MAIDO In A Box (Vol. 4): "Novel Writing"

I bought this product from Kinokuniya in October 2020.  As an avid writer, I was excited by the theme: novel writing.  With National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) around the corner, I was curious to see what MAIDO could bring to the table.  The box sold for $35, but is currently out of stock.  This was the first stationery box I've purchased; will it also be my last?  Read on to find out.

Products Included

• Midori MD Notebook (Lined, "Bunko Size")
• Approximate value: $15
• Note: I could not easily find this item for sale in the States
• Uni Emott 5 Color Set (No. 8, "Retro Color")
• Approximate value: $14
• Zebra Blen 3C 0.5mm Multi-Pen
• Approximate value: $6
• Mildliner Bluegreen
• Approximate value: $2
• Delfonics A5 "5 Parts Clear Folder"
• Approximate value: $3
• Note: I could not easily find this item for sale in the States
• Total (Approximate) Value: $40 USD

Pros

• The order shipped promptly and arrived quickly (though I'm sure it doesn't hurt that I'm relatively close to Kinokuniya's USA HQ).
• The order was well-packed and arrived without damage to the products.
• The presentation of the box and items are slick, from the "MAIDO IN A BOX" branding to the 1-page (double-sided) summary of the products included.
• The included items would cost more to purchase individually, and some items cannot be easily purchased in the USA (if my cursory search is to be believed).  

Cons

• If I'm honest, none of the products in the box excited me.  I was ready to say, "wow!" but ended up with a resounding, "meh."  I could forgive this (especially given the relatively low barrier to entry of the box), if not for the next point.
• The box didn't do much with the theme (novel writing).  While it's nice that product descriptions were included, the write-up doesn't suggest any way the included products could be used together, let alone what they have to do with novel writing (beyond their expected use as stationery).  Here are a few things that could've "spiced up" the experience for me: 
• Included writing prompts
• Included quotes from famous novelists
• Included reading recommendations for books on writing
• Included books on writing (Kinokuniya is a bookstore, after all)

Conclusion

I was disappointed by the "MAIDO In A Box" (Volume 4).  It's not that any of the individual products were bad, it's that the box as a whole failed to create a cohesive narrative around its own (self-designated) theme.  While I recognize that I am the best curator of my own tastes, this product had a chance to surprise and delight but failed.  Ultimately, the box felt like "leftovers from the warehouse," rather than something special.  I doubt I'll be purchasing another volume.

Midori MD Note (Ruled, A5 Size)

I purchased this notebook in August 2020 to see if Midori paper could hold a candle to my long-standing favorite "high performance" writing paper, Tomoe River.  After two months with it, has it lived up to the challenge?  Find out below. 

Basic Info

• 88 Sheets / 176 Pages
• $12 / notebook (as of time of writing)
• Other formats: blank, grid, dot grid
• Includes 1 cloth ribbon (forest green)
• The "center line" of each page is bolded, dividing each page in half

Pros

• (Relatively) Cheap
• Good selection of formats
• The bolded center line is a unique feature
• The paper exhibits virtually no bleed-through and little feathering
• Ghosting is present, but was never intrusive or distracting for me

Cons

• To be frank, I just didn't enjoy the paper that much. 
• While it performs well in some ways, it seems to be coated (or is a much higher GSM than I'm used to).  As a result, the paper tends to exacerbate issues with badly-performing pens, low-flow pens, and pens with especially thick ink.   

Conclusion

I only have one major complaint with this notebook.  Unfortunately, that complaint is with the main function of the notebook: its paper.  The notebook works "well enough" for what it is, and it pairs well with other pen types (especially felt-tip pens).  With that said, the fact that I have access to a stockpile of Tomoe River notebooks means this product just can't compete.  Ultimately, despite the Midori's best efforts, Tomoe River still reigns supreme as my "fountain pen friendly" paper of choice.

Mark's EDiT 2019 Planner

From The Manufacturer: 
This versatile one-page-per-day planner works just as well for journaling as it does for personal, school, and work scheduling. It features a flexible dotted line page style that makes it easy to plan out your schedule, write notes, sketch, draw diagrams, and divide the page into sections.

Pros:

• It's like a hobonichi techo, but has less added stuff per page
• Specifically, instead of a quote, there is a section with check boxes to put in "TO-DO" items
• The paper is very high quality.  
• My guess is that it is 52 GSM Tomoe River paper based on its thinness and fountain pen friendliness.  I couldn't confirm this guess, however.  The manufacturer and multiple sellers just list it as, "high quality Japanese paper."
• The notebook offers a page for each day of the year without being unwieldy.  This is mostly a function of the aforementioned high-quality paper.
• The included cover held up well over the year.  I could easily reuse it.  The added bulk also helped keep pages from being wrinkled or folded unnecessarily.
• With that being said, the cover is fairly bulky; with cover, the B6 notebook was closer to A5 in size.  Also, the zipper doesn't play nice with the notebook's ribbons; a few months into the year, I just stopped zipping up the cover.
• Two ribbons are included in the notebook (though I would've welcomed more).
• There are lots of little touches that make the notebook convenient to use.  
• This includes, but is not limited to: a place to write the weather and temperature on each daily page, printing on the edge of the page that allows the user to ID the month at a glance, a few extra blank pages at the end of the notebook, a "contact information" page should the notebook ever be lost, etc.
• Though the product is designed primarily for the Japanese market, I had no trouble using it.

