Haruka & Kanata Smart Dolls - 2017

Yeah, Haruka not looking like her official artwork plus the rude way Danny is responding to perfectly fine questions/comments is really rubbing me the wrong way. I get that she’s his character and he can do whatever he wants in the end, but surely there are people out there who were looking forward to Haruka and (rightfully) expected her to look the way she had always been portrayed in the past. Granted, I do think she looks very cute, but I’m still disappointed that he would retcon his own characters so easily.. At least he’s finally making glasses. Hopefully Eiji gets a pair. :\

 

I just hope that his comments that she’s on the same body as Chitose could still mean that she could be released on a body with shorter legs if he plans to revamp Chitose. ...will she get a revamp?? I may be grasping at every small hope for a shorter Smart Doll body at this point...

Pretty sure the ‘she’s the same body as chitose’ thing was just a dig at the people who complained about Chitose not being on the equivalent of a DDS body. :/ if he can’t be bothered to make actual licensed characters look like the characters, I doubt he’s going to extend the same effort to his OCs that he can easily retcon and make the new designs canon.

I just find it disappointing that he isn't willing to go the extra mile for the main work he once promoted. He could make a different head for his new girls, but not for Haruka, who had a name and design from the get go. He had a world that was built and it feels like since the release of Chitose, all that went out the window.

 

I think this is what gets me the most. It’s really sad to see him not put much effort into his own characters and the story universe that he built up before Smartdoll even existed.

 

I think I remember his reasoning for releasing Chitose so early despite not having a fitting body was because she was one of his most popular characters and he needed to generate revenue to continue developing. Since then we’ve had so many licensed and random original dolls/clothes/etc teased or released so I hoped that he would have enough to put more work into his OCs, but well..... :\

 

It's funny because I don't think I've even seen his new glasses on Eiji. Even Crimson is wearing it in his store. LOL

 

LOL, I hope he remembers that Eiji was his original glasses boy and lets him wear it sometime..

 

Pretty sure the ‘she’s the same body as chitose’ thing was just a dig at the people who complained about Chitose not being on the equivalent of a DDS body. :/ if he can’t be bothered to make actual licensed characters look like the characters, I doubt he’s going to extend the same effort to his OCs that he can easily retcon and make the new designs canon.

 

Aww welp, I’m really bad at reading through Danny’s sarcasm. xD I don’t think I’m the only one who get their hopes up whenever he says things like that..

 

I’m really worried about how Mika will look now though. I’ve been believing that Bandai Namco would be strict about making sure her Smartdoll be around DDS height so she’s can stand with the rest of the CG DDs and not look totally out of place, and then Danny would release Haruka on that shorter smartdoll body afterwards, but now I’m not sure that’ll happen at all.

I think her face is cute but...Danny's rude responses to Haruka's wig are really off-putting. She already doesn't look like her original design, so I don't see why he'd be so annoyed by questions about her. I would have excused a rude comment here and there as, "he's busy and having a bad day." But come on...Lately he's just been really rude and dismissive overall and I just can't excuse that.

Edited May 14, 2018 by Guest

Yeah, if anyone is in the Smartdoll Facebook group, things got really heated on the post about Haruka. Danny is definitely in the wrong on this situation. It seems he is irritated that people keep asking why her hair isn't pink yet he hasn't made a comment about the hair color change at all. I get that its his character and he can do whatever he wants but her cannon design hasn't even been changed! Hair style and color is a big aspect of an anime character's design and Haruka doesn't look like the design at all. If we can have Ruby with red hair, we can definitely have Haruka with pink hair.

I get redesigning Haruka to appeal to a wider audience (if that's the reason as some people in the Facebook group claim) but if that's the case, then why doesn't Danny just say so? I think most people would understand if this was the case.

 

If he has time to make sarcastic comments and post photos of his food and electromic glass cleaner, then he has time to say "the reason for the redesign is ..... ". 'Cause it's obvious from the reactions that a lot of fans are disappointed.

Did anyone see today's email? I find it very off-putting.

 

I don't plan on letting the business sink just because some folks who want me to be their doll wardrobe so I need to do what needs to be done to keep the company healthy which means keeping our selection lean - you cant imagine the amount of complaints I constantly have from folks who ask why on earth I don't keep every single product I have ever made in stock. My answer is "mmmmmmkaay....."

 

Actually the new complain is about Haruka's hair not being pink or height not being shorter than Mirai. You know, when I was developing Smart Doll in 2012, folks started to complain about every single aspect of my philosophy and the doll design etc etc - if I listed to them - I would have no Smart Doll and you would not be reading this email. No matter what happens in life, no matter if even the people closest to you don't believe in you - the important thing is not to convince them - but to continue to believe in yourself.

