Alen Yen's ToyboxDX

	October 28, 2001


CURRENT RUMBLE

Tokyo Superfest 22
Michael Grifka & Robert Curlee
10.28.01

Michael Grifka is the owner of KuruKuru Toys from Kobe Japan. He's a veteran on the Japanese toy show and festival scene.

Robert Curlee is a relative newbie to Asia, but he's been a long time toy collector. Superfest 22 is the first toy show he's ever attended in Japan.

Superfest is one of Japan's largest and most well respected toy festivals. This year it took place on Monday October 7th (a public holiday) at Tokyo Big Sight in Godaiba, Tokyo.

M: Tokyo Superfest 22, held on October 7th, was definitely welcome back to Big Site. Wide spacious aisles, adequate space to swing big bags of toys, and an airplane hangar-esque high ceiling brought decorum back to a show gone rabid when held at the Science Museum complex in Kudanshita. While attendance at shows in Japan has really been hurt by Yahoo! Japan and Ebay Japan, Superfest 22 still managed to put on a good show. Many a Kubrick devotee spent the night in line for a giant orange Halloween bear, and the addition of the Takarajima Flea Market and G.A.M.S military show next door added to the otaku fever. Robert and I met for the first time after 6 months of email correspondence. We merged into 'Team SuperCollector' under the moniker of KuruKuruToys and RBC rode in to Superfest on the coattails of a free dealer pass.

R: Tokyo Big Site is a simple trek from anywhere in Tokyo and I didn't get lost. Believe me, this is a big issue in Tokyo where there are few street names and rarely are signs in anything other than Chinese characters. I arrived at the front entrance about a quarter past 7 AM. Noticing a swarm of people sitting behind a roped off area, I paused to ponder why so many would be lined up to get in when the show opened at 10:30. I shrugged my shoulders and passed it off as another example of the inherent Japanese desire to queue up in lines for the most absurd things (even melon bread sold in subway stations). Now where was that dealer entrance Mike told me to head to? Hrm, once again there were no signs conveniently leading me in the right direction, so I followed other lost journeymen. It took me about 15 minutes to find the right entrance and on my way I bumped into James Lam. James is a very cool toy dealer from Hong Kong whom I befriended during my stay there. He told me some of his friends had camped out the night before to get the Bearbrick sets. Aha! That's what the line was all about. A show exclusive of 200 oversized pumpkin colored bear shaped Kubricks was driving collectors and dealers alike into a frenzy. Personally I don't get it, but I have my own set of quirky interests, so I can't blame them. If it was a Valkyrie exclusive, I'd have camped out too. After bamboozling my way in (Michael was kind enough to offer me a dealer pass), I talked my way into following him around to see what "dealers" do before the show opens. I discovered they did what everyone else does when they first get in the door. They scope out the joint. Was there anything to be found? After a couple of observational rounds, it seemed not too out of the ordinary. Mind you, "ordinary" in Tokyo is better than anywhere else in the world (go figure). But after seeing what everyone had to offer, I was a little, well... disappointed. Sure there were a lot of choices, but nothing too special or terribly unusual. Nothing... rare.

M: What seems to be moving, the hot trends these days?? Gundam, Gundam, and everything Gundam. Medicom Kubricks (catalyzed by the Halloween Bearbrick exclusive) and a number of odd-mutants from Hong Kong designers Michael Lau and Eric So seemed to sell briskly. I must say, I was rather disturbed by the lack of true vintage stuff at Supe22. While, yes, there were a few rarities from the Jumbo Machinder (Getta-3, Kamen V3) and ChoGoKin (Mazinga-Z Junior, Voltes-In-Box) families, most of what I saw could be found in any standard antique toy store. I saw an ultra-obscure 10-inch Robocon Robin-chan in a box for more than a grand. While Robin is cute, I'll keep my bank. My want list included the Gatchaman Popy GodSpartan DX set, and I've ALWAYS seen one at SupeFes in the past, but none at 22. Also, I've always seen a few odd pieces of Astromu-5, some Henshin Invaders and King Waruda, etc, but very little of the stuff was to be found. I hunted and hunted, and came up with a few Microman aliens, Acroyears, and vehicles, but nothing that I can't find in Kansai. RBC, how was your booty, er...toy excursion?

R: Weeeelll, I didn't find anything worth buying at the show. I was very tempted by the boxed Kamen Rider V3 Jumbo, but upon closer inspection, the toy itself was a little too worn for my tastes. I almost bit into a DX Popy Yamato (the massive plastic one), but I didn't go for it. I guess I've been spoiled by the prices in Hong Kong because I didn't find anything all that cheap. There were some cool items, but not at prices that made me feel I was missing out if I didn't buy them. In fact I've even seen stuff for cheaper at Mandarake, which usually sells stuff on the high side. In the end, I walked away with only a manga T-shirt and a vinyl of Tensai Bakabon's mother. I already had Bakabon and his father, so I needed the mother holding little boy genius, Hajime, to complete the set. I kept searching for that Clover DX Whitebase I've been dreaming of for years, but little Clover Gundam was to be found. Now why is that? I thought old and obscure toys were what these shows were all about? If not, why are all these toy nuts here?

