February 24, 2006

World Hobby Festival

The question is whether this is really, really funny, or really, really disturbing.

The first couple of pics are of the quite distinctive "Tokyo Big Site" convention center. If you've ever seen a show about otaku--Comic Party, Genshiken--they always end up here, the Mecca of otaku fandom.

The "laughing man" icon is a clever nod to Ghost in the Shell SAC (season 1). The hacker mastermind uses the icon to mask his identity.

The rest of the photos bring to mind two words I never thought belonged together: "doll cheesecake." But there's some good old mecha and even a Spaceship Yamato in there, too.

Most of the models are commercial tie-ins to anime or manga series. For example, Mizuho Kazami, a character from the Please Teacher series (an excessively silly SF sit-com) seems to be quite popular.

Certainly not the kind of trinket you'll ever get at McDonald's with your Happy Meal! (Now there's a whole new marketing angle for the fast food industry to explore.)

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