CountFrylock Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 i mentioned this in the topic about fire force funko pops but i think this truly deserves it's own topic as it goes beyond just that and why certain series get merchandise while others get nothing at all... soul eater didn't have much merchandise and to this day there's no real explanation for that....was it not that much of a success did it not have enough of an audience to make merchandise for it? who can say but fire force does seem like the show that at this point some people have either forgotten it's on toonami or they tune it out completely even during season 1 it wasn't really that hyped by toonami and just seemed to be there to act as filler material for the block Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The1gairon Posted February 28, 2021 Share Posted February 28, 2021 Sadly most anime these days don't get a ton of merch unless it's Dragonball, One Piece, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daos Posted March 1, 2021 Share Posted March 1, 2021 Why make Fire Force merch when you can make MHA merch that will sell 100x better? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountFrylock Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 10 hours ago, Daos said: Why make Fire Force merch when you can make MHA merch that will sell 100x better? because it's not a choice of this or that.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Gun Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 You do realize that both it and Soul Eater probably have/had a shitload of merchandise in Japan that never made it over here because only a small handful of series ever get mainstream enough in the US to warrant a ton of Hot Topic swag, right? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountFrylock Posted March 2, 2021 Author Share Posted March 2, 2021 28 minutes ago, Top Gun said: You do realize that both it and Soul Eater probably have/had a shitload of merchandise in Japan that never made it over here because only a small handful of series ever get mainstream enough in the US to warrant a ton of Hot Topic swag, right? google can show that's not the case you can't really find much in the way of soul eater/fire force product images 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmpressAngel Posted March 2, 2021 Share Posted March 2, 2021 https://www.amiami.com/eng/search/list/?s_originaltitle_id=19449 Page 1 of 44 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountFrylock Posted March 3, 2021 Author Share Posted March 3, 2021 most of that doesn't look any better than what a fan would come up with on redbubble unfortunately Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmpressAngel Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 Sorry princess you're just going to have to settle for the merch that the companies are willing to make. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountFrylock Posted March 3, 2021 Author Share Posted March 3, 2021 (edited) 41 minutes ago, EmpressAngel said: Sorry princess you're just going to have to settle for the merch that the companies are willing to make. when the merchandise is basically just "Slip some printed pictures onto a keychain and call it a day" i have to wonder just how unpopular is fire force if that's all it can get nobody made anything they just took some pictures that already existed and put them on keychains it's the laziest kind of merchandise possible Edited March 3, 2021 by CountFrylock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Gun Posted March 3, 2021 Share Posted March 3, 2021 Dude, just take the L. As usual you didn't know what you were talking about. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountFrylock Posted March 3, 2021 Author Share Posted March 3, 2021 11 hours ago, Top Gun said: Dude, just take the L. As usual you didn't know what you were talking about. I'd consider it a loss if it wasn't mostly stuff that every fan could make themselves at home by googling the pictures and printing them out at that point there's no difference in buying something a fan made on red bubble all this discovery did was make me realize just how unpopular soul eater and fire force must have been to not Receive more than just keychains buttons and other little accessories Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katt_goddess Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 Hot Topic is actually getting a bunch of Fire Force stuff in, slowly but surely. They are currently mainly online exclusives which is why you aren't seeing a butt-ton of them in any physical locations. Badges, cell phone charms, backpack tags, etc are really popular in Japan because they are small and you can have a ton of them attached to things without them taking up large chunks of space. