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If you are one of Anime "Otaku" of fanatics, I am sure you have dreamed of collecting all of the Anime Action Figures like Dragon Ball Goku. They are so delicate and loyal to its true form. The artisanals are very proud to present their work of art in those figures. The culture of the Japanese Anime Figures are nowadays well-known and ranked high, so how come they are not human national treasure?
Well, by definition, the human national treasure is someone who has an important intangible cultural heritage certified by a country. This important intangible cultural heritages are theatricals, music and other treasures and must be valuable to our nation in histrical and artistical aspects. In order to be certified as a national treasure in Japan, there are 6 steps to take, including the proposal to Agency for Cultural Affairs, review at Cultural Committee, and so forth. There are so many elements associated to becoming a human national treasure, and one of the most difficult element is the history. Even if one passes the other steps, if the "treasure" has not been valuable over 100 years, it cannot be the one. For that reason, even the great anime creator Hayao Miyazaki, who is the creator of Totoro, cannot be certified as a human national treasure.
These days, many anime figures are around here in Japan. Most of them are so-called "Moe-kei." The term Moe is used when someone or something is so cute that it melts your heart. For guys often times, the Moe things are figures of cute girls. Unlike in the states, here in Japan, more cute and fragile a girl is, more guys like them. So, cute comes first than beauty. The strong girls are not as popular among male in Japanese culture. Many of anime action figures are created to target those guys, and they have big breasts, thin body and child-like face. Of course, there are more masculine figures like boy's comic figures such as Gundam and SaintSeiya figures, but I have seen so many guys collecting those Moe girls figures. They are very popular in Japan.
So, do you know how many of them are out there in Japan?
There are thousands of them that are not exported to oversea. Merchandise like clothes, DVD, dolls, and even song with lyrics are available for buying and can be purchased at the cheap rate if you are living in Japan. The convention of people with the same interest in Anime Action Figures takes place often in Tokyo, so if you get a chance, come over here and check it out not just emoticons on the screen! You might find the new experience to see a real live costume wearing people in anime walking down the street. Most of the time, they are proud of their appearance, so if you ask them, they will be happy to pause for your camera to take a picture.
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