NTSC-J Console Sleeves:
From what is known, there are at least four NTSC-J Dreamcast console sleeves that were produced for promotional purposes, each being released to coincide with the launch dates of their corresponding games
Three of the four have been acquired and currently reside within the collection:
Release date: Aug-1999, price: 19900 yen
Included with a Dreamcast console, this special sleeve came with a copy of the game 'Kidou Senkan Nadesico: Nadesico the Mission'
Sold by Sofmap in Tokyo's Akihabara district, this sleeve is probably the most common (and popular) among collectors. A telephone card is likely to have been included as a store bonus item
Release date: Dec-1999, price: N/A
Only 1000 units of this 'Sekai Ichii' sleeve were made available from the official webshop of Dreamcast Magazine (Japan) and in person from the Laox store in Tokyo's Akihabara district
Particularly decorative, it features characters created by the artist Takahiro Yoshimatsu as part of his weekly manga comic strip 'Sega Games Are The Best In The World! (セガのゲームは世界いちぃぃぃ!)' which first appeared in Sega Saturn Magazine in 1998. The main character DreamCasko (Dreamcast Girl), appears ready to repel the incoming Playstation 2 consoles with her friends GameGear, MegaDrive and Saturn - who seems to have already been zapped by the pesky PS2's! The back of the sleeve features DreamCasko's big sister - Naomi
In addition to the normal Dreamcast unit and sleeve, several other pieces of 'Sekai Ichii' merchandise were available from the Dreamcast Magazine webshop including stickers, manga comic books, figurines and telephone cards
Sega games are the best in the World!
Interestingly, DreamCasko serves as a humorous and self-deprecating mascot for Sega during a time when the company was facing challenges in the console market. The manga’s comedic tone captures the spirit of the late '90s and early 2000s gaming culture. Her cameo appearances in other games like Shenmue (appearing as an unlockable gachapon figure), Phantasy Star Portable 2 (as a grenade launcher item) and the El Dorado Gate franchise, further solidifies her status as an iconic and quirky character within Sega's pop culture legacy
Special collaborations and the release of the 'Sekai Ichii' manga volumes published by SoftBank Publishing show how DreamCasko has become endured as a fun representation of Sega’s brand (albeit with unofficial Sega approval), which has extended far beyond the timeframe of the console's life!
Release date: Dec-1999, price: 19900 yen
Design of this 'Shenmue' sleeve is similar to that of the game's artwork. However, it is unclear which Akihabara store this was available from, or if a copy of the game was actually included. It's also highly likely that it would originally have come with a white-boxed 'normal' NTSC-J Dreamcast and not the orange box version shown in the picture
Release date: Jan-2000, price: 19900 yen
Like the 'Nadesico the Mission' sleeve, the 'Hanagumi Taisen Columns 2' (Sakura Taisen Columns 2) sleeve was also sold by Sofmap in Tokyo's Akihabara district. One side of the sleeve has the illustration printed in full colour, while the opposite side has the same illustration printed in a sepia tone. A copy of the game was also included at the time of sale
Release date: Dec-1999 (estimated: aligned with game's release), price: N/A
A fifth sleeve may also exist...this one being another for the game 'Shenmue'. However, there is hardly any source material or information to suggest it exists apart from the image shown below. Like the other 'Shenmue' sleeve, if it is a bona fide item then it is highly likely to have been released by one of the Tokyo stores as a promotional sleeve to tie in with the release of the 'Shenmue' game
