Rolife Vs Anavrin
Bibliophiles are drawn to the hobby of miniatures that can be displayed on their bookshelves. There’s two types - DIY book nook kits and DIY bookends. The latter is marketed as miniature dollhouses. When you’re looking to buy either, two brands are prominent. Rolife and Anavrin.
At first glance, it may look like they have the same products/designs, however there are differences, but it can take an experienced eye to notice. For those new to book nook kits, you need to know about those so you can make an informed decision on which brand is best for what you want.
Battle of the Brands: A Deeper Dive into Rolife and Anavrin
The parent company of Rolife is Robotime. It’s one of a couple of brands. Rolife is the brand for DIY book nook kits and miniature dollhouses. Book enthusiasts who enjoy the puzzles can use them for the same purpose. Bookshelf decor. Book nook kits are sometimes called bookshelf inserts, and the miniature dollhouses, DIY bookends. Another brand of Robotime is ROKR, which is the 3D mechanical wooden puzzles. Robotime is the more established of the two brands, having been manufacturing these since 2007.
Anavrin (nirvana spelled backwards) began much later in mid 2020 and were originally a reseller of Robotime products. That included Rolife book nook kits, and ROKR mechanical wooden puzzles. Within a few years, they began commissioning designs to be manufactured in 2023. The first release was the 1940s Train Cabin book nook kit.
Since then, Anavrin’s released a handful of exclusive designs…. Kyoto Gion, Abandoned Submarine, Ginzan Onsen, and Juifen Old Street. The specialty of Anavrin book nook kits is “Motion Scene”. Not all of the book nook kits on the store have this. Only two do (at the time of writing - Nov ‘24). Ginzan Olsen and the 1940s Train Cabin.
Product Offerings: Breadth Versus Specialty
Both Rolife and Anavrin have a similar production process. The kits are flat-pack, all parts are pre-printed, and require only assembly. They’re 3D puzzles, each with good quality. That makes differentation tricky. When you’re faced with the same type of product, the simplest way to differentiate is to focus on either specialty, or variety.
Rolife specialize in miniature wooden puzzles, whereas Anavrin have a specialty range of book nooks with Motion Scene technology. In terms of difficulty level, Rolife book nook kits mostly have an estimated assembly time of 5 to 8 hours. These are ideal for beginners - like some these top-rated book nook kits. Those would be considered by hobbyists as a one-sit kit, meaning it can be completed in one day. They’re good for a rainy day activity.
Anavrin’s Motion Scene book nook kits are more complex with the kits having an estimated assembly time of 10 to 20 hours. The longer assembly time may justify the higher price because people could spend days, possibly weeks assembling the kits. The higher price tags are only on the exclusive designs though. Most of the kits stocked by Anavrin are made by other brands and can be bought cheaper elsewhere as they are stockists or resellers of other brands.
Non-exclusive book nook kits available on the byanavrin store are also available from Rolife's official store, as well as online marketplaces, including Aliexpress, Amazon, Temu, and several craft stores internationally. That's because Robotime sell to businesses (wholesale), whereas Anavrin resell book nook kits from other brands, plus their own, directly to customers.
What is Anavrin’s Motion Scene?
Anavrin book nooks with Motion Scene have animated backgrounds giving the illusion of motion. It was first used in the 1940’s Train Cabin book nook kit. The bookshelf inserts have two front-facing buttons. One powers the lights, the other powers a film reel to the back of the window pane in the train carriage. When it turns on, it gives the illusion of the train travelling through the countryside.
The Most Popular Products By Rolife and Anavrin
By Anavrin
The 1940s Train Cabin (frequently sold out)
This was the original Anavrin design featuring the first Motion Scene. It’s built the same as any light-up book kit, but with the addition of a film roll. Once it’s turned on, a motor winds the film roll around, creating the illusion of the train moving.
Ginzan Olsen
The Ginzan Olsen kit is based on the Yamagata prefecture of Japan. For anyone to vacation in Japan, it’s a short trip from Tokyo. As travel souvenirs, our Tokyo Alley book nook kit along with the Ginzan Olsen book nook could put memories on a bookshelf for a lifetime.
By Rolife
Sakura Densya
Tourists can easily travel Japan by train, taking in the sights. For those who’d like a memoir of a trip to Japan, the Sakura Densya book nook kit is a curation of common sights in Tokyo. A small train, trees in spring recreating the Cherry Blossoms in bloom, a realistic river view and a bookstore by the water.
The Bookstore
The bookstore is a quick build taking just 3 to 4 hours. It’s a miniature library kit inspired by the famous Shakespeare's Bookstore in Paris, France.
The Real Difference between Anavrin and Rolife is the Business Models
Anavrin is primarily a reseller of book nook kits and 3D puzzles made by other brands. They have several unique designs that are exclusive to Anavrin, mainly those that feature “Motion Scene”, adding a more immersive experience to the final bookshelf insert.
Rolife book nook kits are predominately miniature wood puzzles with under 200 pieces, making them suitable to beginners. For those with experience, the larger models are the miniature dollhouse kits that could be considered as DIY bookends. As for what's in the kit, both include the parts only, and don't include glues and similar items that can't be shipped because of shipping policies.
If you're looking to buy a kit as a gift, there are helpful book nook kit accessories you could include to create a complete gift set so it's a stress-free assembly from the get-go.