7-11- The Start of a Konbini Revolution….

Before anyone said how can this be a revolution, since it is just a 7-11’s “are just about anywhere.” Let me just say one thing, they really are not….not in New York City, and I mean it with a damn straight face. There are plenty of restaurants, clothing stores, Starbucks, 99cent stores, but yeah they don’t really really stay open past a certain point. Plus they won’t let you exactly waltz in and use their heating equipment.. just like that… sooo..

7-11 are in Japan though, a dime a dozen in the urban centers – with other konbini or convenient stores like Family Mart or Lawson and others- all so conveniently located around shopping areas, with long hours. Why am I even thinking about this?

Because earlier this evening, when I was out with my friend, she showed up with a cold pizza inspired bread from the already closed New York’s Cafe Zaiya, who close at 8pm on the dot and shoo everyone out, probably quarter to 8. I didn’t get a chance to taste pizza inspired bread. Well before I get into this tangent on a bit upset I was and on a whole other tangent on why Japanese konbini’s rock and rule! I need to get into the purpose of this entry…

Even in black and white..what is the purpose of a konbini?

Project X: Challengers – Seven Eleven, this manga is released by DMP back in 2006, and even though it is technically considered out of print….. find it and read it if you can. This is one of the few educational manga that I picked up. Basically in a nutshell, this manga is about how 7-11 made its way to the land of the rising sun, and boomed. There are several points I found attractive or off-putting from this book.

Points I found attractive:

  • Takes a boring subject, and turn it into an entertaining yet learning read.
  • Readers learn about the coolness of a Japanese Konbini. This is a stark reminder of how often I miss it so dearly and fondly. That even the United States version makes me shudder at times in contrast to the Japanese ones.
  • This is a real story, and things happened to people.

Points I found off

  • This read very much like a pro-Japanese yet also commissioned book. This is a translated manga, so no other way of guessing who’s original intended audience is. It still got chosen to be translated though.
  • What I mentioned as a positive is also a factor I found strange, there are photographs, and a time line in the back that makes me wonder if there were any actual video documentaries of this story. Do people even want to read or see these people? Makes the whole book/story feel downright dated.
  • The age rating of this book is for all ages, and this is a “native manga”, but yes times have obviously changed from that time, so manga readers should get use to reading right to left.
  • There is warnings for the need to google search for Showa years, since the Japanese calender is quite different from an English one.
Where’s Captain Planet?

Author: Linda

Linda is a life long fan of anime, and dabbles in a lot of things. She writes with a tentative neutral voice.. and as for that three year anime blogging mark, she tries to defy that as she is gaining a voice in other mediums ie: Twitter. Find her at other places online. "They say a little knowledge is a dangerous thing, but it's not one half so bad as a lot of ignorance." -Terry Pratchett