In recent years, there have been no type of anime fans quite as envied as the figure collectors. It’s a unique phenomenon that really only caters to fans of Japanese-made media – after all, in the West, what comes to mind when figures are mentioned can be boiled down to only two categories: Either those hyper-realistic figures that you find at your local comic book shop, or… Funko Pops. In Japan, however, your options are nearly endless: classic full-body figurines, actual dolls, nendoroids (smaller ‘chibi’ figures), figmas (pose-able figures), plastic models, garage kits, and more. So big is the market for these figures in Japan (and other countries in Asia), that you can even try your luck at winning figures for just a few tokens at a claw machine game – and thanks to English-language sites like AmiAmi, Tokyo Otaku Mode, and HobbyLink Japan just to name a few, purchasing these straight from the source has become even easier for Western fans. Needless to say, it’s become an endearing hobby for many across the globe, with some collectors even buying tall glass cases to display their items, as your grandma might do with her ceramic statues. And you may scoff, but they have good reason to do this.
Continue reading “Hatsune Miku: A Tale of Two Bootlegs”
The Art Archive 