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    Bookoff Anime Lab - Irvine

    4.2 (20 reviews)
    Closed • 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated 1 month ago

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    Chloe L.

    I personally am not really into anime, but I always have a good time every time my friends want to come check it out. They have a solid selection of trinkets and they even have Sanrio.

    Parking
    Michelle G.

    Cute but small shop with anime figures and cards with a few 11x18 posters. Some prices were great with prices going up all depending on size and favorite status. Busy parking lot. Unfortunately no books. Fun place and if I want to find something specific I could spend hours.

    Ann T.

    A MASSIVE IMPROVEMENT over the Little Tokyo location as it is at least somewhat organize in a manageable fashion. It's definitely a smaller shop and the parking lot it's located in is quite crowded and limited (whose brilliant idea it is to put so many restaurants and an entire food court with so little parking is beyond me), but it's nice to kill some time at or sift though things. In terms of pricing, I would definitely do my research before shopping, at any Bookoff, to be honest, since the only time I have ever seen a steal is at the Riverside location. $35 is WAY too much for a prize figure unless it's a limited run or out of print completely. There is more variety of what I saw here in terms of more rare or older items and figures in comparison to what I recently saw at Ecotown, but in terms of value and pricing if you are purchasing, Ecotown's got them beat. The items here are organized at the very least in categories with similar series being grouped together (K-ON figures together, Nendoroids together), and the smaller items are subdivided so the Poke'mon stuff is together, certain shonen series are sorted together (Demon Slayer, JJK, Tokyo Revengers, etc.), kawaii items and plushies are together, retro video games are together, and the miscellaneous items are set together and there is an attempt to categorize that too. For example the Oshikatsu ribbons for male idol/otome items are together, the mugs and cups are altogether, tin cans together, towels together, light sticks together, art books together, etc. It's by no means organized, say, at Animetopia's level, but this is a HUGE improvement compared to the overwhelming feeling that I've gotten at other Bookoff's for sure (aka perusing for 3 minutes and then giving up generally). We did purchase a small Chiikawa tin that had a couple acrylic chain charms and stickers in it for $7, which in terms of Chiikawa merch goes, a pretty good deal!

    shelf of some niche little trinkets you can get (so cool omg !)
    Rei A.

    i been going to BookOff for a couple of years now here and there, and i will say i feel like their selection and prices were better and more negotiable in the past, though more recently in cases with the figures and manga, i'd say shopping online is a better option if possible since the prices are similar to Amazon at times, it's very fun to look at though! really something you have to experience for yourself if you haven't, especially if you have interest in niche japanese media from otome, rhythm games, and so much more :3

    These are the two broken games that were sold to me. Please avoid purchasing these games
    Richard A.

    My review is based on my recent visit to this location. I will also be adding a review of the Little Tokyo down the line. I will start off by saying that I don't recommend shopping here and purchasing any merchandise from this or any book off. Book Off offers a wide variety of products determined by location. I came to this location to purchase some video games. Neither of the games worked, I had to return two days later to get a refund. Some better quality control would not only benefit the customers but also the company. In terms of quality control, the company could test games before trying to sell them to customers. Other retro video game shops do this, so why can't this company do this. Book Off, according to employees, work on an honesty system, meaning that if you sell merch to them, they trust you to be honest on if them game works or not. This system honestly is terrible. As for value in games they offer, I don't see any here, especially if you will need to return them when they don't work. The only positive thing about this location was that the person who helped me both times was kind but lacked any knowledge of certain products they sell. Avoid this place at all cost. This place will receive a single star since that is the lowest grade a business can receive on Yelp.

    Rin Natsume figure front side

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    Small but lots of good stuff! Great music selection, can't wait to see what they do with this location

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    2 years ago

    This place is so cool! I'm obsessed! Tons of great stuff and you can find single cards for sale!

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    Review Highlights - Bookoff Anime Lab - Irvine

    “I appreciated the selection of One Piece and Pokemon items.”

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    Kingslayer Games - Lorcana players! Come make some new friends

    Kingslayer Games

    4.5(233 reviews)
    4.9 mi
    •$$

    I wanted to share my positive experience from Thursday's Lorcana training session with Monty. From…read morethe moment I walked in for my 4:30pm appointment, Monty greeted me warmly and proceeded to explain the game and its mechanics in a clear and concise manner. He provided valuable insights on the types of cards to expect, how to use them effectively, and the maximum number of cards allowed per deck. Throughout the session, Monty continuously shared strategies and effects of certain cards, ensuring that I had a comprehensive understanding of the game. I appreciated his welcoming attitude and the detailed explanations he provided regarding the options and community of Lorcana. Additionally, Monty patiently answered all of my questions and even took the time to introduce me to other games offered at the facility. Overall, I was thoroughly impressed by Monty's professionalism, knowledge, and hospitality during the training session. His friendly demeanor and willingness to assist made the experience enjoyable and informative. I look forward to further interactions with Monty and exploring more of the gaming opportunities available at your establishment. Thank you for providing such outstanding training sessions and customer service.

