Piper Nuelle

I am a little bit of a geeky girl, I love a good manga and comic book to read, I enjoy looking at my favourite manga’s merch and drooling over them even though they cost the ‘Earth’ to buy and are basically just pretty pieces of plastic moulded to look like replicas. But there is one shop or basically, ‘Comic’ book store that I love to visit whenever I go to Brighton and that is… Forbidden Planet!

I found this amazing store when I took my daughter and her friend out during a half term break to Brighton. The friend and her family are avid comic book and manga readers and already knew about this store and all its glorious finds it had to offer and told me I just had to go and visit it and take a look around and I am so glad I did!!! The only problem was… I didn’t want to leave and there was so much cool stuff to choose from!!!

To me this place is like stepping into one of my favourite Television shows ‘The Big Bang Theory’ where a group of friends that are classified as nerds and who love science and comic books hang out. When ever I set foot in this store and I look around and browse the comics, the manga’s, the dolls, the replica models, the posters and even handbags by ‘Loungefly’ I can’t help but hear the characters from the show in my head. It kind of makes me feel part of a group even if I don’t actually talk to anyone there, well other than the amazing staff that work there and can advise on a multitude of comics and memorabilia. But it just makes me feel like I belong, like a home from home.

What I find amazing is there is such a unique style to this store and yet it appeals to people of all ages and walks of life. I see people there that look like me, a normal ‘Mumsie’ type of woman who has a couple of kids in tow, then there are the older gentlemen that are looking to recapture their youth with comics they used to love and adore, but also are looking for the next new read, or are introducing it to their sons. There are the people that dress up, that cosplay as their favourite character and it becomes their whole personality, or the ones that damp it down by just wearing their favourite character on a plain T-shirt but at home have the whole collection. Then you have the mums, the aunts, the uncles venturing in to find the best present for a niece, a nephew, a son, a daughter or for a friend. The comic book shop is a welcoming place with open arms, no discriminations and so much to choose from.

My favourite thing about Forbidden Planet is they stock ‘Sailor Moon’ items! I have been such an avid fan of Sailor Moon since a child. To me it is nostalgic and it’s nice to have somewhere to go to see this type of merch and it just be a few towns away, rather than a few countries away. Normally most Sailor Moon merch is in Japan and it can be so hard to get hold of. So at least now I know that if I can treat myself to something Sailor Moon, I can. I did see some amazing models that for my birthday I am going to be begging my husband to get me lol. Plus you know that these items are legit too… I have a couple of items that I have found at market stalls that whilst look like Sailor Moon and I am happy to have them, they also don’t look as perfected and as polished so you know they are counterfeit knockoffs but seen as nowhere else did Sailor Moon and I wanted them so much I got them anyway… But now I can aim to get the real deal!

I think sometimes there is so much of a downer put on people that love this sort of thing. I have been called a geek, a weirdo, a nerd, I need to grow up, why am I buying toys when I am an adult. But what people need to remember is that in life everyone needs an escape, a world they can go to and enjoy when times are tough and they need an escape from reality and the real world and the real problems. And everyone needs a hobby!!! Some people go to the gym, some people go clubbing, others collect makeup or fashion pieces… So why not this…

Reading is an amazing hobby, it expands your mind, lets your imagination run wild… And then with reading comics and manga, most of them have some amazing and beautiful pictures and drawings in them and once again, it is just an escape, you don’t need to imagine, it is there for you to see.

I love this place and I cannot wait to go back and visit it again!!! And if you are in Brighton I would highly recommend a visit, especially if you love anime, manga, comics, teddies, posters, POP collectables, handbags, badges, pins, figures, dolls, and so much more. It is not far a walk from Churchill Square shopping centre, like a few minutes walk and right by a huge Waterstones too if you love books. And then if you are coming from the seafront and venturing through the lanes, it is about a 12 minute walk or so from near the pier.

I hope you enjoyed my blog post and I hope if you are in the area you will go and visit this amazing store!!!

xo Piper xo