Some new contributors will be joining the Kahotan Blog from this month… !
Hey, everyone! Kahotan here. (@gsc_kahotan)
And believe it or not, just like I said at the get-go…
Today I’ll be telling you all about some new contributors who will be joining the Kahotan Blog, starting this month!
I’ll be updating the Kaho-tan Blog on weekdays for the most part, but…
On those certain days when I’m like, “Ahh! I need more variation in these writings and photos… a different point of view…!” Shuuchan from the Planning Division and Suwabe from the Planning Management Division will step in to provide a breath of fresh air!
One day out of the week Suwabe will take over the blog, and I’ll hold the reigns for the other days. Shuuchan will pipe in twice a month, updating on Sunday evenings! ♪
With each of us exactly 2 years apart in age, I welcome you all to an
All New Era of the Kaho-tan Blog!
So maybe it’s a good idea to rename the blog, too… ! We’re thinking about it… !
Moving on! Today I’ll be introducing you to one of these new contributors, my junior, Suwabe! ヽ(*・ω・)人(・ω・*)ノ
It’s her 3rd year with Good Smile Company! Introducing our Rotation Girl : Suwabe!
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Suwabe. Her “rotations” are so extreme it’s scary. Anytime she gets just a little bit excited, it makes me so happy that I can’t help but get excited, too.
I have no idea what she’s like in real life. She’s rather a mystery. Likes birds. Delved into plastic models since joining the company.
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So Suwabe, what do you do?
(・ヮ・) I’m a member of the Planning Managment Division, so for the most part my job consists of meticulous number-and-contract-heavy desk work, like applying to copyright holders for GSC product licenses and whatnot. Recently, I’ve been handling not only figures but the entire line up, including merchandise. From product conception to product release, I’m there with the Planning Division every step of the way.
(｀・ヵ・) And the reason Good Smile Company has been able continue expanding their product line every year is in no small part due to the Planning Management Division!
And I’ve heard you’re also involved in various surreptitious activities… !
(・ヮ・) Surreptitious activities… I wouldn’t say that, but I am a member of the Production Committee for Red Bull Air Race in Chiba – the most cutting edge 3D motor sport – and have been working on product development.
And I’m also one of the people managing the official Twitter account for the event! （ @rbar_jp_gsc）
(｀・ヵ・´) My goodness… ! Don’t tell me that thing you’re playing with is… !
(・ヮ・) It’s a product sample of the “Red Bull Air Race transforming plane,” available for pre-order now. You can read more about it over at the GoodSmile Lab blog, so be sure to check it out!
(｀・ヵ・) Oh, right! You’re a GoodSmile Lab member, too!
(・ヮ・) Yes, I am! In addition to information about the Red Bull Air Race that I mentioned, GoodSmile Lab also provides reviews of products that are just about to hit the shelves.
(。´ヵ｀) The way you really pour yourself into your play is… something I really admire.
(・ヮ・) I, uh?! Um, thank you… (?)
(｀・ヵ・) Time for a bit of review!
Every year we challenge a group of new GSC recruits to develop a product from planning to production. To put it simply, it’s a group of 1st-2nd year GSC employees who get together with the objective of developing a new product – and that group is called the “GoodSmile Lab!”
And the various things they document day to day are recorded over at the GoodSmile Lab Blog★
This team of new recruits that started with my generation is still alive and kicking… !
The Nendoroid More series also has it’s roots in the GoodSmile Lab ♪
And the “Nendoroid More” series name is something one of us came up with, too!
(｀・ヵ・) Suwabe, in your generation, GoodSmile Labs came up with Good Smile’s first ever cosmetic line, right!?
(・ヮ・) That’s right! The Love Live! Colorful Liquid Eyeliner (released in July 2015) is something that I and the 3 other 2014 recruits developed. We did everything from the product details to a how-to tutorial, all the way to the product release. We talk all about it on our special product page as well as in the GoodSmile Lab blog, so please check it out!
(・ヵ・) This was available at the Animelo Summer Live concert event, among other places! Do any of you out there have one of these?
But Suwabe, I also hear you traipsed the bounds of your department to plan a Nendoroid… ?
(・ヮ・) Some of you may have caught on because of my desktop wallpaper earlier… But I was in charge of planning for Nendoroid Cyan, scheduled for release in August 2016.
