Take it from a someone who's been an otaku for 20+ years, a figure and merch collector (hoarder) and who has been going to anime cons/events/shopping, etc. forever. The prices were are egregious, and I KNOW that prices everywhere have gotten egregious, not just because of rising cost of living, cost of importing things in and tariffs, and just owning a business and everything, but this way more expensive than what I see being scalped or being shilled at anime cons or online too. Like, yes I'll admit that they see to have a decent amount of stock and they have a lot of figures, goods, and physical media, manga, plushies, apparel, and merch in their shop but I immediately was winded by seeing a $50+ for what's easily a cheaper prize figure that you can either get at an overpriced $30 at a con, at Book Off, at another store, try to hilariously fail winning at Round 1, or get somewhat cheaper online, or get even cheaper second hand. Definitely do your research before purchasing here. read more

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Similar situation happened tonight as my previous review, my boyfriend and I walked in as normal and were browsing some figures, I was taking photos and image searching to find their upping their prices as much at 30 dollars over market price. She even went so far as to touch one of my keychains and told us that she had(a way overpriced) figure of the same character. She kept checking on us, peaking around corners, overall really creepy vibes. Go find stuff at different stores, book off is a good place for cheap figures and decent ones as well, or even eBay has better prices depending on the figure. Also heard her being a little racist so do with that what u will! I would def give my buisness to this store if the lady left and a new manager was put in, as well as way better pricing. Sorry not sorry lady, but you're weird as fuck!!!! read more

Great products and the staff are both helpful and friendly. I highly recommend this store to all of my fellow nerds and nerdettes. read more

Overpriced slop! Never seen such ridiculous prices. Sure great selection until you consider there are so many more cheaper alternatives. JUST BUY ONLINE! Bought a fig today and the qc was horrible. I understand that's out of their hands, but considering all sales are final and I had paid way over market value, I just feel completely ripped off. Never buying from them again. read more

So yeah, the prices aren't great and the staff is very obviously vigilant against would-be thieves, but they have the best selection of manga in the area (better than the only other viable options- B&N and Comics TNT (Tustin)), so if you really need that next volume and can't wait, then suck it up, pay the 30-40% mark-up and try not to look shady. read more

The owner needs to relax she thinks everyone is there to steal from her store this makes the experience really bad, just imagine walking out with your recent purchase and she yells at you "huh excuse me is that ours!..." What makes it worse is the fact that she is not checking everyone at the door with their receipts so it feels like targeting! Really horrible customer experience and the prices are ridiculous! read more

Went in to buy a Pokemon stuffie for my soon to be 4 year old daughter for her birthday because they had a good selection. They were expensive to begin with, ($34.99) but the guy behind the desk said it was because they were from Japan. He looked it up and helped me find it. Told him my husband was outside and would be in to buy it as our daughter was with us and we didn't want her to see it. I go to wrap it later and the price tag now says $44.99. So in the two mins between me leaving and my husband walking in, he changed the price. Even if it was priced wrong, the original marked price should have been honored. read more

Anime Monster - Changed the price within the 2 mins of me and my husband looking at it. - Toy Stores Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Prices are terrible. I've bought figures from other stores (or even online) for around $50 cheaper. The staff is also super intimidating, the lady standing at the door always has a very serious tone and stares you down. read more

Located in the mall on the second floor - pretty easy to spot. Right off the bat - I simply do not recommend this place. Just based off their prices they are clearly going for convenience and pricing accordingly. Everything here is up charged with absolutely no deals. At first glance there is a lot in the store but I found it to be underwhelming - a bit of everything but focusing on nothing. Anime figures, manga, gundam, and various other collectibles. The big reason to not go here: THE STAFF Absolutely not helpful - I would go as far as to say they can even be rude. Horrible first experience. Please do not go here and save your money. There are other stores in the surrounding area with a more welcoming staff and fair prices. read more

The staff was super sweet handed me a basket to help me give us free flowers the stuff is lil expensive but it's super good they had so many books good condition and many good figures, I love how they had mostly the stuff I wanted such as Haikyuu, Gachiakuta, and many more! This place is the best I would love to come back again! read more

Staff was horrible. She was very rude and judging to me and other customers. She should be fired. Otherwise, I liked the items in the store and would come again when she is not working. read more

