Japan’s getting a whole slew of new Studio Ghibli shirts courtesy of their GBL line. These shirts will only be available at the various Donguri, which is kind of like The Disney Store but for Ghibli, across Japan and in limited quantities on their site. The new additions to line feature shirts from all the Ghibli titles you’d expect; heavy on the Miyazaki of course. Well designed, even subtle, shirts based on Princess Mononoke, Spirited Away, Totoro, and even Porco Rosso will be available to purchase from April 26.
The GBL line just started a couple of years ago. Ran in conjunction with Benelic, it’s basically Studio Ghibli’s first party clothing brand that’s aimed at older audiences. Typically, their shirts tend to only be available in Donguri, which is also ran with the help of Benelic. If you’re ever visiting Japan, Donguri shops are actually pretty neat and worth seeking if you have the time. They tend to be full of tasteful, if not a little expensive, merch like high quality stuffed animals, figurines with detailed scenery, and other products that would look just as good in your otherwise normal dining room.
Out of this new drop, my favorite shirt has to be the one with the older witch from Kiki’s Delivery Service. Lord knows I’m a sucker for those retro patterns and colors. However, being the snob that I am I’m a little disappointed there’s never much merchandise for Only Yesterday or The Ocean Waves. Yes, the latter was Ghibli’s only TV movie and neither Miyazaki nor Takahata worked on it, but I love it to pieces. Of course, it makes sense for Ghibli to focus on the more popular titles as they have worldwide appeal. No one’s walking into a Donguri without buying at least one of these GBL shirts.
Then new GBL pieces will drop on April 26 exclusively at Donguri. Some may be available online here as well. Full drop at Natalie.