Remember the Sakura Wars cycling gear inspired by Sakura Shinguji that we wrote about some time ago? It is a great idea and it obviously makes sense that such gear is represented by the postergirl of the series. But I’m sure there’s a part of us that hoped that maybe…a cooler, just generally more interesting character could also be represented in such a clothing line?

Like perhaps…Sumire Kanzaki? Monoclover’s Sakura Wars section has been updated with Sumire Kanzaki versions of all of the previous six Sakura Shinguji-themed Sakura Wars cycling gear items. The idea is the same with these new items – the item prices, the sizing options.

It makes you wonder if any other characters are going to be introduced. After Sakura Shinguji, Sumire is probably designed to be one of the more prominent female characters of the Teikoku Kagekidan, next to Maria Tachibana. Honestly, I would not be surprised if either the cycling gear character features stopped now or if it continued to include all six (or eight, if you include the newer Teikoku Kagekidan members.) While Sakura Wars has quite the legacy in Japan and each character has their fans to a degree, the items can be too much for any collectors . At the same time, Sakura Wars seems to have a rather busy 19th Anniversary outside of this cycling gear promotion, so maybe Sega would be interested in going all out for this promotion?

Remember that if you plan to purchase any items from Monoclover and you’re not a resident of Japan, you’ll need to use their (English!) Facebook application.

Credit for images goes to Monoclover.

The Japanese outlet Gamers kicked off their Sakura Wars Museum this past weekend! The Sakura Wars Museum is celebrating 19 years of Sakura Wars, and features a staggering collection of Sakura Wars art, hardware, and merchandise.

The official blog for Gamers posted some preview shots of their testament to the series, which will take up an entire floor of the store. I’ve attached a small preview gallery (which can be individually enlarged) below to this article; however I do encourage you to check out the blog post itself to see more of the work that was put into this exhibit! And of course if you can find your way to Akihabara before November 3rd when the Museum is over…you know what to do.

Credit for all images goes to the Gamers blog post linked above.

The Japanese online shop Monoclover is now carrying special Sakura Wars-themed biking gear. All of the accessories/clothing pieces are pink and prominently feature Sakura Shinguji, the lead heroine of the Imperial Assault Force and the de-facto face of the series.

For customers outside of Japan, there’s a Facebook app available that can be browsed in English. The clothing items come in various sizes, sometimes going up to 3L. These items will set your wallet back quite a bit though – the windbreaker at pre-tax price level runs for about $117! The items do look nice, though.

And besides that, it’s an unexpected level of activity for a franchise that’s mostly dormant. Then again, Chisa Yokoyama is running a Sakura Wars solo performance live concert and a Sakura Wars mobile game is still operational while Valkyria Duel has ceased operation. Almost makes you hope for a return of Sakura Wars, which in its heyday was an incredibly strong franchise in Japan.

There are six clothing items available! All items are credited to the order page listed at the beginning of this article.

• Bib shorts
• Windbreaker
• Long-sleeved jersey
• “High functionality” jersey
• Quick-drying sweat fabric jersey (material like this is actually amazing, I love it)
• Gloves

Bib Shorts

Windbreaker

Long Sleeve

High Function

Quick Dry

Gloves