I mentioned before how this review of the Akko x Gudetama 5108S keyboard can serve a secondary purpose of giving you a better appreciation of the Akko 5018S keyboard in general that, as with other such themed keyboards, is a base that the theme/design is applied on. In this case we have a relatively unknown (in the west) but still highly relatable Japanese cartoon character that Akko has gone all in with, using not only custom keycaps in its fancy JDA profile, but also providing novelty replacement keycaps, a matching cable, and extending the theme to the keyboard case itself in the form of both colors and designs alike. Anyone that is a fan of the Gudetama character will no doubt appreciate the various nuances here, whereas everyone else will likely find this a bit extravagant and potentially childish. No matter where you stand on the theme itself I suppose we can all agree that this is certainly a colorful keyboard that is far removed the typical black box everyone else makes. Just for this I give props to Akko to be able to put out such keyboards at a price that is far lower than what we've seen with other licensed IP products made in the west, while also providing for more features too.

Indeed, the base 5108S is a decent keyboard in itself in offering expected features these days in the form of hot-swappable switches, easily replaceable keycaps, software + hardware customization, key mapping, RGB LEDs, and so on. If it had wireless connectivity and a built-in battery then it would be easily worth a purchase even if it was another black box itself. Things aren't perfect by any means and Akko still has plenty of work to do on the software front. I would also have liked to see more switch options since a single linear switch SKU can be a dealbreaker for many. Either way, knowing the inherent cost of making a one-off design, I can't help but think the various compromises are all justifiable when you consider what is available here for $110. It goes without saying that I'll happily recommend this to anyone who likes the theme, whereas others might want to check out the other Akko offerings for other designs of interest at a potentially lower cost.