Nuff said.

 

Stuff like this makes me say "mmmmmmmmkaaaay, maybe I won't buy anything else from you if that's how you treat your customers."

Yeah I just got that email and felt similarly after reading it; the attitude is pretty off-putting.

 

I get that he no doubt has to deal with customers who are unreasonable (like any other business) but this isn't the way to address the public.

 

I don't understand what has happened; I never thought he used to be like this. A little snarky yeah but not like this.

Where would he be without his initial customers today? I would think he could stand to be a bit more humble...

He is very good at talking to his customers, but not communicating.

 

Seriously, would there be any harm in saying that there are no plans for a smaller body? Even if it is just a at-the-moment or not-in-the-near-future, statement. I think people would understand that more than a "it is how it is" kind of reply.

Same with the wig. Why not communicate that Haruka's wig is the color it is due to... whatever reason that might be. I suspect that it would have to do with being appealing to "newcomers", and not scare them away with a bright pink hairdo...

Even if people would not be happy about that choice, I think that is by far a better approach - to stand by your choices - instead of being snarky. Especially to those who are disappointed.

It is not about convincing others... it is about informing them.

 

It feels as if Danny does not connect with us customers in the regard that this hobby takes planning as well. It is an expensive hobby and we want to know when things will be available and when they won't so we can plan our economy accordingly.

Of course he would get questions about things not being available anymore, when he does not state that certain items are not unlimited, or if they will be discontinued after they are sold out.

So I welcome this change to a seasonal selection.

Actually, I remember back when he was developing the guy Smartdoll, he ASKED for feedback A LOT. He wouldn't have sold ONE Eiji ever if not for the feedback, cause his initial design was just ugly and weird And I understand getting a lot of complaints and replying to complaints in this manner, but the problem is when people just ASK (and not complaint), and he brushes them off rudely. I am starting to be really bothered by his attitude, cause it seemed like he had stopped this kind of rude replies for a while, but whenever a problem arises, it seems this attitude just keeps coming back and I'm not sure I want to support such a business...

It makes no sense to me because the two things lacking from Haruka are the exact two things people wanted from her in the first place. (pink hair, little sister body). If they wanted Mirai with twintails they'd just get a twintail wig and stick it on Mirai.

 

Here's what I dont get. I have heard a few times that Danny avoids making the girls look 'overly anime' in order to court an audience less interested in anime, because he has apparently said that he is more interested in creating new doll customers than converting them from Volks etc. Hence why the fashions are mostly pretty conservative casual streetwear and not too many lolita/costumes or whatever. Which makes sense on the surface, but...then he also releases an extremely anime maid dress and school uniform (and the uniform is unquestionably super anime, you couldn't even pretend its just a typical japanese school uniform because no japanese school uniform is a)form-fitting b) micro-mini-skirted c) FLUORESCENT ORANGE). He develops absurdly gigantic XXXL boobs and makes lewd comments about highschool girls/school swimsuits/hentai/etc in his product descriptions. He has anime collab dolls. One of which will actually have pink hair. So like...which is it?? Are they aimed at casual fans who are put off by super anime stuff or not...? If that's seriously the reason for Haruka not looking like her actual character design, it just doesn't add up to me. Because in my personal opinion, if I was someone who wasnt really interested in anime and came to the store website or his instagram out of curiosity I'd be a lot more scared away by the gigantic XXXXwhateverL boobs than a girl with pink hair.

 

And yeah, brushing off criticism with 'you guys are never happy!' is not professional. I get where he's coming from because i read the kinds of comments he gets on instagram now and then and sometimes I honestly don't blame him for becoming so snarky and jaded towards his fans, but like I've said before, he doesn't seem to differentiate between people with legitimate critique/questions and people who just nitpick for the sake of nitpicking, and treats them with the same attitude. Not to mention that he obviously does listen to the criticism at least some of the time because the unbelievably poor reception to his Spike prototype seems to have put it on hold for now (I dont know if he abandoned it completely, but I hope not). Being rude to the fanbase that got you where you are makes no sense, especially when they're people who have been waiting years for Haruka.

 

and I know I already said this but I just...really need to stress it. What was the actual point in making Haruka again as opposed to just another new character...?

I actually find this kind of funny because it is how I picture some "big wigs" at Volks reacting when customers or such complain about designs of dolls they release, outfit staining, or etc. I think the difference is the employees at Volks who may react this way are not the same employees that are "people-facing". (Just one example, thought it most fitting)

 

I mean, they are his products, if he decided Mirai should have green hair or if Kizuna suddenly had pink eyes, well, that is his decision. I know a lot of people were not thrilled with the look of Luka in the DD forums, but that does not mean Volks has to do anything about it. And as far as "well he said so-and-so two years ago and now he changed it. . . .", he has a right to do that. I know I have changed my mind about a design I made, or who I am going to cosplay as this year, etc. People changing their minds is a part of the design process (and life, lol).

