Why Are Anime Figures so Expensive?
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.
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.
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.
Figures based on anime, manga and bishōjo game characters are often sold as dolls in Japan. Collecting them is a popular hobby amongst Otakus. The term moe is otaku slang for the love of characters in video games, anime, or manga, whereas zoku is a post-World War II term for tribe, clan or family.
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.
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.
The rarest Nendoroid of them all is undoubtedly the legendary GSC version of Hatsune Miku, who's decked out in the company's signature orange color scheme. While there are countless Miku Nendoroids and figurines in the market, what makes this one special is that, reportedly, there's only one in existence.
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.
"One Piece" is believed to be one of the most expensive anime shows produced, with a budget of around 10.75 million yen (or $100,000) per episode.
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.