Joining the already popular Animate, Melon Books, Gamers & Volks, Toranoana have opened a Sendai store. Yesterday was the big day – alas I was indisposed on a island buffeted by a typhoon (note : car ferries are not fun in heavy seas), but when the weather cleared this morning I went in to check it out.

Cospa announced over the weekend the preorder availability of a hug pillow featuring Yoko, the feisty, well-endowed heroine of Gainax’s latest giant robot anime, Gurren Lagann. It’s standard Cospa pillow dimensions (150 cm x 50 cm), and will retail at 9,450 yen with release set for late August. Preorders should be up soon at Hobby Search and other sites that carry Cospa goods. Sniper rifle not included, but insert obligatory phallic reference here… orz (no more)