Cons: 

• When I purchased my 2019 planner, there were no "understated," options for covers.  I wasn't bothered by this, but if you need something that's "stealthy," you may need to purchase your own cover (which is an added cost). 
• This particular brand can be hard to purchase at a reasonable cost.  Since they are meant for the Japanese market, it can be a pain to purchase a new refill each year.
• EX: Amazon (or an Amazon seller, anyway) is currently selling this product for over $80.  This includes a cover, but that's nothing to sneeze at. 
• Some may balk at the price, especially if they don't need a ready-made planner solution or if they won't use the notebook's various features. 
• For my part, given the paper quality, relative compactness, and durability, I think the price is reasonable.  

Conclusion:
This planner was a winner for me.  It performed my essential tasks well (e.g. being fountain pen friendly, having a page for each day of the year, being durable enough to last the year, and not being too bulky given how much info it holds).  In my eyes, it also performed every other task competently or better (e.g. enough ribbons, enough non-intrusive extra features, enough space per page, etc).  I've already purchased a planner for 2020, and surprising no one, it's another Mark's.  Though my 2020 planner was a bit of a pain to find, I'm confident it was worth the search.

Field Notes "Pitch Black" Notebook (2 Pack, Ruled)

Basic Info:

• $12.95 for a 2-pack
• 4¾" x 7½" (a little bigger than a B5 notebook
• 64 Pages
• Duplex Cover

Pros:

• The size / form factor is a good compromise between the portability of Field Notes' typical fare (aka "pocket" sizes) and the room to write offered by an A5 notebook
• Those who like matte black will like this notebook.
• Even the staples used to bind the notebook together are black. I appreciate the attention to detail.
• The info on the inside covers are good for a laugh. 
• I appreciate that “Mx” (a gender neutral honorific) is available in the “personal info” section.

Cons:

• While the cover quality is good, the individual pages are only OK.  Bits and pieces of the edge have been shearing off as I’ve carried the notebook with me. 
• The paper isn’t especially fountain pen friendly.  Show-through and feathering are both common, even for fine and medium nibs.  Bleed-through is less prevalent than show-through, but still noticeable.
• I wouldn’t say that the “backside” of a given page is unusable, but folks who are really bothered by this may not enjoy using this notebook.

Conclusion:

I enjoyed my time with the “Pitch Black,” even if it will not be dethroning my current favorite type of notebook: A5 size, with 68 GSM Tomoe River paper.  With that being said, fans of the Field Notes brand, or those who prefer other writing instruments (e.g. rollerballs, gel pens, pencils, etc) are sure to find a lot to like with this product.

Ghost Paper Embossed Journal (A5)

"Ghost Paper," is described by its manufacturer as, "the freedom of a blank journal with the structure of a lined journal."  As a lover of stationary, I was intrigued by this product because innovation is hard to come by in the paper industry (especially since it has been around for centuries).

I've tended to shy away from blank notebooks in the past (and in particular blank Tomoe River notebooks) because they required me to carry a writing mat (i.e. a separate piece of plastic that goes underneath the page being written on).  With that said, I was hopeful Ghost Paper could give me the best of both worlds: lined pages when I wanted them, and a blank page when I didn't.  Did they succeed?  Read on to find out.

Basic Info:

• Cost: $25 / A5 notebook (on the manufacturer's website)
• I paid $40 for two notebooks via "drop.com"
• Size: 6'' x 8''
• Page Count: 96
• Numbered Pages?  No

Pros: 

• Ink drys incredibly fast on this paper.  Words didn't smear even if I touched them immediately after writing them (though, as a caveat, I did all of my writing with an EF or F nib).
• The notebook includes a built-in pen loop and page marker, which is always nice to have.
• The paper didn't disintegrate when exposed to a few drops of water.  I don't know that it'd stand up to mixed media or water colors, though. 
• Though there is show-through, bleed-through is minimal.  There is a touch of feathering present, but only if you really look for it.  
• The embossing / de-bossing feels interesting to touch, but is subtle enough that it does not affect the writing experience.  In other words, I only felt "valleys," while writing on the paper when I was really looking for them.

Cons:

• The embossing / de-bossing is neat, but it can be hard to see the lines on a given page without either writing with the notebook at an angle (i.e. not laying flat on a table) or deploying an external light source in close proximity, like a phone's flashlight.  Neither of these are ideal, as the former can be uncomfortable, and the latter takes away from the joyful simplicity writing in a notebook affords.  This issue persisted even in natural light.
• On this note, I think the embossing and debossing is much easier to see on the manufacturer's website (ghostpaper.com) than it is to see in person, which is disappointing.
• Though this is a matter of personal preference, the rubbery cover material used for this notebook feels weird to me.

Conclusion:
This notebook has some good things going for it: the paper seems to be of reasonably high quality, and I enjoy the novel thinking its manufacturer brings to market.  With that being said, novelty isn't always useful.  I couldn't see the lines as clearly or as often as I would have liked.  Since that is the main feature / selling point of this product, I can't justify giving it a high score.

This notebook is best suited for someone who wants a blank notebook with occasional lines much more than someone seeking a lined notebook that is occasionally blank.  I'm glad I did not pay full price, and while I wouldn't steer a friend away from the product, I wouldn't encourage a purchase either.  Ultimately, I am not in a rush to buy more, "Ghost Paper."

Final Score:
6/10