Manga/anime/Japan-inspired gifts for teen girl

[CoffeeChocolateWine]

Just this year, my 14yo DD has become obsessed with manga, anime and Japanese culture, art and food. She has ADHD so when she gets swept up in something it is ALL CONSUMING!

I used to find her very easy to buy for, but I suddenly feel a bit lost with this new interest of hers as I know nothing about it so I’m looking for some inspiration. I know she will give me a wishlist nearer the time but I like to get a few thoughtful surprises, particularly for her stocking.

She is an outstanding artist and spends a huge amount of time drawing her favourite characters and creating her own, so no ‘how to draw manga’ books! I’ve previously bought her a sushi kit, matcha set and noodle bowls.

She has a fair few manga books but recommendations for more series would be appreciated. Any experience type gift suggestions? She would enjoy a convention I think, but thinking more along the lines of an immersive experience…is there such a thing? Thanks in advance 😊

whereabouts in the country are you @CoffeeChocolateWine as the Totoro stage show in London is getting rave reviews, it's too far from us unfortunately, as otherwise my similarly crazed tween would love it!

Southwest London. Thanks for this. Will look it up. She went to see Death Note the Musical for her birthday a couple of weeks ago and loved it!

If you're near London, have a looks at Uzumaki

My Neighbour Totoro is still on if she also likes Ghibli

Animecon is on at Olympia, October 3-4th.
Two days of anime, manga, J-Pop, K-Pop, fashion, guests & more

It’s just a little stocking filler type thing, but I bookmarked this thinking my teen might like it - I thought the cat was a little Japanese cartoon looking
https://amzn.eu/d/023PpsU4

We took DS to Uzumaki anime restaurant in London his 13th birthday (if you go, ask to be seated upstairs, not downstairs).

He's also been to an anime-con.

HMV have lots of anime items. Another shop is Cool Merch. Miniso has more cutsey anime items.

Loungefly have several mini backpacks and purses from various anime shows (Online stockists include Shuffle Truffle, Geek Core, Get Ready Comics. All of these also sell various anime stuff as well). You can find some good prices on Vinted too.

I don’t have any specific recommendations, but have a look at the Japan House website. They also have a shop in London, and do occasional exhibitions there.

What shows or manga does she like?

That would be the first step. Then there is often clothes, pins, stationary, cuddly toys etc. all related to each show.

(Massive anime/manga fan here.. I would love if someone were to ask me what shows I liked and then got me things related to those shows)

I'm sure she would love to tell you all about it, and then you can make a mental note of what she likes.

Teppanyaki grill
Amigarumi starter set
Katsu curry kit
Origami kit
Secret Japan mindfulness colouring book
Lego Lucky Cat model
Mismatched koi fish earrings from Cute Earrings UK

There are lots of Japanese themed afternoon teas in London. We went to the one at Sanctum Soho but there are others.

Thanks so much for these suggestions. Lots of great ideas and things to look into. Love the look of the Uzamaki restaurant!

@Xnz2022I can’t remember the names of all of the ones she likes, but I the ones I can remember are Death Note, Jujitsu Kaisen, Gachiakuta, Tokyo Ghoul. There are others but I can’t remember the names. She loves the character Chainsaw Man as she spent days making the mask, but I think the show and books might be a bit old for her!

Maybe for stocking fillers - Lidl have a big section of Japanese food atm, like these cute little strawberry mushrooms and bubble tea kits. (Pic might take a while to be approved)

@CoffeeChocolateWine

Chainsaw man rubber duck 😊

My sons also adhd and into anime, same age! Great ideas on here

*anime con either local or afar. (Im taking my son to 'for the love of anime' in Manchester in March. The hotel and venue close to Trafford centre. If she's into shopping etc. It could be a fun trip!)

*art prints or autos of voice artists which you can buy online too from various places.

*dvd/ blu ray special editions of various anime shows or films

*novels/books of kiki's delivery service (there's 2 books), my neighbour totoro, howls moving castle.

*clothing from various online stores

*japanese snacks/candy

*tesco have some wagamama gift sets. Ive got my son the ramen bowl one and will add a gift card and chopsticks to it.

