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Forum - View topicVice & Luna - 05/02/2017
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gaptoothsailor
 Posts: 100 Location: New York |
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I feel kinda bad for Vice in that last panel. At the same time I know the feeling that was explored in this page. It's a weird position to be in when you realize you were happy to have any kind of merchandise even if it ends up stripping all the individuality or distinctness or context that made what you liked so special. I hope Vice doesn't become cynical though!
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Quark
 Posts: 710 Location: British Columbia, Canada |
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I'm not sure if this is a veiled reference to those Funko Pop! figures but I'm going to pretend it is. A friend of mine collects them and I don't get it. They look so ugly to me and like they said in the comic, there's nothing special about them, they just feel cynical and overproduced.
But then again, I'm the lady who used to buy video game magazines because they would have a few pages reviewing anime or advertising merch and it was exciting to see anything anime related. I'm going to go yell at some clouds now. |
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SejinPK
Posts: 129 |
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Wow, someone doesn't like Funko Pop figures (it could also be a reference to Nendoroids)! While I understand and can empathize with Perry's feelings, I'm also reminded of the title (or maybe it was a subtitle or tag line) in an editorial I read a long time ago that went something like, "anime isn't special, and you're not special for liking it," which is rather like my own view.
For me, my enjoyment of my interests has always been very "self-contained," in a sense. So, when I would see a product in a store relating to one of them, I would get excited because it's related to a thing I like. The (commercial) popularity or obscurity of the things I like, or products related to them, has never really affected me. What makes a thing special to me is (my relationship to) the thing itself. Commercializing it via merchandise doesn't make the thing itself feel any less special to me (and I honestly can't think of an instance where I've felt like a piece of merchandise made a property in general feel more or less special). Then again, I'm the sort of person who can hear "Let It Go" over the speakers in a store a million times, and it would have no effect on my enjoyment of the movie, whereas it did for a friend of mine. I guess I compartmentalize these sorts of things, sort of separate them out in my head. |
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Lord Oink
Posts: 876 |
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I can't tell if this is genuine shock or sarcasm, like "Oh someone doesn't like Funko Pops, how original" Pops pretty much killed the American figure market. I'm just waiting for them to crash and burn like Beanie Babies and maybe companies will put effort into merchandising again. |
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Greed1914
 Posts: 4669 |
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That is exactly how I feel about Funko Pop. Initially, I thought they were kind of cool since I could go to a stall at a con and find something for less popular shows and characters, but then I realized that they could do that because everything was made out of the same molds. I have a couple of Nendoroids since they have some parts that you can swap, but even then, I think that is probably as many as I want. The figures I like might be more expensive, but each one seems unique to me, and part of the fun is hunting for some less available at a decent price.
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AnimeLordLuis
 Posts: 1626 Location: The Borderlands of Pandora |
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I feel the same way about all of those funko pop! figures they just don't have any soul it just super basterdize's your favorite characters into a cheep deformed plastic toy that looks like it belongs in a kids meal.
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Aura Ichadora
 Posts: 2305 Location: In front of my computer |
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-stares at her collection of Funko POPs, Mystery Minis, and Pint-Sized Heroes and whistles- >.>
I admit, I fell for the trend hard once the Steven Universe ones came out. Although I can see why people don't like them, so I get Perry's POV. Still, if I were Vice, I'd be keeping them regardless and not throwing them in the trash; I know I spent good money on my collection because I wanted and liked them. Getting rid of them wouldn't be an option for me. 
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VORTIA
 SubscriberPosts: 946 |
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Make way for the GLORIOUS NENDOROID MASTER RACE!!!!!!
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Emma Iveli
Posts: 679 Location: Hobo with internet |
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Okay, I do like Pop Figures, I think they're cute, but I do get that some people do hate them.
But I disagree about the whole "Same Mold thing". I own three of them Elsa from Frozen, Lucy from Fairy Tail and Sailor Mercury (and I plan to get a Mabel from Gravity Falls when it comes out) and you want to know something, one of the reasons why I bought the Lucy wasn't because oh I love Fairy Tail (well that's one of the reasons) but because of a little easy to miss detail they put work into the individual keys. If you look at her keys you can tell which is which and they're so tiny and I thought it was so awesome I had to buy it! A lot of the time they're all the same mold but there are times when you notice minute details that will make you want to buy something because it's awesome... I will admit it will be rare though. |
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Zin5ki
 Posts: 6680 Location: London, UK |
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I can only assume that the rationale for these figurines is something like this: their very point is not to resemble their respective characters facially, and thereby to highlight other endearing traits to their appearance—to venture as far away from uncanny valley as is possible while still bearing something visual in common. Cosplay in an abstract, collectable form, you could say.
