Hello everyone and welcome to a special birthday celebration here on Tiro Finale. November the 1st is Hoshizora Rin's birthday and being one of the core members of Muse, she always gets a big birthday celebration every year. While it has been over a year since the group since last did their last performance in Tokyo Dome, the love for Rin-chan and Muse by extension is still pretty strong.





I arrived a day late to the celebrations but, that is never a problem in Akiba because the birthday "shrine" is put up for a whole week before being taken down. Besides the fact that an entire UFO Catcher machine is dedicated to Rin, it would also be very hard to miss the shrine as it is placed front and center in the Sega arcade.





At first glance, it may be easy to dismiss the birthday shrine is little more than a collection of Rin merchandise. But upon closer inspection, it is then that you realize that there are some truly, incredibly rare Rin merchandise on display. By far, the most valuable of them all, a Mega Jumbo Nesoberi Rin autographed by Iida Riho (Rin's seiyuu).





Among the heaps of Rin Nesoberi(s), sits the School Festival Thanksgiving 2016 Version which has Rin in her hoodie pajamas. Of all the Nesoberi ever released for Rin, this probably commands the highest re-sale value with some stores selling her for close to 7,000 Yen.





But, of course, it is not all just about the rarity of the merchandise on display. Rather, a collection of all things Rin and a special dedication on her birthday.





The Puyo-Puyo Rin was so large that it had to be allocated its own corner! Rin may not have been the most popular member in Muse but, she sure did have many exclusive Nesoberi(s). Another one not seen here is the Sega Collaboration Nesoberi which has her partnered with Sonic.





A special birthday card written by Rin expressing her gratitude and happiness towards the fans celebrating her birthday. There is even a lovely autograph at the bottom of the card.





This adorable cat charm is the same one Rin has on her school bag.





This clear file is included as a bonus for pre-ordering the Love Live Birthday Figures.





Other merchandise such as novels and Blu-Rays were even present.





Not forgetting a large Rin pillow;





And various Rin figures.





Several stand out Rin figures include the Sega Collaboration one where Rin is dressed in the Sega outfit while holding up Sonic. These days, the figure is both hard to find and very expensive if you do.





Both sides of the shrine were populated with Rin figures. Even the most recent figure released by Good Smile Company/Freeing was also present in the booth.





The Birthday Project figures for Muse has always been a particularly special one as it has them immortalized in their Kira-Kira Sensation outfits, the same song which won them Love Live.





Then there is the Rin grail-figure by Alter. Wearing an outfit from the School Idol Festival mobile game, this is probably the highest quality Rin figure ever produced. Any Rin fan worth their salt must have one of these. In fact, Alter is releasing another Rin figure soon too!





Of course, let us not forget the smaller Rin(s) scattered all around the booth such as this adorable one holding on a cat.





Another big part of the birthday celebrations are the birthday messages for Rin that fans from all over the world may write and stick on the huge board.





It is always a pleasure to read and view these messages as they often feature well drawn art together with the birthday messages.





Because of her high spirits, Rin can either be portrayed as a happy-go-lucky high school girl or a cute school idol.





But we never forget her cat ears and ~nya calls.





Part of me was actually wondering if Rin's birthday would have been celebrated in Akiba and if it was, would there be a big turnout. Looking at the board full of positive and cheerful messages, I am delighted to see that fans are still going strong.





And as the week goes by, the board would only continue to fill up with more messages. With pen and paper in hand, I wrote one more message for our birthday girl, pasted it up and went on my way.





Another year, another birthday celebration. I am just glad I had the chance to be a part of it just once more. Once again, happy birthday Rin-chan!



