Dakimakuras anyone?

Nope, looks like the site doesn't allow hot linking. Might want to try hosting elsewhere, I guess.

My first Daki was one that came with a dvd I purchased, the second one also was a came with, the third I got the book for the Daki and the mini one I got for the Daki aspect. Most of mine I got to collect, my Reina mini one I got to sleep with, and I do feel that my sleep has improved since I started to hug it at night.

Wow. Well, that certainly was an unexpected, pleasant, and very polite way to ask about the collecting habits of others. You don't see that too often anymore, so I thank you for that. :)

I really wish that I didn't like them. I probably would have...no, I definitely would have saved a few grand (OK, so more like several grand, but you get the picture). ;)
Anyhow, I like hentai and pervy shit, and simply put, there's something special about owning a cover that trumps just saving an image of it to your computer. I don't think that is the best way to describe it, but I suppose it's one of my most basic reasons. It's quite the materialistic hobby (no pun intended), that's for sure.

I was just talking about this, but I don't even get to display any of my hentai goods (sans a few risque PVC figures), but knowing that I have them is somewhat and somehow consoling. Not to mention, they are super comfortable to sleep with.
And yeah, like Shashin said, feel free to pop in and ask any questions or share any thoughts you may have on the subject.

Oh, and if you're looking for collection images and what not, I have some of mine posted in my signature, and so do a few others, but lately everyone has been migrating over to Figure.FM.

Thanks for the response! It's no problem at all! I don't think people should be throwing stones in glass houses, given the community that we have here. Open mindedness should be a standard here.

Material goods have always been a big thing with me, (Alduin replica sitting next to me, along with tons other video game merch), so I think that's another point I can relate on. And after hearing Shashin talk about the importance of the materials, I am very interested in seeing just how comfortable they are! I don't have insomnia, but I often wake up feeling sore and tired, would the superior quality of these pillows aid with sleep? I see someone commented earlier that it helped with their sleep, is that a common response?

Also, @Sashin, looking through Ami Ami, the cushion covers seem like a cheaper, smaller, and tamer way to get into the hobby, though I see that the material is listed as cotton. Thus I'm guessing it's not of the same quality as 2WT and 2WR and not indicative of the full dakimakuras? Are there any of the cushion covers that are comparable, or are they more of their own thing? If so then I'll probably stick to some of the Evening Call stuff. I really like a lot of their designs. The nudity in circle designs doesn't bother me, and I see your point in circle over company.

Thanks for everyone's help so far, I'm really enjoying being able to be a small part of your friendly community!

I'd imagine it would largely depend on the quality of the pillow you use with your case. If you use an uncomfortable body pillow, the cover probably won't do much to aid in your sleep. A few people in thread swear by the higher end dakimakura pillows, made by A&J and some other companies, but they'll run you 7-9k yen plus a pretty hefty shipping charge. Despite my willingness to spend more on the cover, I'm personally too cheap to buy one of these pillows myself.

With that said, the cover definitely does aid in sleeping even without a super expensive pillow to go with it. It definitely depends on the material of the cover you go with; there are a lot to choose from and I always tell people who are just getting into the hobby that materials are probably the most complicated/confusing aspect of it. People will have different opinions of the different materials/manufacturers, but as a general observation is that people prefer 2WT/2WR over the other materials. If you have a quality 2WT cover, it feels great against the skin and I absolutely think it helps me fall asleep when I use a cover on my pillow.


Honestly, I have never purchased a cushion cover through AmiAmi, so I'm not really able to answer that question. The ones you find there are probably not going to be comparable to a 2WT dakimakura cover; the size of most of them seem to be 45x45, which is a bit smaller than the typical 50cm width of a dakimakura cover (most are 160x50 these days.) They probably have a few that are larger than that, and they may even have some that are 2WT (cotton won't compare to 2WT at all) but for the most part, the cushion covers AmiAmi stocks are going to be a world of difference from dakimakura covers.

Some circles do occasionally do cushion covers, though. I have a fairly small one that I think is 30x30 or so, and I probably wouldn't buy it again, honestly. It's 2WR and the art is fantastic, but it's much too small for me to do much of anything with. On the other hand, a few circles have experimented with much larger cushion sizes (90x90) and those are great. But they're usually similarly priced to a typical dakimakura cover, so for the purposes of your question, the point is moot.

I will say the thing I typically like most about dakimakura covers is the immersion; most of the space is taken up by the character while there might be a sheet in the background or something. Circle covers tend to make great use of this space, while company covers (what you'd buy at AmiAmi) can be hit or miss. My very first cover was from Hobby Search and the company that did it made terrible use of the space; the character looked so tiny on the cover, as she had a ton of background surrounding her. I received two circle covers shortly after that, and they made much better use of the space. This may seem off topic, but it's important because that appears to be the main difference with most cushion covers; a lot of them have stuff going on in the available space other than the character - a lot of the cushions I look at have massive logos and other things that detract from the character.

