Hard to believe AnimeNYC was a short week or so ago. There was plenty to take in, from news, entertainment and even collectibles. For the latter, no place seemed to be more happening than Bandai-Namco’s amazing booth.
A brief history of the brand(s), Bandai (which originated in the 1950s) made its name as the creator of Tamagotchi as well as figures and collectibles for such franchises as Digimon, Kamen Rider, and (until recently) Power Rangers. In the mid-2000s, Bandai acquired Namco (another company originating in the 1950s) the brand behind classic video game franchises such as Pac-Man, Tekken, Ridge Racer and many more. Since then, Bandai-Namco has been a powerhouse in entertainment, and their booth at AnimeNYC proves that they’re continuing that trend.
Here are some of the features that Bandai-Namco had to preview:
TAMASHII NATIONS
The pinnacle of Bandai-Namco’s collectables have to be the Tamashii Nations brand. Not only their figure and replica prop lines (such as S.H.Figure Arts, S.H. Monster Arts, Proplica, and many others) but also their recent debut as a full-blown store in the heart of Times Square, New York. The store touts a vast array of exclusive figures that you won’t find anywhere else (unless of course, you were at AnimeNYC – I ended up buying an exclusive Spy x Family Anya Forger for my wife).
The franchises are extensive as well… besides SxF they have figures for anime shows such as Dragonball Z, Gundam, Chainsaw Man, Kaiju No. 8, and more. The best part of these figures is the fact that they include both custom hands as well as custom faces, so your figure can be customized to your liking and make it more unique than a standard action figure.
G x Materia
Similar to the S.H. Figure Arts line, the G x Materia figures are smaller, more statuesque, and portable for the collector who either may not have the space or wants more. The displays on hand also made the figures look amazing. I’m seeing more of the domed look as of late and it definitely does justice to figures like these. The figures appear to be limited to the Dragonball Z franchise but tout a number of the characters from the series.
The World of Studio Ghibli
In addition to Anime television properties, Bandai-Namco is the “Official distributor of licensed Studio Ghibli products.” For those not familiar, Studio Ghibli is the home of the library of Japanese Animated films by Hayao Miyazaki such as the Oscar Award Winning Spirited Away, Howl’s Moving Castle, and the recent film The Boy and the Heron. Ghibli’s products with Bandai-Namco go beyond figures and statues, but also puzzles, beanbag plushies, keychains and much much more. Suffice to say, my wife also got a Calcifer beanbag plush. It was definitely her weekend.
Union Arena
Can you imagine if someone made their own Super Smash Bros-type card game? Bandai-Namco did and made one. Union Arena consists of various Anime properties like Bleach, Hunter x Hunter, and One Punch Man, with many others either announced or forthcoming. If you’ve played other fighting card games, it seems very similar. Create battles from your favorite characters or new ones with a deck of your choosing.
Gashapon
Are you young enough to remember when you’d go to the supermarket or toy store and on the way out, you’d see the gumball machine or something similar where you could get some little toy or nick nack for a quarter or two. Well, Japan hasn’t stopped that trend, in fact it’s been gaining so much momentum Bandai-Namco is bringing their own version here.
Gashapon continues (and amplifies) the classic trend of quarter vending machines with its own iterations of both licensed properties (aforementioned Animes, movies like Harry Potter, and games like Fall Guys as well as the Bandai-Namco staple Pac-Man) as well as non-copyrighted properties which include a lot of wildlife (sea creatures, horses) as well as dogs and cats. Trust me when I say the goodies you can get seem endless. Gashapon will be available in stores nationwide, in the Northeast starting with the Bandai-Namco store at the American Dream in East Rutherford, NJ as well as a few others in the same NY/NJ area.
In conclusion… it’s one thing to say that AnimeNYC 2024 was amazing, as far as showcases the shining star in Japanese and American Collectibles goes to Bandai-Namco for their wealth of collectibles, features, and tons of goodies. My thanks to Justin and the BN crew for giving me a tour of the booths to show everything off, and I’m definitely looking forward to seeing more in the future.
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