(｀・ヵ・) So what led you to being in charge of this product… ?
(・ヮ・) After I’d worked here for 2 years, I realized that I wanted to know even more about inner workings of product planning. Since I noticed that my department is quite removed from all that, dealing with license applications and contracts with the copyright holders… I wanted to learn more about that other, and until now completely unknown side, through actually planning a product.
And around that time, I heard that GSC had just started talking about merchandising for “Show By Rock!!” And since I’ve always loved Sanrio products, I thought, “This is my chance!” I posited myself as one of the planning supervisors.
(｀・ヵ・) Traipsing the bounds of your own department to take part in product planning – just as you’d expect from a GoodSmile Lab member!
So how was it, taking on the challenge of product planning?
(・ヮ・) In a word, it was super fun!
I got to participate in meetings with the artists, who I’d usually never interact with, and talk about modelling, take developmental photos, display it at events, create buzz about it via social media… I came to realize that planning supervisors really wear a lot of hats.
△ Here’s an illustrated diary page drawn by Suwabe featuring Wooser!
I really wanted fans of “Show by Rock!!” to like it more than anything, so I thought to myself what kind of poses I wanted to see, and also doubted my own judgement quite a bit – there was a lot of trail and error from start to finish, but even that was new and exciting… !
And even though I had a lot of experience communicating with copyright holders via paperwork and whatnot, I learned a lot being able to talk to them about the planning side of things – like how to make the product more cute or convey their message to fans.
Though that experience, I came to think about my relationship with the copyright holders differently.
( ・ヵ・) To create excitement about the series through the product is something that probably translates well into the Red Bull Air Race series she’s currently working on!
Where is Suwabe’s mental oasis?
( ・ヵ・) Well Suwabe, where is it that your mind takes refuge from the everyday – your mental oasis?
(・ヮ・) Right here!
(・ヵ・ ) Oh! This is a shelf on your desk!
(・ヮ・) This is the spot where I find solace, where I collect all my favorite figures.
I keep birds at my parents’ house, but since I can’t return to see them very often I bury my sorrows in this bird merchandise here…
(・ヵ・ ) So you do like birds – I knew it! You tweeted something about it over Golden Week, right?
(・ヮ・) I hadn’t seen them in so long I just started recording videos without even thinking!
These guys are just so cute! ♡
This is a black-headed parrot. pic.twitter.com/WIFW0EtOvZ
— Suwabe (Good Smile Company) (@gsc_suwabe) May 3, 2016
（(。´ヵ｀。) Suwabe is really getting excited… !）
(・ヮ・) I also like characters that exude an air of innocence, so I keep those kinds of figures together with the Fang of the Sun – Dougram plastic models that I started building since I joined!
( ・ヵ・) She likes robots and innocent little girls♡ Suwabe, I can’t wait to see what your next plastic model will be!
Lastly, let’s hear your thoughts on what’s to come!
(・ヮ・) I’ll be appearing here on the Kaho-tan blog once a week, so I guess instead of a Lab blogger, I’ll be a weekly Kaho-tan blogger (?). Well… Suwabe here and I’m pleased to meet you.
I’ll try to utilize all my experience from posting on the Lab blog, and do my best to give you the info you want to know from all sorts of new angles and vantage points to make the Kaho-tan Blog even more exciting!
And I’ll keep blogging my heart out over at the Lab with all of the other members, too – OK!
http://ameblo.jp/blog-
So – what do you all think!?
Suwabe maintains her cool in the face of adversity and gets excited without losing control, but when she really likes something that love runs deep!
Suwabe will be graduating from the GoodSmile Lab pretty soon, but you’ll still be able read her past blog posts, filled with her more playful side (｡･ω･)ﾉﾞ
So there you have it! From now on, Suwabe will be filling in for me once a week. You’ll be hearing from her again in the near future!
Thanks for reading, and be sure to tune in next time
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♥︎Today’s Date♥
Today I saw a small and pretty flower in the garden.
Oh, how much I love spring. And Alice seems to also like the gift from Rin!
What is ‘Today’s Date’?
Today’s date is a photo corner featuring figure photos sent in by fans with the theme ‘The Perfect Date’. See the bottom of this post for details on how to take part: Kahotan Post Office
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Planning Team / Kahotan / Twitter ID：@gsc_kahotan