Manaka Takane nendoroid arrived just moments ago. It seems, according to the box, she’s from a series called Love Plus. I’ve never seen Love Plus before (is it an anime? an eroge?) and I can’t really say whether I intend to or not. I’d have to ask the google gods if it’s a good investment of my time (or I guess you guys can help me out with that too, if you’ve seen/watched/read/played/fapped to/whatever it)
When I first saw this little nendoroid cutie, I had no idea what I was buying. Okay fine, I was buying a nendoroid. But that’s about all I knew, and all I cared to know. I mean look at her! She’s SUCH a cutie!
She has no accessories. All she’s got are 4 faces (typical of nendoroids) and wtf EIGHT arms to choose from. I bought her solely for 3 of her facial expressions – the closed eyes, the circle eyes, and the little pouty face with tongue sticking out.
I’ve found myself frequently buying figures I know nothing about. Sometimes that’s not the case, like with the Odin Sphere and Momohime statues, KOS-MOS, and other video game characters/anime. But then there are these other ones that just look great and I’m like “who is this? who the fuck cares?! Not me!” Paypal’d!
If you need some more lols, I bought the entire K-On nendoroid set, plus now own one of the two wonfest sets (where can I get the second set? drool drool drool) and have not seen a single episode of K-On!
I obviously have no idea what I’m missing out on. But that’s not the point.
Okay, I lied. I watched episode 1 with my wife, and she lost interest, so it was put on hiatus. But at least I know what K-On is. No idea what Love Plus is. And yet still, no idea what 60% of my anime figures are supposed to be about either.
Why do I buy [????]? The majority of the time, I buy it for the aesthetics of the figure. (at least that’s what I tell myself) If it looks nice, then I don’t care. It’s mine. No time for regrets now. Maybe later, when it’s sitting on my shelf collecting dust, and I’m crying about how much space this figure from [????] is taking up. Goddammit, [????]! If I watched the series, it might have turned me off enough to NOT buy you! (or worse, I end up buying everyone from the series too).
Actually, sometimes, when I see a figure that looks interesting enough, I’d be curious on what the series is about (insanekitten had a case of this too, recently). Sometimes, after reading the synopsis of [????], I actually do get turned off by it, and end up not buying the figure in the end. I guess I didn’t want it that badly then…
But there are also figures that I know nothing about, yet am totally glad I bought it – like Senhime for example. Absolutely gorgeous figure (check out Tier’s review of her).
I’m sure a bunch of you buy figures you have no clue where they’re from. Why do you buy [????]? Do you end up watching the series afterward, or while the figure is still in preorder? Have there been cases where you canceled a figure because you watched the series?
I know some of you will refuse to buy figures that you know nothing about too. What’s your reason for that?
From the time it takes for me to see that newsletter, to clicking “Finalize Order”, is roughly 3 minutes. To make a decision in 3 minutes, it’s gotta be impulse. I log all my orders in an excel sheet so I remember what I bought. I even put a URL link to the figure in case I forgot what (not who because I don’t care who) I bought. Periodically, I click on one and be like “ohh yeaaaah. Now I remember!”
It’s weird that way because for everything else, from computer hardware, to a $2.99 iPhone game, I go online, do some research, spend hours on this stuff, and sometimes don’t even make the purchase in the end. Yet I’m willing to invest (sometimes) over $100 per figure to express my “fandom” for a series I know nothing about. I mean, who the heck is Marissa anyway?
In case you’re wondering, Takane Manaka is available at hobbysearch. Be like me, and go buy her now! You won’t regret it!
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Hey, even if I don’t play Love Plus I’d BUY that for the blank face. One of the cutest expressions EVAR (second only to the BRS Nendroid’s blank face). Yes, blank faces are awesome. :3 ), but I buy Gundam kits. Why I buy them is a two-fold thing: first is because I absolutely LOVE the series (mech-wise and story-wise) and want to have them in my room, and second is because I find building stuff, mechs especially (the really detailed ones are lovely) fun.