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't see a whole lot of JoJo merch until the English dub of the final season was almost done airing on Toonami. And now, I have a little leather backpack with chibi JoJo's dancing across it that's my go-to weekend work bag. Some things just lend themselves to lots of merch that just doesn't quite ship over. And anime that deals with school-type environments seems to get the bulk of merch because it's school-themed. That's phone charms, pencil cases, make-up bags, bentos, hair clips, ramen bowls...basically everything that might appear in a school-type setting. I could also add that Soul Eater had weapons and Fire Force deals with people being set on fire. Both of those things might be hard sells for American sales even as ramen bowls. As long as the small, easier to ship items sell, that's what you'll have to look forward to for a while. That and tons of t-shirts. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountFrylock Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share Posted March 4, 2021 18 minutes ago, katt_goddess said: Hot Topic is actually getting a bunch of Fire Force stuff in, slowly but surely. They are currently mainly online exclusives which is why you aren't seeing a butt-ton of them in any physical locations. Badges, cell phone charms, backpack tags, etc are really popular in Japan because they are small and you can have a ton of them attached to things without them taking up large chunks of space. If it makes you feel any better, I didn't see a whole lot of JoJo merch until the English dub of the final season was almost done airing on Toonami. And now, I have a little leather backpack with chibi JoJo's dancing across it that's my go-to weekend work bag. Some things just lend themselves to lots of merch that just doesn't quite ship over. And anime that deals with school-type environments seems to get the bulk of merch because it's school-themed. That's phone charms, pencil cases, make-up bags, bentos, hair clips, ramen bowls...basically everything that might appear in a school-type setting. I could also add that Soul Eater had weapons and Fire Force deals with people being set on fire. Both of those things might be hard sells for American sales even as ramen bowls. As long as the small, easier to ship items sell, that's what you'll have to look forward to for a while. That and tons of t-shirts. i just find it odd that even in the realm of funko pops soul eater didn't see much attention(surprised there was never a medusa funko pop) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Gun Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 3 hours ago, CountFrylock said: i just find it odd that even in the realm of funko pops soul eater didn't see much attention(surprised there was never a medusa funko pop) Funko Pops weren't a thing until 2011, when Soul Eater was closed to finishing its manga run, and the anime was a few years done by then. There sure as hell weren't anime Funko figures back then. Why are you so surprised that an over decade-old shounen that wasn't a behemoth like DBZ or Naruto doesn't have much in the way of modern merch? And now you're just throwing in ridiculous caveats with Fire Force. "Well yes, it has a bunch of merch, but it's not merch I'd want so it doesn't count!" It's still officially-licensed merchandise, and there's a bunch of it. Quit moving the goalposts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EmpressAngel Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 If you're willing to pay hundreds of dollars, you can find plenty of Tamaki figures on Ebay that are probably suspiciously stained. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountFrylock Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share Posted March 4, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, Top Gun said: Funko Pops weren't a thing until 2011, when Soul Eater was closed to finishing its manga run, and the anime was a few years done by then. There sure as hell weren't anime Funko figures back then. Why are you so surprised that an over decade-old shounen that wasn't a behemoth like DBZ or Naruto doesn't have much in the way of modern merch? And now you're just throwing in ridiculous caveats with Fire Force. "Well yes, it has a bunch of merch, but it's not merch I'd want so it doesn't count!" It's still officially-licensed merchandise, and there's a bunch of it. Quit moving the goalposts. I'm Surprised Soul Eater doesn't have much in the way of merchandise period....that website barely had anything and what it did have was mostly for the less than stellar soul eater not! spin-off i even googled soul eater merchandise and mostly came up with fan-made products or cosplay stuff as for fire force...if the merchandise mostly consists of stuff Anyone could make themselves easily with a printer and the ability to use google then all that tells me is fire force really didn't do well at all at that point none of this is any better than what you could purchase on redbubble it really isn't I'm not expecting DBZ Tiers Of Merchandise with fire force what i am expecting is something better than dinky little keychains buttons and small accessories Edited March 4, 2021 by CountFrylock Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daos Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 2 hours ago, EmpressAngel said: If you're willing to pay hundreds of dollars, you can find plenty of Tamaki figures on Ebay that are probably suspiciously stained. Orlyyyyy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountFrylock Posted March 4, 2021 Author Share Posted March 4, 2021 22 minutes ago, Daos said: Orlyyyyy I Heard You needed to pre-order to get the Neko