Remember the ita bag craze that swept through Asia’s ACG (Anime, Comic, and Games) community? What about China’s tricked-out lao tou leis? For the uninitiated: ita (痛) means “painful” in Japanese—not because these bags hurt, but because they’re so overloaded with anime merch that they’re “painfully” extra. Fast forward to today, and ita culture has taken on a life of its own, now expanded even to hotel rooms.
Recently, a branch of Jinjiang Inn, a budget hotel chain in China, went viral after unveiling an ita room fully themed around Nagi Seishirou and Mikage Reo, two fan-favorite characters from the hit sports anime Blue Lock. The room is covered wall-to-wall in fan-made posters, prints, and life-size character cutouts, turning a basic overnight stay into what some have called a “2.5D love letter” to Blue Lock’s dynamic duo.
Of course, not everyone gets the appeal. Critics outside the ACG scene have dismissed the themed room as little more than a marketing gimmick, likening it to any other novelty hotel experience. “Is this really different from a Hello Kitty room?” one commenter asked. The blogger replied with, “Inside the room, you can also see badges and cards everywhere, which is enough to prove the room is designed by an authentic fan.” Others rolled their eyes at what they saw as a niche interest taken too far.
In the end, the rise of ita rooms signals something more than just clever branding. It’s about visibility—about fans unapologetically showcasing what (and who) they love in both public and private spaces. And for the new generation of anime lovers, the only thing “painful” about that is not having one of these rooms in every city.
Cover Image via Xiaohongshu.
