Company: Bandai
Release: 2020+
Size: +/- 4 cm
Main distribution: Japan / USA / UK (Gashapon machines)
This is a little Gashapon line of figures waiting with their knees tucked up, hence the name Still Waiting For You (Machiboke). The main line is animals, but there have been spin-offs sets who gotten the same treatment. They are distributed in Gashapon machines by Bandai.
Many series have been made so far. I’ll only list the main animals here.
To see the Birds, Dragon Ball, Japanese High School Baseball Players, or Japanese Souvenir Folk Toys, click on their respective links.
10 animals series have been made so far of 5 figures each, resulting in 50 figures.
I got 3/50.
The figures come in coloured transparent balls so you can see which one you got without opening it. Bigger figures come in bigger balls.
Each figure is individually wrapped in plastic, and comes with a large leaflet.
Series 1
Series 1 exists out of 5 figures; Fennec Fox, White Cat, Shiba Inu, Japanese Monkey and Panda.
I got 3/5; White Cat, Japanese Monkey and Panda.
The leaflet is quite large, in colour and in Japanese.
White Cat
White Cat is sitting with its knees tucked up as the series Still Waiting For You is known for. Its front paws are casually resting on top of its knees. It’s a long haired cat, with white fur and has olive coloured eyes. Its expression is neutral, if somewhat bored or annoyed. It has little black toe beans painted on the bottom. Its tail is upwards curled. The branding is on its the bottom in a dented square and reads in raised font “©BANDAI B.CHINA the 4 dots of Bandai 2489480”.
Japanese Monkey
Japanese Monkey is sitting with its knees tucked up as the series Still Waiting For You is known for. Its front paws are crossed and casually resting on top of its knees. The monkey is brown with a red face. Its expression is happy, with a smile on its face. The branding is on its the bottom in a dented square and reads in raised font “©BANDAI B.CHINA the 4 dots of Bandai 2489480”.
Panda
Panda is sitting with its knees tucked up as the series Still Waiting For You is known for. Its front paws are casually resting on top of its knees. Its expression is neutral, with a small smile on its face. On the bottom its foot pads can be seen. The branding is on its the bottom in a dented square and reads in raised font “©BANDAI B.CHINA the 4 dots of Bandai 2489480”.
Series 2
Release date: 2020
Series 2 exists out of 5 figures; Hedgehog, White Rabbit, Toy Poodle, Red Panda and Shark.
I got 0/5.
Series 3
Release date: 2020
Series 3 exists out of 5 figures; Chinchilla, Pomeranian, Racoon, Otter and Crocodile.
I got 0/5.
Series 4
Release date: 2021
Series 4 exists out of 5 figures; Shima-enaga, Husky, Seal, Penguins and Polar Bear.
I got 0/5.
Series 5
Release date: 2021
Series 5 exists out of 5 figures; Eel, Black Cat, Dalmation, White Wolf and Lion.
I got 0/5.
Series 6
Release date: 2021
Series 6 exists out of 5 figures; Sand Cat, Turtle, Pig, Otter and Whale Shark.
I got 0/5.
Series 7
Release date: 2022
Series 7 exists out of 5 figures; Frog, Baby Panda, Octopus, Tiger and Dragon.
I got 0/5.
Series 8
Release date: 2022
Series 8 exists out of 5 figures; Hamster, Java Sparrow, Pug, Dolphin, Horse.
I got 0/5.
Series 9
Series 9 exists out of 5 figures; Pomeranian, White Rabbit, Lop Eared Rabbit, Stingray and Hammerhead Shark.
I got 0/5.
Series 10
Release date: 2023
Series 10 exists out of 5 figures; Pigeon, Chihuahua, Chihuahua (white), Sheep and Gorilla.
I got 1/5.
Gorilla
Gorilla is sitting with its knees tucked up as the series Still Waiting For You is known for. Its arms are crossed and casually resting on top of its knees. The gorilla is black and grey. Its expression is neutral, looking calm. The branding is on its the bottom in a dented square and reads in raised font “©BANDAI B.the 4 dots of Bandai 2674941”.
I have finally found a Gashapon store in the UK, and even better, it’s quite close near me. You have to buy special coins for the machines, which are £2 each. Then each machine, depending on what’s inside, take a different amount of coins. These took x2. So £4 a try. Considering these are ¥300 in Japan that is a bit more (especially now that the yen is quite low). They don’t seem to bother translating the leaflets for it either. They only translated the front image for the machine. The latter series don’t even come with a leaflet anymore, only a generic warning for little children.
It’s a novel experience. I’ve been eyeing these for a while, but never caved. I’ve only seen series 1, 9 and 10 here. I so want an otter!
We decided to try for the Panda or Monkey, but got the White Cat instead. When we tried again later, we got the Monkey. My uncle gave it a try too and the coin got stuck in the machine! So they opened it for us and we could pick, so I got the Panda. When series 10 was running low, I could see the next one to come out was a big ball, so the Gorilla, which I wanted. So he was easy to get.
Having seen how many cute ones there are though, I hope they bring the others over here too. Like the Animal Sauna, these are quite cute to collect. There are of course, all the cute spin offs too.
Overall this series is funny and cute and if they get the other sets in I might have to try it again, despite being a bit expensive.
If you like Gashapon, little figures, cute and/or funny animals, you’ll like this series. Be advised they may be expensive depending where you find them.
If you prefer larger or articulated toys, you might give these a miss.
Got any more details / information you think I should add? Or did I get something wrong? Do you own these figures? Do you agree or disagree with my findings? Let me know in the comments below!