Anime News Network's Holiday 2016 Gift Guide

Tech & Gadgets

The Anime Streaming Bundle

Last year, we pointed you at a variety of streaming bundles, a whole kaleidoscope of streaming options that brings just about every legally-available option under the sun together. This year, things have gotten a little simpler; the partnership between Funimation & Crunchyroll now gets you access to everything subtitled with an indispensable Crunchyroll membership (still $6.95/month for a Premium membership, $11.95 for Premium+), and you get access to Funimation's entire catalog of fantastic broadcast dubs for $5.99 a month at FunimationNow. For the moment, a subscription to both Crunchyroll and Funimation feels like the most complete, pragmatic gift you can give a fan who just wants easy, legal access to the shows they love.

Toss in Netflix, Hulu and Daisuki if you're feeling really thorough  - all services that offer up a fantastic library of anime on their own (with some exclusives and simulcasts, if the fan you're buying for needs everything!).

Retail Price: $12.99/month (for Crunchyroll's basic subscription plus FUNimation Now) or $18.99 (for Crunchyroll's premium service + FUNimation Now).

PS4 Pro

Last year we told you the best home media option for pretty much any anime fan was the PlayStation 4 – it has a robust suite of anime streaming apps and the console is the native home of most JRPGs and games based on anime – but it's kinda boring recommending the same standard console every year, so here's the PS4 Pro, an extra-expensive, souped-up PlayStation 4 designed to play nicer with your 4k TV and run VR games (and everything else) a little smoother. Right now the general attitude toward the PS4 Pro seems to be “why?” since there's very little software out there that actually takes advantage of it, but this is the future-proof kick-butt World's Greatest Gift-Giver item for the anime fan you love.

Retail Price: $399
Shopping Link: Amazon

Xbox One S

The Xbox One S has few of the bells & whistles Sony installed in the PS4 Pro – although it's a bit more compatible with your 4k display now and the controller is Bluetooth, and that's about it – this is still a fantastic gaming  machine with the same suite of anime streaming apps the PS4 boasts. The good news is, there are almost always fantastic bundle deals available, and the redesigned S controller is – for my money, anyway – the best video game controller on the market.

Retail Price: Though it retails for $299.99 typically, the Xbox One S is frequently on sale for $249.99 or cheaper. As of this guide's publication it's still $249.99 pretty much everywhere.
Shopping Link: Amazon

NES Classic

The ultimate gift for those in your life approaching middle age, the NES Classic will allow the nerdy young dad in your life the chance to force his unsuspecting, uninterested child into a couple rounds of Balloon Fight. No, I don't know where to get one. If you find one out in the wild, this will make your nearest dorky 36-year old leap out of his skin with glee.

Retail Price: $60
Shopping Link: Boy you were probably hoping there would be a live shopping link for this one, huh?

Splatoon Water Gun

When I played Splatoon for the first time last year, I thought to myself, “this is a delightful, family-friendly shooter with a pretty clever gimmick, but honestly, it's all pretty worthless if I can't actually hose down my family and friends with an enormous ink-spraying gun”. Thankfully, one enterprising toy manufacturer saw it my way and made my dreams come true with the Splattershot Water Gun. It comes with a bonus squid plush – that's the greatest! NOTE: you CAN fill this with ink, but you probably SHOULDN'T. Probably.

Retail Price: $30-65
Shopping Link: Amazon, Tokyo Otaku Mode (you'll be waiting for a restock, but it's cheaper here)

Mega Man Headphones

A short while ago CAPCOM made these totally radical Mega Man headphones that make you look like you were wearing Mega Man's helmet while listening to your tunes. Those were expensive and sold out everywhere, but thanks to the Emio Mega Man Headphones, I can get an approximation of the experience for about half the price! These look fantastic – they light up, and we're here for the form function anyway – and the reviews suggest they sound fine. I'm convincing myself to buy a pair of these right now, in fact…

Retail Price: $37
Shopping Link: Amazon

Tamagotchi! 4U

You may have heard that Tamagotchi! came back recently – along with just about everything else from the late 90s – but you won't find it in American stores anywhere yet. This is Tamagotchi! 4U, the latest iteration of the classic digital pet known for breaking children's hearts the world over. It's in Japanese, but this is 2016, which means stalwart English-speaking Tamagotchi! fans have translated the directions – and that makes this a pretty cool, unique gift.