 

Does this mean that I am happy about it? Absolutely not, I do not like Haruka's design at all. . . . but I have thought most of the female dolls after Twilight/Moonlight were "meh" (Trinity does look really good though).

I can be okay with the wig color, what bothers me most is the fact she is on the same body as all the other smart dolls. I mean, she is a kid, right? Mirai's body does not say "kid" to me. . . .

 

I am not saying that Danny's attitude is "okay". I actually consider myself pretty accepting if an artist or seller develops an attitude about people constantly complaining about their products, but even when I read the email I was a bit taken aback. He does sound a bit "whiny" in the email to me. . . . I get it, you are never going to make everyone happy and there are details in the background that we do not know about. . . . But if you are going to get bent out of shape every time someone has a negative comment about something you do, why say anything at all? Why not just stop directly interacting with the customers? It is what most businesses do.

 

 

 

*Wow, sorry for all those words, this stuff has been bothering me*

I could care less about the design changes -- and I honestly believe he doesn't have to justify them to anyone -- but his public attitude stinks.

 

And honestly? I don't care if Volks reacts this way *in private*. Heck, I don't care if Danny reacts this way *in private*. I've worked at several multinationals; yeah we *all* say crap about annoying customers all the time. But never in public! Never using official company channels! Never in places where our customers could see/hear/read those comments!

 

But seriously, how hard is it to say "Sorry to hear Haruka is not to your taste. We always have new SmartDolls in the works, maybe your true dollie love is yet to release!" Or "Yeah, Haruka's design changed a lot in production. I love how she turned out!"

I could care less about the design changes -- and I honestly believe he doesn't have to justify them to anyone -- but his public attitude stinks.

 

And honestly? I don't care if Volks reacts this way *in private*. Heck, I don't care if Danny reacts this way *in private*. I've worked at several multinationals; yeah we *all* say crap about annoying customers all the time. But never in public! Never using official company channels! Never in places where our customers could see/hear/read those comments!

 

But seriously, how hard is it to say "Sorry to hear Haruka is not to your taste. We always have new SmartDolls in the works, maybe your true dollie love is yet to release!" Or "Yeah, Haruka's design changed a lot in production. I love how she turned out!"

 

Pretty much all of this. I've worked in retail before and I would NEVER make such comments in public where any (potential) customer could hear/read them.

 

Reading that email actually made me sad. I love Smart Dolls but seeing Danny act this way makes me almost not wanna buy anything Smart Doll-related.

I agree with both of you. My comment was just a long winded way to reach the same conclusion (sad right?). I understand why he is throwing a bit of a hissy fit, but I do not think he should have that hissy fit in a public facing way. If he is mad about what people are saying about his design, I would suggest 'walking away' for a little bit, calm down, then post a neutral like what you suggested Cauldroness. If he cannot do that then he should create a PR position to run his Twitter account and send emails instead. . . . or say nothing at all.

 

I am IT and do a lot of "Help Desk" stuff as part of my role. As such I have become very good at smiling at someone I wanted to curse out, I wonder why Danny is unable to learn the same 'skills', especially with all those 'self-improvement' books he reads.

I feel like the email specifically goes over the line. I wasn't happy with the attitude being expressed on twitter or instagram, but at least those are in response to people's comments (though legit comments as well as annoying ones as many here have noted). The email though goes to everyone on the email list, so it also comes off as agressive to people who have never complained about anything, and those emails are an offiicial public face of Smart Doll.

 

A little tangent, but I wanted to add something to this:

 

I know a lot of people were not thrilled with the look of Luka in the DD forums, but that does not mean Volks has to do anything about it.

Exactly, and as the person who probably griped the most about her, I did it here to vent among others in this hobby. I'd never say or post anything to Volks about it; they don't owe me anything. They make their products and I choose to buy or not buy them based on how I like them, or don't.

I'm glad that people here are not in support of his attitude lately. ^^" I was hesitant to bring this up earlier but I recall a screenshot Danny posted of a bratty customer and how he cancelled on this person. I get that some customers can be annoying and unreasonable, but dissing that person in front his customer base? What the heck? Fine, complain about that on your private social media or to your coworkers, everyone who has worked in customer service probably has done that.

 

If he was having a bad day and deleted that post, I think I'd have room to forgive him. But it's still up, with thousands likes and a large majority of the comments are in support on him. With vocal fans like that, I can't be surprised by his dimissive attitude towards Haruka questions.

