Donguri Sora, the Japanese brand behind most ofStudio Ghibli’s official merchandise, has just announced a new line of t-shirts just in time for summer. The t-shirt designs are based on some ofStudio Ghibli’s most popular films, which are beloved both in Japan and internationally. While Donguri Sora has physical store locations only in Japan, the t-shirts are also available to order online for fans who live overseas.
Studio Ghibli is behind some of the most iconic and famous Japanese animated films of all time, including award-winning films likeSpirited Away,My Neighbor Totoro, andKiki’s Delivery Service- and that are only naming three of the most famous films. The studio has been creating beautifully animated stories since the 1980s, with topics that range from romanticizing the beauty of everyday life to deliveringpowerful anti-war or environmental messages.
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All the t-shirts from Donguri Sora have simple designs on them, but they cover a range of Studio Ghibli films. They are all also light colors, which make them comfy, airy choices for a hot Japanese summer - or wherever you are around the world! The simple designs are also ones that may be recognizable to other fans, but are subtle enough to remainfashionable over cringe-worthy.
In all, there are 15 different t-shirts available, in 12 different designs (some are the same design in an alternate color). Designs include Calcifer fromHowl’s Moving Castlewith the simple words “Fire Demon” and the Japanese kanji for fire, Tombo fromKiki’s Delivery Servicecalling Kiki on the frontof the shirt with “don’t call me” on the back, and aCastle in the Skyshirt featuring one of the famous robots done in a varsity t-shirt style.
Each of the t-shirts is priced at 6,600 yen (around $49 USD), and can be ordered from May 11th. The t-shirts will be made to order, so they may be hard to get after the pre-order period of May. All the t-shirts will be shipped in June and should arrive just in time for the hot weather to really kick off. The shirts also come in a huge range of sizes, from S to XXL, making them more accessible than usual to all fans.
Studio Ghibli films are loved by both children and adults around the world, and characters like Totoro are internationally recognizable. Totoro even appeared in Disney’s Toy Story 3, because Disney and Studio Ghibli also have a strong connection. Making these t-shirt designs available not only to Japanese fans but also to international fans is a good play by Donguri Sora. Not only do they make more profit, so it’s good from a business standpoint, but it will also make fans around the world happy they can also buy one of these fashionable shirts.