Your dilemma of not knowing the series but buying stuff is normal really. I know I bought one (or two? three? D:) kit for a series I haven’t even read/cannot see yet. But since it falls under category one and two of why I buy them, I bought it anyway. It’s the pure LOVE for these things that pulls you.
As for impulse buying..well..there really is no such thing as a decision-making process from what I see (in life, in general), so as long as it isn’t morally wrong (insert philosophical explanation here), there isn’t anything wrong about it at all. The only decision-making you’re actually gonna make is whether you’ll get this one, that one, or all of them at the same time since (budget-wise).
Wow..I’ve rambled much. I’ll be..going back to my Gundams now.
..and if that’s the Marisa I’m thinking you’re thinking then: Marisa <333
PS If I had PayPal, it would take me only 3 minutes as well..and for the BRS Nendroid, half. >;3
Paypal is evil. I can’t live without it. 😛
Hey no worries about rambling. I ramble a lot too. 🙂
I agree, her blank smiley face is rather cute. I’m sure I’ll use it at some point in time. I’m glad I did get her though. I don’t have a closed eyes face, so this is all good too.
It’s crazy how much “impulse” purchases I’ve made in the past year! Looking at my records, I’m mystified. Looking at my collection, I’m shocked.
If you could only see my boxes of un-built Gundams right now. D:
And why can’t I? Do a blog post about it!
When I started collecting figures I basically bought anyone that was visually pleasing, even when I didn’t even know what their names were. In some cases I later watched the show/read the manga/played the game the character was from (Hazuki from Moon Phase, Simca from Air Gear, Nao from Mabinogi).
Though a lot of the characters, particularly the eroge ones, remain a mystery to this day. But at least some of them look cool!
Now that money is tighter, shelf space is more limited and figures are more expensive in general, I won’t buy an “unknown character” unless I’m REALLY smitten with their design. And if the character is one I recognize, I won’t buy the figure unless it looks really good. So basically I’ve gone from buying everything under the sun to being extremely picky.
I’ve only purchased three figures this year (four when I get the cash for Momohime), when in the past I was getting up to five A MONTH. The last few times I impulsively pre-ordered a figure, I ended up cancelling…
I’m wondering how many people are in the same boat as us… have you noticed an increase sales posting in various places? I’ve been thinking of selling my figures again, and a lot of them are the older figures too. There are some of the newer generation figures in there as well! I guess I’m just buying too many figures on impulse.
I know what you mean with buying pleasing figures. It’s good that you’re restricting yourself and be picky. It bugs me sometimes when I visit someone’s blog, and they’ve posted a figure that I decided to pass on… “dammit! Shoulda preordered after all…”
5 figures a month is A LOT. You’ve managed to cut out a lot of purchases, and that totally deserves an award!
5 months was at the height of my collecting. There’s no way I could ever go back to that. My mind gets boggled nowadays when I see the monthly hauls that some people manage to pull.
It seems to me that nowadays a lot of collectors are starting to burn out on the hobby and move onto greener pastures. But if tsuki-board is any indication, the figure community is still going strong.
What sort of “greener pastures” do you speak of?
These days I like to have a connection with the character if I order a figure. So that means if I see a figure I’m interested in, I watch a few episodes of the series and confirm I like who the character is 🙂 BUT if I think a figure is ABSOLUTELY LOVELY I don’t care at all who the person is, I want it. My Max Factory Kureha is one of my favorite figures and I know next to nothing about Kureha. BUT at the same time…if I’m disappointed with a series/character I usually have no desire for the figure. I confess I had the K-On! Alter figures pre-ordered, I was really excited about the set! I really like figures of cute girls with instruments. That is I was excited until I saw the first season. I went in with high expectations and I really didn’t like K-On! and ended up cancelling the two girls I had pre-ordered.
So what’s your reasoning for wanting to have a connection with the figure before committing to buy? I found that having a connection reinforces buying it, but if it’s a figure I had intention to buy anyway, it doesn’t really matter whether I’ve watched the series or not.
Interesting, I ended up canceling the two K-On girls too! The Alter ones? They were the first that came out, I think? They still do look like nice figures, but I couldn’t justify it anymore. I think having not watched the series helped with canceling.
