Otaku Power - Trivia/Desire/Transformation

Laser Discs

Movie posters

Magazines

Trading cards

Guns

Comments

[Minami no Teiou]

The Japanese "otaku" tendency truly is a curious phenomenon.

But where are the AV otaku? They probably put these guys to shame.

[danno]

Somewhere, in my "AV Library," I have a CD single for the Tezuka tribute album that has this great photo cover of an amazing Astro Boy collection spread out over an apartment. The back of the CD has a photo of the same apartment from the same angle with all traces of Astro Boy clutter gone. These photos remind me of that.

Do these dioramas define the person in the photo? Are we defined by the pieces of culture we collect? How shallow does that make us? To have our identities summed up by these dream things?

[hillsy]

I dunno...I'm a toy collector, but I don't think I'm defined by my obsession. It complements my personality. I think that goes for most of the collectors I know.

[danno]

Hillsy, what toys do you have the most of? What's the most you've spent on a toy? Is there a toy you've regretted not buying? How exactly do those toys "complement" you? How do you look at other collectors' toys? By how they are better or worse then the toys in your collection or by how they aren't in your collection or some other criterion?

[hillsy]

I'm not sure I understand the line of questioning. All collectors are different...some are completeists, some are not. Some will drop thousands to get that "grail", others will not. I know collectors who have killer collections, but if they need to would have no qualms about selling pieces to survive. I'm not an expensive, MIB type of collector. I don't mind having some gently used pieces. Of course there are toys I've regretted not buying, but my mindset is that more often than not I'll find it later on down the line. Collecting is sort of a sidebar...something to pass the time that's an interesting quirk or conversation topic. It's cool to bond with other collectors, too. There are lots of collectors with better collections, but it's more of an admiration than a jealousy. It helps that the ones I know are giving individuals and love to share their collections. Maybe I'm in the minority, though. Example: the toys are great, but meeting fellow collectors you've only ever known via a bbs (ala KMH closing weekend) can be amazing.

[Designer Sunglasses]

The guy on the lowest picture has a really nice pair of eyeglass. Just like John Lennon's favorite pair. But moreover, it reminds me of the protagonist in the movie, Leon the Professional.