[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
did. Okada was a regular patron of the shop. After General Products opened, the two companies
butted heads on a number of occasions, but the relationship improved through such events as the
Wonder Festival. Kaiyodo took over the Wonder Festival after General Products quit organizing
it, and thus the companies became allies. In 2000, a collaborative project between Kaiyodo and
Furuta Seika for a product called the Choco Egg became a huge success. Kaiyodo currently
dominates the miniature figure market.
51
who just happened to be there. He took one look at us and said, Oh, right. Those
tight-fisted hucksters. He was probably speaking out of both ignorance and denial
of the up-and-coming garage kit industry, but we took the insult as a call to arms.
We would prove ourselves to people like him by changing the face of the market -
someday garage kits would be sold in every modeling store throughout Japan! And
it didn t take long to make it happen, either. By the time of Evangelion, our vision
was realized in full.
I acquired both an increasing amount of stress and a growing sense of fulfillment as
our place in the industry began to shift. What started as a motley crew of amateurs
became one of real professionals with enough money to make things happen. Having
languished in the wake of DAICON 3, I began to imagine that the next festival
coming to rescue me from my lethargy was in fact General Products.
The store opened as planned on Valentine s Day 1982, one year after DAICON 3.
On opening day we were greeted by a line of 200 customers. Among them were two
future GAINAX employees: Hiroki Sato97, who later joined the staff for the next Sci-
Fi Convention and currently works as a company director, and Jun Tamaya98, now
a game director. Much later, Sato told me that he remembered Okada and I passing
out I ây%1Å‚ Sci-Fi stickers to the people in line. He said Okada was telling people to
take only one sticker each, whereas I was cheerfully handing out fistfuls to whoever
would take them. He says he still has his sticker from that day. Unfortunately, I
remember none of it.
We were completely sold out soon after our doors opened for business. We d prepared
what seemed to be an adequate quantity of product, but the unexpected level of
patronage had quickly depleted our stores. Over half of the customers entered the
97
Hiroki Sato (1964-) Anime producer and member of GAINAX s board of directors. While
employed with the Transportation Bureau, he played an active role in DAICON FILM, putting
forth whatever spare time he had. I sought to employ his incredible knowledge of garage kits and
models, and ended up hiring him as the manager of General Products Tokyo branch in 1987. He
was put in charge of all PR issues surrounding Shinseiki Evangelion ( Neon Genesis Evangelion ),
and has been an anime producer for GAINAX ever since Kareshi Kanojo no Jijo ( His and Her
Circumstances ). He is an extremely dedicated individual, and pours every ounce of his love
into anime, models and toys. His strict adherence to the Way of the Otaku may have seemed
rather extreme at times, but despite his seriousness, people started to affectionately refer to him
as tencho-san (lit. store manager ).
98
Jun Tamaya (1963-) He also came to us from the Osaka University Sci-Fi Club, and participated
in the production of Dainippon, Ultraman, and other DAICON FILM titles. He had a certain knack
for design that seemed to be independent of whatever medium he was working in. This ability
would land him a position at General Products, and later GAINAX, where he was named chief
of CG art and played a vital role in the development of such games as Dennou Gakuen ( Cyber
School ) and Princess Maker. Tama-san is his nickname, and a particularly apt one at that, as
his physical appearance is very round indeed. (_Tama_ can also mean ball in Japanese.) He
once prided himself as the heaviest of GAINAX s heavyweights, but lately he has been watching
his weight because of diabetes.
52
store to be greeted by nothing but empty shelves. The night after opening day,
some part-timers and I stayed in the shop and labored long into the night churning
out huge numbers of our own vacuum-formed garage kits. After 3:00 AM my body
completely gave out, so I laid a sheet of cardboard on the floor and used it as a bed.
Just as I was falling asleep, someone burst in the store. Still groggy, I opened my
eyes. . . and was greeted by the boot of a policeman in my face. Our store was on
the ground floor. The second floor was an apartment. The neighbors living above
us had apparently reported us for making too much noise. But the cops didn t do
anything. They just said something like it s already so late, even if you do quiet
down it won t make much of a difference , and then left.