attachments or something i know not everyone has it like that Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Top Gun Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 4 hours ago, CountFrylock said: I'm Surprised Soul Eater doesn't have much in the way of merchandise period....that website barely had anything and what it did have was mostly for the less than stellar soul eater not! spin-off i even googled soul eater merchandise and mostly came up with fan-made products or cosplay stuff as for fire force...if the merchandise mostly consists of stuff Anyone could make themselves easily with a printer and the ability to use google then all that tells me is fire force really didn't do well at all at that point none of this is any better than what you could purchase on redbubble it really isn't I'm not expecting DBZ Tiers Of Merchandise with fire force what i am expecting is something better than dinky little keychains buttons and small accessories Dude...Soul Eater the manga ended in 2013. Soul Eater the anime stopped airing in 2009. In what universe do series that aren't either perennial mega-hits or getting some sort of revival continue to get a ton of new merchandise? Soul Eater was a successful shounen franchise that sold almost 20 million volumes but hit its peak popularity almost a decade ago. What you're seeing is completely in line with that. And oh yes, Fire Force, the series which has sold over 12 million volumes as of last October and has spawned two seasons and counting of a well-regarded anime adaptation, "didn't do well at all." Uh-huh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PokeNirvash Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 The thing to remember is, Japan puts out a lot of merchandise for shows that go under the radar here due to being Japan-exclusive. Take for example this one show I was watching last season. I followed the show's official Twitter account, and to this day, I get updates on my feed concerning various merch for the show. Keychains, plushies, shirts, hats, cologne, pop-up cafes... Granted, this was the adaptation of a 20 year-old novel series that in the 2000's got a popular-for-the-time live-action series and multiple manga adaptations (one of which even got licensed stateside), but still, if an obscure modern anime like Ikebukuro West Gate Park can get this level of merch, then it's downright stupid to think that Fire Force has none of its own, even in its home country. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katt_goddess Posted March 4, 2021 Share Posted March 4, 2021 22 hours ago, CountFrylock said: i just find it odd that even in the realm of funko pops soul eater didn't see much attention(surprised there was never a medusa funko pop) Funko Pops keep going backwards and mining things for new releases. I can see Fire Force getting plenty of Funkos eventually to the point where you won't be able to ignore them. It's anime, it's pop-ular and those are currently two of their things that they look for. I'm entertaining the possibility of creating some lapel tacks with the little 'person on fire' glyph as a random swag. Currently in process on an order of +250 though and since most are hand painted using a cat whisker because of the size... Also, there were a butt-ton of Soul Eater Funkos and little figurines [ I think they are called chibi masters? ] . Maybe I'm vaguely spoiled in that I manage to usually get to one con a year and see massive quantities of merch of all kinds of animes even if I don't buy any of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountFrylock Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 (edited) 8 hours ago, katt_goddess said: Funko Pops keep going backwards and mining things for new releases. I can see Fire Force getting plenty of Funkos eventually to the point where you won't be able to ignore them. It's anime, it's pop-ular and those are currently two of their things that they look for. I'm entertaining the possibility of creating some lapel tacks with the little 'person on fire' glyph as a random swag. Currently in process on an order of +250 though and since most are hand painted using a cat whisker because of the size... Also, there were a butt-ton of Soul Eater Funkos and little figurines [ I think they are called chibi masters? ] . Maybe I'm vaguely spoiled in that I manage to usually get to one con a year and see massive quantities of merch of all kinds of animes even if I don't buy any of it. yeah there were some soul eater funko pops but I'm not too sure on chibi figurines(google image searches didn't show me those at least) yeah fire force is popular but it's already nearing it's conclusion(manga wise) so i can't really see the anime lasting much longer soul eater possibly could have had more merchandise if it came out a couple years ago instead of 2008(anime) it's unfortunate that I hopped on the fandom long after any hype had died down and when it was airing on toonami watching it on toonami later convinced me to pick up some volumes of the manga(same thing happened with fire force) I Know toonami really didn't do much for either show's popularity in the united states but it's what drew my attention to them Edited March 5, 2021 by CountFrylock 