I am noticing a theme with themed keyboards (pun intended) wherein most end up going all in on cultural elements, perhaps since these keyboards are generally by brands that value culture a lot. It can alienate a lot of the global market if it is too niche a cultural theme, and the attention paid to detail may be under-appreciated or just lacking with shortcuts taken. Akko and Varmilo have been the two brands I have most experienced in that vein thus far, and both arguably sit in different market segments. Akko aims to get pricing down to where the keyboards cost the same as an average mechanical keyboard, and does so by excluding features, such as backlighting or software support. The same case and PCB are also used across different themes, which saves a lot of money, but means you end up using older components for longer. This was the case with the 3084 World Tour Tokyo that used Bluetooth 3.0, for example, but here we don't even get that.

When companies need to hit a certain price point, switches are often the first thing cheapened out on. Akko has first-party switches available on this keyboard, which no doubt saves the most money and is why you can get the 3108v2 Monet's Pond for the least money with these switches. So it is nice to see that the company is at least passing cost savings on to the customer. Gateron switches used to be well-regarded, but then suffered from medicore/lacking innovation. Now, Gateron offers some of the most expensive switches available straight from any big vendor. We will take a look at some of those shortly, but that's a story for another time. With the Gateron Pink and Orange, Akko is also offering some rare and new switches from an established brand for not too much more. I have no experience with the TTC switches at all, so I can't speak on whether they merit the extra bump in cost. But at $100 for my sample, I do think you are getting a very cool and unique keyboard.

Cool is subjective, of course. Perhaps the color is too jarring for you, and perhaps the Koi fish keycaps too juvenile. Perhaps the Hiragana script is too much and takes away from the theme, or perhaps the theme is just one of many that may be hard to choose from. Once again, the relatively lower price point makes a strong case for the Akko keyboards. The Monet's Pond theme was the first one to get the seal of approval from my extremely hard to please significant other, so much so that the entire set is soon leaving my storage area for keyboards. Akko further differentiates this theme by offering matching accessories, although they are definitely expensive compared to the keyboard and may be a case of recuperating some of the costs of the design. The theme is absolutely the reason you are going to buy this keyboard, if at all, and the execution is one of the better ones even knowing the wrist rest color is not going to completely match the turquoise elsewhere.

That is a good thing, too, since the design is basically the unique selling point. This is otherwise a full-size 108-keys keyboard that shares common DNA with a lot of others, including other Akko keyboards, down to the use of the extra four keys on this US ANSI layout for the calculator and volume control. We get some replacement keycaps to add some functionality or novelty as you see fit. The keycaps are of excellent build quality, with uniform, well-made legends on a mold that has helped Akko churn out some fantastic keycap sets already, especially for the money.

The full-sized nature of the keyboard means it is on the larger side of average, but also that there is basically no learning curve. It may be too large for some, and the numpad may not be very relevant to others, with ergonomics also not the best despite three elevation steps. There are other Akko keyboards in smaller form factors with the same theme, so perhaps those are worth looking at too. A few built-in, pre-programmed functions improve the user experience, including media and volume controls, shortcuts to some commonly used programs, and an onboard macro-recording option, even if it is not the easiest to use. It would not be a stretch to say that the keyboard itself is fairly basic, but these switches are more expensive than you would think. All that considered thus, and knowing that this set will actually be used after a few minor tweaks, including the addition of some foam in the case to dampen the typing sound, and I can't help but recommend this Akko keyboard!