Hello everyone!! Kahotan here! (@gsc_kahotan)
＼Today marks the last blog of 2018!!!／
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As with most years, I’ll be talking with Good Smile Company CEO Aki-san to close out the year!
Around the start of this year, the company GOODSMILE FILM was established!
While we didn’t call much attention to it, we did add an anime publishing company to the collective Good Smile Company. Responsible for planning and creating anime.
This season, GOODSMILE FILM had a hand in the making of three shows: GOBLIN SLAYER, IRODUKU: The World in Colors and Merc StoriA: The Apathetic Boy and the Girl in the Bottle!
Nenddoroid Goblin Slayer
⇒Blog article HERE
Our associated joint holding company ULTRA SUPER PICTURES works with affiliated anime production studios (TRIGGER / Sanzigen / Liden Films, etc.), while GOODSMILE FILM works with outside studios to make anime. It’s great that we’re working with more and more companies. It gives Good Smile Company more options to work with great people in the industry.
Then, in Spring, Good Smile Arts Shanghai was established!
It’s the Shanghai branch of Good Smile Company. The company was born out of a necessity to meet the demands of the Chinese market, while wanting to create a team present in the actual locale.
Recently you may have seen the Good Smile Arts Shanghai logo on some product pages for products from Chinese contents!◎
Nendoroid Theresa: Magical Girl TeRiRi Ver.
Yes, I would be thrilled if you took a look at that section and thought, “Ah, this is Good Smile Arts Shanghai!” It is with that revitalized feeling that I want our customers to view our products. The aim of Good Smile Company is to bring Japanese works to the world, while the aim of Good Smile Arts Shanghai is to bring Chinese works to the world and the aim of Good Smile US is to bring American works to the world. Of course, one of our goals is expanding our market, but we also want to bring content and creators from each area out into the greater world through figures and merchandising. From those three positions, we hope to be a driving force in spreading content throughout the world through merchandising.
On top of all of this, last month Good Smile Partners was also founded!
Fundamentally, Good Smile Partners is an investment company, but to simply say we’ll invest and then profit isn’t quite right… The mentality we want to take with Good Smile Partners is that of co-creation. Of course, Good Smile Company is involved in the planning, manufacturing and sale of figures, but we work on a variety of other projects as well. We wanted to take that collaboration and investment aspect of the company and create Good Smile Partners.
So you’re saying that rather than venturing out into a new business, the goal was to take an existing aspect of Good Smile Company and split it into an easier-to-understand, separate company?
Yes, Good Smile Company generally speaking creates products, while Good Smile Partners will be creating new teams and new companies. Through this we want to slightly expand what Good Smile Company is capable of doing. We have talented people working at this, so if you have any ideas, please take a look at our Good Smile Partners application form!
⇒ Application form here (Please note the program is currently only available in Japan)
While our 2018 has been filled with new business, it’s been filled with new products as well! ♪
Capsule Toy Series
▲Display at WonHobby Gallery 2018 Autumn
We started pushing the Pioykuru line and other capsule toys this year! We challenged ourselves in making a bit more of an accessible product line-up. Originally born from ideas within the company, we’ve been able to achieve an incredibly diverse line-up. Through capsule toys, we’ve been able to work with series’ that are difficult to turn into figures, such as “Tanuki and Kitsune” and “Puyo Puyo”. Thanks to the hard work of the people in charge of this product line-up, we’ve been able to create an environment where we can take on these challenges. We’re still working on developing the line-up, so it’s easy for us to take action when we hear things like “I want this kind of product!” from fans!
While increasing the variety of Good Smile products, new ways to play with our products have been developed as well! Such as Nendoroid Doll, a series that had its first release this year!
Nendoroid Doll: Emily Nendoroid Doll: Ryo
⇒What is Nendoroid Doll?
Thanks to everyone’s continued support of the Nendoroid product line, we’ve been able to branch out in creating the Nendoroid Doll series. With your own customizations and arrangements, you can create a Nendoroid special to you and also create new ways to play with your Nendoroids. The more we can create those fun opportunities for our fans, the happier I’ll be.
Nendoroid Doll: archetype bodies are currently available for preorder, so please take a look! ♪
There’s also Nendoroid dolls of established characters and outfit sets available. (`・ω・´)
Speaking of dolls, this year marked the first release of a product of the Harmonia bloom brand!
Hagumi Hanamoto
The capsule toys, Nendoroid Doll and Harmonia bloom are all product lines that have been managed and implemented by relatively younger members of the planning team! The person in charge of the “Harry Potter” series products is quite young as well. I think it’s great, young people have a lot of potential and create interesting products.
Is there anything else you were interested in this year?
(By the way, last year’s answer was “Kizuna AI”!)
I think SSSS.GRIDMAN has been very interesting! It’s been exciting to look forward to every week, and every episode seems to give you a lot to think about. It’s fun to watch it alone, and I think it’s also quite fun to then discuss it with others. I sincerely look forward to it every week. I’ve really been wondering how the series will end in the last episode, so I’ve made sure to not get any information about it from the people involved with the series or from anyone over at TRIGGER! I can’t wait for the last episode.
Nendoroid Gridman: SSSS. DX Ver.
⇒Blog article HERE
By the time this article goes up, the last episode will actually be out!
Ah, really? I can’t wait! There’s been a lot of excitement for it in general at the company, so much that we’ve even planned “SSSS.GRIDMAN” toys. I hate to pick just one series out of all of the great works that have come out this year, but for me it’s been one of the most captivating works I’ve seen this year.
Max Combine DX Full Power Gridman
Finally, what are you hoping for in 2019?!
2019 will finally see the release of Nendoroid #1000. Although right now, Nendoroid #1000 is still a secret. In some way, I want to express my gratitude to everyone who has supported us all the way to Nendoroid #1000. I hope our fans attentively watch the new ventures, new companies and new products we have coming in 2019 as well. Next year also marks a memorial year for contents that we’ve been involved with for a long time, so I hope to be able to make it an exciting year while expressing my gratitude to them.
How was your year, everyone?
I think one of my most memorable parts of this year was being able to work with the Takarazuka Revue! ◎
Star Troupe Performance: “Thunderbolt Fantasy Sword Seekers” “Amazing Star ☆ Killer Rouge”
▲Memories of the first day of the performance at the Umeda Arts Theater!
Nendoroid Yuzuru Kurenai
▲Also displayed at the National Theater in Taipei! ♪
I hope all of our fans had a fantastic 2018!!!
I hope to see you all on the blog again in the New Year!!!
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Planning Team / Kahotan / Twitter ID：
English Updates: @gsc_kevin