If I dislike a character’s personality, then in most cases the appreciation for the beauty of the figure leaves me. There are situations where the beauty is so amazing though, that not knowing the character doesn’t matter to me, but that’s rarer. So watching the anime or reading the manga is an importnat aspect of deciding if I pre-order or not. I guess I’m also looking to have a nostalgic and emotional connection to my figures. I think I strayed from that a bit recently with some of my pre-orders, but now I’m back on track.
That’s kind of interesting… I think that if I didn’t like a character from an anime series, I’d be less inclined to buy the figure too, because I’d be reminded about how much I dislike a character. It’d be interesting to see if I’d get rid of figures I know nothing about if I watch the series. 😛
I must say, I’m very shocked. You don’t know what Love Plus is OR who Marisssa is?
Love Plus is a dating sim where you can pick one of 3 girls to go out with. There are special tours (in real life) that guys can go on with their Love Plus girlfriends, and one guy even married a Love Plus character.
Marissa (at least the one I know), is a witch from the Touhou series and one of the “main” characters.
Anyways, most of the things I buy are because they look nice. There are a few figures that I buy simply to complete a collection, but there aren’t many of those.
Well okay, I do kinda know what Love Plus is, and who Marissa is. I might as well not know though.
My knowledge of both is limited to basically what you’ve just said. I remember that dude that married his video game character, but didn’t remember that it was Love Plus.
I do know that Marissa is from Touhou, but that’s ALL I know about her, and that’s all I know about Touhou too. Oh, except there’s that other girl with the red bow and kimono or whatever… and from the figma, she gets drunk a lot?
I didn’t know they had special Love Plus tours. what is this world coming to?
I usually check out the anime/manga/game, or at least read about the character before I buy. Sometimes I’ll pre-order on impulse and while I’m waiting for it to arrive I’ll watch the series/play the game/etc. I find myself canceling more orders these days though. I also try to keep my purchases under a bit of control during the Autumn/Winter months and let more loose in the Spring/Summer for various reasons. If you don’t know the character but you’re attracted to it and can afford it, there’s nothing wrong with buying. Personally I like to know what I’m getting into most of the time though XD
It seems a lot of people are watching their purchases these days. I wonder what’s going on… I also wonder how the figure industry will do at this rate. Perhaps yeah, there are new collectors everyday, but eventually, that’s going to slow down right?
So what’s your reason for needing to know about a character before you buy? The aesthetic reasons are obvious of course, but why is a “connection” necessary for you?
The only thing that stops me from buying every cute figure that passes my screen is that I am poor, and I am not in charge of our finances. Whether I know the character or not is secondary, cute is king!
What your saying actually hit a note with me. I look around at my collection, and at my fellow collectors, and I ask myself “How much of this do I really appreciate? If I had a very limited budget, would I be buying so many? Which ones would I have bought, and which ones would I have passed on?”
I definitely need to learn appreciation of what I have, and also to not take for granted the amount of control I have over my finances.
Thanks for writing!
I pretty much buy anything that I think looks good. I don’t watch a great deal of anime and I seldom play video games these days so I usually don’t know much about the characters themselves. In fact, out of all the figures I currently have preordered, I’m only familiar with Mai Shiranui, Asuka, and Saeki.
I also sometimes buy figures simply because everyone else is buying them and those are usually the figures I regret buying the most. This includes the original Black Rock Shooter figure and Alter’s Mio figure, whom I’ve been thinking about hocking but their impending re-releases kinda screw that up.
Sometimes I buy figures because I’ve seen good porn of those characters. This includes every figure I’ve bought from the Nanoha series. I haven’t seen more than a half dozen episodes across the three series but I’ve seen some really, really good Fate and Nanoha porn.
Lately, I’ve also been buying figures that I think I can photograph in an interesting manner. It’s an odd reason to buy a figure but I think I enjoy figure photography as much as I do collecting the figures themselves. Kurisu Makise falls in this category; she’s a nice figure, I like how she looks, but I’m really looking forward to her mainly because I’ve got a few ideas on how to take her picture that I’m looking forward to trying out.
