Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms Limited Edition Unboxing

Well, this is no beauty pageant, but let’s take a look at the special edition of second half of the Hakuoki remake.

Warning: image-heavy post ahoy!

Item Info:

Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms Limited Edition
薄桜鬼 真改 華ノ章 (Hakuoki Shinkai: Hana no Shou)
Idea Factory
PS Vita
Release Date: March 13, 2018
MSRP: $72.99

About:

Finally, the second half of the Hakuoki remake. This is another Iffy Store exclusive, so that’s a major disappointment for me versus Aksys Games’ otome releases.

Items include a calendar, mug, pin set, artbook, reversible cover, and a box.

Photos:

Thoughts:

I wasn’t a fan of Kyoto Winds‘ limited edition centering around a bento box. The bento box can’t even be showed-off easily, and it’s also not something for practical use. (Not that I use any of my LE stuff; it’s too expensive.) So when I read what this one would include, I was more interested.

A mug, for example, is something everyone can use, and it can be set on a shelf to easily be displayed. While the official site does say 6 oz (177 mL for my international friends), it isn’t until you get it in your hand that you realize how small this is. I mean, Keurig coffee machines do have a 6 oz setting, but there definitely isn’t a lot of wiggle room.

Speaking of room, as you can see, the boxes for the two limited editions are immensely different. The first box comparison picture looks like I don’t have them aligned, but they are. As you can see in the third picture, the top has a lip to go over the bottom. It’s closer to Aksys’ Stories of the Shinsengumi PS3 limited edition box in that aspect. Yes, it is slightly easier to get on and off, but I think I prefer Kyoto Winds’ slim form factor. Size-wise, I don’t really prefer Kyoto Winds’ long and skinny or Edo Blossoms‘ short and fat approach, but I do know that they absolutely do not go together. I don’t know if a lot of you stand your limited editions up or lay them down, but either way, if you want to put them next to each other, there’s either a gap or extra space (depending on how you look at it.)

I believe those symbols on the box side represent the guys (notice how the first symbol is on Hijikata’s uniform), but there’s 12 guys and only 10 symbols. I’m not sure who is missing, and I’m also not sure if the design on the lid correspond to the two missing symbols. Unless two don’t have a symbol for whatever reason. It seems like it would make more sense if Hijikata’s and Kazama’s symbols were the big pair, but one definitely doesn’t belong to Hijikata. I’ll have to see.

Oh, and that shine near the middle of the box isn’t my phone’s flash. It’s part of the image.

Calendars tend to be those bonuses that are nice… for one year. Then it just becomes a pretty picture with some wasted space. On one side is a kiss picture, the other side a key image featuring one of the men. Fortunately, the actual calendar part is small (kind of defeating the purpose), and I wish they would have just made this a full-blown art display. Or use the calendar space to include a key line from the game. Ironically, the calendar is bigger (and nicer) than what I expected, so it sort of balances out the small mug.

Also wish all 12 guys got a pin. Not that I really care about Sakamoto and company, but I still want a Yamazaki pin. I’d also prefer if the pins weren’t in a chibi style. It kind of makes them look like a doujin fan-pin rather than a licensed one. The chibi images are already on the mug. The pins didn’t have an actual place in the box; they were just thrown in on the second level. (Upside down, I might add.)

Also, the reverse cover is better than the regular cover. I guess Idea Factory wanted to promote the new guys and try to emphasize this isn’t the Hakuoki you already know. Fitting all 12 on the cover would probably be too much, so the simplistic cover with Hijikata and Kazama is better, as it reflects the main route.

The artbook cover is different than Kyoto Winds’ artbook. It’s hard to tell from the pictures, that one is a matte finish, the other glossy. Edo Winds also looks slightly thicker.

I was surprised that the first included a “Melodies from Kyoto” CD, so I assumed there would be a “Melodies from Edo” version in this second set. Did the CD actually include all the Hakuoki tracks? Maybe I should listen to it sometime…

Final Comments:

Overall, Hakuoki: Edo Blossoms has better items than the first in my opinion, mostly because I hated the bento box. While this is a nice package and I know there’s a PS4 version in Japan… I HOPE I NEVER HAVE TO BUY THIS GAME AGAIN. I love Hakuoki, and while I’d prefer the PS4’s 2-in-1 full route approach, give me Reimeiroku or SSL for more Shinsengumi adventures. There’s also tons of other Otomate games out there, so hopefully Idea Factory and Aksys Games can keep the otome train coming. Or do some Hakuoki OVAs based on non-Hijikata routes. That would be awesome.