    Kingslayer's new space was a long time coming. It's now larger, with more tables, seating, and…read moreparking, too. They moved to the end of a strip mall across the parking lot from Dollar Tree in the same shopping center as Costco off of MacArthur in Fountain Valley. I came here looking for sleeves, couldn't locate the brand I was looking for, but was helped by female staff to find an alternate choice that was suitable, which ended up being on display in two different places in the store.

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    Kingslayer Games
    Kingslayer Games
    Kingslayer Games

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    Kingslayer Games - Drop in during Wednesday nights for Wargaming.

    Kingslayer Games

    4.5(40 reviews)
    9.6 mi

    Hands down one of the best customer experiences I've ever had. Blake was absolutely awesome. He…read moretook the time to teach me how to play the game, walked me through everything without making me feel rushed or overwhelmed, and gave me a ton of great pointers and tips along the way. He also helped me figure out exactly what I needed to get started instead of just trying to sell me a bunch of stuff I didn't need. You can tell he genuinely cares about the game and about making sure people have a great experience. I walked in not really knowing what I was doing and left feeling excited, confident, and ready to play. Truly an amazing experience. Huge thanks to Blake for going above and beyond. I'll absolutely be coming back!

    3 stars are for average performance as a card shop, nothing special…read more 2 stars are given because this place lacks some basic business common sense. I normally choose to support local card shops rather than ordering online but that is changing now. Card shops used to be a place where you would go as a kid and look around and purchase a pack or two. These people want you to support their shop but they don't really care about the card shop experience. Case in point is I showed up with my 2 kids and there was a line of about 50 people outside. The people outside said to go inside if you aren't there for some random card release for a specific genre. I was there to grab starter decks from Magic for my son and I and then pokemon for him and his sister to open. We were turned away at the door and told to wait in line; couldn't even browse the store. In what world is having a 5 year old and a 3 year old wait behind 50 grown adults who are there for another card release in 96 degree weather the classic card shop experience? I will not be returning as I had to come back and drop another $1200 that evening so my kids weren't entirely let down, but that was the last time. After talking to two cashiers about it, they didn't seem to care at all. Not expected since it's minimum wage but I don't see this place sticking around in a decade or if there's another government shutdown for whatever BS reason. I have probably spent about 10k this past year at this store which isn't much (I only go in once a month if that) but if they keep catering to scalpers that drive from all over verses their local community, they will not reach much success. I run a 50 million dollar company so they should take my advice because this shit is basic. Here's a thought, have a dedicated cashier or POS tablet to go and check out everyone outside instead of making toddlers stand in line in nearly 100 degree weather. Use your brain. As of right now, this place is NOT kid or family friendly.

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    Kingslayer Games
    Kingslayer Games
    Kingslayer Games - Check out counter.

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    Check out counter.

    Bookoff - Costa Mesa - Great selection of used books. Large clearance area.

    Bookoff - Costa Mesa

    3.7(295 reviews)
    3.7 mi
    •$

    This location is pretty big. I think in comparison to the one I've been to in Monterey Park, I…read morethink this is the better location. However there are other locations around LA/OC area. Out of the 2 locations I've been to, this has a better parking lot as well. Since the store is a lot bigger, that means a lot more selection of figures, books, manga, videos and more. In general, I do enjoy this store as it has great value. I found quite a few things that were quite cheaper here than if you go to a large retail store. If you have anything that you may want to get rid of (but works very well or in good shape) you can see if they're willing to it and give you an estimate. The staff are helpful to help you (the best of their ability) to find what you are looking for or need.

    Came in randomly on a Sunday afternoon when we saw the store on the road. We were excited to see…read morewhat kind of book store it was. Lots of books, old school games, dvds, action figures or collectibles, videos and more. You could spend a lot of time in here if you are only perusing. Everything was tidy and well-organized. I think some of the of books were out of place from topics but for the most part, it was kept clean. Lot of the products and books were in pretty good condition. Some products were a little pricey for secondhand use..but nonetheless pretty cool spot. Service was alright--didn't really talk to the staff all that much and they seemed pretty busy organizing the books and shelving. The cashier that helped me didn't really give me any vibe other than he was just there to do his job which isn't a bad thing but I've definitely experienced more hospitable customer service at other book stores.

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    Bookoff - Costa Mesa - Pokemon cards

    Pokemon cards

    Bookoff - Costa Mesa - Bargain books

    Bargain books

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    Bookoff Anime Lab - Irvine - videogamestores - Updated October 2026

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