Dakimakuras anyone?

See, I'm so ignorant I didn't even know there was such a thing as "bootlegs" for Dakimakuras. I'll look around for legitimate covers because I do want at least one to sleep with that feels ultra comfy. What are some main sites you'd recommend to look for some, if any? Or is the best thing to do is to look for a specific character?

@ Kobun_SLF I was having thoughts about that it may have been the body pillows I've been using. To be exact I used the ones available at walmart and target. I'll be buying another dakimakura off Amiami and one of the Cospa body pillows, and hopefully nothing bad should happen again.



They were about 14k, which sucks cause they're now damaged.

As a casual observer that is heavily invested in the hobby, I believe this to actually be the main reason bootlegs are so prominent. Legitimate covers are expensive, mostly available only through Japanese retailers, and spread all over the place (there isn't just one shop that sells all covers, like bootleggers do - most of the art bootleggers have is stolen from a bunch of different sites, and sold on one.) So there really isn't one site I can recommend to purchase from, because it all depends on what you like; you might find a circle that really does one cover you like, but they probably won't sell anything else.

With that said, a great place to start is AmiAmi. They have a fairly decent selection, with a good range. You can see their dakimakura section here: http://slist.amiami.com/top/search/list?s_cate2=185&pagemax=30

For material type, I would highly recommend any variety of 2WT (A&J is considered to be the best, typically) or roika (Pearl Roika is a common one offered on AmiAmi.) But you have to find a cover you like first, and with legit covers you don't typically get a choice of material (where you did with bootlegs.) If they don't have a 2WT/2WR (2-way tricot/roika), then Smooth Knit is acceptable, but I would avoid Twill.

Mandarake is another great place to start out.

Other than that, it mostly depends on finding cover you like. Which is how I'll get into searching for covers.

For searching characters, you generally need to look up the name of the series, and then copy the Japanese characters (I usually use Wikipedia for this) of either the series name or the specific character name.

Then you can paste it into one of the sites I link below and see what pops up:
http://blog.xn--er-573a1isbf1441e2hs87j.jp/
http://daki.otaprice.com/
http://www.nijigenshingu.info/

Unfortunately, they're all in Japanese, so you'll have to mess around with it a bit before you're comfortable using any of them.


So yeah, it's a complicated process. I go over the basics of this with people who aren't aware that they're buying bootlegs pretty frequently. Some of them just say it isn't worth the hassle/money, but those that do give it a try are usually very pleased with the results and don't go back to bootlegs. To give you an idea of how prominent bootlegs are, if the site offers peach skin as a material option, it's a bootlegger.


@gran sibalac_

That's really unfortunate to hear. It definitely sounds like you got the A&J pillows and they just damaged easily. It has been my experience that A&J damages more easily than other 2WT materials, but for it to damage as severely and as quickly as you described doesn't seem right. It could be the pillow, or you could have just been unlucky with how you slept with it; it's really hard to tell. Hopefully you'll have better luck with your next covers.



On a semi-related note, I've been running a (very unscientific) experiment the last few months with a few material types. I just got a new set of pillows and have been sleeping with a different cover (of a different material) every month or so. I'm currently on my third, and it's holding up very well.

The first was Fatalpulse's TLR cover, made of 2WT from an unknown manufacturer. I think I had it on for about 2 months, and it was starting to get pretty beat up with all the little protrusions. I'm not sure if it was because it was on a brand new pillow (that was still leaking stuffing) or it was just the material's susceptibility to damage.

The next was Selene's Laura, made of Seiren's Pearl Roika. Had it on for about 3-4 weeks, and it was starting to get some protrusions. Not as bad as the Fatalpulse cover, but still noticeable.

Finally, I've had Kyounetsu's Asuna, made of P80 2WR on for about a month now. It's held up surprisingly well, and I haven't noticed any damage, yet. Could be because the pillow is finally broken in and not leaking any more, or the material could just be sturdier than the other two. I can't say for sure, but I've always thought of P80's materials as being the most durable of the bunch.

That's really unfortunate then :(



I did actually mention a while back a comparison of A&J's new "Tron" material. Which as you can see in the link above was for one of the Lose covers (which might even be the same one?) in that particular comparison and the damage looked pretty bad. I had assumed that those pictures were after extensive usage though, but perhaps that isn't the case...

It might just be that the lose covers were slightly below standard being one of the first of the "Tron" material releases by A&J.. or maybe it's going to be common for the material from now on (in which case.. I wish they'd go back to the old AJ2way :<).

Googletranslate does give the statement "We used about one week in the same way another individual, but did not become fluffy as much as the pictures above.

Unclear due to individual differences, or those subject to availability. "

So hopefully the Lose covers were just a bad batch (that unfortunately you ended up with too :( ).

Seems like the same deal when anko used P80's new Roika material. They immediately went back to their old material after the new version had excessive wrinkling.

Will be interesting to test, though. I just bought two of the new Purely Kiss cover, and the options were for the old A&J 2WT and their new Lycra. Bought one of each, so I'll be sure to test it and see how they hold up.

I have the same one as in the picture (Alice). It ends up like that after week..but mine doesn't seem stretched out like theirs did. Ugh I am now quite sad that it will become loose and be entirely damaged like that.