Retail Price: Around $40
Shopping Link: Amazon

Evangelion Compact Speaker

It isn't an anime-themed gift guide without at least one stupid Evangelion item, so here's this year's entry: a compact speaker that looks just like NERV headquarters, and the plug looks just like the power umbilical that attaches to Evangelion Unit-01! So here's what you do: buy this and never once ever play Evangelion music on it. Just keep people on their toes.

Retail Price: $52
Shopping Link: Amazon

Google Daydream View

Phone VR is little more than a fun toy – if don't go in expecting world-shattering virtual reality experience, you can have a pretty fun time. The best part is, your giftee's phone already has access to a small mountain of VR apps on their phone – including a few anime-themed ones, like Hatsune Miku's VR app – so all they really need is a cool pair of VR goggles to take advantage. Google just released the stylish, comfortable-looking Daydream headset, and after having gone through more than a few of these things myself, this one looks and feels like the most solid experience out there. A little pricey, but it is pretty cool looking – and it'll make Christmas morning a blast.

Retail Price: $79
Shopping Link: Google Store

Bandai Hako Vision: Mobile Suit Gundam

Japan still innovates – check this thing out. You install an app on your phone and drop it on top of this little Gundam-themed shadowbox, and a three-dimensional, projection-mapped scene from Gundam is your reward. It's a little abstract, so here's a video showing you how it all works:

Pretty cool, right? It's a simple effect, but nobody's doing anything like this in the US right now – which makes this a super unique little item for the otaku you're shopping for.

Retail Price: $35
Shopping Link: Japan Trend Shop

Boku wa Shinkansen

As you can see, this is a belt that transforms whoever wears it into whichever world-famous Japanese train system they choose: the Shinkansen bullet train, or the Yamanote line. The person you hand this to will find themselves shuttling passengers to Kyoto at 320 km/h while serving Asahi Super Dry to dozing tourists, or perhaps struggling to close their doors as the last person crams onboard the Harajuku stop at 7:30pm.

Be careful who you give this item to – whoever shall inherit its power must be trusted to use it for good.

Retail Price: $83
Shopping Link: Japan Trend Shop

Totoro Pullback Buggy

Now, I've seen My Neighbor Totoro more than a few times – it's one of those movies most anime fans of a certain age have seen a lot, and I have to say, I don't remember a scene where Totoro drives around in a little car. It's got kind of a Flintstones thing going on – although it looks like Totoro also managed to fashion a crude motor out of branches and twigs, which means he's a lot smarter and craftier than we knew. What else was Totoro building in that forest? Did he have a mecha back there? This charming little toy raises all sorts of questions.

Retail Price: $35
Shopping Link: Japan Trend Shop

EVA-01 Test Type THE BEAST Alarm Clock

Okay, one more Evangelion item and I promise I'll be finished with them – this is an Evangelion Unit-01 Alarm Clock that LITERALLY ROARS at you to wake you up. If the guttural, existentially wounded scream of Beast Mode EVA-01 doesn't get your Shinji ass out of bed, NOTHING WILL. It's animated, too, so if the screeching sound doesn't work, surely the clacking plastic and whizzing motors will! It's win-win!

Retail Price $472

Shopping Link: Japan Trend Shop

Munyu Munyu Do Re Mi Fa Cats

First, watch the video.

I know, I know – just calm down, it's okay. They have plenty of these in stock, and it looks like they have most of the colors. So it's only a matter of waiting until they ship your full set of Munyu Munyu Do Re Mi Fa Cats, and soon you'll be serenading your neighborhood with fantastic covers of all your favorite anime theme songs. They're calling to you.

Retail Price: $44
Shopping Link: Japan Trend Shop

Taiko no Tatsujin Renda Dadon Drum-Off Game

Everyone has a soft spot for Taiko Drum Master, but this little riff on Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots does the video game version one better by bringing the fun and adorable drum people into the third dimension. Whap those pedals and drum your heart out – if you smack those things hard enough, you'll drum so loudly the other guy gets knocked over. I have to admit, this looks more fun to me than the arcade version – those little drum guys are so cute!

Retail Price: $62
Shopping Link: Japan Trend Shop