Tour the Swag of AnimeJapan 2016

As anime and manga fans from around the world gather at the franchise on social media.)

Of all the anime and manga seen at Anime Japan this year, the 2015 anime remake of Banpresto had Osomatsu-san products on display that fans could start purchasing on March 26 through Banpresto's Ichiban-kuji lottery brand at select stores.

With the Winter 2016 anime season coming to an end, three exhibitors (Banpresto, Statelight, and Bandai Macross franchise to store important documents, so many attendees were looking to complete the stamp rally.

Anime idol groups such as Bushiroad was also promoting their new Love Live! card game, released on March 18, so there was a variety of merchandise available for idol fans. Unfortunately for The Idolmaster and Hatsune Miku fans, Love Live! won the competition for most products on sale at the fair.

One of the largest draws to Anime Japan this year were the multiple Gachapon machines dotted about the Main Exhibition halls. The most prominent were the Anime Japan Gachapon machines located in East Exhibition Hall 4. There were rows of the machines filled with limited edition pin badges, waiting to be collected by eager fans. Unfortunately, the machines were constantly jammed or in need of re-stocking, and in the worst cases outright broken. It was disappointing how many machines were sold-out by the end of the fair's first day. So if you wanted to try your luck at all the Anime Japan Gachapon machines this year, you had to get there early.

Although figures, clear files, and pin badges were fun little items to collect while attending the fair, there were also apparel, accessories, and Martian Successor Nadesico) jacket. However, raffle entry required purchasing at least 3,000 Yen worth of merchandise at the Cospa booth. There was also a wonderful display of items from the curtain and bedspread manufacture Curtain Damshii. For attendees who want to be wrapped in sheets and blankets with their favorite characters printed on them, or see their favorite characters when they draw their curtains, this was the booth to visit. But the best apparel distributor for attendees with something more sexy in mind was the Super Groupies booth, selling lingerie. At the same time, it boggles the mind that lingerie was being sold at a family friendly fair.

The most impressive and expensive items on display were definitely at the Collaboration space in East Exhibition Hall 4. These included hand mirrors, rice bowls, a sake gourd and cup, and the pièce de résistance, two wooden umbrellas. All the items in the Collaboration area were handcrafted using traditional Japanese techniques, with a beauty unparalleled to anything else seen at the fair. However, these weren't the only expensive items on display. While other high-priced items included jewelry and watches, the Sharp RX-CLV2-B Cocorobo Robotic Vacuum Cleaner was the biggest standout.

Mike Toole had a chance to demo the PlayStation VR headset, and his instant was positive. Hopefully, Sony will have the headset ready for market by the scheduled release date of October 2016.

There were several vendors accommodating niche markets. These ranged from unique items such as a full set of Yukimura Sanada's armor from the historical fictional drama Sanada Maru, to animation cels from lesser-known or older anime titles. Bushiroad was promoting their newly released Love Live! card game, but they also had a sample of cards from their Studio Chizu. The plush toys and figures for sale at the Studio Chizu booth were definitely enticing for fans of Mamoru Hosoda's works. Clearly the planners of Anime Japan had the foresight to serve niche communities, so it would take an eternity to comment on each vendor. To put it simply though, they were all well worth the price of entry, and I'm sure every fan can find something alluring in the following gallery.

However, the most sought-after items at Anime Japan weren't the products on sale. Sure, a fair amount of merchandise sold out quickly, but the promotional giveaways and limited amenities were another story. These included large travel bags, promotional playing cards, clear files, line art from anime series, and the Twitter or Instagram to spread the word about products, series, or events before giving away promotional goods. Other vendors adopted this method to enter attendees into a raffle. The grand prizes in these raffles were great collector's items, so dedicated fans wouldn't want to let the opportunity slip through their fingers.

When all was said and done, about 75% of the exhibitors at Anime Japan this year were selling merchandise. Taking the long lines into , it was nearly impossible to purchase items from every vendor. I'm sure some attendees tried, but it would take both days of the fair to accomplish the task. Even if you couldn't buy something at the fair, you could always appreciate any photographs of merchandise on the different vendor billboards. Granted, it's not the same as owning the item you wanted, but for some a picture may be good enough.