Experience Report] There are only two Gashapon vending machines in the world! Wacky Kaiyama tries his hand at the latest Gashapon vending machine equipped with 3D images, released by Bandai, which is celebrating the 45th anniversary of its Gashapon series!

Gashapon, Bandai's capsule toy brand that was once a staple in candy stores and continues to be a favorite of children all over Japan, will celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2022 and has become a familiar hobby for people of all ages and both sexes.

As part of the "Gashapon Odyssey" project to commemorate the 45th anniversary of Gashapon, the company has developed the world's first Gashapon vending machine equipped with 3D images. GASHAPON ODYSSEY will go on sale to the general public at two GASHAPON DEPARTMENT stores (Ikebukuro and Canal City Hakata) from Thursday, April 28, 2022.

The appeal of Gashapon is the thrilling experience of inserting coins, turning a dial, and being delighted or saddened by the contents of the capsule that comes out (......). No matter how much the times change, this experience is sure to remain unchanged.

GASHAPON ODYSSEY, however, seems to take the Gashapon experience one step further.

In this issue, we bring you a report by capsuleer Wacky Kaiyama, who is also well known for his popular "Wacky Kaiyama's Latest Gashapon Exploration" series, on the advance trial event!

So, here is "GASHAPON ODYSSEY! It features a huge triangular case with a large LED display and a steering wheel that looks like a ship's rudder wheel.

When two 500-yen coins, for a total of 1,000 yen, are inserted into this cabinet, an ODYSSEY (adventure trip) begins! Wacky Kaizan, let's go!

Experience it like this. The display is designed to appear three-dimensional due to the parallax effect.

When a coin is inserted, a 3D image similar to that of a laboratory unfolds in the display. In this preliminary experience, visitors were able to try the original character figure "MATERIALS of the EARTH," which will go on sale on April 28.

Based on the story of a spaceship that arrives at the earth after an adventurous trip through space and embodies the five elements that make up the earth (fire, water, air, wind, and earth), the characters are created by combining elements that appear at random. The characters are then placed in capsules and dispensed. Wacky was enjoying the unknown Gashapon experience of being able to enjoy a story, even though it was just a Gashapon!

Turning the handle around and around, he decided on the element to be embodied.

This time, a water character was born!

Turn the handle again to trap the escaping character in a capsule!

Wacky Kaiyama successfully captured the character and sealed it inside the capsule. Wacky Kaiyama was beaming as he held the capsule that came out of the capsule.

The figure is of high quality, as it is only a 1,000 yen per capsule Gashapon. The clear material used gives the figure a gorgeous appearance.

A commemorative photo!

The thrill of turning the handle like steering a ship and seeing something being generated is wonderful! The gashapon obtained through physical exertion will be a great treasure. I would love for your child to try it. I want to surprise my former Gashapon-loving boy self in the future by telling him that Gashapon has evolved in this way! (Wacky Kaizan)

MATERIALS of the EARTH" are original character figures created by Hiroshi Yoshii, a character designer who has created mascots for various companies and advertisements. The design is characterized by the motif of the five elements that make up the earth: fire, water, air, wind, and earth.

By designing the figures in 3D with the intention of making them three-dimensional from the beginning, the company was able to strengthen the sense of unity between the characters in the video and the actual figures that will be discharged.

These characters fly around vividly in the display, which then becomes a figure and is delivered to your hand. Seeing the characters in action and then holding the figures in your hands will make you feel more attached to them.

This is great!

Interview with Hajime Kondo (Business Development Team Manager, Vendor Business Department, Bandai Co!

───Please tell us how "GASHAPON ODYSSEY" was developed.

Kondo: This year marks the 45th anniversary of Bandai's capsule toy brand "Gashapon," and we wanted the world to know more about the Gashapon brand, so we decided to develop something to symbolize that.

─ What was the concept behind the machine?

Kondo: "Gashapon of the future. As the name "Odyssey" implies, the 45 years that Gashapon has been in existence can be thought of as an adventurous journey, and we want to continue this journey into the future for the next 50 years and 100 years.

──It was very refreshing to see a Gashapon with a set storyline.

Kondo: Thank you very much. In order to create a futuristic feel, a spaceship traveling in space goes to various planets and collects the spirits of those planets, and this time we found the spirit of the Earth. So, the idea was to give the spirits a form by the hands of the crew, the customers, and let them take it in their hands as a product.

The point of Gashapon is that you don't know what you are going to get until the product comes out, but with the display, you know on the screen what is going to come out first, and the image is linked to the product that comes out.

──It seems that this gimmick could be used to link with various anime and game characters. How long did it take you to develop "GASHAPON ODYSSEY" and how much did it cost?

Kondo: We had the idea of releasing something conceptual like this about four years ago. Last year, we came up with the concept of "GASHAPON of the Future," as GASHAPON was celebrating its 45th anniversary. It took us a year to come to this point.

The entire project cost more than 100 million yen to develop.

───Can you tell us about the future development of Gashapon?

Kondo: I think that capsule toys themselves are being reevaluated as "accessible entertainment" in a world where people are unable to get away from home and entertainment is becoming less and less available. In this context, Gashapon is also celebrating its 45th anniversary, and we are preparing a lot of things to send out a lot of news. We plan to continue to release items that will have an impact on the world one after another, so please continue to enjoy our products!

GASHAPON ODYSSEY will go on sale to the general public on April 28, 2022 (Thursday) at two Gashapon no Departement stores (Ikebukuro General Store and Canal City Hakata Store). The installation is scheduled to last until February 28, 2023 (Tuesday).

If you visit the stores, please turn the giant handle to get the products!