An interview with brand manager for Dragon Stars
Feb 28, 2022 12:32:22 GMT -6
Gohan, Ascat, and 3 more like this
Post by Branjita on Feb 28, 2022 12:32:22 GMT -6
An interview with the senior brand manager for Bandai America, Kazuyuki Sugimatsu about Dragon Stars products
Paraphrased:
New action figures from the Dragon Stars series have started rolling out in North America, Europe, Oceania, Central America, and South America as of February.
Dragon Stars has released a total of over 50 figures to date. For this article, we sat down with the project lead who has been with the company since its establishment and overseen the development of these items, Mr. Sugimatsu, to talk about his passion for Dragon Stars as well as the global popularity of Dragon Ball from country to country.
"Officially, I'm the brand manager for the western division of Bandai's toy business, but my job actually involves planning, development, and branding. For the Japanese branch, there are separate people who oversee things like planning and development, but on the other side of the world, we have a single, almighty producer who deals with a wide range of things all along the supply chain. That's me."
――So what's the story behind the creation of the Dragon Stars series?
"After joining Bandai and being stationed in America, I gained a whole new appreciation for just how popular Dragon Ball was there. It was around 2016, and there were various Dragon Ball figures available, such as the S.H.Figuarts series, but they were all relatively expensive. There wasn't anything simpler that a child might be able to buy, so we proposed products like the Dragon Stars and Limit Breakers series to fill that gap in the market. We make toys that children ages 4 and up are able to enjoy, and we stock them in a range of locations from major retailers to local toy stores because our overarching goal is for them to be something that you can buy on a whim at your local store."
"I'm hoping to eventually get to a place where we can offer figures for every single character in Dragon Ball so that all fans have the chance to own a figure of their favorite character."
――Finally, do you have any big goals when comes to Dragon Stars? Or even just something you take very seriously with your work in planning and development of these products?
"I want to help preserve the legacy of Dragon Ball for the next 10, 20 years, or even longer, and to be able to show the younger generation today what makes it such a good series. Although, even with that goal in mind, we didn't think we'd have much success in fostering a new generation of fans if we suddenly came out of nowhere with purely children-focused products, and so first we focused on making a strong impression in the market so that fans would come to recognize and trust our brand. And then from there, we'd be able to maintain the series in the long-term. That's the idea behind Dragon Stars and other similar lines. Also, keeping with the philosophy of making easily accessible, inexpensive toys that kids want to play with, we've now developed and released the Super Saiyan Goku HeadGear item, which is something that I hope kids of all ages will be able to enjoy."
――I see that these two figures (Nappa and Vegeta) include your childhood favorite, Vegeta from the Saiyan arc.
"Exactly. I've been wanting to put out a figure of him for years, but when we started this series, we were mainly focused on creating products to coincide with the Dragon Ball Super anime that was airing at the time. Being able to finally release these figures is a wish come true for me. Up until the Saiyan arc, everyone had been fighting while wearing traditional martial arts clothing, so when these new characters showed up wearing battle armor, it really left a strong impression on fans, which is why we paid particular attention to the color and detail of the battle armor for these figures. It took a lot of passionate negotiations between us and the manufacturer, but we were able to create a posable action figure that maintains the standard that people expect from children's toys, all while coming in at just $19.99."
――Are there any specific considerations you have to make when designing a posable figure?
"If you're making something that goes 1-to-1 with the original design, there are various limits that you run into. For example, we had to make it possible to lift up the shoulder parts to give the figures a greater range of motion. They're also designed so that the various parts will detach to prevent them from snapping if they come under a lot of stress while being moved around. Sticking to a simple but strong design helps us make something that children can play with without fearing that it'll break."
――Do you have to take into account the risk of small parts like the Scouters being accidentally ingested?
"We do. For example, we make sure that those kinds of parts can't be removed. Also, if you look at the scouter from above, you'll see that it curves along the face without jutting out at all, so that even if the head were to be swallowed, it wouldn't get trapped in a child's airways. These kinds of things get decided after numerous discussions and meetings. When you're dealing with items that are meant for younger age groups, there's a lot more that you have to keep in mind when compared to regular figures, so it can take a while to go from planning to completion."
――What kind of product is the Battle Pack?
"It's a 2-figure set. Gogeta and Janenba are both available separately as part of the normal Dragon Stars series, but here, they're sporting battle-ready expressions and come with more parts to attach and detach, so it's possible to recreate an even wider range of iconic fight scenes. We've also released a Future Trunks vs Fusion Zamasu set in this same series."