Since everything is better with pictures, here's a link to the first three covers I purchased (sorry for the shitty host - it was the only host I knew at the time that allowed adult images.) I'm sure you can guess which one is a company cover and which are circle covers:

http://www.imagefap.com/pictures/2233384/dakimakura

And then here's a shot of a 90x90 cushion that I own:





You definitely can't go wrong with Evening Call. I've been following them since they first started (about three years now) and their work has always been fantastic. It got even better because it was earlier this year that they started shipping internationally; before you had to use a proxy service (added cost) to order from them, and their covers were still absolutely worth it. I've actually talked to quite a few people who wanted to get into dakimakura covers but didn't know where to start. In the handful of people I've talked to, I'd say about 90% of them started with Evening Call. They just have a fantastic selection to choose from and their art is beautiful.

Greetings Theprinceofdarkness! Well shashin has done a pretty thorough job of explaining the basics I think ^^ But I'll give my own story for how I got into dakimakura collecting.

I had always been intrigued by them but never was willing the spend the relatively huge amount on one of them, and did feel a bit like "do I really want to be *that* kind of person?!" about getting one too. But then Dengeki G's went and included a Kanu from Koihime Musou dakimakura with one of their festival magazines, for the reasonable price of 2800yen (or around that anyway). Since she's one of my favouritest characters I then decided that yep, I did want to be that kind of person! At least when the price was so affordable :p

I was very happy with the purchase (though in retrospect the material quality is dreadful on it). And I ended up starting to get a few covers from cospa and chara-hi for characters I liked. Over time you get used to spending more and more on covers and it starts to feel natural.. a dangerous hobby to be sure!

If you're looking to get started, the bonus ones that come in Dengeki Festival issues may be a good starting point. They're made of a smooth knit material atm, and far from a nice 2WT one but the price is a lot less intimidating.

My most recent purchase was these ones which I just posted up:
http://www.figure.fm/en/post/44562/Dog+Days+Loot.html

And I've got a gigantic order from Yokatta that should be landing tomorrow or the day after too...

Man, I really love pen's artwork, but I wish he'd vary his positions a bit. His art is absolutely fantastic, and I'd buy every single one of his covers if I had the money, but the front/front style of his is starting to wear on me. :(

Thanks for your feedback too! Seeing multiple perspectives is really fascinating. And thanks for the recommendation, cheaper, even if a bit lower quality, is handy to know that there are still other options available. Though I think the regular quality stuff is where I'll start out.

And @Shashin, I'll have to make sure to get at least a decent quality pillow then. At that price, I definitely don't think I need something too top of the line, haha. Just from what you guys have said though, the material sounds seriously impressive.

And ahh, if cushion covers are that separate from dakis, then I probably won't even bother. They seemed more like a smaller alternative, but I'll just have to stick with the regular stuff.

I see your point about the white space though, the added details like the "sheets" in the background of the circle covers are indeed a nice touch. That and other small things like clothing articles and stuff surrounding I can definitely see conveying a sense of immersion as you said. The lack of those elements from cushion covers does make them seem more similar to regular pillow cases than dakimakuras.

Also, those are some nice cases! The three showed up, the but the 90 x 90 cushion cover you attached isn't showing up.

Evening Call has international shipping? I didn't check that when I was looking, but that's awesome to know! It definitely clears up who I'm ordering with first.

The cushion link was a bit iffy for me too. If you right click the broken image and then copy/paste the link, that should work. I did it earlier when it wasn't showing up for me: the first time I got a forbidden message, but I hit enter again and it showed up without a problem. If you still can't see it let me know and I'll upload it elsewhere.

Yeah, it's just something they started early this year (January/February), and they've been great about it. They have a cool user system that rewards frequent shoppers (though you really have to spend a lot to benefit much from it) and their customer service is pretty exceptional. Registering for the website can be a bit of a pain, but I've written a guide for it a few times; whenever you're ready to order something just let me know and I'll dig it up.

Shashin, you've convinced me to stick to right here. I figured it was a good idea, and now I've had some firsthand experience.

Today I received three Dakis: Two were peachskin, one was Rayon. I have to say, I was really, really put-off by the Rayon. It simply looks and feels like a downgrade from peachskin. It isn't nearly as soft or colorful.

I'm still waiting on the 2WT I invested in to see if it's as you say, and actually worth the rather significant price hike from peachskin. I'm a little skeptical, because the two peachskin I received were very surprisingly detailed and colorful, and also soft. They would suit me fine if they were my only choice.