Those are interesting reasons/motivations to buy figures. It’s good to hear that your reasons are actually different from most collectors.
I too sometimes buy figures due to hype, but I only regret some of the times. Sometimes the figure really lives up to the hype. I do kinda regret purchasing the original BRS as well. I mean, it looked great at the time, and it still looks great, but I can’t get any good photos out of her. Sometimes my regrets come from that too…
Sometimes, I regret buying a figure simply because it takes up so much space, that the space-to-aesthetics ratio doesn’t work in its favor. I’d say VN02 fits in that category. I think I should hock that one soon…
“Sometimes I buy figures because I’ve seen good porn of those characters.”
Kudos to you for admitting this. lol
Interesting question! This is my general decision-making process, in order:
1) Do I like the character?
2) Do I like the figure?
The important part is that, at least at the moment, it’s never just one reason or the other, always both. I won’t buy a figure just because I’m crazy about the character if the figure itself doesn’t appeal to me, so while I only buy figures of characters I know and like the actual quality of the figure is the more important factor.
Familiarity with the character as a rule isn’t at all to do with only wanting figures of characters I know. There have been a number of times when I’ve wanted or almost ordered a figure of a character I don’t know, but with my limited budget (and I’m relatively conservative in my spending compared to many collectors) there’s not enough room for all the figures of characters I do know/like that I want, let alone going beyond those.
A big part of why I like my collection is because when I look at my figures, I see both the craftsmanship and the character. For me, it’s about having great renditions of what I think are great characters. That said, I entirely understand why many collectors make choices based purely on the figures themselves, separate from the characters. If I suddenly found myself with a grand surplus of cash I have no doubt I’d become that sort of collector, but I think my core decision-making will always include the character.
I appreciate that kind of core decision-making. I think that sometimes, less is more. And yeah, understanding the character creates a closer bond/appreciation with the purchase too. For example, I have zero attachment to some of my figures probably because I have no idea where they’re from. But then there are a few figures that aren’t that great looking that I can’t get rid of because I am attached to the character.
If I de-clutter, I think I’ll find that the majority of my figures would not be in the “keep” list. Where as for you, it might be the opposite.
when i first started i just bought what looked good to me and i was not even aware of what a huge variety was available to me either. now aim for characters i like but still get a few characters that are just pleasing to the eye even if i dunno their background. of course after i get them i try to find their origins ^^
for something like figures, research isnt really required 😛 but man, i try to watch less anime these days… less chance i fall in love with a new character and get the temptation to add to the WANT list of figures XD i miss the days of having income, so im picky with purchases as of late ^^;
I think that if we simply bought any figures we thought looked nice, there would be no end. But by buying only figures that you appreciate from the anime, then there is a line drawn in the sand. At that point, yes, if you watched less anime, you’d probably buy less figures too.
Oh Love Plus, an NDS dating game well known in the media because a man marries a character from there. Though that character is not the one you have; it’s Nene Anegasaki. But that’s all I’ve cared to know about regarding Love Plus.
Um buying something without knowing what he/she/it is from. Not a huge problem, though some people seem to be fussy over it. I used to buy things I like out of curiosity, and look up and see what they are about. This is how I came to become obsessed over 1/144 German WWII tanks – one tank, 2 tanks, 3 tanks, and now I won’t even know including modern ones and planes lol…
Nowadays, things are becoming more and more expensive (cost of making is becoming more expensive), Japanese Yen is still inflating, and the recession really did have an effect on a lot of people, even among us. On top of that, people are running of spaces too. I somehow always have to dig spaces out for the boxes or even just to put something new in my room. Well, it still works out one way or the other for now.
