Have you ever heard of cartoon/anime called "Attack on Titans"? It is a dark fantasy story where humans fight against titans that prey on them. The main character is called Eren Yeager, a teenage boy who dreams to reach out to the external world. The small world Eren and other mankind live in is protected by walls from the titans' menace. His boring yet peaceful life is shattered into pieces when a swarm of titans attack his village and eat his mother. Eren promises to vanquish all of them and joins the troops along with his childhood friends, Mikasa and Armin. There he meets other comrades, nurtures friendship, faces betrayal and mysteries...
My first impression after reading the synopsis when it was becoming a social phenomenon in Japan was "Mankind vs. Giants? WTF?! Meh, kid's stuff. I'm sure this is not for grownups."
One day I casually turned on the local channel which was rebroadcasting the anime version of "Attack on Titans".
I was instantly enchanted by its spectacular worldview, realistic philosophy that often appears in characters' lines, and the enigma involving Eren who transforms into titan form.
There is a scene where Eren yells "Just shut up and invest on me!" at judges and spectators at court martial after he is captured being perceived as a titan.
And sure we did invest on him...well, precisely on 7-ELEVEn (Officially it's spelled this way, but hereinafter, I will type 7-Eleven).
Everything began last Friday, when my husband came home with a large carton case in a plastic bag. I wondered if it was a big takeaway food, until I realized this was
Levi on horseback. Levi, lance corporal of Survey Corps as well as Eren's boss, is probably the most popular character in this work because of his hard-boiled personality.
My husband informed me that 7-Eleven started a collaborative giveaway lottery between "Attack on Titans". See here for details (Japanese)☞http://www.sej.co.jp/cmp/sg15/index.html
My husband himself is not really a fan, but he knew I am quite hooked on it (he even accompanied me to see the 4D film version!), so he gave a try and drew five times.
He also won tiny Levi and Armin mascots, as well as two sticky notes.
The smaller-than-palm-size mascots are called "Helper Mascots". The characters function as card/clip/pen holders. Maybe they are based on "The Elves and the Shoemaker".
I did scream "Kawaii!(Lovely in Japanese)" when I removed the package. My husband's reaction was: "Yeah, you like this blond guy don't you?" He dislikes Armin because "he is so soft".
My husband also told me that in this raffle, you could always win something; that is, no losing lottery ticket. So, I decided to take a Sunday joyride in search for giveaways.
And this is how I looked after the long ride. Laying in the bed of "Attack on Titans".
Except for Eren's figure, I have completed all product genres (although I missed some colors/characters due to the stores' inventory); I hope my article to be informative to those who are planning to play this lottery.
[Important]Let me explain the raffle's system.
(1)Go to 7-Eleven store that announces "The Attack on Titan" raffle event by posters on windows or decorations hung from ceiling. Some stores do not participate in the event, especially in remote, rural area where young people are unlikely to visit (I guess from marketing reasons).
(2)Enter the store and you will find a shelf (often near cash desk) mounted with "Attack on Titans" prizes. Most of the time, on top of the shelf, there is a small box with lottery tickets. Pick one of the tickets.
(3)Give the ticket to cashier and tell him/her how many times you want to cast lots. We usually said "Five times, please"(in Japanese, of course) and paid 3100JPY. One cast costs 620JPY.
(4)The cashier will bring a box and tell you to draw.
(5)Peel the lot ticket(s) you drew and give them to the cashier. On the lot ticket is printed the category of the prize. Remember, you can only pick the one corresponding to the letter printed on the lot ticket. You cannot go home with Levi's horseback figure -Prize B if you only drew sticky notes-Prize J. The cashier will lead you to the shelf and ask you to pick your choice, if they come in different colors/characters.
(6)If you cast two or more times, the cashier will offer another raffle. This raffle applies to customers who spend more than 700JPY (regular shopping such as soft drinks, sandwiches, candies, rice balls...anything in the store). You might have a chance to win free confectionery, ice cream, coffe can, etc. Even if you do not get free food, you win application ticket(s) for another lottery where you might win Eren/Levi's lifesize mannequins, debit cards with "Attack on Titans" illustration on, among others.