I've been bringing my son here over the past year or so and I've had nothing but great experiences. My son is getting into anime and this is the only place I buy his stuff from since there is a ton of options to buy from. My son is into dragon ball z and he's into these specific figures that they carry here, granted the figures are pricey but they are high quality, I came in today to buy him one since he earned it through his hard work in school and the many awards he received this year. I told the woman who was working about and she gifted him a free Naruto poster. It was a kind gesture that she didn't have to do but did it anyways. She's earned loyal customers for as long as they're around! read more

Anime Monster - S.H. Figuarts Super Sayian Trunks - Toy Stores Near Me - Santa Ana, California

Came inside to browse not a single hello or welcome, I was the one that had to say it. They all stare at you as if there going to lung at you if you touch anything would highly not recommend coming here even all the items are over priced read more

It's a nice store with lots of cool collectibles, but the workers there make the experience a lot less enjoyable. Often have attitude and seem upset for whatever reason. The other day I walked into the store 30 minutes before closing and some guy told me they're closed and to get out. I was confused because they were clearly still open and he was just standing around doing nothing. I don't know if he was having a bad day or something but it made no sense to direct the attitude towards me. Like I said it's a cool store and all, it's just the workers that kill the vibe. And from what I've read it seems like many others feel the same way about the staff. read more

Most rude store ever! The front store employee told me to wait before entering, and when he finally let me enter he told me "put your drink down ******" while saying a racial slur! I can't believe this store is still at Mainplace mall. The employees follow you around and the prices are higher than average. I would recommend buying on Amazon so you don't get called a slur or stared at. read more

Anime Monster - Toy Stores Near Me - Santa Ana, California

I had bought a Gundam from another nearby store that also happened to be an anime store. The worker kept following me and asking me if that was from this store. I had to show my receipt 4 times to 4 different employees. I understand it's precautionary but 4 TIMES IS NOT ACCEPTABLE! Even after showing them the receipt I kept seeing the same employees looking at me sternly. I was going to buy something from this store but the treatment I kept receiving was totally not cool. While they were too busy focusing on me, a couple who came in after me ending up using that opportunity to steal and employees didn't even say anything to them... read more

If YOU love Anime Then THIS is the place to Be, I was looking for Gundam Merchandise and I found EXCATLY what it was I was looking for an Bought it. They have tons of Models and Comics and Books. They have Wallposters and Marvel Merchandise too. read more

Terrible, terrible, and terrible. Every try I've given this place it's only resulted in a bad experience. The staff are the most unfriendly, rude, and not helpful workers I've ever seen. They have the back-half of the store (full of merchandise by the way) closed off, and dare if you ever even ask to see anything back there, you'll be met with hostility and just pure rage towards you for even asking to see any part of it. Makes you really wonder what they are hiding back there, since it will without fail trigger a reaction from any of the staff. The owner is rude, and watches every move you do. Everything is overpriced ,fake garbage, and do not recommend even looking at this store when you walk by it. One of the few stores I hope doesn't stick around in this mall for longer. Just a shameful establishment. read more

Every employee is rude and prices are ridiculous especially for Pokemon cards they sell the cards for resell price and I felt rushed as I was walking in. Also there's an employee with curly hair he seems not to care about working there because I asked a question and got a rude and fast response read more

I visited this shop even after reading all the negative reviews. The staff greeted us friendly and were very accommodating. Yes the items were on the pricey side but considering it's a small shop in a mall it's understandable. They have to be able to pay their employees. I though it was very well organized and clean. The manga were all plastic wrapped which was nice - no dirty hands on my books Yes the staff watch you but if your not doing anything shady it shouldn't bother you . I honestly wouldn't mind coming back, to buy gifts for my otaku buddies. I would be more inclined if they had any sales going on. read more

They have a pretty big selection of stuff....from cards and funko pops to figures and plushes. Be prepared to be royally ripped off...my kids were a couple days ago. The owner knows it and will happily do so. You also need to come in knowing what you want. It's hard to browse bc they make you feel rushed. read more

Check the online price before you buy anything at this store! This store charges more than EBay. Extremely overpriced, every Gundam model kit is 15-20 dollars over their retail price, they also buy anime figures and merch from Ross and Marshalls and charge more than full price. The employees seem nice at times but are well aware of their exorbitant pricing. For example they have a Halo Mattel set of 2 figures and 2 vehicles, this retails at Ross for 12.99 and they are selling it for 39.99. This is the same for almost all their Gundam kits. They are reprinted every year yet they pretend they have "rare/limited" inventory read more

Staff were very helpful. This place has everything. Always odd to see a store that doesn't do returns.

