New Transforming Business Card case brings anime mecha to Japanese work meetings

Mobile Suits and Mobile Stationery make meishi much more mecha.

Exchanging business cards is serious business in Japan , with a whole series of steps and proper etiquette involved to ensure you make a good first impression.

Called “ Meishi Koukan ” (“ Business Card Exchange ”), the first step in this dance involves keeping your cards in a business card holder (“meishi ire”) rather than loose in a pocket, and then, while standing, you must hold your card with both hands at chest-height , ensure the text faces the recipient , and if you’re in a lower-ranking position, you should hold your card lower than theirs as a sign of humility .

That’s a lot to remember, especially during a meeting, so wouldn’t it be nice if you had a gadget that could do all that work for you ? Well, as it turns out, Bandai Spirits has been on the case, quite literally, designing a business card case that automatically unfolds and presents your card perfectly, while lightening the mood with a bit of humour at the same time .

Called the Mobile Stationery Automatic Transforming Business Card Case , this is the first product in a new line of “ Mobile Stationery ” designed for young adults in the workplace, or “ kidults ” as Bandai likes to call them. ▼ Some of the promo images adopt the slightly clunky translation, “Automatic Transform Namecard Case”.

There are three new transforming business card cases coming our way , incorporating technology from the company’s Super Alloy line, which is known for its intricate mechanical designs and transforming gimmicks. ▼ The cases look like they’ve just rolled out of a Japanese mecha factory. ▼ The first model in the series is called “ Toy Colour “.

The colour scheme evokes the look of the RX-78-2 Gundam , especially when loaded up with white business cards inside.

The two others could also likened to Gundam Mobile Suits, but Bandai refrains from making any connections, simply referring to them as Standard Colour … ▼ … and Black Colour .

The way it works is simple – add your business cards into the case, then hold the case towards your soon-to-be-awestruck business card recipient and press the button.

The inner mechanism rotates the card 180 degrees and pushes it forward upon opening, so it’s facing the person you’re greeting. ▼ This video shows the Mobile Stationery card case in action.

The dimensions of each case are approximately 12.5 x 9.5 x 2.5 centimetres (4.9 x 3.7 x 1 inches), and they’re designed to hold business cards that are 5.5 x 9.1 centimetres in size, with a recommended paper thickness of 0.24 millimetres.

Each case costs 3,300 yen (US$21) and is scheduled to be shipped out in October, with reservations being accepted through the brand’s online stores in Japan, Asia, the U.S. from 27 August (details here ).