Tamashii Nation 2008 kicked off last night at Akiba Square UDX with a gala reception for media and Bandai employees. It's open to the public through Sunday, but I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview. (Alas, I missed Go Nagai's opening remarks by minutes.)
Photos abound on the web (robot toy maniacs should try here, here, and here for starters), but the really fascinating thing about the show wasn't the announcement of new releases but rather Bandai's attempt to position their Saint Seiya, S.I.C., and Chogokin collector lines as "lifestyle goods" rather than toys. In addition to three showrooms housing new products, the main floor featured a series of faux rooms designed to show toy-freaks how they can best display their treasures.
Meet your new overlords: the mascot characters of the newly-founded Bandai Collectors Division.
The Gundam-equipped office. Note the wine rack.
An Evangelion-festooned study room. Is that a copy of Ayn Rand's "Atlas Shrugged" on the desk...?
Bandai executives explained that this diorama portrays the moment Patrick Macias was born.
Even Jasper Morrison agrees: there isn't a living room that doesn't benefit from a $1000, two-foot high illuminated statue of a Kamen Rider.
If your child's room doesn't look like this, you have failed as a parent.
I couldn't agree more.
*drools over 2-foot Kamen Rider FAIZ statue*
I would kill puppies for that thing
Posted by: Mike | March 20, 2008 at 06:02 PM
You should have seen the custom Kamen Rider dioramas in the S.I.C. display room. The lighting was too poor to take many shots, but the detail lavished on the scenes was unbelievable.
Posted by: Matt | March 20, 2008 at 07:08 PM
Wow..I think that's a really interesting marketing-placement for their toys. The otaku thing as a selling point must really be taking point. Especially love the bin o' sofubi that's in the room...I'll have to re-double my efforts. I don't think I have all of those yet!
Posted by: ChrisM | March 21, 2008 at 06:46 AM
A great gallery of shots from the SIC room:
http://gamu-toys.info/sonota/neta/tamasii/tamasii03.html
Posted by: Matt | March 21, 2008 at 09:33 AM
Wait... wait... Patrick was an experimental bioroid mutant created by the KKK?
Posted by: James Leung Man-Fai | March 22, 2008 at 01:56 AM