But, again, I have one Sora no Otoshimono 2WT on its way, not sure when it will arrive. It's of Nymph, and it was...quite pricey. But I wanted first-hand experience, since I prefer personal experience to second-hand accounts, so we'll see. It definitely looks and sounds impressive from other accounts, but I'll be able to check it out for myself, probably within the end of the week.

One other thing worth mentioning, I think, is that it's very easy to get inexpensive plush stuffing that is far, far superior to the general offers that are made. They're pretty much the same size, and if you walk into a store that sells body pillows, they're clearly more comfortable and plush, but of perfectly adequate, if not identical, size.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to the 2WT. I might end up using it for art that I find particularly nice.

The issue of materials can be very complicated. The general pecking order would be 2WT/2WR -> Smooth Knit -> Peach Skin. However, that isn't absolute. Some people really like the feel of peach skin or smooth knit and don't necessarily care for 2WT (I've only met one person that didn't like 2WT and maybe two or three that would rate a different material above it.)

Another very important thing to consider is the manufacturer. I'm assuming you ordered the peach skin, rayon, and 2WT from the same bootlegger. You might end up liking their peach skin more than the 2WT, but that isn't necessarily representative of all 2WT. Once again, generally speaking, 2WT -> peach skin but the same principle of ranking applies to manufacturers. In fact, I'd think even more so, which is why legit covers are usually worth the price. A quality 2WT material (A&J, Seiren, P80's 2WR) will be vastly superior to the quality of a bootlegger's 2WT.

Bootleg covers can have fairly good quality in terms of color and print, but from my experience in seeing a ton of sample comparisons for bootleg and legit products, it's usually in the details that they lose out. I actually just came across a pretty good example of the differences the other day:

Bootleg: http://auctions.c.yimg.jp/img313.auctions.yahoo.co.jp/users/8/7/0/1/fryfishsky-img444x600-13525012707p1kmn37916.jpg

Legit:
http://www.pixiv.net/member_illust.php?mode=big&illust_id=26996588

Now, I personally think it's the red kimono that makes the cover but others might disagree. Even then, if you look hard enough you can see quite a few differences when it boils down to the details (shading, facial expression, boob shape, fluids, and so on.)

So depending on how you feel about the material, I'd say the $40 -> $80 jump is almost definitely worth it, but the $80 -> $150 jump is worth it to many as well (a lot of people in this thread actually started with bootlegs and moved to the legit goods with time.)

Which Nymph did you get and how much did it run you, if you don't mind me asking? :o

Yeah, that's probably some good advice on the stuffing, especially for those who can't find a body pillow in the right size for their covers (since almost all covers are 160x50 these days and the biggest pillow I've seen in a store was 130x50.)

I got the picture of the cover to work doing what you said. I think that's the only cushion cover I've seen so far making good use of white space. As you said, a lot of others seem more like contemporary pillow designs.

@solutions- Plush stuffing? Huh, that's a great idea. I'll have to keep that in mind.

Also Shashin, I'd hate to be incorrect again, but that second link doesn't appear to be working.

I have a few other cushions done by the same circle and one or two others done by different circles, and they're all similar. It's just for whatever reason companies like to have massive logos and such, I guess.

The second link being the Pixiv link? It works, but you need to sign up for an account to view it. So I'll just rehost them both.

http://imgur.com/a/uJytL

There we go, thanks! Both of them together makes the difference that much easier to compare, I see what you mean.

I actually have a bootleg version and the official version of the same cover now, so here's some shots to illustrate the differences in image quality (official left, bootleg right):

As you can see the colors end up a far darker shade in bootleg 2way tricots (at least all of the ~5 I got to check ended up that way compared to their preview pics, I don't have official copies of the other bootlegs).



The crispness and vividness of the image also takes a hit:


Feel wise, the 2way tricot bootleg is actually not that bad, though not as nice as the official one (which is made of AJ2way, one of the nicest 2WT materials).

Also as Shashin said, often a bootleg's base image is not going to look exactly the same as the original (and in worst case, may actually only be a vector trace and lacking significant details).

