Ruri no Houseki Episode 9 Discussion

@Marinate1016 Could you clarify what you mean? English is not my native language.

@RobertBobert There are 2 types of figures when it comes to merchandise. There are prize figures and actual figure. Prizes figures can be won on the arcade and crane games in Japan for the average price of 500 yen (5 attempts). Resale prices may vary and Sega is a known producer of prize figures to match their arcade business. Their quality is probably on the lower end but there can be some decent ones. I think Coreful has a decent line up of prize figures.

Actual Figures are built to scale anywhere from 1/12 to 1/1 size and are way more expensive ranging from 4000yen on the low end to any upper limit. Their quality varies but is on the higher end.

@six20 Oh, you mean these are just high quality gatchapon and not full-fledged figures?

@RobertBobert Pretty much, that is correct.

@six20 I see. Thanks for the answer. I didn't know that such gatcha figures existed, so I thought they meant something like size in general and asked again. So, those figures that you can buy on the Internet are just a collectible flea market?

@RobertBobert I think there is a bit of confusion in how I am explaining things, sorry.

The figures you buy on the internet assuming it is amiami are largely actual figures. Prize figures, if sold on amiami are pre-owned. I know there are other distributors, but I'll stick with amiami as an example.

When they mean in size, I assume are actual figures are built to scale as per expected of the increased quality. The distribution of actual figures are a lot more limited.

Prize figures are figures but made to be mass produced (so not in scale) and available in arcades and crane games to be won. There is a thriving resale market for them because it is cheap to win, but accessibility to them is somewhat limited by skill. They would not normally be resold in amiami but you can find them in Yahoo auctions, ratuken, etc. They can be seen as some sort gatchapon, since you put a small amount of money in for a chance to get what you want, but you are not necessarily guaranteed any prize at all since crane games require some skill and multiple attempts to align properly. So in a way a higher quality is somewhat expected.

They are all collectible of course both prize and actual figures, it is a matter of the quality and price. Some people would avoid prize figures due to limited space in their homes for their display and its generally lower quality.

@six20 So, it's still character/anime merch, but aimed at a lower level of interest than "full-fledged" figures?

https://myfigurecollection.net/entry/448289 I don't know much about this, but according to this site, the Nagi figure and one Ruri figure are actually distributed as "Premium Chokonose Figure", while the other Ruri figure is not.

@RobertBobert Yes, it would be aimed at people who want an easier price point to start collecting at.

As for "Premium Chokonose Figure" and "Noodle Stopper Figure" (for the other Ruri figure) are definitely prize figure product lines.

Looking at each of the 3 Ruri Rocks figures on the site, at the part that says "Releases" are distributed as "Prize". Figures that are to scale, or as I have called them "actual figures" on "Releases" say "standard".
Prize Release eg:

1. https://myfigurecollection.net/item/2967785
   
2. https://myfigurecollection.net/item/2967786
   
3. https://myfigurecollection.net/item/2835570
   

Standard Release ("Actual Figure") eg:

1. https://myfigurecollection.net/item/1971052
   

@six20 Wow, the amount of comments under the Chisato and Takina figures is just amazing. But getting back to the topic, I take it that by "premium" you mean that you can only get them from a vending machine?

@RobertBobert lol, I just used as an example since I was preordering that. Anyways, "Premium" means actually nothing. It is just a name to tie to a figure company's specific lineup of the same price range products.

@six20 I just expected to see shipping jokes or pricing/purchase discussions, but I didn't expect to see so much technical discussion. People really know their stuff.

Ah, I see. I've recently become interested in Higurashi gachapon, maybe I should look at this topic more broadly, thanks.

@RobertBobert You're welcome, I'm glad you've gotten an interest in the wider merchandise community.

@six20 Real connoisseurs exclusively buy authorized doujin figurines at Comiket, which one has to assemble and paint by hand! Those can then be used to stop noodles goose liver pate and caviar at any 3-star Michelin restaurant...

@Tacsk0 I'm too poor to be a real connoisseur but if you are, I am happy for you. I'll have to stick to the "more economical" pre-ordering of figurines by larger companies.