Tips:
*I assume 7-Eleven stores in metropolitan area are being raided by fans studying/working nearby.
I recommend trying stores in suburban area with no neighboring schools/residential areas.
That is what we did, driving up to Oku-Tama area, northwestern part of Tokyo. But as mentioned before, do not get too rural.
**Try avoiding bustling lunchtime hours (11:30-13:30) for the sake of cashiers. They must leave the counter to hand out prizes during busy time slot. Be nice to them.
***Before buying the lot ticket, scan the prizes left on the shelf. You will be able to collect what you really want in a quick, smooth way.
For example, suppose you are Armin's ardent fan; leave the store if you cannot find his charming vestige on the shelf. Or if you are looking for coffee cups, it would be barren to draw a lot in a store with no cups. Save time and money!
OK, let me introduce our Sunday booty.
-Coffee cups-
As a housewife, cutleries were the prizes I was most obssessed with. There were two designs for the coffee cup, and I managed to win both of them. This one, with Eren and Levi printed on was the most popular of the two, since it was out of stock in many stores. Note that the raffle will end when all products have been given away.
The other design is less otaku-esque. It only shows the characters' silhouettes. Giant Eren facing off Giant Annie (his ex-comrade) while Levi is flying between the two.
-Plates-
These are plates that pair with the coffee cups. In the illustration, Eren is awaken from a nap when someone (is it Mikasa? Levi?) approaches. It said that this illustration was created for this raffle. The second plate has Levi's famous line to raise Eren's morale.
-Stickers made of satin-
The characters in super deform design are in the middle of strategic meeting. The texture's glossiness adds a bit of luxury.
-Sticky notes-
You can jot down on the balloon of each note. There are lots of scenes with Levi printed on. I somehow missed choosing the purple version.
-Oblong postcards-
-Super deformed mascots-
Levi is now serving as rubber-band holder.
-Tissue case-
You have to build Mikasa (just assembling her head and torse) before putting onto the case.
-Levi and Erwin@No Regrets
On last try, I won another Levi horseback figure.
I am uncertain what to do with this figure, but I will keep it safe.
As we won a lot of novelties, we are planning to purchase a curio cabinet to settle them safe from sunlight and dust.
*Update May 28, 2015*
Last night, my husband had assembled the curio cabinet which was delivered early this week. We spent the whole night putting the items on the shelves.
Top part was saved for showy goods such as Levi on horseback and coffee cups, as well as mini mascots of Levi and Erwin. We attached a mirror at the back part of the case, which makes the figures look greater. It also serves to show off the detailed design of the novelties.
I purchased easel photo stands for plates at 100 yen shop. On the right are the energy drink cans with the characters' illustration on. I bought the cans sometime in the past.
Armin's can is preserved with satin stickers and mini mascots.
I realized that I had been collecting quite a lot of "Attack on Titans" novelties, including tin badges, penholder, and coaster for some long time.
There is also a cardboard box that can be used as accessory case with neat-freak mini Levi printed. Next to it is a candy container. Its lid changes from Jean to Armin depending to the angle.
*Update May 30, 2015*
My husband helped me frame a plastic mat featuring Armin. I have been using it as a place mat on dining table, but he offered me to decorate it like a picture to protect from getting soiled with soy sauce, horse radish, bolognese sauce...:)
The survey corps welcomes another neighbor, that is, Kinnikuman! This is actually a newspaper commemorating 35th anniversary of Kinnikuman's birth.
*Update June 1, 2015*
I could not find the frame matching the limited poster distributed at SEVEN-ELEVEn. We searched the 100 Yen Shops and DIY stores in vain, so we decided to fold a bit of each corners of the poster to fit into A3 size frame.
The main characters gather at the convenience store to intercept the colossal titan. Note that SEVEN-ELEVEn's private brand products are depicted in the scenery.
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