*figures/ funko pops/ mystery funkos

*cd of k-pop or Korean music

*cosplay outfit if she's after anything in particular

*a book/ course to learn Japanese

*a subscription service to kawaii stuff. I'd recommend kawaiibox and yumetwins. Both lovely I ended up stopping them for a book one instead.

*backpack and maybe some keyrings/ bag charms to go with it.

*boba tea gift sets. Pretty sure b&m have some atm? Other places will for Xmas im sure.

*manga box sets

*kawaii cute style makeup brands. Flower knows is along those lines.

I walked through Camden Market the other day, something I've not done for years and noticed quite a few relevant shops there, including one with little dispensers for all kinds of tiny things.

I think it is included here:

https://www.planmyjapan.com/anime-manga-kawaii-shops-london/

Oh my goodness, what an amazing amount and variety of ideas I’ve been given now just through posting a simple question on MN! I will be going down a Japanese rabbit hole!

I reckon if I just go full-on with an anime/manga/Japenese-themed stocking (as well as bigger gifts) this year, she might just start believing in Santa all over again as she knows Mum has no clue about this stuff 😂🤣 And I’m starting with the Chainsaw Man rubber duck…thanks @Raghnaid😆

Please keep posting more ideas…my DD is going to be delighted!

Wow - she likes some intense shows!

one thing I would look out for is pins/badges from each show - they are really popular to collect in the country I live in (Not the UK) perhaps you can find them on Amazon/Temu etc.

Personally, I would be searching for:

Gachiakuta - harder to find things because its popularity is recent. the gloves in the show are a central part, a keychain with them on would be a cool gift.

JJK - is massive, hugely popular, loads of big brands have things from them. Clothing, soft toys etc. Uniqlo the big japanese clothing company did a collab with them a while back, maybe you can still get it online.

Tokyo Ghoul for me just makes me think of coffee culture. Does she like coffee? If she hasn't tried it because she is too young, then maybe not, but a tokyo Ghoul mug and a little coffee brewing set would be a really thoughtful gift for a fan.

For Chainsaw man - has she seen the film? If not, get that - its amazing for any anime fan who loves these types of shows. Lots of soft cuddly toys of the "dog" from the show as well (pochita) The age rating on the film is probably above her age, but it is no worse than the show, or JJK, so if you are comfortable with her watching those, it isn't any difference.

Also - in terms of other Manga that you could buy for her to try. if she hasn't already watched/read them, I would say that these would hit a similar feel to the shows you mentioned:

Kaiju no.8
Sentenced to be a Hero
Code Geass
Demon Slayer

they all have the same darker, grittier, feel that fits with the ones you mentioned. However, I would also suggest that she try some lighter anime as well - together, all of these types of shows can get pretty intense! But again, if that is normal and ok for her, then that is fine.

A subscription to Crunchyroll.

A boba tea making kit.

Plane tickets to Japan.... ?😁

And a mini gachapon machine. I got mine some Junji Ito stuff but they are older.

@lxn889121thanks so much for taking the time to send me those ideas. Will take a look! And thank you also for the heads-up about them being intense. I must admit, I personally haven’t watched much with her aside from a bit of Death Note. My DH tends to watch more with her. I might steer her towards some lighter ones!

Having done a bit more prying, her top 3 shows are Death Note, JJK and the Summer Hikaru Died. Also one involving a footballer but not sure the name.

I mentioned Gachiakuta because she recently bought the set of books but she hasn’t actually watched the show. And it turns out I was wrong about Tokyo Ghoul…she wasn’t a fan of that one.

Chainsaw Man seems to be more about the character and costume. She hasn’t seen the film or read the books. But wants the funko pop!

I will look into pin badges, key chains and maybe clothing. Thank you!

My girls are into all this stuff and they would kill for some of the stuff from the shop Popmart we don't have one in Ireland much to their devastation but you might get some things in there

I saw a facebook ad earlier for a Japanese stationery website called misopaper.co.uk - bet you could find some stocking fillers on there, washi tape, stickers, etc. Plus pens and ink for her drawing.

And emp.co.uk sell t-shirts and merch for various anime series.