The hottest items that made a splash in the capsule toy industry in 2018! The Capsule Toy Awards 2018 have been announced! Wacky Kaiyama's Latest Gacha Exploration, Part 23

It's here again this year. It's time for the Capsule Toy Awards 2018, in which Wacky Kaizan will choose the most memorable products at his own discretion and prejudice!

But first, a report!

In Fuji TV's quiz show "The Wall of 99 People," I chose the "Gacha Gacha" category to challenge myself, but I sank early! Just when I promised myself that I would push even harder on the capsule toy path, I received an offer to appear on "Ishibashi Takaaki Taimu Tonneru". I proudly presented my retro capsule toys to the entire country!

For this second edition, following last year, we selected five categories from capsule toys released in 2018: Nice Fancy, Nice Gimmick, Nice Topic, Nice Practical DE, and Best MVC (Most Valuable Capsuletoy). Each award was chosen. Since approximately 3,000 items of about 500 types are sold each year, the selection process was again difficult this year!

What kind of capsule toys were really ranked? The last annual award of the Heisei era!

Now, let us announce the winners.

Nice Fancy Award
Kaeru Sento Undressing Room Version" Kaeru C and Sempuuki, Epoch Publishing, released in October 2018

Manufacturer's comment: "Thank you for selecting us for the Nice Character Award for 2018!
We are proud that our super mini size soft vinyl figure of a frog has created a stir in the industry.
Not only cute, but also enjoyable to the touch, truly killing two birds with one stone! Please take a look at the tadpole that has grown in this changing room version! Maybe next time it will grow hands!

This entry comes from Epoch, a company that has been making the industry exciting with a release rush in the second half of this year. This is a sequel to the series released last year. The previous set of keroline tubs and frogs was extremely cute, but this time, even more artistic details are added.

Among them, the frog's expression is GOOD as he looks at the fan in the changing room and turns his eyes around before he knows it. The soft soft vinyl material makes it easy to press. The nice fancy award was given to this piece because of its loose atmosphere!

Nice Gimmick Award
Climbing down the wall! Peron Frog" Yale, released in June 2018

Comment from the manufacturer: "Bring smiles to children's faces with Ka-eru. It will make children smile and adults feel like a child. This is such a Yale frog. Thank you very much for choosing us for the Nice Gimmick Award again last year. We will do our best to come back next year."

It's here, it's here! My favorite retro capsule toy style candy toy! Look at the quality of the 100 yen per piece!

The tongue that sticks out from the frog is made of rubber. It doesn't stick to the frog, nor does it stretch, but simply sticks out like a dart. What kind of gimmick is this? You can find out by attaching it to the wall.

On the frog's belly is a tire that sticks to the wall. With a normal tire, the frog would fall down smoothly, but this tire has an uneven surface. This makes the frog slide down in an irregular manner, which is quite gross. Moreover, the long tongue moves in tandem with the movement of the frog's tongue, which is ...... super creepy.

I'm sure your kids will get a kick out of it.

This is a very cost-effective frog toy. The nice gimmick award goes to this one!

I love frogs, by the way!

Nice Topic Award.
Soap Eraser" released in June 2018 by Kitan Club

Comment from the manufacturer: "Thank you for choosing this year's "Nice Topic Award" again, following last year's award! We are not sure if it became a hot topic among the public, but it seems that ...... 'eraser maniacs' were pleased with it.
Next year, too, we will continue to propose niche projects that will make some of those maniacs grin!"

Looking back on the history of gacha, children used to call PVC figures erasers without any doubt (but they could not erase letters). There are various theories as to why, such as to make it easier to take them to school, or because the name "figure" was not a civil right at the time. ......

It was a surprise to me that they took advantage of this unspoken understanding and came up with "It's an erasable eraser. It was a surprise that the company took advantage of this unspoken understanding and came out with "It's an erasable eraser. Kitan Club had previously released a series called "Eraser World Travels" using "truly erasable erasers," so I don't know if this product was a continuation of that series or not. I don't know if this product was also a part of that series or not.

The box with a cute pressed illustration of a raccoon is filled with rounded soap (eraser in the shape of a raccoon). It even comes with a soap rest, which is a nice touch.