Appreciating and valuing what you have bought is important – it makes every purchase worthwhile. This is also the reason why I am extremely reluctant to let go any of my stuff – even if it’s just a small tank that costs me a few USD. I tend to make a lot of decisions on whether I want to buy or not. Well, this doesn’t apply to grunt gunpla units because I love building troops of them – they look a lot cooler in numbers, and this is what breaks my rule by a huge margin…
I can understand how knowing more of something may even depreciate the character you may consider to buy. BRS may be one example to some – originally just an illustration done by huke on pixiv, which eventually got a Miku music video and eventually figures and OVA. The OVA turned quite a number of people off. Not a huge problem for me – I still love my figma as it’s one of few really good ones in the recent times!
Your comment has lead me to an idea, so I’ll respond to your comment via a blog post.
“Actually, sometimes, when I see a figure that looks interesting enough, I’d be curious on what the series is about (insanekitten had a case of this too, recently)”
This actually happens to me quite frequently. I’ll actually be shopping around, and lo and behold I will come across something I like, product-wise in the anime merch area, and I will have NO clue what the series is about. The aesthetics behind this product will eventually lead me into a search into the series and inevitably the viewing or playing of the series in question.
Azumanga Daioh was one of my earliest cases of this happening… I saw the Yamamaya plush, and I fell instantly in love with it, which then prompted me into watching the series, and now I have even more fondness for the plush that I own, alongside Kamineko!
Yoko also falls into this type of case, and now I have an army of Yoko figures…
Now I am wrestling with whether I should get that Asobi ni Ikuyo figure… >__> Watched 2 episodes, so far, not too bad.
Though I’ve yet to experience a case where I like the product at first but then come to hate the character after watching or playing the series…
I love Azumanga Daioh… but when I see the figures, I refrain from buying any of them because they don’t appeal to me. I think with Azumanga, it’s more about the moments. If I saw a Chiyo-chan in a penguin suit figure, I’d be all over it like white on rice, but the typical figures I’ve seen of AD really don’t look all that special. I guess aesthetics in the main criteria for me, but moments win me over too.
Of course, if I had never seen AD, I’d probably pass on the Chiyo-Chan penguin figure too.
I use to find out after the fact who the heck is that girl I just ordered the figure. But it does not really matter. It is just because I like to know ^^
Goes the same for drawings, songs and everything I fancy.
And I think thanks to this “lust for knowledge”, now it is pretty rare when I have no clue about the identity of that latest figure I deadly want. And well, if I definitely want it, I order first, then think later. Impusle beats all 😉
You’re like me. It really doesn’t matter. It’s just good to know. Maybe it’s because we’re both artists, so we’re more concerned with the aesthetics than the background history?
hmmm i got my anime interest reawakened after a 8 year haitus. before that i was maybe watchin an anime or two every few months. and here i am buying figures and merchandise.
i feel that most of the buys are rather impulsive. at the moment i have like 1k in pre-orders and spent a few hundred before that.
at first i started on touhou figures.. then i moved to k-on.. and now im refraining myself from buying figures.
at the moment im deciding between the Alicia Melchiotte or the rei ayanami ballerina @_@.. its so costly for some PVC and they dont seem to last forever, from what im told, 6-10 years tops if kept in good condition. i think maybe polystone would be better because it can last potentially decades and theres less, so less money spent XD.. other anime stuff, i completely stopped ordering for now.
im also a fan of azumanga daioh.. but the figures didnt really appeal to me, i see them on sale a lot or in the bargin bin, but i dont bother picking them up *the bathing suit versions* although… if chiyo was in her penguin costume.. ill get it in a heartbeat ^-^
Naw, PVC will last forever. It won’t deteriorate or anything at all. So it’s okay to buy PVC or polystone or anything.
Polystone figures cost WAY more than PVC figures, haven’t you noticed? There are less polystone figures available though, if that’s what you mean by spending less.
I’d go with the Alicia figure, personally. (which I did). Mainly because there are so many different Rei figures, it’s silly. There aren’t that many Alicia figures out there. In addition, I’m also a big fan of Valkyria Chronicles, so that helps. Honestly, neither are the best in quality figures standards, but the fandom wins me over. 😛
polystone is way more so id buy less haha. well PVC i hear will deform and discolor after like a decade. lol im a new collector so i dont really know first hand.
you make a good point.. so many rei figures. i just PO the alicia figure yesterday.
