A company dedicated to “bringing together cosmetics and otaku culture” has recently started a crowdfunding campaign for their brand-new product – a shampoo marketed for “trading card gamers.” They describe themselves as a brand “aiming to eradicate the negative reputation of card gamers in the world, and to help them lead a pleasant card gamer life.” It was not long before the campaign went viral after being picked up by Denfaminicogamer, catching the eye of many Japanese netizens who were amused by its odd but sincere premise.
Despite the original announcement X post being made on April 1st, it seems like the company is very serious about bringing their product to life. The shampoo in question is produced by lushtree, the company that manages OFF-KAi!!, a beauty salon specializing in “otaku beauty,” with outlets located in Akihabara and Ikebukuro. The salon is imagined as a haven for otaku made by otaku – all of the staff working there are anime, manga and game fans, the interior is decorated with anime merchandise, and the customers are encouraged to strike up conversations with the beauticians about their favorite characters. Anime openings are always playing in the background, and the two outlets even have their own original characters, each with an elaborate lore and backstory.
Dedicated to promoting the importance of personal care among otaku, lushtree have decided to take a step further and help break the classic stereotype of “nerds not showering,” by introducing a special shampoo just for card gamers. Note that even in Japan, card game otaku have gained notoriety for their smell being “too strong to handle” – to the point of card shops having to urge them to apply deodorant. With all this in mind, lushtree created Okite Sugu No Okite – an all-in-one shampoo that is “optimal for morning showers,” promising card gamers a good way to kick off their morning routine and start the day fresh.
According to their X account, the new brand is aiming to spread the clean lifestyle among card gamers and eventually make an impact on the whole card game industry as well. Notably, the manager of OFF-KAi!! Ikebukuro has been a card gamer himself for over 13 years, and in a recent X post he confessed that the “smell problem” in TCG shops and card game tournaments was something that had been bugging him for quite a while. However, with this new project in motion, he hopes that they will be able to find a solution very soon.
At the time of writing, the campaign is only 7% funded, with around 50 days left to reach the 2-million-yen (around $13,446 USD) goal