I love that you are asked to use the provided hand sanitizer before you enter the store. The staff is friendly, but the guy at the entry follows you around and peeks over items to watch you like an eagle. VERY ANNOYING AND INSULTING! The cashier, however, is very nice. There is a large selection of fairly priced FunkoPops here. We ended up spending just over $100 on them. I would 100% recommend this store if they didn't treat me like a criminal. So, enter at your own risk. read more

they charged me for stuff that i didnt even buy i still have the receipt and they will not fix it read more

Anime Monster - i only bought manga and they charged me for a plush and some fruit ninja - Toy Stores Near Me - Santa Ana, California

So. I live hours away. I happened to be in santa ana for an event with friend. Wanting to get back into collecting I ventured to Anine Monster. Mid December. I expected massive crowds. I got to Anime Monster and excited I walked in the nearly completely empty (of customers) store. I was immediately stopped and told I had to wait outside due to a line. "Theres a line" I asked. The tall gentleman pointed out the door and said yes. Two equally confused customers were standing outside. I turned back to the store. Surely I missed something. Store had a few customers, but not many at all. I turned back to the other two and asked... "are you in line?" They both slowly and defeatedly nodded yes. They appeared as confused as me. I looked through the window seeing if i could see anything of value to me. Getting a very poor view, i left. Not just the store, but the mall. There were some really good stories for Anime in this mall. I suggest you check THEM out. But as for Anime Monster... i see no reason to cap the customer count so low.. especially during the holidays where the parking lot has no open spaces, it's so busy. Good buy Anime Monster. I am sorry that you dont like buisness. read more

This location is a unique and wonderful discovery. So I recently started collecting Funko Pops! This store is basically the holy grail of Funkos. I initially was at the mall because I heard that gamestop and Boxlunch had some. While getting lost in the mall I ran into this mall and I am glad I did. They have hundreds of funkos from tv, movies, rare, exclusives, etc. It was incredible! Since they have so many it is hard to just walk and scan through the shelves to se what they have since not all of them were facing forward. As a new collector it was very intimidating, but great at the same time. The staff was extremely helpful with helping me understand the store. I look forward to visiting again in the future for more pops. read more

They were kind of rude and made it so obvious they were following you around the store. I don't know why they don't allow pictures considering I really did want to buy a plushie. :( read more

This place is great. Employees are very helpful and know their stuff. The selection is prime, not a funko pop shop. Great place for great anime/manga gifts. Jackson was a big help. And they have good deals going on though I did opt for one! read more

Whenever i come to Anime Monster at exactly 6:30,They will always close on normal days for me... i wanna never come back sorry.

They have a good selection of manga. However, I feel uncomfortable in the store due to the negative vibes of the staff. When I browse the items, I feel like I'm being judged by the employees. The prices for the books are priced at full retail with no discounts. I'm not surprised about that as the place isn't a chain store like Barnes and Noble or Amazon. Paying full price is to be expected for a small business like this. However, it is not worth it for a place like this due to the unwelcoming atmosphere of the place. read more

Honestly not the worst place to be getting your Sonnys and other collectibles from. They had ~6 types of Sonnys (and Smiskis) to choose from and they were a reasonable price. The staff were super nice when I was asking questions about the Sonnys I was buying. I will definitely be back to buy any collectibles! read more

Located on the top level near JC Penney's. There as signs everywhere asking you for NO PHOTOS. If you're hunting down Funko's or Anime collectibles that are out of production, this place sells collectibles that are usually out of production. However the quality seems a bit inferior like they're castoffs. I found plenty of blemishes and manufactures defects in the collectibles that I was about to buy, so instead of buying 5 Funko Pop items, I just got 1. The staff are young guys so don't expect super VIP service. They were courteous but you need to ask for help. They don't mark up their stuff too much ($14.99 versus retail value of $9.95) but again, there's defects on most of the stuff, which they blame on the manufacturer. Shop carefully. Also, note that there's only 1 of each character on the shelf. So if you need 2 of the same one, chances are they're in the back. read more

