animate Ikebukuro main store — Local services in Tokyo

Tourists, beware when shopping here. I’ve never experienced such obvious and infuriating discrimination as I did at Animate Ikebukuro. The staff’s hostility and xenophobic attitude towards foreign customers is not just subtle, it’s glaring.

The moment I showed my passport for tax-free shopping, one staff member, a larger woman, immediately dropped her fake politeness and treated us like we didn’t matter. She refused to use polite language, even though the store had translation devices, and spoke to us in a tone that was both condescending and cold. When I tried to address a member card issue, she loudly gossiped about us to other staff, in front of customers, mocking us as if we weren’t even there. It was not just unprofessional—it felt like open disdain for foreign customers.

To make matters worse, when I asked for the rude staff member’s name, she covered her name tag and claimed it was “private information.” Other staff were willing to give their names but couldn’t give me that staff’s name for complaint. They said I could only use her supervisor’s name to make a complaint. The supervisor was willing to give me her name, which made the situation feel even more suspicious—almost like they were covering up for her awful behavior.

It was 1 hour later when i stepped out of animate. I felt frustrated and angry. But one more disaster happened, I realized one of the promotional items I was supposed to receive was missing at the second payment when I got back to hotel. I am not sure whether the staff who refused to apologize and ran to the staff room was deliberate or not.

Tourists, check everything and be prepared for rude, discriminatory treatment. The staff here clearly enjoy taking their frustrations out on visitors, knowing they’ll leave soon. No one should experience this kind...

Based on my experience, I would give Ikebukuro Animate a resounding 5 out of 5 stars. The store consistently offers a treasure trove of anime and manga-related products, making it a paradise for fans and enthusiasts.

Ikebukuro Animate is known for its extensive collection of anime, manga, merchandise, and related items. The variety of products available caters to different fandoms and interests, ensuring that there's something for everyone.

The quality and authenticity of the products are usually reliable, making Ikebukuro Animate a trusted source for fans looking to expand their collections. The store's layout and organization contribute to a vibrant and exciting shopping environment.

The staff members are usually knowledgeable and passionate about the products, providing valuable insights and recommendations to customers. Their enthusiasm adds to the overall enjoyable experience of exploring the store.

The ambiance and atmosphere in Ikebukuro Animate create an exciting and engaging environment for fans of anime and manga. Whether you're looking for merchandise, collectibles, or simply to immerse yourself in the world of Japanese pop culture, Ikebukuro Animate delivers a fantastic experience.

In summary, Ikebukuro Animate offers an unparalleled selection of anime and manga-related products. With its diverse offerings, knowledgeable staff, exciting ambiance, and variety of fandoms represented, it easily garners a full 5 stars as a top-notch destination for fans of Japanese...

A very big animate with many floors! I went there today, a Monday afternoon. Was looking around on the 5th floor and they had many popular anime merch like blue lock, jjk, haikyuu etc. At the side of the level, there is a small jjk pop up and we queued up to enter the pop up like everyone else. When we were at the front of the line, the staff manning the entry glared at both my friend and I and kept telling us to get out. We were quite confused and told him that we queued up and was trying to use a translating app to explain to him. We are foreigners so we could not quite understand what he was trying to say as he was also speaking very fast. However, he just kept rolling his eyes and kept letting other japanese people in while we stood at the side confused and kept telling us we could not enter. We then went to ask another staff for assistance. We explained to him that we wished to go in to this pop up and he said that we could. We would just need to queue up to enter. We then told him that we did but were told to get out by the staff manning the entrance. He then informed us that we are not to go in groups (my friend and i) and we understood. However still quite confused as to why the 2 japanese girls (who were in a pair; they were friends) had no issue going in. This staff then apologised to us. We then thanked him for explaining and left as it kinda ruined our moods. But other than that, it seemed like there was a lot of merch from popular anime and it is a huge...