(Of course, that there is rationale to a product does not thereby engender much appeal. I certainly take no interest in the growing horde of bug-eyed cuboids.) |
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SejinPK
Posts: 129 |
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Nah, it's neither. I was just saying it straight and trying (and failing, apparently >.<) to convey my amusement. |
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Chrno2
 Posts: 6172 Location: USA |
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I feel bad for Vice, but you can't deny that there is some truth to it. Depending on who manufactures what. Someone mentioned Funko Pop. I was just talking about those figures yesterday but couldn't think of the name. The first thing that came to my mind was "how the hell did these figures becomes so popular?" I would see them at cons and comic shops. I remember when I first saw them and to be honest my first thought was that they were unimpressive and amateurish. It's like those Kubrick bears. Same mold, different color scheme, different patterns. Kind of like today's crappy modern art scene. Where a spitball can be considered an art piece. But obviously people liked them and all it did was encourage them to continue to make more to support the latest trends. But this method has been done for years. It's nothing really new.
Now Nendroids, are pretty unique depending on what it is. But you have the ability to get people to buy. And when they discontinue them the put them on display. I wonder what they do with the molds. You can tell they they make their molds just like they do with stop motion. In a way hear this argument a lot in the anime community about, "I wish it was still underground instead of mainstream". I can understand the mystique and special feel in older anime fans hearts when anime was shared through fans with fans.But in its homeland it's nothing special it's everywhere. But Western stuff is not easily accessible there. So there are similarities. But it's not mainstream. |
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doctordoom85
 Posts: 2094 |
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Honestly, I don't care much for the American figure market outside of POPs, at least the ones available in local stores. So many of them don't put much effort into making the characters' faces look good at all (at least with POPs it's a particular style) and since I'm not into posable figures (I prefer not having my figures having noticeable ugly joints) then the vast majority of the market is useless to me. It's why virtually all of my figure collection is either Japanese-made or POPs. Yes, maybe the POPs all have a similar style (though some of them definitely have plenty of detail, my new Overwatch POPs of Mei and Lucio can attest to that) but I'll take that over ugly "unique" designs (I think one of the rare exceptions I've seen was some of McFarlane's LOST figures. A few were ugly like Kate, but I got Hurley and was pretty happy with his design and I wish I had gotten Locke and Jack). Also, at least Funko POPs don't like to pretend that women don't exist which is something the American toy market has been guilty of on multiple occasions. The most recent example being that whole nonsense of "well, we didn't think Rey would be popular so we barely made any toys of her when the line first came out". You didn't think the MAIN CHARACTER of a STAR WARS film would be POPULAR?! God, it still makes me internally rage to this day. At least they seemed to have learned their lesson as with the Rouge One toys there was plenty of Jyn figures available, but seriously this sort of garbage infuriates me. Finally, certainly one is allowed to dislike certain types of figures, but I would hope most people would have more tact that to do it the person currently holding them. I mean, you wouldn't just openly insult a friend's clothes or such, would ya? Yeah, I'm not giving the comic itself grief, it's meant to be funny, but if an actual person I knew said this about something I was currently wearing/holding I'd be giving them a mental middle finger. |
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Lord Oink
Posts: 876 |
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Wont disagree with you there, American figures have always had quality issues, even among self-proclaimed 'adult collectors' lines. Though my issie with Pops is more they are now the default for most companies. Make a toyline for kids, then sell a license to Funko for the collectors, and then call it a day. Maybe if you'll lucky a company will make a deal with a Japanese company and have them make figures like the Bishoujo line or Overwatch, but the latter is probably for their Korean playerbase more than Americans.
For toylines aimed at young boys, it's mostly true they don't sell well. For older nerds though, it's not true at all, at least it wasn't. I don't really follow Star Wars anymore since the Disney buyout but back in the day they had figures of even EU characters like Mara Jade. The EU was always aimed at nerds though. Same with superhero figures. Pops seem to just be the new nerd targetting line so it makes sense they have female figures while boy toy lines don't. I wonder if Jyn ended up shelf-warming if she's "plenty available". The new Forces of Destiny toy line seem like the line they're going to aim at girls given they more like dolls. |
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Mr. Oshawott
 Posts: 6773 |
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I saw a few Funko POP figures in the bookstore section while I was briskly browsing through Target. I agree with Perry that the same square-faced look every Funko POP figure has makes them generic, as well as unattractive. But more power to those that enjoy them.
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