The box is also complete with a rounded soap (shaped eraser) and a soap rest! Amazing whiteness! The catchphrase, which is like a detergent commercial, is also excellent. This is a typical Kitan trick.

The eraser looks like soap! Before you know it, your desk top has turned into a bathroom! Is it just me, or does it feel somewhat strange when you use it?

Nice Practical DE Award
3D File Series THE Water Bottle, April 2018, Stand Stones

Comment from the manufacturer: "As I enjoy camping life on a regular basis, I wanted something that could be used for something a little more than 'just a miniature figure,' so I came up with this as the first product of this series.
Anyway, I was particular about wanting to make a product out of metal. This is an outdoor item that focuses on the material of metal and its weight. And yet, we pursued cuteness and coolness. Since this was our first attempt, we had to stay at the factory for several days.
We were told, "Metal is technically and cost-prohibitive! But we managed to commercialize the product with the involvement of the factory's top management! We have received comments from customers that they were surprised by the size and weight of the product.

The die-cast metal has a heavy feel to it. The lid can be removed and the wide mouth is also practical. The catch copy is quite bold and dynamic: "Infinite uses.

How do you use it? Before you ask the question, let's make a real water bottle without compromising the materials! This is the extraordinary passion of the developers.

Did this enthusiasm reach various quarters? A sequel is in the works, and the product is enjoying a mini boom.

I am sorry to say that although I call it a water bottle, in fact, I humbly describe it as a miniature case. However, I dare say I would like to fill it with liquid. No matter what anyone says, I will use it as a water bottle!

The "2018 Most Valuable Capsultoy (M.V.C.)"
'Hikaru Ultraman Color Timer' released in September 2018, Bandai

Manufacturer's comment: "We are very happy to have been chosen for the MVC! This product is a gashapon that 'lights up and sounds'! This product is a product that we did too many crazy things (laughs) based on the concept of "making a product that lights up and sounds" with Gashapon.
I watched over and over again the videos from that time and asked myself, "At what point does it start blinking?Is the modeling correct? We held many meetings with everyone involved, excited to "create the best color timer ever.
As a result, we are very, very happy to receive this award. We will continue to do reckless and surprising product planning, so we would like to ask for your continued support!

Bandai's explosive power in the capsule toy industry this year was amazing.

The company released capsule-less products that overturned the concept of capsule toys. These included beckoning cats, Anpanman, and the heads of Zaku and Gundam from "Mobile Suit Gundam. And the 1000/1 scale "Dangumushi" that exploded on SNS, and more!

In addition, when the company collaborated with Shogakukan's "Kindergarten October issue" and included a paper craft of the "Capsule Station" capsule cabinet as a supplement, a number of stores sold out. In addition, a 1/12 scale miniature "Capsule Station" went on sale at the same time, and the momentum never stopped.

In selecting MVCs, I actually try to choose from other items than those selected for the series, but this time I thought it would be the "Dumbbug," which was also featured in the series: .......

But this color timer was also amazing: the LED light changes from blue to red, and after three minutes, both the sound and the light disappear. The size of the timer is also quite realistic, measuring about 6 cm in diameter. When actually worn on the chest, it fits snugly, just like Ultraman.

As soon as the Color Timer went on sale, it was immediately sold out. and they sold out immediately. It became a phantom item that I saw only once or twice in the city.

Indeed, you can spend three minutes feeling like the Ultraman you longed for as a child. This is a sight I dreamed of, isn't it? It's a marvelous time to be able to easily transform into the heroes and heroines of your dreams with capsule toys.

So, this year's MVC is "Hikarnal Ultraman Color Timer! Congratulations!

Now, I am looking forward to seeing what capsule toys we will encounter in 2019. Thank you for reading my column over the past year. We will continue to introduce more and more surprising items in the future. Gacha! Gacha!

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Wacky Kaiyama

Freelance TV Personality and GACHA-GACHA Collector (Capsuleer)

He has been collecting Gachagacha since he was 7 years old and owns 100,000 Gachagacha. He has published several books, including "All About My Beloved Phony Gachagacha Cosmos," "The Wonderful World of Phony Gachagacha - Cosmos Forever," and "The Final Definitive Version! The Truth of Phony Gachagacha - Cosmos, Its Love" (Futabasha), and "Nihon Kaishika Gachagacha Daizensen" (Tatsumi Shuppan).