It has a basic 4 digit LCD module which is in a thin strip across the wide strap.

[spoiler alert]
Again, I need to put in spoilers in order to talk about the character.

This one is based on the character Utsunomiya Toramaru (or Austin Hooks) who was a forward playing at number 11. He started as a very shy first year who transferred to Raimon to join the team, and also helped his mother run her restaurant. He is a great fan of Gōenji/Blaze, and has a few major shots of his own.

Radio Eva 034 Daykeeper - Asuka Langley Soryu Version

Another watch where I've posted a version before (in April last year).

The watch is from a clothing line called Radio Eva which produces many different items linked with the Evangelion anime. The watches are called the Radio Eva 034 Daykeeper (Relax Plus Plugsuit Edition), and are a 3 line LCD display watch. The time shows with hours on the top, minutes in the middle, and seconds on the bottom. It also has an alarm and stopwatch, and the watch module is encased in the stretchy silicone new piece strap.

This one is the red version which is for the character Asuka Langley Soryu from the Neon Genesis Evangelion anime.  Asuka is the first pilot of the Eva Unit 02, and is normally seen in a red plugsuit. The character was voted the this most popular female anime character of the 90s in a 2010 poll (from the Newtype magazine).

They come in a stackable box with the watch trapped between two layers of stretchy clear plastic so that the watch looks like it is floating in space.

The watches are still available from Radio Eva for 5040 yen.

Banpresto Pokemon Mew Watch

I've been a Pokemon (or Pokémon) fan for a while. I guess the 'Gotta catch 'em all' mantra appeals to the collecting genes that I must have inherited.

Today's watch is another of my Pokemon watch collection, and is a little unusual. It is a Japanese model released by Banpresto in 1998 and was probably from a UFO machine or other toy dispenser. From the box, you can tell it's a Japanese model as it has the Japanese names on it (but in English) - Lizardo, Lizardon, Kameil, and Kamex instead of Charmelion, Charizard, Wartortle, and Blastoise.

This model is a Mew version, and has a moulded Mew figure on the lower strap, as well as a pokeball sticking put of the top of the case. There were 5 different versions, with the Mew one seeming to glow in the dark.

The unusual bit is the the rest of the watch seems to be designed to look like a mini G-Shock (and is the spitting image of the DW-600 I blogged in October).

The watch itself is just a basic LCD model with 4 digit display, and time, date, and seconds display options.

Dechonpa Anime Watch - Tonde Mon Pe

Today is the second one of my Dechonpa Anime Watches.

The Dechonpa watch range of watches were released by Bandai in the 1980s and through into the early 90s, and we're released in two types (SD Dechonpa, and Dechonpa Anime Watch). I'd thought that the simpler SD watches came first, but this is my second Anime watch based on a series that aired in 1982.

This one is based on the Anime series Tonde Mon Pe. The anime was from TMS Entertainment which is one of the oldest and most prominent anime studios in Japan (founded in 1946). Tonde Mon Pe came was aired from June 1982 and followed the story of a 15 year old country girl called Mon-Mon who becomes an au-pair for a rising fashion designer  (Mrs Kano), and her psychic baby Pe-Pe (who makes toys and animals do odd things).

The watch features the baby Pe-Pe and her toys/pets (-this is a deduction though, as there is very little on the anime online).

As with the other Anime Watch, there is a large LCD display (under the lid) with time in one corner and a picture which fills as the minute progresses. The picture appears to be of Mon-Mon and Pe-Pe with the same two characters with Pe-Pe on the watches lid. Around the display are Mrs Kano and her writer husband (and some ducks). The time part of the LCD is simple with just time, date, and seconds.

Evangelion NERV LED watch

You may have guessed from some of my posts that I like quite a few Anime series, and have many watches that are promotional items from those series.

Today's watch is a promotional watch for the anime series Neon Genesis Evangelion (or Shin Seiki Evangerion). It is an LED watch in the style of the computer displays from the series, with a 4 digit large block LED display. At the top of the watch, it shows as being for the organization NERV. In the series, NERV is a group controlled by the United Nations that was formed to combat the threat from the Angels, and they were responsible for creating the Evangelion units (Evas). The other text on the front is in Japanese, so I'm not sure what it is about, so if any readers can translate, that'd be great!

The watch has 4 buttons, with one getting the time to show, and another setting it in adjust mode (which only works when the display is on). The other two only make the display show 88:88, and I haven't worked out the purpose of those yet.

The back doesn't show much apart from it being copyright of Sega and made in China. A little research says this came out in 2011 as a prize (probably from a UFO machine), and is one of at least 3 designs.

Bandai Dechonpa Anime Watch - Space Sheriff Gavan

It's another if my Dechonpa collection today.

I've posted quite a few of the SD Dechonpa watches before, but this is one from the other range - the Anime Watch. The Dechonpa watches were released by Bandai in the 80s and early 90s.

The Anime Watch was different from the SD watches based on the module. These watches have an LCD display with the time in the top left, and another part which fills up to show an image of a character. For these watches, the head is mounted on an elasticated cuff strap.

The outside of the box only says in Japanese who the character on today's watch is. All you can tell is that they wear a large silver helmet, and fight with a giant sword. There is a sticker on the box stating Toei 05, indicating that this is from the Japanese film and television company who are responsible for most of the series such as Masked Rider and Power Rangers.

The instruction manual has some words in English revealing this is Space Sheriff Gavan (aka Space Cop Gabin). Space Sheriff Gavan was the first of the Metal Hero Series and aired in Japan between 1982 and 1983. The Metal Hero series was one Toei's superhero shows and featured androids, cyborgs, or humans in robotic suits, and ran through to 1999. The Metal Hero line is no longer running, but some of the traits have been merged into Toei's other superhero series.