Zen'in 1983 to 1995

"Zen'in presents" or "zen'in service", often abbreviated to "zen-pure" and "zen-sa" respectively, are items which shōjo manga magazines mailed out to readers in exchange for postage and coupons cut out from the magazines. Often zen'in presents would require coupons from several issues of a magazine, and the intention was both to encourage readers to buy their own copies of the magazine rather than borrowing from a friend, and encourage them to continue to purchase the magazine for more than a single issue. Since zen'in presents were not constricted by Japan Railways the way furoku was, they would often be made of fabric, metal, and plastic, being more extravagant than the typical paper furoku. From the late 80s and onwards, you would also often see zen'in present "telephone cards", which were pre-paid cards for Japanese public telephones and a popular collector's item, intended to drive up circulation through collectors purchasing the magazines to obtain the coupons.

During the serialization of the Ranze and Narumi arcs, zen'in presents were typically one item or one set of items from one particular series, with a design created specifically for these items. This means that when an issue of Ribon had a zen'in present giveaway there was only one item for readers to choose, and all the Ranze and Narumi zen'in presents on this page are special, original items that you cannot find with art from any other manga.

By the time of the Aira arc, following Ribon's rising popularity and circulation, zen'in presents evolved to offer a range of items from several popular series, although all the items were now color variations on the same basic design rather than individual original items. For example, the Aira "oshare set" from May 1993 was offered with art from Marmalade Boy, Hime-chan no ribbon, Tenshi nanka ja nai, and Anata to scandal as well as Tokimeki, and readers would pick one set out of the many. During this time, Ribon's circulation was so large that the production of the zen'in items often couldn't keep up with the demand, and many readers waited several months to receive their items.

On this page I've collected Tokimeki zen'in presents from all three arcs and a few zen'in presents from Ririka SOS. Many of them, particularly those from the Ranze arc, are quite rare! As always, please check the furoku list for a more comprehensive list of all zen'in items of Ikeno's works. You can also see some more photos in the Romantic Album.

Zen'in presents

Ranze – 9 items
Narumi – 7 items
Aira – 7 items
Ririka – 2 items
Nanoka – 1 item

Ranze "Reversible bag" – September to November 1982

Fabric pouch you can turn inside out for two different designs.

Ranze "Purse" – April to May 1983

Fabric wallet with pockets inside.

Ranze "Obento-bako pouch" – June to July 1984

Fabric bag with a large zipper opening at the top and strings attached to carry your lunch box in.

Ranze "Charming mirror & comb" – September to October 1984

Set of a mirror and comb, and a plastic sleeve to keep them in.

Ranze "Tokimeki purse" – April to May 1985

Fabric wallet with pockets inside and zipper closure.

Ranze "Letter pouch" – September to October 1985

Fabric pouch with a handle and snap button closure.

Ranze "Tokimeki ruler & pakkun keshigomu" – February to March 1986

Set of a ruler and an eraser. A reprint of the ruler was made available as a pen case by Belle Maison in 2019; please see details in merchandise.

Ranze "Odekake pouch" – October 1986

Set of a fabric pouch with a handle and a zipper closure, and a bag charm. A reprint was included in the first press of the official anime DVD box release in 2009; please see details in anime info.

Ranze "Love love ruck bag + ai no yubiwa" – February to March 1987

Set of a backpack and a replica of a ring featured in the Ranze arc. A recreation of the ring was made available by Belle Maison in 2019; please see details in merchandise.

Narumi "Bridal heart-tsuki Tokimeki oshare pouch + omekashi purse" (Feb - Mar 1988)

Set of a fabric bag with a zipper closure, a heart-shaped bag charm with Ranze and Shun art, a fabric wallet with snap button closure, a hair pin, and a ribbon.

Narumi "Tokimeki party bag & pouch" – September to October 1988

Set of a fabric bag with a handle and a small pouch with a zipper closure.

Narumi "Ranran odekake set" (Feb - Mar 1989)

Set of a fabric bag, plastic wallet, comb, mirror, bag charm, card holder, and address card.

Narumi "Tokimeki kuishinbō purse & tsuki no namida no pendant" – June 1989

Set of a plastic wallet with pockets inside and snap button closure, and a replica of a pendant featured in the Narumi arc. The pearl pendant was recreated by SuperGroupies in 2015; please see details in merchandise.