Kamen RIder store racks

Sometimes, really old photos surface of toy store racks from the 70s and 80s, which I find a lot of fun. There's nothing quite like seeing full pegs of Star Wars figures or shelves stacked with Mask toys or other awesome lines. On that note, here is another installment in my occasional, ongoing, and just-named series: Future Time Capsules NOW.

Two years ago, I put up some shots of the toy section of a large one-stop shop called Seiyu, which has many outlets in Japan. At the time, Kamen Rider OOO was still on the air. Today I was at the store again, and the Kamen Rider section caught my eye. So I unholstered trusty old black (my Canon S95) from its manly side-strapped belt case and snapped some shots.

On the racks were loads of toys and other goods from Kamen Rider Fourze (the 22nd KR series) and Kamen Rider Wizard, that being the newest series - number 23 - which, in a completely non-evidentiary way, is possibly named after the Wizards, that being MJ's last professional team, when he again wore... number 23. You have to ask yourself - are these coincidences? I'm just not sure.

Action Please!

Anyway, there were all kinds of toys, from boxed figures with accessories to loose figures, masks, belts, wrist worn switch sets, and even a Kamen Rider Fourze costume.

 More after the jump:

The inclusion of masks in toy lines goes back decades in Japan. Toy masks (and belts) were made from many shows in the tokusatsu and sentai pioneer days of the 1970s.

 

There's no need to wait for Halloween. Get your funky sentai on now!

A Bandai belt set.

Sometimes we get cynical and think kids these days just want a Gameboy or PS3. There's something heartening about seeing racks of very basic figures like this. I think it helps depeg (hyuck) our cynicism - at least a little.

More KR Wizard figures

This was fun. I often pop into shops and want to take photos - of funky used book shops with stacks of manga and other interesting looking titles, or shops with really nice holiday card displays - that sort of thing. But the conditions aren't always optimal.

So we'll count today a victory. Thanks for joining the tour!