I’ve owned several PVC figures from over a decade ago, and no deforming or discoloration. Read up my article on plastics to learn more about what your figures are made of. 🙂
Good stuff! PO’d Alicia too!
Personally i watch a lot of slice of life and comedy animes (everything else i watch has one of these in it xP), i also play eroges when i get the chance and video games that for the most part come from Ninppon Ichi or other import companies.
I buy the characters i get to like from each part as i come to see them, exs: love Darkstalkers (game) = Bought Felicia Figure, love Sengoku Rance (eroge) = Bought Suzume Figure, love Kyouran Kazoku Nikki (anime) = Bought Kyouka Figure (came with 2 nendoroids so no complaints either ^_^), etc.
also so many more i want to buy but no money to buy it… such a beautiful and depressing love/hobby ~.~
haha so your purchasing reason is really to show your adoration and fandom for a particular series. That’s great!
I hear you buddy… sometimes I’m driven to insanity in figuring out what to do with all these figures around. =_=
Radiant, it doesn’t really matter why you buy. It makes you happy, and there are addictions much worse for you, so I say….buy buy & buy some more. Besides, having a collection that cute, why not
Well, it goes much deeper than that, into the psychology of consumers, capitalist methodology, and self satisfaction, among other things. Check out my post on Capitalists and Zombies.
wow Radiant, I’m doing exactly the same thing, that is, recording/marking my order lists/spendings in an excel sheet!
It’s so useful, eh?! 😀 I’m more able to keep track of my spending and budget accordingly when I use it.
I buy figures of my favorite characters – it’s rare for me to buy a figure when I have either no clue what series they’re from or when I haven’t yet seen the series. I feel like if I end up seeing whatever it is in the future and I really hate the character, no matter how gorgeous the figure is I’m not going to want it anymore.
A great example of that is when Alter’s Yagyu Jubei first came out. I really wanted her, she’s such an absolutely gorgeous figure! The pose, the character design, the sculpt, the paint… it’s just wonderful. But I was unable to pre-order her, and by the time she came up for re-release they had an Anime out of that series. I saw the first episode and hated it, and now the figure is ruined for me. Queen’s Blade was the same way. A friend of mine had been collecting a lot of the figures that were coming out… then the Anime came out, and now we both look at them in disgust. It’s been ruined, and after he has so many of them, too…
The only exceptions I had ever made were Vocaloid and BRS. I got my Miku figma when she first came out, and loved her despite not knowing what it was. It ended up being alright though, since now I have the Project Diva games and am decently drawn into the … well, whatever it can be called. Music, I suppose, even though it’s more than that. BRS turned out alright too. I avidly collect them both now. I also am quite obsessive with Touhou, but I certainly bought and played a couple of the games before I started pre-ordering those figures and the plush and other various merch (and I knew for months before-hand it’d be an obsession because I love bullet hell games – my wallet was doomed from the start ).
So I suppose I buy because I like the characters. The sculpt certainly helps and since I watch so much Anime, I have a LOT of figures I want at any given time. Because of that I have to pick and choose – so my favorite characters and the best sculpts win out. I don’t have the money to just pre-order everything I want or everything I’m attracted to, so it works the best for me. =3
Some people are definitely all about knowing the character. The anime is super important to them. I don’t know if I personally fall into that sort of category since I buy figures based on how much I like the figure rather than the character, but I can totally see suddenly not liking a figure I own after watching the series or something.
The same thing (in reverse) happened to me with Taiga. I never watched the show yet, so I had no feelings towards the somewhat mediocre figure. But after watching the series, I HAD to get the figure. lol.
For me 90% of the time I buy what I know about. Even on that I would have consider by budget a few time over before getting it. Reason being, space and budget concern. However most of the time, I am limited by space to display and time to play with it.
I love the drawing of loveplus, however Nendo version is too cute for me. As for figma version, I don’t like the joints line.
I just started really buying figures not to long ago and I try to only buy ones for characters I know about. There is, however, one figure that I have been eying recently that I know next to nothing about. I guess the main reason I buy them is for the characters and the visual appeal.