Hakken!, Singapore's First Experiential Anime Retail Store, Officially Opens in Plaza Singapura
Singapore, 15 January 2021 — MUSE Communication Singapore, one of the largest Japanese animation licensors and distributors of official anime and goods in Southeast Asia, is proud to announce the official launch of Hakken!'s first physical outlet, which will be open to the public starting this weekend, 16 January 2021. This retail outlet will be the first-of-its-kind in Singapore, combining shopping with an immersive experience for fans of anime, manga and Japanese pop culture.
First established in June 2019 as an online platform specialising in the sale of official anime goods and merchandise, the new physical store located in Plaza Singapura is set to excite anime lovers in the local community. It is designed to provide experiential elements through new and exciting concepts, such as the specially curated “Themed Feature” section — a seasonal, immersive themed set-up that highlights scenes from popular anime, with exclusive life-size figurines of popular anime characters; along with standees and props.
Further Excitement to the Vibrant Anime Scene in Singapore
Singapore is host to some of the biggest anime conventions in the region, including C3 Anime Festival Asia, Singapore Comic-Con (SGCC) and Doujin Market. Believing in the importance of understanding their consumers, MUSE Communication Singapore also actively participates in international anime events and expos. As the focus of anime-related events are placed on seasonal events, MUSE has noticed a lack of regular bonding initiatives within the local anime retail industry. By establishing Hakken!'s first physical store, they seek to offer a unique anime retail experience to bring together anime and manga fans from all walks of life — providing them with a safe and creative space to bond over and share their love for their favourite anime titles.
With a sizable 2,200 sqft store, Hakken! has ample space for Japanese pop culture fans to immerse in a new experience through its “Themed Feature” section, an immersive anime set-up with standees and props where visitors can take photos, create memories and even witness guest appearances by popular local and overseas cosplayers. Provisionally, Hakken! is the only retail store in Singapore where anime fans can be a part of their favourite anime titles through official themed set-ups. Moreover, Hakken! visitors will be able to get up close and personal with life-size figurines of Rem and Ram from the anime Re:Zero − Starting Life in Another World. Here, anime lovers can also get their hands on over 2,600 official goods, including accessories, collectibles, figurines, plush toys, and stationery from more than 21 notable licensed titles in the anime industry.
“Singapore is one of the most vibrant anime hubs in Southeast Asia, and we see plenty of room for growth for the anime retail scene here. We hope to bring the liveliness and spirit of the anime world to our fans and consumers with the launch of the physical Hakken! store and the unique elements it carries,” says Jeff Lee, General Manager of MUSE Communication Singapore. “We were inevitably focused on battling and recovering from the effects of COVID-19 last year, and many events were forced to cancel. However, we are nearing the light at the end of the tunnel, and we can't wait to introduce a whole new experience that the anime world offers.”
Answering the Demand for More Anime Content
As the demand for anime, manga and Japanese pop culture continues to rise globally, MUSE Communication Singapore aims to tap into the regional market and draw more anime consumers from Singapore and around the region. Part of the strategy includes tackling the issue of consumers' accessibility to licensed content. By being among the first animation licensors in Southeast Asia to offer free content through their YouTube channel, MUSE endeavors to make original and quality content more accessible to the regional anime consumers. Through their efforts, MUSE hopes to nip piracy in the bud, which can potentially cost publishers billions of dollars, and to rally more consumers to support official channels and licensed content creators. This can be achieved through event participation, content accessibility, unique retail experience, and sought-after official anime content.
“To build a self-sustaining ecosystem of creators and consumers, we will continue working closely with established licensors, partners, and every facet of the Japanese pop culture community such as cosplayers and consumers, to cultivate a strong anime following. With this, we hope to increase not only accessibility but also desirability towards original content, in which we also hope to deter the rampant act of piracy within the industry and restore the confidence of anime creators to produce content that is adored on the global stage and which fulfills the industry's rising demand,” Jeff adds.
MUSE Communication Singapore currently holds the rights to various Intellectual Property within the Japanese animation industry, including notable anime titles that are famous all over the globe such as Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba, Sword Art Online, Attack On Titan, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, One Punch Man and many more.
The Hakken! physical outlet will be opened to public beginning 16 January 2020, and is located at Plaza Singapura, 68 Orchard Road, #07-08. The opening hours are from 10am to 10pm, every day of the week.
For more information on Hakken!, please visit https://www.hakkenonline.com/.
