Last weekend, I had to retire my Fullmetal Alchemist messenger bag. The plastic shoulder strap adjuster thingie broke enough to poke me. いったい！ This is my messenger bag:

So I've started to look for the perfect anime messenger bag. So many choices. My criteria is as follows:

ample pockets
design: cool enough that otaku would say "Sugoi", safe enough for my students to see and grown up enough that other adults wouldn't say, "Aren't you a little old for this?"
sturdy design
from a show I like
decent price
decent shipping

I could simply replace my FMA bag with the FullMetal Alchemist Brotherhood: Flamel Cross Messenger Bag:

It's not as nice as my retired one though. This Soul Eater: Meisters Anime Messenger Bag is a serious contender. It has the entire gang: Maka & Soul, Death the Kid with Liz & Patty and let's not forget Black Star & Tsubaki:

Oh yay - there's also the The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya: SOS Anime Messenger Bag:

However, the Code Geass: Lelouch Geass Symbol Anime Messenger Bag is pretty cool - and it doesn't look childish:

Choices. Choices. I've only just begun. I'd like to see if there are messenger bag designs for some of the more current anime, such as Hyouka, Accel World, and Sword Art Online. One that's for the ladies. Lyfa and Asuna are cool characters, but I'd much prefer to have a bag with Kirito on it - or the main cast.

I'll have to check out my other main places for otaku gear: Right Stuf, CD Japan and JList. I've been meaning to check out AmiAmi too. See what I mean about so many choices?