Anime Monster - When buying a collectible, pay careful attention to abnormalities or defects - Toy Stores Near Me - Santa Ana, California

NEVER EVER COMING BACK AGAIN! An older woman staring at us? Taking photos of us while we are getting collectibles? That's not very welcoming at all,accusing people of stealing things and taking their items back without giving back their money,that's a whole scam! Yes you are making sure nobody is stealing but don't make it a big deal and taking photos of them and invading their privacy,looking in our bags and calling security FOR NO REASON! We are giving them business,and return they give us attitude,no welcoming and they scam! Threatening to call the police on a 12-yr-old for not stealing? That should be the opposite but make it "invading people's privacy and scamming!" The items in that store is very expensive! If anything I'd say go to little Tokyo in La! Please don't go to anime monster! They accuse people for no reason,and anime monster sells fake funko pops,I've had a friend that bought a funko pop from them once,he scanned it and no scan once how ever,clearly it's fake,that's why I never got tuxedo mask from that scamming store! I'll even mention this,that woman in there,every 1-2 minutes,she always says if we are done with shopping to people,rushing them and trying to get more people in the business! Like I said,I do not recommend this place for anime collectors,too expensive,very rude employees and you get accused for no reason read more

They have some pretty hard to find items, but at literally triple or quadruple the cost. (Reference photos attached; left is from Anime Monster, right is a quick Google search). This is unfortunately not the only item ridiculously priced. Even new manga is priced $2-$3 higher than retail. You may find a couple things a bit more "fairly" priced but don't expect to get any good deals & you'll probably be paying an extra $2 for convenience even on the items that are reasonably priced. You're better off going elsewhere. read more

Anime Monster - From anime monster reference your prices before making a purchase there it's most likely WAY overpriced - Toy Stores Near Me - Santa Ana, California

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So casually walked into this store today to look for some funko pops that were sold out online. First you have someone who greets you with a basket. Nice and friendly employee! Then you have this shadowy figure called Josefina (however you spell it) who seems to be owner of the place or at-least acts like it..? She follows you around the stores stalking you at the end of each aisle making sure not one funko pop is misplaced by accident OR turned to face the wrong way. God forbid you forget which way the funko was facing because this shadowy figure will zoom up to you, reach across you and fix it. Close enough where you can smell her lunch on her upper lip, reminding you it doesn't go that way. Avoid this store if you don't want to get ripped off or at least make sure you look up the specific funko pop on Amazon before buying, so many of them were priced up by $7+ when Amazon is selling them for retail price... read more

I enjoyed coming here pre-covid for my anime needs. Even when they had recently reopened, I would still go and buy some things. Now, it's appalling to walk in there. Everything is SEVERELY overpriced. You can find things online for half of the price that they have at Anime Monster. Heck, you can even walk down a couple stores to Tokyo Lifestyle and find more decently priced anime items. I understand having to make a profit, but there has to be a limit and that includes not ripping off customers who don't know better. I don't even bother walking in to browse because it's insulting how overpriced everything is. read more

Not sure what changed but: -really friendly guy welcoming you to the store -lady at the cashier super friendly as well So yes, they will have what you are looking for but due to COVID the wait time to come and buy something from them is really long. Maybe with OC going to the next tier this will get better. But again, the costumer service is way better this time around. read more

Pricy but have so much cool stuff and quality !! They also had a kind woman greeting us at the door ! Definitely coming back.

This store is pretty cool and super organized! It's also brightly lit and very welcoming unlike some dingy anime stores that look half closed, dim, and super messy. I really appreciate the layout and makes it easier to check things out without feeling cluttered and crowded. Plenty of open space. The products here are pretty diverse and well updated with the latest seasons of anime too. There are some cool shirts and apparel, figurines, plushies, keychains, posters, mats, DVDs, manga, and bags. Even stickers and other knick knacks. Prices are ready too and I can't wait to come back! read more

Anime Monster - Toy Stores Near Me - Santa Ana, California