An unexpected collaboration has emerged as Junji Ito’s Tomie and Sanrio’s Hello Kitty pair up for the Junji Ito x Sanrio Characters Pop-Up Store collab, and it is set to launch this August.
The promotional art depicts Kawakami Tomie in stylish schoolgirl fashion, with a (rather concerning) number of Hello Kitty figures in the background. If you’re familiar with the Tomie series, you might already know what the promo art implies.
Joining the collab are more Sanrio characters like Pompompurin and My Melody who will also appear alongside the titular Tomie in various merchandise. Available items include acrylic stands, file sets, towels, badges, keychains, stickers, and a T-shirt.
Other Junji Ito characters will also join the collab, with both the Black and White-clothed pretty boys from “Intersection” accompanying Lloromannic Berry, Kuromi, and the fan-favorite Cinnamoroll in their respective merchandise.
The only downside to this collab is that the pop-up store will only appear in Tokyo and Osaka at the Shibuya and Shinsaibashi PARCO locations in those cities.
The Junji Ito x Sanrio Characters Pop-Up Store collab will run from August 23 to September 9 in Tokyo, while the Osaka Pop-Up will be open from September 27 to October 14 this year.
So, if you’re planning to visit Japan around those dates and are intrigued by this strange collaboration of cute and macabre, be sure to visit these locations.
In other Junji Ito-related news, we’ve finally received an update on the anime adaptation of Uzumaki.
Source: Asobi Factory via Siliconera