The World of Figures - Otaku Dream of Figures [1/3]

“Beautiful moment, do not pass away!”

These are the words of the protagonist and title character in Goethe’s Faust. The devil Mephistopheles presses him to sell his soul and uses every means necessary to try to get Faust to experience the greatest joys and sorrows in life. However, Faust remains unsatisfied. Few people, not just Faust, are able to live in those kinds of moments. The best moments immediately become past memories. Figure otaku, however, seek to capture that kind of moment in real time through their figures.

The history of figures in Japan dates back to the 1970’s. The heroes and monsters of popular Tokusatsu TV shows appeared as soft vinyl figures (shortened sofubi in Japanese) made out of materials like PVC. In the 1990’s, Evangelion and Sailor Moon figures gained attention, and the popularity of bishoujo and moe figures grew. As an area with a lot of figures, Akihabara went through it all.

According to Kumada of Robot Robot Akihabara, “60% of the people visiting our store are from overseas, and 40% are from Japan.” People come from all over the world. Kumada also commented on the change in customers over the years: “I don’t know if it’s because of the Internet, but it seems as though younger and younger generations are looking for figures from cult favorites. Recently, customers have been going for figures from games, including figures from anime that were based on games, such as Danganronpa. I’m surprised by how much foreign customers know about anime that just came out in Japan.” Kumada expressed some recent issues with figure sales, saying that with the increase of customers who have access to a vast amount of information, individual tastes have become more distinct and varied, and it’s difficult to predict what will sell.

When asked, “What draws people to figures?” Kumada gave the following response:
“I think people who buy figures are people who want to have something of the world of their favorite game, anime, or movie, for example, at their fingertips. For some, it’s about the artist, but for most, it’s about the work. The figure becomes something of an idol that allows that person to expand the world of a series, game, or movie they love by having a piece of it within reach. Having the figures there allows them to expand their imagination, and I think they’re able to broaden the world by lining up their figures and actually surrounding themselves with that world. People who visit us from other countries are also passionate about finding figures from the games they love.”

Someone else offered a different view.

He became a figure fanatic 25 years ago and opened his store 15 years ago. The manager of Gaocchi, a nostalgic retro toy store on the third floor of Nakano Broadway, knows a great deal about the soft vinyl hero, monster, and other character merchandise from the 1970’s.

“I think ‘Made in Japan’ figures are popular because they’re done precisely and are well-made,” he offers cheerfully. “The soft vinyl figures have a good attention to texture and a naturalness about them. I think that’s another reason for their popularity. It corresponds with the precision of an illustration, and I think that’s what has led to Japan being called the country of otaku and anime.”

He spoke about his many years of being a figure otaku.

“Figure amateurs usually want big items so they can quickly fill up their room. But as your experience grows and you develop a more selective eye, you start to want smaller items. You want to collect figures that are small enough to place on the palm of your hand and examine. As you get more of an eye for it, you grow to like small, well-made figures and you start really wanting to collect them. This is true of miniature cars as well. The day may come when people who are into large figures now start to feel that way, so I’d like them to keep that in mind.” He spoke emphatically.

“People who become figure otaku are adults who remember figures they had as a child that were thrown away by their parents or figures they wanted their parents to buy them but didn’t. And they work and can spend money and I think they’re buying back something they once saw and feel nostalgic about tens of years later.”

When asked about what people are looking for with figures, he gave a forceful answer. “There’s certainly an element of liking anime and manga, but everyone started to buy them as an adult. They’re not buying an object, they’re buying ‘nostalgia.’ So, I don’t think they’re buying some expensive vintage item.” His opinion was persuasive with the numbers of years of experience behind it. In the middle of the conversation, he received a call from a customer who had purchased a figure. He spoke politely.

“You buy a lot of things with each decade of your life. You buy games, you buy figures, you buy cute girl merchandise. One day you wake up and think, ‘This doesn’t work,’ and you narrow down the range of figures you buy. You keep the ones that you limit yourself to and sell the rest, and with that money you buy something new. That cycle leads you down the road to being a fanatic.”

When asked what figures are to him, he is silent for a few moments and then says with a smile, “Figures are my heart and soul.”

He then added proudly, “But anyone who says they buy nothing but figures is still an amateur. Wanting everything from things like the catalogue from that time or figures from that anime is being a fanatic. Anyone who hasn’t reached that point hasn’t bought enough figures.” With that he smiles at a customer and says, “Right? Don’t you agree?”

Longing, nostalgia, dreams. If you love figures like the manager of Gaocchi, you’ll find what you’re looking for right away. It makes you want to tell Faust about the beauty of figures.

The Tokyo Otaku Mode Premium Shop
Bishoujo Figures
Action Figures
Mecha Figures
Chibi Figures
Other Figures

This is a Tokyo Otaku Mode original article.