Gaming outside Akihabara: Mandarake Galaxy

(tags game, import)

Since my main reason for heading to Tokyo wasn't Akihabara, but instead Ikebukuro, I decided to check out Krispy Kreme donuts and that "Best Video Game Store in Japan" as recommended by Chris Kohler. The store in question is Mandarake Galaxy (まんだらけギャラクシー) which is part of a cluster of Mandarake stores in one building in Nakano.

Unfortunately it was underwhelming given the other stores I'm used to. Sure they have some interesting stuff in the glass cabinets and old Nintendo stuff. I expected more volume, a whole rack of soundtracks like Nipponbashi / Den Den Town's Retro Gaming Revival and/or Super Potato, etc. But the shop was small. I don't think Nakano gets the traffic. That cassette tape of the Legend of Zelda mentioned by Kohler? It's still there, waiting to be purchased.

Then again, this is Mandarake. Figure this one out: The Dreamcast version of Ikaruga cannot be found on the shelves in many of the (premium) used game stores I frequent. Yet there are many copies here, all in the 6000-10000 yen price range. However, no copies of the Gamecube version could be had at all. Maybe they chaff the wheat?

I ended up buying just some copies of Arcadia magazine, since I'm still trying to save a "perfect copy" of the Ikaruga arcade era. I don't think I picked up any magazines new to my collection, probably just copies I already had.

Well, it wasn't a total loss. The rest of the cluster of Mandarake stores had some pretty nifty items. Anime DVD box sets, anime music CDs, signed items, old manga. Mandarake to me is all about bad lighting and dingy shelfs, but they have a lot of rare stuff.

Still I didn't buy anything.

On a strangely personal tip, I visited Nakano in my "former life", by walking from Shibuya / Meguro-ku. It took me about 1 hour to walk. I was looking for some interesting stores. I obviously missed Mandarake.