Also is there any sites that sell Cospa body pillows 150cmx50cm besides Amiami? I did found some on Plamoya for quite a price.

All of the big retailers (AmiAmi, Hobby Search, HLJ, etc) probably have it, or have had it at one time or another (might be sold out on other sites.) Do you plan on continuing to stay in this hobby, though? If so, I'd probably recommend getting a 160x50cm pillow over the 150x50cm one. Short of the Cospa covers, which are still mostly 150x50, most covers are 160x50 these days.

Might continue this hobby, I'll probably hang my dakimakuras on my wall. Where can you get the 160cmx50cm? I can't seem to find them on the given sites.

Unfortunately, I think they're currently unavailable on most English sites. A&J is supposed to make really good pillows though, and I think they're available on their website (you'd have to use a proxy though.)

This might interest you as well, since you're already considering shelling out a considerable amount for a pillow: http://www.1999.co.jp/eng/10088801

I bought the original Cospa 150x50, and it was a pretty okay pillow for a few months. I don't think I'd personally buy another, but I'm considering eventually buying either an A&J pillow or looking into other options.

http://www.a-and-j.co.jp/pasfinder/01.html

I'm considering getting the Cospa with assumption it won't deflate based on the details provided on amiami. Do all body pillows do regardless of its brand?

I think it's just something that happens with time, regardless of the brand. My Cospa still has a fairly decent amount of stuffing, but it has migrated to the ends, so that there isn't as much distributed in the center. I'd say it's a pretty decent pillow overall, but fairly expensive for what you get; I figure if I'm going to shell out that much for it, I'll pay the extra bit and get what's supposed to be a nicer pillow.

I have never bought a body pillow online, so I wonder how do they ship them? Are they compressed or shipped as is?

The Cospa cover was compressed and folded into a small bag, about the size of typical dakimakura cover. It was very dense/heavy and inflated as soon as it was removed from the bag. Even though it's condensed, shipping is still going to be fairly expensive; when I bought my pillow (with 3 covers to go with it), shipping was 3k yen during a 50% off AmiAmi shipping promotion. Of course, that was with EMS and it will likely be cheaper if you use other options (if available.)

You, sir, have been absolutely helpful. I was looking through pages a bit back and saw that people like me have been asking the same question, over and over again. Sorry for making you repeat the same thing over and over, but I appreciate it. Money is a problem for me since I'm just in college, but I think I can afford one legitimate one, I have about $300 to spend.

I can understand how some might think the process is complicated, but, if it's worth it in the end then I don't believe you should give up!

Anyway, thanks again, I will start my adventure to look for a legitimate cover! I'll post back here when I select a cover to get and, well...show it off :)

Yeah, it can be a bit of a pain in the ass at times; I've sometimes answered a question that was answered on the same page as someone else asking it. But I'm always looking to raise awareness in this hobby and help people out where I can. And overall, I don't mind it too much; I try to give people the tools they need to make their own decisions and get a start in this hobby. It's only when people expect me to hold their hand through a million questions, and then completely disregard everything I say, that I get a little pissy. But that's only happened once or twice during my stay in the hobby. I'm happy I was able to help you out.

Heh, as a fellow college student, I feel your pain. I'm definitely in a better situation than most and able to somewhat maintain this hobby, but it's a very expensive one to stay in for long, sadly.

Feel free to shoot me a PM if you need any help, either asking about a particular cover/material, or if you'd like more general help in searching. I'd be happy to do what I can to get you started.

sash sure knows how to get you started on this sink hole of a hobby ;) very expensive, but SO worth it. oh and bootlegs are teh suck... support the artists! =D

The body pillow I use for my dakimakura was from a local retail store, such as Target or Walmart. Fairly cheap. At least $10, however, I bought two, as one by itself was too thin for my daki.

Stacking two cheap, thin body pillows were enough to squeeze into my pillow cover. I'll send a pic later when I get home to let you see how it looks like.

The dimensions of the body pillows I bought were 20-in. by 54-in. (50.8cm x 137.16cm). They fit just perfectly around the sides, just a tad short from the end where the feet are usually printed.

Yeah, that's the cheapest solution and it's what I did for awhile (well, I was using my 150 Cospa with 160 covers), and it worked in a pinch, but the 10cm of slack at the bottom drove me absolutely crazy. Once I finally got a properly fitting pillow, it was an absolute dream.

Back home. Took a few pics. Realized that I was using two entirely different body pillows for my dakimakura. Rofl.



My first body pillow endeavor was the cheap 20 x 50 inch retail store brand. Even two stacked up one another wasn't satisfying.



So I purchased one off of eBay that was about twice as much, but not nearly as expensive if I were to have spent on those "made-for-Japanese-hugging-pillow" body pillows, then shipped overseas.



The eBay one I got was a fairly decent size, 20 x 60 in (50.8 x 152.4 cm). At the beginning, it was a near perfect fit, but because it was polyester filled, the stuffing had compressed and/or dispersed unevenly and my daki wasn't as plumped anymore.

Then I decided to stack on top my cheap retail body pillow, with the already flattened eBay one. My daki is 50 x 160 cm by the way.

And wah-lah! Perfect-o! (in my opinion at least).

Don't actually own a Kyounetsu cover but, was wondering if event sold covers go for online sale afterwards since the Sena cover got an update.