Westfield Carousel

Today, I went to Westfield Carousel shopping centre with my Mum, sister and stepdad. My brother stayed home to play Skyrim, because videogames are the best thing ever, according to him.


The ride up took about an hour from where I live, so it would have been unbearable had I forgotten my iPod. But since I did have it, I spent the whole ride listening to alternative rock and J-Pop. :3


Once I got up there, it was basically three hours of being dragged into shop after shop of women's clothes and jewellery. I swear, the place was swarming with so many girls and women that I'm surprised I didn't spontaneously grow a vagina. 

(Shudder) I may not be afraid to read shoujo, but after seeing so much pink today, it's a miracle I'm not in a sugar coma.

Eventually I managed to get into a couple of shops I wanted to check out - the Dymock's bookshop, which is in a 1920's Art Deco style that kind of made me think of an old timey cafe crossed with a cinema. I looked around inside, but it didn't carry manga, which disappointed me a bit.


After that, we went into JB Hi-Fi, where my stepdad pointed out a Naruto boxset on sale. There were about nine DVD cases, and I'm not sure how many discs, but it was the original series, not Shipuuden. I don't watch or read Naruto, so it was no good to me, but if there are any fans around, then the JB at Carousel is worth going to. 


They also had 1960's Astro Boy for a discount, but I'm mostly interested in the 80's and 00's series. But again, if you're interested in the original series, go to JB.


That was the last shop I found that interested me. The rest of the time, I was pulled around clothing shops, makeup sections, and jewellery stores. The backs of my legs have a bit of blistering from where my Converse rubbed against them. Note to self - wear longer socks next time.

These = painful without decent length socks (>x<! )

But if you're a girl and you like to shop for well, girly things, it's a pretty good place for you. If you're going to go into every clothing shop, leave your guys at home so they can play their video games. It will save you from having to hear the typical male bitching about being bored. That, or leave him at the cinema, TimeZone or bowling alley on the upper floor, so they're being babysat while you look at what you want.

Pictured: The best babysitter in the world

So, in conclusion: Westfield Carousel =/= a manga and anime hotspot. But if you're looking for a good day out, it's a good place to go. Anime is easier to come across, thanks to the JB Hi-Fi, but if you're looking for manga, you may be out of luck.

Pop Culture Hotspots in Perth

When I go out shopping for something in Perth, in that horrible, dull period between conventions, my usual stop has become Empire Toys on Hay Street.  The inner layout of the shop has changed a lot lately, and they recently moved a couple of doors down, so if you're familiar with them but haven't been in a while, just walk a little bit further and you'll find them.


Empire is one of my favourite places to go in the city. They stock everything from Star Wars to Doctor Who to Death Note. I'd say the only downside is that they lack a little in the tchtotchkes department. They could do with having more phone straps, keyrings and such diddy little items. They do have some anime printed cushions though, a great stock of action figures, plenty of manga, and I've picked up a couple of Torchwood novels from there, too. 


To get the smaller items, I usually go to Tokyo Underground. They have a lot of Gundam sets, along with anime printed cushions, bags, wallets and plushies. They also have a few stands, but a fair portion of them are counterfeited, and I'm not a collector of those items, so I avoid them.  They're worth checking out in any case, just for the sake of the smaller items that are difficult to find elsewhere in the city.


I used to go to Borders for manga, because it was generally cheaper than other places sold it, but alas, since they closed their doors I have taken to waiting for Wai-Con in January and Supanova mid-year to buy manga. They sell it for $10 a volume, direct from publisher, so it's easier to pick up an armful there than to let the extra dollars add up over time and end up spending more.


Dymocks has begun to stock manga, but as far as I've seen, the range is a little limited.


Another good place to go, especially for girls, is Morning Glory. While it's not an anime or manga shop, it does sell a lot of cute things, especially from Korea. They have a smattering of Japanese items, but if you're a fan of K-Pop, their collection of posters should satisfy you, and they are equipped with various small items such as stationery and money boxes.


JB Hi-Fi has a great range of anime on DVD, along with a decent amount of Asian films.


Perth in general is well equipped to serve the anime fandom, but I still feel it could do with more. It's still nice to have so many options for shopping, especially in a country where anime fans are sparse compared to other locations.


Do you know of any other shops that sell related items? :3

Welcome! ❤

So, I began a blog. Normally I'm terrible with updates, but oh well, I'll work hard to keep providing new content.

Now, before all of my traffic veers away because of my boring opening sentence, allow me to give you reason to stay! I have an armadillo on my head. Got your attention? Good.

Let's get on with this lark then, shall we? :)

My name's Heath, yeah I know, like Heath Ledger. But unlike him, I'm neither famous nor dead, and I can't rock a cowboy hat.

So, what's my gimmick? Every blog's gotta have one, and mine is this - I'm a guy who indulges in shoujo manga and isn't afraid to admit it. I'd die without my fix of romance and cuteness, and luckily I own enough volumes crammed to the max with it. Though I do plan to pick up a lot more at my next convention in January. At my first convention, I bought so much that my arms ached from the weight of the bags. Carrying fifteen volumes will do that to you, though.

Anyway, enough about me for now. Sit back, relax, take a gander at my posts (which, seeing as this is the first, probably don't exist just yet, but shuddup) and make some comments on them. :3

I can be reached by email at HeathHeartner@live.com.au.

You have a good day, now! ❤