Japanese Action Figures

Fraulein Revoltech Yoko Figure

When I headed out on my trip to Japan, I'd intended to pick up some items to decorate my inspirational writing area back home. Whilst browsing some websites prior to my trip, I saw the latest range of Japanese action figures. They were based on modern manga and anime characters rather than more traditional Japanese dolls and they had a style that seemed uniquely Japanese so they seemed like the perfect things to give that Japanese feel to my writing area. A bit of research told me that Akihabara was the area of Tokyo where all the anime and hobby shops that sell those sorts of Japanese figures were.

The figure that I really wanted to buy in Akihabara was a 1/5 scale model of sniper Yoko Littner from the anime series Gurren Lagann. This particular figure was manufactured by a company called Gift and was just stunning in its detail and design. However, when I saw the Gift figure in a shop in Akihabara, I was shocked by how big the box was. There didn't seem to be any way that I'd be able to transport it back home in my luggage so I started looking around for small alternatives.

Gift Yoko Figure

I must admit that I've never been a collector of dolls. Not dolls for boys and not dolls for girls. As a small child, I never owned an Action Man and I most certainly never owned a Sindy or a Barbie. However, as I was browsing sites dedicated to Japanese culture one day, I came across photos of modern Japanese action figures.

At first look, I was dismissive of the Japanese figures that I saw. Sure, they were based on modern manga and anime-style characters rather than more traditional Japanese dolls but they still weren't something that would interest me. The more I looked at these sites though, the more I started to see something in them. They had a style that seemed uniquely Japanese and they seemed like the perfect thing to add to my Japanese-themed inspirational writing area.