If you have any interest in modern Japanese culture, you must have probably already seen at least one of these small figurines representing a manga or video game hero. More than a simple pleasure, for some these statuettes are a real passion. Today we invite you to immerse yourself together in this magical and childish world in order to better understand where this enthusiasm for all these little figurines comes from and what they really are.
The different types of figures
Although figurines representing a manga hero, such as the One Piece figurines presented below, remain the most popular, they are not the only ones to attract the desire of collectors. Here are some other examples of figurines popular in Japan:
- video game heroes
- movie scene
- architectural structures
- means of transportation
These figurines allow those who own them to recreate a fantastic universe and relive the mythical scenes that they discovered in their favorite manga/game. It is therefore both a stylistic object but a symbolic object which will of course be more telling for those who know the story hidden behind the statue in question.
If you think that these statuettes are only aimed at young teenagers, think again! A lot of adults also take pleasure in going to find the most atypical figurines in cult places.
Where to get these figurines?
Beyond the second hand that you can find on resale sites like eBay or Le Bon Coin, there are places in Japan dedicated solely to figurines, here they are:
- The Akihabara district (Tokyo): This place is very focused on manga culture and is full of shops offering figurines, goodies or even artwork.
image source: NipponConnection
- Nakano Broadway (Tokyo): Just like the Akihabara district, you will find here enough to spend several hours in front of the windows if you want to start or complete your collection.
image source:SavvyTokyo
The man who enjoyed magnifying the shapes of heroines
This is a little side story that we came across while doing our research and thought it was worth a look.
While some have fun collecting figurines, others have fun tampering with them. More particularly to exchange heads in order to enlarge the shapes, buttocks and chests, of certain manga and video game heroines
This is in fact what a man did for two years from 2016 to 2018 in order to resell them on second-hand sites. Unfortunately for him, the police eventually discovered these deceptions and searched his home. They subsequently found an account with the equivalent of more than €65,000. This is illegal as it is a copyright infringement.
story source: Nautiljon
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