Well, no, actually. I have the three for the initial batch from HobbyHeart right from their website, which was the DHL that came yesterday (surprisingly, when I asked for a replacement or refund, they told me to keep it and they would refund the difference in shipping which, all things considered, isn't bad for an international seller, and a small $15 loss which I can make up easily by reselling it. While I could simply use AmEx's Platinum advantages to just not agree to that--AmEx Platinum has its own return policy that can't be overturned on everything purchased with it, which is why PayPal works well for this sort of thing--I'll probably end up eBaying it with all my other stuff I've been auctioning). I also got three from their eBay site, three from other high-ranked sellers, and one from animedakimakurapillow.com. Everything besides the one from ADP was peachskin due to there being no other option, and the 2WT was of Nymph (a personal favorite character) because I couldn't find the design anywhere else in 2WT, and that was one I wanted to be my test subject for 2WT. That particular one was $71.10 subtotal with no shipping charge, since ADP offers little coupons for anyone who buys from them.

This is the Nymph 2WT design I have not received yet, but expect soon:



And to emphasize the importance of using the right stuffing, it's immediately noticeable which is made domestically for shop retail and which is made of the cheapest material possible. It's even possible to get a body pillow stuffed with down feathers, which would run about $30-40, but would probably suffer from what most down feather pillows do, which is that it has little support. It's very easy to get $15-20 body pillows from any given big-name retail store (All-purpose stores like Macy's would carry only the basics but still is a huge upgrade, and then from there you have stores that specialize in such things like Bed, Bath, and Beyond or Linens and Things).

Ah, I see. Hobby Heart is generally considered a "reputable" bootlegger, as far as bootleggers go, I guess. Their quality seems to be pretty high as far as bootlegs go. I don't have any experience with the other site you mentioned as far as product quality goes, but I have a personal problem with their business practices. They spam promote their website on sites like Figure.fm, MFC, and Reddit. You're the first person I know who has actually ordered from them, but they have multiple accounts on the sites I mentioned to post fake reviews for them. It became a bit personal after I banned them from the Dakimakura subreddit for the spam promotion and then they took the username I use on Reddit and started promoting their site on Figure.fm with it. Hope it works out for you, but I can't help but be a little peeved whenever that site is mentioned. :P

That Nymph cover is from Dakemakura: http://www.dakemakura.com/456_shousai.html

Truth be told, I don't have a good impression of them so far. I can appreciate that their customer service is good and they more often than not have someone immediately available to answer questions, which is all very appreciated, but I noticed that my order had suddenly changed statuses to one that indicates it hasn't even been shipped yet. I was told before that they produce throughout the week and ship all completed orders on Fridays, but my order was on the 17th, meaning an entire week had passed without any change.

There was someone immediately available to chat, so I inquired about why the order had not apparently been switched yet, despite being ordered nearly an entire week in advance for production. The person on the other end said they would look into it and send me an email about the order's status.

So far, not so good. It would be so uncool if they simply missed my order for an entire week.

Also, it should be mentioned that it appears they've changed policies. They no longer have free shipping--it's at least $10 for economy. There's a pretty huge problem with that, because they're advertising a sale in which everything is, instead of the typical $50-60, now $40. Not much needs to be said about that.

Definitely not a good impression so far.

On the other hand, I'm expecting one more to arrive tomorrow. According to the USPS tracking, it arrived in Boston this evening, and I live just outside of Boston.

I have to say that I found one on HH that was just irresistible, and was by far the most eye-catching. This is a diagram of it:



That is *gorgeous*. If I may be a bit audacious, she has my favorite body type, bar none...In no small part because she immediately reminds me of a girl I've been on and off with but want to stay consistently on good terms, and she has features like that, so it floods me with passion as a quick psychological associative reaction. I wonder what she'll think of it if I tell her that. I mean, we've known each other forever, and we're both really, really open about ourselves, but... >_>

Anyway, if I can ever get the 2WT, I'd love to compare it. Here's to the site being in error on completely missing a week on my order.

Not to sound like a broken record here, but if you haven't ordered that cover yet, I'd highly recommend you'd look for a legit version of it. That cover was done by one of my absolute favorite artists (Paint Musume) and she has absolutely beautiful artwork; one of the very first covers I purchased was done by her. The sample you posted looks really dull in comparison to the sample image the circle has posted on their site. You can find that here: http://kyounetsu.blog110.fc2.com/blog-entry-118.html

If it's a cover you think you'll like more than others, it's definitely one I'd highly recommend trying a legit 2WT/2WR out with.

Paint Musume is someone I definitely have to start following, then. The way she draws the anatomy is just beautiful, as well as the clothing and accessories. All of it is wonderful. I checked out the link (thank you for the insight), and I'll definitely take note of it when I decide how I want to approach this.

It's so rare to find an artist who seems to get everything *perfect* on a personal level. I sift through so many, and it's frustrating when the artist *almost* gets it perfect. But then that one thing they do in their style that irks me starts to come out more and more...whoever designed that really hit a nerve. I'm going to see if I can do some more research on the artist, as well as find out as much about the growing list of materials possible. Thanks again for the great info.