Fangirl Monthly Subscription Box Review – October 2016
Fangirl Monthly is a jewelry subscription box just for anime and manga fans! Each monthly box includes 3-5 jewelry items, a cute pouch, and an exclusive postcard themed around a different anime or manga fandom.
This box was sent to us at no cost for review. (Check out the review process post to learn more about how we review boxes.)
The Subscription Box: Fangirl Monthly
The Cost: $18.00 per monthly box, or choose a 3 Month Prepay plan for $52.50 ($17.50 per box) or a 6 Month Prepay plan for $102.00 ($17.00 per box)
The Products: 3-5 jewelry items, an exclusive postcard, and a jewelry pouch, all themed around a different anime or manga fandom
Ships to: Domestic US ($3.99), Canada ($10.99), and worldwide ($13.99)
Check out the Geek + Nerd Subscription Box Directory and make sure to add Fangirl Monthly to your subscription list or wishlist!
This month’s theme is… SAILOR MOON!!! I am such a big Sailor Moon nerd, so I flipped out when I opened this box and saw the theme. Look at this cute info card! Hello, Artemis and Luna!
Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask Postcard by Mayu Matsumoto
Minimalist artwork like this is really popular, especially in fandom boxes I’ve seen, but this one doesn’t feel run of the mill by any means. There are still lots of lovely details in the print (the lace on her dress, the straps on her shoes…), and the whole design is so romantic and elegant. I can’t decide whether to send this to a friend, or frame it and use it as fangirl decor.
Usagi Jewelry Pouch
Fans of the English version of Sailor Moon know the protagonist as Serena, but her name in the original Japanese version is Usagi. It’s a punny name, since Usagi is a Japanese word for “rabbit”—with her long pigtails and adorable demeanor, she definitely fits the role! Anyyyway, now that I’ve nerded out long enough, let’s get to this cute pouch. It’s printed with a little pink bunny and holds all the jewelry from this month’s box. It’s not the most high-quality pouch, but I could see myself using it… maybe to hold my jewelry when I travel?
Cutie Moon Rod Necklace
I was surprised to see the Cutie Moon Rod done in silver, as opposed to its bright pinks and golds, but it does look cool as a pendant. I like how the translucence of the red and pink crystals add some dimension and color. I’m not a huge fan of the black cord, though. I’d have preferred a metal chain to match the shiny silver of the pendant.
Sailor Moon Brooch Pocket Watch
Pocket watches are another thing I’ve seen a lot in subscription boxes lately. I love that the watch looks like Sailor Moon’s magical brooch, but otherwise, it’s pretty light and doesn’t feel too sturdy. But as an adorable novelty item? I’ll take it!
Crescent Moon & Star Adjustable Ring
This ring is a little bit adjustable, so if it doesn’t fit your finger, you can bend it out or squeeze the ends together to tighten it. While it’s not explicitly Sailor Moon oriented, you definitely get the idea. I liked looking down at this shiny gold ring while I worked at my computer today. It was a nice excuse to muse about Sailor Moon for a few moments!
Makoto Kino Rose Stud Earrings
The info card says these stud earrings are supposed to represent the earrings that Makoto (Sailor Jupiter) wears. I don’t think I ever realized she wears little rosettes, but a few Google searches confirmed it! The hot pink color is cute and pops amidst my dark brown hair.
The Verdict: I thought this Fangirl Monthly box was adorable! Again, I’m biased, as I’ve got a long history loving Sailor Moon. But I liked at least half of the items enough to keep, and the other half enough to gift them to other Sailor Moon fans I know. It was almost impossible to find any of the items online outside of super-cheap vendor sites, which probably skew the value a bit. The jewelry in particular, would have to be at least $4-5ish to make the value of the box worth it. That’s probably true of the necklace and pocket watch, but for the smaller items, I’m not sure they hit the mark. I think just discovering that items like these exist is fun, but I can’t say I love the quality of everything in the box.
What do you think of Fangirl Monthly? What fandom do you hope they cover next?
Written by Anna Reilly
I agree the quality doesn’t look very impressive, but everything there is pretty cute! I think this box I’d have had fun with, but I used to be a fairly big sailor moon fan. And I like that the earrings totally fit sailor moon, but would work for my favorite anime too 🙂 (shoujo kakumei/revolutionary girl utena).
I suspect there’s a bunch of months I’d be unhappy with if I subscribed though… If they’re based on shows I don’t know anything about, with the somewhat low quality of a lot of the pieces it wouldn’t be fun enough to justify. I’m looking forward to seeing what they send though, through MSA!
YES to Sailor Moon!! I love that pocket watch.