M: I'll tell you what makes Superfest such a cool experience is meeting everyone under one big roof. I've never seen so many international dealers and collectors in one place together like at BigSite. I spotted the boys from Luluberlu (Fr), Billy Galaxy (Portland, USA), Giovanni Daigobu (It), James Lam (HK) and a slew of other people I've met through ToyboxDX and other sites. It's strange, though. As Japanese popular culture continues to grow in the West, so does the attendance from American and European dealers. But the number of locals is slowly dwindling as they discover that the shows become cost prohibitive when compared to Yahoo! Japan auctions. Robert, were you surprised by all the familiar faces? Or did you just push them all aside trying to reach that Valkyrie set?

R: After that first sweep of the floor, I realized that this show wasn't going to be the shopping frenzy I'd anticipated. The best part was meeting dealers and putting faces to names. Surprisingly it was a very social event although strictly limited to toys. I'd been to a few shows in Hong Kong which weren't restricted to just toys. I also attended the Comicon in San Diego several years in a row. Conventions such as those widen their focus on a larger range of interests. I hope the toy shows of the future will draw from other conventions and provide a more diverse atmosphere than just endless isles of toys. Sure, miles of toys are cool, but some other forms of entertainment in whatever shape it takes, makes for a more memorable fest.

M: I totally agree with you. It would be great to see a 3 or 4 day comprehensive CONVENTION that includes film, manga, anime, toys, garage kits, television, etc. I'm sure the overlapping appeal has been considered by dealers, but the organizers put such minimal effort into their presentations. The only convention I know of like this is Osaka's semi-annual ToysLand show where past and present stars are invited to talk about Toho films, current Sentai projects, and the awful Kamen Rider Kuuga series. (R: OH! I'm there!) Still, it's a one-day fest. Maybe the future holds a new perspective for Japanese shows altogether, as the Internet forces dealers and promoters to rethink an angle to maintain attendance.

Enough whining!! How about about the vibe about SuperFest22, eh? Towards the end of the show, attendees from a nearby CosPlay (Costume Play) convention trickled into the Fest. This is crossover gone weird. We had a buxom Sailor Moon standing next to the G.A.M.S. mock soldiers, Final Fantasy wanna-bes next to Vampirella, and they were all cradling toy treasures. While I was stuck at the KuruKuruToys table hocking PacMan and Flintstones toys, the real freaks strolled the aisles looking for that final Gashapon UltraQ to complete their collection. Robert, what was the scene like at Takarajima, and did you scope any atrociously manga-sized bosoms during your time over there?

R: I have to admit hanging out in the gun show watching Japanese cowboys shoot airsoft guns in a caged quick-draw competition was a total kick in the pants. And there's nothing quite as, um, yummy as large breasted Japanese women dressed in the getup of the huge breasted figurines they're trying to impersonate. But actually there weren't as many costumes as I'd expected or hoped for. Mmmm, Japanese women in costume... So yeah, I snuck away to another show in the building which is called Takarajima. It was full of anime cells and a few sparse toy dealers. Luckily, I was able to land a 1/55 Bandai Super Valkyrie and a Clover Gundam Gattai set for a measly pittance. Both were minty fresh just the way I like them, but the Valk had a tear in the box. I saw it as a small flaw in an otherwise incredible deal. I walked away thinking, "Now THAT'S what I'm talkin' about!" I felt like a bit of a traitor since I spent my money at "the other show". Mike, how do you think the dealers made out at Superfest?

M: It was grumble and rumble throughout. Some dealers offered the recent terrorist incidents, others proffered the Internet, others felt that regional shows were becoming more popular. Foreign dealers doubted their return as the Japanese economy declines, and local dealers said they might redirect their Superfest money into store advertising or set up a web page. Still, this is not the end of Superfest by any means, but an opportunity for introspection and redirection. Robert, some closing comments?

R: In the end I walked away with some goodies, but I didn't spend even 1/4 of the cash I brought. In some sense that's good. Although, I sure wish I'd seen at least a few toys which made me drool. Of course there were some that had droolage potential, but everything was pretty banged up and expensive. The Jumbo Getter III was loose, broken, missing all its accessories, and still over 200,000 yen! The Big Machine Dunbine was loose, in poor condition, and it was more than 30,000 yen. I also saw a basket of loose 1/55 Valkyries which looked terrible and they were all priced as if they were MIB. ABSURD! If only prices were more reasonable or I'd heard more dealers answer my queries of condition with that magical answer, "shinpin desu" ("It's like new"). There was a lot of stuff there and I would have walked away bedazzled otherwise. I'd have to agree with Mike that something, maybe Internet auctions, must be changing the face of toy shows. But all of this doesn't mean I'll never go to a show again. Au contraire mon frere, I will gladly attend as many as I can. I had a great time. Where else can you hang out with a warehouse full of toy freaks just like yourself and look over piles and piles of toys? It's sensory overload. I look forward to bumping into more of the show regulars at shows in the future. Superfest 22 was a good introduction to Japanese toy shows and I'm glad it was slower paced than normal. After all, if the first show I attended was the best, I'd have nothing to look forward to in the future. So the gems are still out there to be found and I remain on the prowl.

M: And maybe you'll dress up as Chun-Li from Street Fighter next time...

R: Ha ha! Maybe even Hikaru Ichijyo... with Linn Minmei in tow.

Additional Festival Photos

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