――It looks like you can use one of the attachable parts to unleash a Soul Punisher with Gogeta!
"Well, when it comes to the fight between Gogeta and Janenba, it's such an amazing moment that we knew we had to do it justice. We wanted to mix the colors directly into the materials, but we were limited by the price point we wanted to hit, so instead we added multiple layers of color using a technique similar to air spraying to give it a sort of uneven appearance. These methods were a brand-new challenge for us, but we just didn't want to compromise on this aspect of the figure."
――Was there a particular reason why you decided to make a set for Super Saiyan Gogeta vs Janenba, two movie-original characters?
"I was at an event in America, and while I was there, I had the opportunity to talk to a Dragon Ball fan who seemed to be around middle-school age. They excitedly said to me, "I've got a ton of Dragon Stars! Can you make Super Gogeta and Janenba next?" so I replied, "Sure, why not?" They mentioned that their first introduction to Dragon Ball was through video games, and they'd always thought of the characters as video game characters, and that the show was just an anime based on the games. It was with that in mind that I thought maybe we could introduce characters and scenes that some fans aren't familiar with through this product, and perhaps that would even lead to them checking out the movie. We were also interested in motivating casual fans to engage with the series in a variety of ways."
――Could you tell us a bit about the Power Up Packs?
"Of course. These are our flashier offerings in the Dragon Stars series. They come with effect parts, weapons, etc. and are sold for $24.99. We have a regular Rosé Goku Black for sale already, but I always wanted to capture his uniquely colored aura and his awesome scythe that he uses to fight, so we made a Power Up Pack for him. This is our third Power Up Pack so far, following the Super Saiyan Goku and Super Saiyan Vegeta packs that were quite popular."
――Auras and Ki blasts are easy enough to imagine when they're just drawings in a manga, but did you have much trouble converting those concepts into a three-dimensional toy?
"Yes, it wasn't easy. Other figures would represent Ki blasts by having a sphere on the end of a protruding stick, but we were worried about it potentially breaking and exposing a sharp edge if we were to adopt a similar method. Instead, we used a softer material and rounded any edges to keep them safe. Those are the kinds of details that we agonized over."
――Finally, do you have anything to say to the readers out there who're looking forward to these new products?
"I'm going to continue trying my best to bring exciting new Dragon Ball products to the world, so please look forward to what we have in store!"
Via: en.dragon-ball-official.com/news/01_893.html and en.dragon-ball-official.com/news/01_894.html
Paraphrased:
New action figures from the Dragon Stars series have started rolling out in North America, Europe, Oceania, Central America, and South America as of February.
Dragon Stars has released a total of over 50 figures to date. For this article, we sat down with the project lead who has been with the company since its establishment and overseen the development of these items, Mr. Sugimatsu, to talk about his passion for Dragon Stars as well as the global popularity of Dragon Ball from country to country.
"Officially, I'm the brand manager for the western division of Bandai's toy business, but my job actually involves planning, development, and branding. For the Japanese branch, there are separate people who oversee things like planning and development, but on the other side of the world, we have a single, almighty producer who deals with a wide range of things all along the supply chain. That's me."
――So what's the story behind the creation of the Dragon Stars series?
"After joining Bandai and being stationed in America, I gained a whole new appreciation for just how popular Dragon Ball was there. It was around 2016, and there were various Dragon Ball figures available, such as the S.H.Figuarts series, but they were all relatively expensive. There wasn't anything simpler that a child might be able to buy, so we proposed products like the Dragon Stars and Limit Breakers series to fill that gap in the market. We make toys that children ages 4 and up are able to enjoy, and we stock them in a range of locations from major retailers to local toy stores because our overarching goal is for them to be something that you can buy on a whim at your local store."
"I'm hoping to eventually get to a place where we can offer figures for every single character in Dragon Ball so that all fans have the chance to own a figure of their favorite character."
――Finally, do you have any big goals when comes to Dragon Stars? Or even just something you take very seriously with your work in planning and development of these products?
"I want to help preserve the legacy of Dragon Ball for the next 10, 20 years, or even longer, and to be able to show the younger generation today what makes it such a good series. Although, even with that goal in mind, we didn't think we'd have much success in fostering a new generation of fans if we suddenly came out of nowhere with purely children-focused products, and so first we focused on making a strong impression in the market so that fans would come to recognize and trust our brand. And then from there, we'd be able to maintain the series in the long-term. That's the idea behind Dragon Stars and other similar lines. Also, keeping with the philosophy of making easily accessible, inexpensive toys that kids want to play with, we've now developed and released the Super Saiyan Goku HeadGear item, which is something that I hope kids of all ages will be able to enjoy."
