Samの英語チャンネル

King of the Monsters looks to become lord of the backpacks.

Durability and functionality are the two biggest priorities for Japan’s randoseru backpacks. The boxy bags need to be able to carry everything a student needs on their way to and from school for six years, after all.

But in recent years, more and more people are also looking for randoseru with fashionable or fun designs, and now come awesome randoseru inspired by none other than the King of the Monsters himself, Godzilla.

For this three-bag lineup, Toho, producer of the Japanese Godzilla films, is partnering with Dinosaurbase, a company in Fukui Prefecture that specializes in dinosaur-themed bags and accessories. Of course, the most crowd-pleasing Godzilla movies are the ones where more than one kaiju joins the battle, so in addition to a Godzilla randoseru, the collection also includes backpacks honoring King Ghidoroah and Mechagodzilla.

While the overall construction is the same, each backpack features a different texturing. Though Godzilla is essentially a giant lizard, his skin is an irregular pattern of ridges, and that’s reflected on the outer surface of his bag.

King Ghidorah, meanwhile, does have serpentine scales, recreated in his regal gold color…

…and the Mechagodzilla model takes its cures from the robot’s armor plating.

Open up the flap, and you’ll find an intimidating portrait of each kaiju on the underside. Godzilla and Mechagodzilla both appear as they did in their debut films, the original 1954 Godzilla and 1974’s Godzilla vs. Mechagodzilla. Kind Ghidorah, however, is depicted not as he was in his 1964 rookie outing Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster, but in his form seen in Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah, which came out in Japanese theaters in 1991.

With the flap open, each kaiju’s name appears, written in stylized Japanese script, on the outer surface of one of the zippered pockets.

The terrifying and territorial trio also manage to get along well enough to share space on a metallic side hook, with color coordination matching the main kaiju’s image hue.

Each of them goes solo, though, for their bag’s zipper pulls…

…as well as for the lenticular image crests on the front of each shoulder strap that show them unleashing their destructive powers.

The bags are identically sized, with exterior dimensions of 23.5 x 31 x 13.5 centimeters (9.3 x 12.2 x 5.3 inches), and the squared off central compartment helps keeps textbooks and notebooks neatly stacked.

Randoseru are customarily carried in Japan by elementary school students, but the bags’ designers say that these are not only for kids entering the first grade, but also for “Godzilla fans across the nation,” implying that they know that there’ll be grown-up kaiju enthusiasts who might want one of these too. They are still made with the high-grade materials and craftsmanship that Japanese consumers demand of randoseru, and the commensurate price of 93,500 yen (US$590). Pre-orders open through the Dinosaurbase website here on January 23, but the bags are slated to ship for the start of the 2028 Japanese school year (which begins in spring), so you’ve still got some time to mull over whether this is a fashion statement you’re willing to commit to.

Source, images: PR Times
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Source: SORA NEWS24