Otaku Wonderland Part 2: figures, PVC Dreams

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Written by Elena Tessari

In the first part of our journey through otaku collecting we gave a brief overview of the most relevant types of merchandise tied toanime, manga and video games, focusing on the most commercially widespread examples. This time around we will talk about a more niche, yet very otaku kind of merchandise: figures.

Japan is the world leader in the production of figures, and there is a lively circuit of fairs and conventions where each company puts its new products on display, and where fans preorder upcoming novelties. The phenomenon is growing outside of Japan too: proof of this is the abundance of specialized sites and online shops, both in the US and in Europe.

Wonder Festival 2014 Winter

Figures can be either static, or ‘action figures’ that can be shaped and position, as well as customized with interchangeable parts (hands, faces etc). Sometimes a figure can be designed to be part of a diorama along with others from the same series. Mechas used to hold the lion’s share of the market, but today there are many producers focusing on human and humanoid characters (S.H. Figuarts, Figma etc). Also valued in Japan and abroad are chibi and super-deformed versions of established characters, such as Nendoroids.

Sakura Kinomoto from Card Captor Sakura as action figure, static, Nendoroid

There are countless sub-categories of figures: ‘prize figures’ are awarded as prizes in various lotteries (ichiban kuji), ‘trading figures’ are cheap and collectible with little expense. Purchase methods also vary: cheap sources, such as ‘ufo catcher’ and gachapon, are always available, while other, more costly figures must be pre-ordered months in advance.

One last important typology is the ‘garage kit’: which must be assembled and painted by the collector, or by specialized fans who take care of it as a hobby or by payment. These garage kits are particularly interesting as they embody the otaku idea of making a character one’s own by modifying it according to their own passions. The main site for garage kits is E2046 (http://www.e2046.com/).

Dolls collecting is a different story, as it shares some similarities with figure collecting; but it also differs in many ways. Our next installment will focus on the differences between the male and female demographics in the world of figures!

Here is the link to the first part: https://www.nippop.it/it/media-and-arts/blog/jmagazine/media-arts/otaku-wonderland-parte-1-marketing-e-collezionismo