――I see that these two figures (Nappa and Vegeta) include your childhood favorite, Vegeta from the Saiyan arc.
"Exactly. I've been wanting to put out a figure of him for years, but when we started this series, we were mainly focused on creating products to coincide with the Dragon Ball Super anime that was airing at the time. Being able to finally release these figures is a wish come true for me. Up until the Saiyan arc, everyone had been fighting while wearing traditional martial arts clothing, so when these new characters showed up wearing battle armor, it really left a strong impression on fans, which is why we paid particular attention to the color and detail of the battle armor for these figures. It took a lot of passionate negotiations between us and the manufacturer, but we were able to create a posable action figure that maintains the standard that people expect from children's toys, all while coming in at just $19.99."
――Are there any specific considerations you have to make when designing a posable figure?
"If you're making something that goes 1-to-1 with the original design, there are various limits that you run into. For example, we had to make it possible to lift up the shoulder parts to give the figures a greater range of motion. They're also designed so that the various parts will detach to prevent them from snapping if they come under a lot of stress while being moved around. Sticking to a simple but strong design helps us make something that children can play with without fearing that it'll break."
――Do you have to take into account the risk of small parts like the Scouters being accidentally ingested?
"We do. For example, we make sure that those kinds of parts can't be removed. Also, if you look at the scouter from above, you'll see that it curves along the face without jutting out at all, so that even if the head were to be swallowed, it wouldn't get trapped in a child's airways. These kinds of things get decided after numerous discussions and meetings. When you're dealing with items that are meant for younger age groups, there's a lot more that you have to keep in mind when compared to regular figures, so it can take a while to go from planning to completion."
――What kind of product is the Battle Pack?
"It's a 2-figure set. Gogeta and Janenba are both available separately as part of the normal Dragon Stars series, but here, they're sporting battle-ready expressions and come with more parts to attach and detach, so it's possible to recreate an even wider range of iconic fight scenes. We've also released a Future Trunks vs Fusion Zamasu set in this same series."
――It looks like you can use one of the attachable parts to unleash a Soul Punisher with Gogeta!
"Well, when it comes to the fight between Gogeta and Janenba, it's such an amazing moment that we knew we had to do it justice. We wanted to mix the colors directly into the materials, but we were limited by the price point we wanted to hit, so instead we added multiple layers of color using a technique similar to air spraying to give it a sort of uneven appearance. These methods were a brand-new challenge for us, but we just didn't want to compromise on this aspect of the figure."
――Was there a particular reason why you decided to make a set for Super Saiyan Gogeta vs Janenba, two movie-original characters?
"I was at an event in America, and while I was there, I had the opportunity to talk to a Dragon Ball fan who seemed to be around middle-school age. They excitedly said to me, "I've got a ton of Dragon Stars! Can you make Super Gogeta and Janenba next?" so I replied, "Sure, why not?" They mentioned that their first introduction to Dragon Ball was through video games, and they'd always thought of the characters as video game characters, and that the show was just an anime based on the games. It was with that in mind that I thought maybe we could introduce characters and scenes that some fans aren't familiar with through this product, and perhaps that would even lead to them checking out the movie. We were also interested in motivating casual fans to engage with the series in a variety of ways."
――Could you tell us a bit about the Power Up Packs?
"Of course. These are our flashier offerings in the Dragon Stars series. They come with effect parts, weapons, etc. and are sold for $24.99. We have a regular Rosé Goku Black for sale already, but I always wanted to capture his uniquely colored aura and his awesome scythe that he uses to fight, so we made a Power Up Pack for him. This is our third Power Up Pack so far, following the Super Saiyan Goku and Super Saiyan Vegeta packs that were quite popular."
――Auras and Ki blasts are easy enough to imagine when they're just drawings in a manga, but did you have much trouble converting those concepts into a three-dimensional toy?
"Yes, it wasn't easy. Other figures would represent Ki blasts by having a sphere on the end of a protruding stick, but we were worried about it potentially breaking and exposing a sharp edge if we were to adopt a similar method. Instead, we used a softer material and rounded any edges to keep them safe. Those are the kinds of details that we agonized over."
――Finally, do you have anything to say to the readers out there who're looking forward to these new products?
"I'm going to continue trying my best to bring exciting new Dragon Ball products to the world, so please look forward to what we have in store!"
Via: en.dragon-ball-official.com/news/01_893.html and en.dragon-ball-official.com/news/01_894.html
