When you talk about a shoe that changed the game this year the New Balance 247 was an obvious response to the NMD and in my opinion the variations delivered were comparable and actually better considering the cost and look of the CS and R2. The difference was the price. The NMD rose to 130-220 while the dopest releases of the 247 the Tokyo Rat was 120 as a luxe, limited release. While the Tokyo Rat is this high, my ranking here is more of a response to the overall depth of quality that New Balance delivered this year. This ranking is also about the delivery of a fantastic new model from the brand. It does help that the Mita shop delivered a shoe based on a breed of rat that supposedly never sleeps which speaks towards the name of the shoe 24/7 and ties into the storytelling for the shoe. The materials are premium, the comfort of the shoe is bananas and I love the way the shoe actually looks like what it’s named after. The packaging could have been better, but when you sit down and compare it to other sneakers you realize that this is probably one of the best shoes of the year.
