The success of the NieR: Automata Ver1.1a anime series has amplified the already considerable popularity of the characters of Yoko Taro's game, and all sorts of collaborations and merchandise are popping up.
Following the public baths collaboration we saw a few weeks ago, which is now in full swing, we now have pop-up stores titled "relax ti[M]e" popping up (pun intended) in Japan.
They will be hosted at the Loft chain of department stores starting on March 17 as follows:
- Sakae Loft in Nagoya - from March 17 to April 9
- Shibuya Loft in Tokyo - from March 21 to April 10
- Sendai Loft in Sendai - from April 18 to May 7
- Umeda Loft in Osaka - from April 21 to May 8
- Yokohama Loft in Yokohama - from May 16 to June 4
- Tenjin Loft in Fukuoka - from May 18 to June 4
The items on sale portray 2B and 96 in cute loungewear appropriate to the "relax time" theme, and they include acrylic stands, keychains, T-shirts, tote bags, bookmarks, clear files, hoodies, pillows, and... an ashtray. Most are certainly fairly usual merch fare, but the ashtray is a fairly odd one.
For the occasion, chibi-version of the characters of the game and anime (2B, 9S, A2, Adam, and Eve) have also been created, wearing loungewear and holding cute stuffed animals.
You can check all the items and artwork out in the gallery below.
Unfortunately, it's very likely that all the items portrayed here won't be sold outside of Japan unless you find a way to purchase them remotely and import them, which is certainly possible albeit not exactly cheap.
NieR: Automata is currently available for PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC. While we don't have specific information, its developers seem rather confident that another NieR game will be coming at some point.