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The1gairon Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 8 hours ago, CountFrylock said: yeah there were some soul eater funko pops but I'm not too sure on chibi figurines(google image searches didn't show me those at least) yeah fire force is popular but it's already nearing it's conclusion(manga wise) so i can't really see the anime lasting much longer soul eater possibly could have had more merchandise if it came out a couple years ago instead of 2008(anime) it's unfortunate that I hopped on the fandom long after any hype had died down and when it was airing on toonami watching it on toonami later convinced me to pick up some volumes of the manga(same thing happened with fire force) I Know toonami really didn't do much for either show's popularity in the united states but it's what drew my attention to them I can't think of any anime-based Funko Pops that didn't come from Funimation shows. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountFrylock Posted March 5, 2021 Author Share Posted March 5, 2021 7 hours ago, elfie said: I can't think of any anime-based Funko Pops that didn't come from Funimation shows. Death Note Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katt_goddess Posted March 5, 2021 Share Posted March 5, 2021 15 hours ago, CountFrylock said: yeah there were some soul eater funko pops but I'm not too sure on chibi figurines(google image searches didn't show me those at least) yeah fire force is popular but it's already nearing it's conclusion(manga wise) so i can't really see the anime lasting much longer soul eater possibly could have had more merchandise if it came out a couple years ago instead of 2008(anime) it's unfortunate that I hopped on the fandom long after any hype had died down and when it was airing on toonami watching it on toonami later convinced me to pick up some volumes of the manga(same thing happened with fire force) I Know toonami really didn't do much for either show's popularity in the united states but it's what drew my attention to them Ah, it was these that I remember seeing [ spoilered not because they are spoilers, spoilered to cut down on scrolling for some ] Spoiler Spoiler There were also the usual assortment of cell phone charms, keychains and plushies. Mostly of little Missy Kitty Witchy. I'm just waiting for the fall con in the hopes that there is a fall con. I need to gorge my eyeballs on weird people dressed weirdly, soak up nerd vibes, and stare at overpriced imported things that I don't need...but they are right there...they look so sad on that table...like they need to be crammed into an overflowing suitcase and hauled away to be placed on an overflowing bookcase... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountFrylock Posted March 6, 2021 Author Share Posted March 6, 2021 1 hour ago, katt_goddess said: Ah, it was these that I remember seeing [ spoilered not because they are spoilers, spoilered to cut down on scrolling for some ] Hide contents Reveal hidden contents There were also the usual assortment of cell phone charms, keychains and plushies. Mostly of little Missy Kitty Witchy. I'm just waiting for the fall con in the hopes that there is a fall con. I need to gorge my eyeballs on weird people dressed weirdly, soak up nerd vibes, and stare at overpriced imported things that I don't need...but they are right there...they look so sad on that table...like they need to be crammed into an overflowing suitcase and hauled away to be placed on an overflowing bookcase... mostly of blair? was she that popular in japan or is it just a case of "Fanservice character for fanservice merchandise" because she didn't really appear that much in soul eater and was little more than a minor character that existed to cause maka/soul problems in Episode 1 and then become relegated to joke character that doesn't do much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
katt_goddess Posted March 6, 2021 Share Posted March 6, 2021 30 minutes ago, CountFrylock said: mostly of blair? was she that popular in japan or is it just a case of "Fanservice character for fanservice merchandise" because she didn't really appear that much in soul eater and was little more than a minor character that existed to cause maka/soul problems in Episode 1 and then become relegated to joke character that doesn't do much I honestly think it was just a matter of kitties are popular no matter what they are supposed to reference. And plushie kitties are awesome. So you would have people who would get a kitty in a witch's hat just because it was cute. Broader appeal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CountFrylock Posted March 6, 2021 Author Share Posted March 6, 2021 1 hour ago, katt_goddess said: I honestly think it was just a matter of kitties are popular no matter what they are supposed to reference. And plushie kitties are awesome. So you would have people who would get a kitty in a witch's hat just because it was cute. Broader appeal. i suppose that makes sense...what's strange is none of the antagonists really got much if any merchandise so you couldn't really place maka against medusa or asura for example in a collection Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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