A temporary merchandise store for Arina Tanemura’s popular 2002 manga, Full Moon wo Sagashite, has opened in Shibuya, Tokyo. The shop is scheduled to run from September 9th to 24th on the 5th floor of MAGNET by Shibuya 109 in the Medicos Entertainment shop. The department store is located conveniently by Shibuya Station just a quick walk from the Hachiko exit.
To ensure a smooth and convenient flow of customers on the first day, staff distributed tickets to those who arrived early, streamlining the process of entering and exiting the store. The shop features goods from Tanemura’s manga such as tin buttons, stickers, bags, acrylic stands, keychains, and more. For every 1,000 yen spent in the shop, a small card featuring key art from Full Moon wo Sagashite is given. Framed artwork from the series are displayed next to the goods area.
Tanemura took to Twitter to share about the pop-up shop – saying that she curated and approved the merchandise sold herself. If you find yourself in Tokyo, be sure to stop by as it’s somewhat rare for shops dedicated to goods from old shoujo manga to pop up. However, in 2019, an Arina Tanemura collaboration cafe opened up in various cities around Japan. Despite the series being over 20 years old, there are still many avid fans of Full Moon, as evidenced by the approximately 40 people who lined up outside the department store before opening just to secure a spot in line.
Full Moon wo Sagashite debuted as a manga and anime in 2002. The manga ran for about two years in Ribon magazine and makes up seven volumes. The anime was quickly adapted, but it doesn’t perfectly follow the manga’s story. We don’t normally see much news or content from Full Moon compared to current mainstream series, but the pop-up shop and the few collaboration cafes in the last few years have sparked joy in the fan base. With the ongoing trend of anime remakes, it’s nearly impossible not to be filled with anticipation for a potential remake of Full Moon, especially one that stays true to the original manga. For now, that is only fan speculation.
According to a Twitter post from the pop-up shop, many items have already sold out even just two days after opening. Merchandise will be sold online after the store’s duration is over, but there’s no guarantee which items will still be available. As items seem to be flying off the shelf, hardcore Arina Tanemura and Full Moon fans will want to hurry over to Shibuya as soon as possible.
FULLMOON-WO SAGASHITE © 2001 by Arina Tanemura/SHUEISHA Inc.