Hobonichi Preview #19: Hello Kitty

So, it's the last day on list of main reveals of the 2027 Hobonichi line up. As I've read, there will be some other reveals before September but most of the stuff can already be seen. I may write about them but likely I will not. The last day features Hello Kitty herself, while she is not my fave of the Sanrio line-up, I really appreciate the retro direction they went with her for this collection. My fave Sanrio guys are: Jewel Cat, Kutusita Nyanko, Adorozatorumary, Chococat, and Marroncream.

The A6/A5 covers are bright red and there's a medley of some very cute illustrations, though done in a retro-style they have Hello Kitty doing stuff with her own techo. It's a lovely touch.

The Weeks pattern is quite similar, but more sparse with all the illustrations being equal in size.

Surprisingly I like the pencil boards the most from this collection. I think I like the patterns on the flipped sides a lot, especially with Hello Kitty chilling in the left bottom corner.

There's also three clear covers. Maybe I'm dumb or something but I'm pretty sure cover-on-cover implies the plastic covers will also fit over standardized Techo covers. Seems like a lot of covers but that's just me. Simple but cute.

I think the sticky notes are nice, I like that they are outlined in red.

Cool little stamps with buttons, though I imagine aiming them is quite difficult.

Some folders. The colours are vibrant and pretty. Though I don't know how comfortable it is to store folders inside a Techo.

Glimmery stickers, which I much prefer to foil-pressed. Maybe because they were so common when I was a kid I have better associations with them.

The 'stappo' is a standing pouch. I like the idea but I'm not sure how much use it would be to me personally in execution. My table is always a huge mess and only shelves work so far.

A pretty cute pencil case, it looks like it has pockets so that's pretty great. Most pencil cases could use some more pockets. 

And that's all for the main reveals! I've also been curious about Hobonichi as a bit of a stationery freak but never gave it serious thought because of the high-price point. Though for my needs, which would be a standard A6 book with a cover, I guess it's not incredibly expensive and worth it for the good design and utility of the planner. Since I'm already set for 2027 I will not be ordering an actual Techo. There's only been one item that I really, really want and it's the Natal Design's A6 camo cover. However, I will not be buying it on release day. I hate that phenomena of everyone rushing and scrambling to buy stuff as soon as it's out with this scarcity mindset. If it's still available closer to the end of the year and isn't outrageously expensive I may buy the camo cover to use with an A6 planner in 2028. We'll see in the future!

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Hobonichi Preview #18: Hiroko Kubota

Another series of lovely illustrated covers and some deco tape. This time it's works by Hiroko Kubota, who has previously collaborated with Hobonichi. There's some very cute cats.

The A6 and A5 HON cover is very beautiful, it's main feature is the oncoming dusk. Of course the characters, who are talking through a string phone, are also amazing. The mouse is a great touch.

The Weeks cover is darker, happening at night, maybe? The blue forest above is a lovely contrast and is paired well with the white cats and the glowing fish.

My fave item is probably this deco tape. I love donuts, I love cats. They are dainty and small too! I could see myself putting them all over a planner. 

A great series though I have to say from all the illustrated covers and collections, my favourite is still Akiko Miyakashi's work, hands down. 

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Hobonichi Preview #17: TSUKI no IRO

This addition to the 2027 lineup is a stationery series in collaboration with the Kakimori store. If you're an enjoyer or ink pens this may be of interest to you. Otherwise the majority of stationery is quite simple and minimalist, so not of much note to me personally (with one exception!). 

First is a fountain and roller ball pen. The pens have the same appearance, a nice frosted and green plastic. I already have enough pens to last me though so I'm not interested.

There is also a pigment ink which looks cool, but since I'm not a fountain pen user this is also not very relevant to me.

There is a series of 12 ink mini-bottles. The colours (especially the greens) are pretty! 

I've never used blotting paper, but I imagine it might be easier to buy locally then to order online.

Again, I'm not a big fan of foil-pressed stickers and the designs are not very interesting to me.

Here is the one item I think is very cool: index-pockets for each month of a planner. The design is great, very retro-like and simple but not boring. I doubt I would order these but I might DIY some myself for a future planner. 

And the last item is a set of translucent stickers that fits perfectly into the month slots of the planner. I already do this with washi tapes. 

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Hobonichi Preview #16: minä perhonen

So, the brand minä perhonen is one I've only heard of through Hobonichi. They are not Finnish actually (though the phrase directly translates to 'I am a butterfly') and create textiles. They are very expensive. Previous covers from the collabs with minä perhonen were between around 80 and 130 dollars/euros. I suppose if you really love the designs and quality this could be a reasonable investment but I find charging that much for a planner cover incredibly high.

The pattern of the A5/A6 blue cover is quite Nordic, but maybe because of the blue it feels a bit Mediterranean to me as well.  

The 'glass flower' A5/A6 cover has a zipper, and like a trifold, I actually quite like zipper-style covers. I think it keeps everything in one place very nicely and protects the paper. I'm not crazy about the actual cover design though. 

The 'piece' A6 cover (as the other 'piece' covers) is made from left over materials from clothing production. I love mixed textiles and patterns, especially when they have this kind of quilted or patchwork look, it's very comforting.

 

The 'piece' A5 cover might be my favourite, because of the darker yellow lining, it's quite fun to look at.

 

I think the blue pattern looks better on the more square-ish covers like the A6 or A5 but it works well on the weeks too. And the zipper is great.

 

Actually the best item is probably the 'piece' weeks. It has very pretty muted colours, a zipper, and very cute textiles. 

There is also a tote. It's an average cute yet tiny tote.

I believe a lot of the cost comes from the labour and materials (such as the cowhide inner lining) and that totally makes sense. I just could never justify a 100+ dollar cover but if someone sees this being their long term cover and the style appeals to them, it checks out. 

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