 

He can keep dissing Volks all he wants about their exclusivity and limited stock, but they'll never be as bad as Moonlight kai with 10 stock, no indication of (exact) time and section she'll be in. Yup, I'm super bitter about missing out on her. Thanks, I'll be sticking with Volks because at least they announce their dates and time, often sticking with it.

 

I wanted to like the guy, with his dark skin options available at any time, something Volks doesn't do. However, I think it's quite clear now he favours his Milk girls with 5 of them in the Mirai sculpt available at any time (at least for now). Yeah, I think the anni Mirai faceup is pretty and what not but...I don't really want to support Danny's business anymore. I'll be picking that up on Manda instead and repainting her myself. >_>

Edited May 15, 2018 by Guest

I think the problem with Danny is that the vast majority of his fans accept his behaviour. Just look at the comments on his social media. For every critical response, there are like 10 in support of him.

 

It was the same when Danny posted the screenshot of the order he cancelled 'cause the customer was superpicky. There were some people (myself included) who said they didn't like him publicly shaming a customer like that. But most comments were in complete support of Danny's actions. So no wonder Danny thinks that he can act this way.

Edited May 15, 2018 by Guest

Ah yes, that post. I was a little horrified when I saw it on my instagram feed. I get that as a creator you don't really owe your customers, but they are the reason your business continues. You can't drag someone through the mud just cause they're picky. That was literally 'too much information'.

 

There are many things about Danny Choo that confuse me. The gall to sell a character doll to an expecting fanbase when it looks nothing like the original design, and expect people to hype her like they once did blindly with no explaination. And most of all, his customer blaming.

 

I wouldn't be pressed at all if he just said 'I didn't want her to have pink hair' that would have been enough for me. Now I just have a bad taste in my mouth, and I don't want to support him if he continues treating his fans like verbal punching bags of a convenient bank. I can't even look and enjoy my Eiji Kai anymore.

Part of my original interest in smartdoll was the fact that to begin with they really did feel like a collab effort from fans where everyone’s suggestion was considered - especially with the creation of Eiji. But that’s all gone now and the culture around them is increasingly hostile and resilient to improvement which is also why I ultimately lost interest. I did appreciate him improving Eiji’s neck due to complaints but seeing him rudely respond to a customer who asked when the bust piece would be sold separately like he did originally promise kind of ruined that for me too.

I do not expect him to listen to everyone and he has every right to pursue his own vision for his dolls if having them all look basically identical is that vision, but a little tact to your supporters goes a long way.

 

and as an Australian it’s one of my least favourite things on earth when I see people, usually not even Brits, explaining that he only seems rude because it’s just his ‘dry British wit’ that plebs don’t get cos look mate if an Australian thinks you’re being rude you’re probably being rude lol.

When I first saw Danny’s videos, I thought he was so cool. Just this chill dude that wanted to make an awesome product, super racially inclusive, very funny.

I fell in love with the idea of his business. The absolute professional quality of his wigs, clothes.

I loved that he invited everyone into the making of his dolls. There were no secrets.

 

But now, he just seems callous. Maybe the realities of running a successful business soured him. Maybe he’s just always been like that. I think he needs better social skills, and grow as a creator. Artist’s need to be able to take, understand, and learn from constructive criticism.

Has anyone here brought these matters to his attention (or plan to)?

Has anyone here brought these matters to his attention (or plan to)?

 

I voiced my unease/disappointment in the Smart Doll Lovers Facebook group but I don't know if he really reads the comments there.

 

I'll admit that I'm hesitent to post directly on his social media or email him with my concerns, out of fear for getting a rude response from him or worse, being publicly shamed.

Edited May 15, 2018 by Guest

I'll admit that I'm hesitent to post directly on his social media or email him with my concerns, out of fear for getting a rude response from him or worse, being publically shamed.

 

In all honestly, that would be a nail in his own coffin...

But seeing his track-record for rude responses, you are not wrong in fearing it.

 

I think it is best to speak up, than to stay silent, if there is to be any hope of change.

No demands, no rude remarks - just stating facts and concerns about his attitude. If he reacts poorly to that, then at least we have done what we can, and can take our business elsewhere.

Maybe I will put an email together this weekend. I am not sure how I will phrase it yet.

If I have trouble I can always post it here or create another 'topic' for it (in case it is called out for being off-topic) and we can create a 'group' email that appropriately addresses our concerns. We shall see.

Would it be more "impacting" if it were more people? I feel as though if it were only one person e-mailing, it would be easier to write off.

 

but...honestly? His attitude is putting me off from ordering Sana for my birthday...