Mandarake Complex — Attraction in Tokyo

Mandarake has quite a history as being the one stop shop of all anime, manga, and related items such as toys, collectibles for many decades. My first encounter with this amazing store was many years ago in 1999 when I was an exchange student in Tokyo (I even included a few shots of my visit to one of their stores in 1999 in this review). So I was quite stoked to visit the store once again almost two decades later!

Their Akihabara store is a whole building now with each floor specializing on one category of items. The first floor is the Antique anime and manga collectibles and also where you can also sell your anime or manga collectibles to the store. The second floor is the cosplay and doll area. The third floors are where you can purchase your manga and anime cel art. The fourth and Fifth floor is where you can buy original Doujinshi, light novels, shojo comics anime pillows, celebrity (most young handsome stars) paraphernalia, Adult comics, and PC games. Sixth Floor is the gaming floor with not only modern games but also old classic Famicom, Sega Megadrive, and Neo Geo games. 7th and 8th floor are all kinds of anime and manga related card games, board games, and toys.

If you love Japanese anime, manga, and Japanese pop culture in general, you'll enjoy visiting and browsing the shelves in the narrow alleys...

It was truly a terrible experience. My friend went to this store to sell some items, but the female clerk with shoulder-length brown hair (she seemed to be new) who assisted was extremely rude. Although it was obvious that she was inexperienced in customer service, her language and attitude were very arrogant, and she looked displeased the entire time.

Even though the items were originally purchased at the store, she coldly said things like “We won’t take these” or “We won’t buy them,” and when asked questions, she only gave curt, annoyed replies. To make matters worse, while my friend was simply filling out a form in the corner of the store, the clerk suddenly shouted, “Move!” and even pushed her with her hand. It was shockingly disrespectful and completely unacceptable behavior.

Furthermore, when my friend politely asked, “Could I please buy a bag to carry home the items you couldn’t accept, even if I have to pay for it?” the clerk refused with a cold stare, as if mocking the customer.

The pricing was unreasonably low, there was no explanation, and the customer service was the worst we’ve ever experienced. Being a new employee is no excuse — treating customers this way is unacceptable. I will never use this store again. The whole experience left me...

Walking into Mandarake Complex is like entering a time capsule of Japanese nerd culture. This store is a labyrinth of rare manga, vintage anime merch, retro games, cosplay outfits, doujinshi, and everything in between. It’s massive and a little intimidating at first – the lighting is dim, and the walls are stacked high – but it’s incredibly fun to explore.

Each floor is a different rabbit hole. There’s one for classic manga, one for toys, one for games, one for adult material (yep, fair warning) – and everything is packed to the brim. You could spend hours here and still miss something. I even found a figure from an obscure 90s anime I hadn’t thought about in years – sealed, pristine, and cheap.

What’s really cool is the secondhand nature of a lot of stuff – you feel like a treasure hunter. Plus, everything is labeled clearly, and the staff are used to tourists. Just be respectful with what you handle – it’s a serious collector’s space.

If you love rare finds and that dusty, treasure-filled atmosphere, Mandarake...