Why Are Anime Figures So Expensive?
If you’re not a collector, paying £50 - £500+ for figurines doesn’t make any sense. You’d rather buy a laptop or something more “practical”. But to someone who loves collecting things that have an expiration date, the cost is justified. Relatively speaking, most anime figures cost less than half of what you’d pay for an IPhone.
But unlike an IPhone, once most anime figures run out of stock… they’re gone for good. That’s why collectors are so desperate (and committed) to collecting anime figures, regardless of how much it costs. If you’re not a collector, paying £50 — £500+ for figurines doesn’t make any sense.
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Figures cost a lot because they cost a lot to make. There are "prize figures" made by Sega and other companies that go for 10-15 dollars (but some can get very expensive because the character is popular. Nendos are around 30-40 dollars and Figmas are 50 around dollars.
Said demand only grew higher with more people binging anime at home, meaning Gundam figures in particular have grown more popular than ever. Thus, in order to get these now much rarer items to their warehouses, buyers had to usually pay exorbitant fees.
When One Piece Gold was released, Tokuriki Honten introduced the world to the most expensive anime figure ever made: a gold figure of Monkey D. Luffy himself. It's not the most polished work of art, but it is made of solid gold, adding its uniqueness.
The reasons behind collecting figures are as vast and unique as anime figures themselves. For many, it's a way to surround your physical space with some of your favorite characters. For others, it's a competition to build a collection that can rival those of even the most seasoned collectors.
Some people buy figures as financial investments as the majority of figures historically increase in value over time. Others buy figures to show off their personality. It's not just about the anime they like, but also the style of the figures that reflects their personality, be it cutesy, shounen or edgy.
Now we can see the “Evangelion Unit 01,” controlled by main character Shinji, up close and personal in China.EPICNESS! ... About 20 meters tall, located in Jing'an District in Shanghai. ... Certified as the largest anime figure by Guinness World Records. ... Is it going to go “berserk?”More items...•
Death Note – $1,000,000 Per Episode The cult classic anime series that has found mainstream success globally has a whopping 40 Million overall budget. That puts its per episode at more than 1 Million dollars. Not even a normal live action TV show would cost as much in Hollywood.
The molds are filled with the material the figure will be made of, usually PVC since it's a cheap and somewhat flexible plastic. If not PVC, the next most likely materials are vinyl, polystone, synthetic resin, or ABS. The cooled plastic (or resin) is removed from the molds.
In Japan, the term "figure" can refer to dolls and other collectible figurines. Figures based on anime, manga and bishōjo game characters are often sold as dolls in Japan. Collecting them is a popular hobby amongst Otakus.
0:5911:04DIFFERENT TYPES OF ANIME FIGURES - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAs we all know anime figures are a luxury already but these bad boys are what you call creme de laMoreAs we all know anime figures are a luxury already but these bad boys are what you call creme de la creme. People also call these statues as gk or garage kits these are mostly enormous anime statues.
You can often see the same anime figures that cost anywhere from $50 to $100 US over in the United States inside Japanese claw machines. It's not just that some claw machines in Japan have nicer things, but it's because the cost of production is vastly lower when it is domestic.
WashingFill a container with lukewarm water. ... Optional: Disassemble your figurine. ... Soak your figurine (or figurine pieces) in the water for about 5 minutes. ... Squirt (or rub) soap on a new, soft-bristled toothbrush and begin gently brushing the figurine. ... Rinse all the soap off the figurine using warm water.More items...•
Your figures should always be stored in a room temperature, dry space that is out of direct sunlight, and they should be dusted and cleaned regularly. For added protection, you can even purchase special action figure storage solutions.
Many anime figures are not distributed in the West. Some are only distributed in Japan and maybe South East Asian countries. If you lived in one of these countries, those figures could be significantly cheaper—sometimes half the price.
Even though it is relatively popular, anime is still not mainstream enough for there to be anime figures on the shelves of Wal-Mart and Target across the world. It would be a waste of money to produce that many.
The mold, the colors, and painting is just superior in every way. Yes, I know Overwatch is not an anime; however, Good Smile puts the same effort into their Overwatch figures as they do all of their other figures—many of which are related to various anime.
Toei Animation didn’t specify how much each of their series earns in terms of licensing fees, but they reported income of over $291,000,000 (USD) from licensing alone in 2019. The 2005 film Guyver had licensing fees of $746,665, even though it’s a relatively unpopular film.
By underselling broadcasting rights, a series could first build an audience who would be interested in paying for merch. It’s pretty natural to think that this Astroboy formula would have changed over the years, but, surprisingly, merchandising is still one of anime’s primary revenue streams.
Because of this, prices can really jump and dip depending on the demand and availability in the aftermarket. There’s no one formula to dictate how much a figure’s value will translate to in the aftermarket — it’s not about the figure’s MSRP or how amazing it may be. It’s just the basic formula of supply and demand.
Much like an aged wine, time seems to be a good friend to the world of anime figures. Improvements within any industry are always expected (practice makes perfect, as they say). The world of anime figures is no exception and has definitely seen an explosion in quality improvements over the years, as well as a nice diversification of product offerings. ( • ̀ω•́ )✧
Sadly, anime merchandising data is quite sparse and not nearly as abunda nt as data about broadcasting, which we were able to find some info about . However, something worth noting is the tale of how Astro Boy spearheaded anime’s reliance on merchandise to generate revenue.
The average product (like the device you’re reading this from) costs more than the average Anime merch.
They say the average Anime episode costs $100,000 to produce. According to a 2015 post shared by Crunchyroll.
a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations.
Just as Goboiano stated in their Anime post, some Anime ‘s don’t make enough money at all.
If you’ve ever bought your own anime figure, or you know a friend who collects figures, then you know each figurine feels premium.
The supply of anime figures is scarce. By definition they’re rare collectibles that usually don’t resell once they’re out of stock (unlike a commodity like a Vegetable or a mug for example).