Good Smile Company is a figure manufacturer that is expanding its business beyond the hobby industry, operating the Good Smile Racing racing team, organizing the Red Bull Air Race, developing headphones and radios, producing animation, producing games, and producing the puppet show "Thunderbolt Fantasy: Tōrei Jienyuki" (The Movie of the East and West). ......, Good Smile Company, Inc. is a figure manufacturer that has expanded its business beyond the hobby industry. This year marks the 15th anniversary of the company's founding, and according to CEO Takanori Angei, the company entered the market from a completely different industry.
In just 15 years, Good Smile Company has steadily revitalized not only the hobby industry, but also the world of hobbies and fun. What is the source of its strength? We asked Mr. Angei about it.
Good things are good, but we needed to reform
─ This year marks the 15th anniversary of Good Smile Company.
Angei: It all happened so fast. I have no memory of it (laughs). (laughs). Originally, we were a company in a different industry, but as we responded to the demands of those around us, we ended up where we are today. If we had ambitions to "cover the world with hobbies," it would probably be easier to answer.
─ You started out as an entertainment agency, so why did you become a figure maker?
Angei: To put it simply, we didn't do well as an entertainment agency. At the time, I was helping MAX Watanabe (representative of Max Factory), who was a talent belonging to our company, with his work, and hobby work became my main focus. I didn't have a strong interest in figures, but when I saw them up close, I thought, "Great! I was not interested in them, but I thought they were good. I wasn't interested in them, but good things are good. At the same time, I also felt that it could be better if it were done a little better. This is not only for the Max Factory area, but for the industry as a whole.
─ So you thought there was room for improvement?
Angei: Yes, it was a question of "Are we not delivering well? Yes, it was a question of "Are we not delivering it well? At that time, figure products used model distribution because garage kits were the starting point. The business practices and methods of communication with users optimized for the model business that have existed for a long time are a natural part of the industry. I felt that this division of roles in model distribution was not suited to finished figures and character hobbies. For example, a plastic model of Himeji Castle has value (in inventory) even after 20 years, but does it have value in store inventory of anime/game character products whose development has ended? Is it difficult for customers to obtain figure products because the distribution system does not match? With these questions in mind, we reformed our distribution and manufacturing methods, communicated with customers through reservations, and implemented a solid image strategy that said, "There is not much difference between other subculture hobbies and figurines. This was an experiment that had never been done before, so I think we were able to help the industry in some small way.
───How was the quality of your products at the time?
Angei: There were not many products, and I felt that there were not enough good ones. It was also difficult to manufacture good products (product prototypes) as they were. Until we were able to manufacture the products as we presented them, we needed to reform our production, and we all struggled together with the factory.
──That was in the early 2000s, wasn't it?
Angei Yes, at that time, we were not thinking of Good Smile Company as a figure "manufacturer," but rather as a company that backed up a team with strong planning and modeling capabilities. We started to see the expansion of the market. We realized that our tried-and-true methodology was effective and that it would work.
───Until then, was there anyone else who thought the same way as you did?
Angei: I guess I just didn't happen to be in the hobby industry. Until then, I had lived in the game industry and the entertainment and show business world. Game software is a mass product, and thousands of people were working hard to market it and deliver it to customers. Based on this experience, I felt that the world of hobbies and figurines was a strange place to be, and I felt that there was still a lot that could be done. If I had been in the hobby industry from the beginning, I would not have felt comfortable. From the industry's point of view, I would have been a foreigner, like a virus. I would have said to myself, "Someone strange has come in from somewhere else.