All the fuss notwithstanding, the grand opening of General Products had gone pretty
well. But I don t know any of the financial details. I was just a regular employee [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
zanotowane.pl doc.pisz.pl pdf.pisz.pl chiara76.opx.pl
did. Okada was a regular patron of the shop. After General Products opened, the two companies
butted heads on a number of occasions, but the relationship improved through such events as the
Wonder Festival. Kaiyodo took over the Wonder Festival after General Products quit organizing
it, and thus the companies became allies. In 2000, a collaborative project between Kaiyodo and
Furuta Seika for a product called the Choco Egg became a huge success. Kaiyodo currently
dominates the miniature figure market.
51
who just happened to be there. He took one look at us and said, Oh, right. Those
tight-fisted hucksters. He was probably speaking out of both ignorance and denial
of the up-and-coming garage kit industry, but we took the insult as a call to arms.
We would prove ourselves to people like him by changing the face of the market -
someday garage kits would be sold in every modeling store throughout Japan! And
it didn t take long to make it happen, either. By the time of Evangelion, our vision
was realized in full.
I acquired both an increasing amount of stress and a growing sense of fulfillment as
our place in the industry began to shift. What started as a motley crew of amateurs
became one of real professionals with enough money to make things happen. Having
languished in the wake of DAICON 3, I began to imagine that the next festival
coming to rescue me from my lethargy was in fact General Products.
The store opened as planned on Valentine s Day 1982, one year after DAICON 3.
On opening day we were greeted by a line of 200 customers. Among them were two
future GAINAX employees: Hiroki Sato97, who later joined the staff for the next Sci-
Fi Convention and currently works as a company director, and Jun Tamaya98, now
a game director. Much later, Sato told me that he remembered Okada and I passing
out I ây%1Å‚ Sci-Fi stickers to the people in line. He said Okada was telling people to
take only one sticker each, whereas I was cheerfully handing out fistfuls to whoever
would take them. He says he still has his sticker from that day. Unfortunately, I
remember none of it.
We were completely sold out soon after our doors opened for business. We d prepared
what seemed to be an adequate quantity of product, but the unexpected level of
patronage had quickly depleted our stores. Over half of the customers entered the
97
Hiroki Sato (1964-) Anime producer and member of GAINAX s board of directors. While
employed with the Transportation Bureau, he played an active role in DAICON FILM, putting
forth whatever spare time he had. I sought to employ his incredible knowledge of garage kits and
models, and ended up hiring him as the manager of General Products Tokyo branch in 1987. He
was put in charge of all PR issues surrounding Shinseiki Evangelion ( Neon Genesis Evangelion ),
and has been an anime producer for GAINAX ever since Kareshi Kanojo no Jijo ( His and Her
Circumstances ). He is an extremely dedicated individual, and pours every ounce of his love
into anime, models and toys. His strict adherence to the Way of the Otaku may have seemed
rather extreme at times, but despite his seriousness, people started to affectionately refer to him
as tencho-san (lit. store manager ).
98
Jun Tamaya (1963-) He also came to us from the Osaka University Sci-Fi Club, and participated
in the production of Dainippon, Ultraman, and other DAICON FILM titles. He had a certain knack
for design that seemed to be independent of whatever medium he was working in. This ability
would land him a position at General Products, and later GAINAX, where he was named chief
of CG art and played a vital role in the development of such games as Dennou Gakuen ( Cyber
School ) and Princess Maker. Tama-san is his nickname, and a particularly apt one at that, as
his physical appearance is very round indeed. (_Tama_ can also mean ball in Japanese.) He
once prided himself as the heaviest of GAINAX s heavyweights, but lately he has been watching
his weight because of diabetes.
52
store to be greeted by nothing but empty shelves. The night after opening day,
some part-timers and I stayed in the shop and labored long into the night churning
out huge numbers of our own vacuum-formed garage kits. After 3:00 AM my body
completely gave out, so I laid a sheet of cardboard on the floor and used it as a bed.
Just as I was falling asleep, someone burst in the store. Still groggy, I opened my
eyes. . . and was greeted by the boot of a policeman in my face. Our store was on
the ground floor. The second floor was an apartment. The neighbors living above
us had apparently reported us for making too much noise. But the cops didn t do
anything. They just said something like it s already so late, even if you do quiet
down it won t make much of a difference , and then left.
All the fuss notwithstanding, the grand opening of General Products had gone pretty
well. But I don t know any of the financial details. I was just a regular employee [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]