The Facebook debacle & other issues

15 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Do you have a source on this? It would answer a question asked.

 

I think one significant difference with Volks is that Volks dolls are produced with the hobbyist in mind. From Volks perspective it's totally normal to wipe the dolls face and put on a new one, use multiple heads to create one character with several expressions, or create a totally original character.

They offer instruction in doing face-ups, and services like FCS will sell you a full doll with any head you choose, and you have the choice of a custom face-up based on a theme, or receiving it unpainted.

Announcing which head they use isn't just about being honest, it's a concept that lies at the core of the hobby. By telling people what head they used they are in essence saying "look what you can do with this sculpt." You can say the same thing about their clothing pages where the head and body used is called out; it's a way of saying "look what you can do with F-63 or Limited DD Mash using the right outfit."

That said, it's a valid comparison given how Danny seems to be focused on his competition with Volks, and how little effort it would take to say "Charactername is sculpt F6." I think that is especially true given how close some of this sculpts are too each other. It often seems like Kanata has a bazillion small variants, and her entire facial concept has become Danny's new Mirai.

I'm referring to his misconstrued "translation" tweet - (I mean by him misconstruing it for his own gain)

 

As far as the "Well his fanbase consists of people that are just interested in characters" That's also a rather specious argument. That's ONE sector of his fanbase. Just because a fanbase has criticism doesn't mean they're not fans (look at sports teams and their fans!) To say his fanbase is a majority that ONLY wants that and is not interested in customization overlooks the fact he even did Kits and is now doing the "Simplicity" model as well. Just because he caters to one group completely disregards the other as "non fans"

 

And yes, the fact he doesn't want customization is why I'm pointing out they're glorified faceups. If you're posting yourself as a COMPETITOR to Volks. So yeah that's all silly when you think of the context of this argument. 

 

Edited September 12, 2020 by Q_T

I'm on my phone so it's hard to scroll up and down to quote, but I believe Danny is really reluctant to divulge which sculpt each doll is.

12 minutes ago, Q_T said:

I'm referring to his misconstrued "translation" tweet - (I mean by him misconstruing it for his own gain)

Darn, I was hoping you had the root of the matter sourced. XD

Thank you just the same.

 

12 minutes ago, bbotss said:

I believe Danny is really reluctant to divulge which sculpt each doll is.

The problem here is that it's possible he just being silly, but all the other stuff makes it hard not to see his comment as an attempt to shut down stuff that exists outside of SmartDollLand™.

 

12 minutes ago, Q_T said:

To say his fanbase is a majority that ONLY wants that and is not interested in customization overlooks the fact he even did Kits and is now doing the "Simplicity" model as well. Just because he caters to one group completely disregards the other as "non fans"

This is pretty recent though. If I am not mistaken it wasn't too long ago where a lot of hostility was expressed at people who repainted their SmartDolls. I would also say that Chaos heads with no caps are hardly a way to support any sort of serious customization. Basically it's play roulette for $$$ until you get the head and skin color you want vs. buying exactly what you are looking for from Volks. That's not a customization friendly business model at all.

I'm not trying to suggest that there aren't SmartDoll owners who want to customize, or that those folks aren't fans of SmartDoll; in that regard what Danny thinks of them is irrelevant.

9 minutes ago, bbotss said:

I'm on my phone so it's hard to scroll up and down to quote, but I believe Danny is really reluctant to divulge which sculpt each doll is.

Yeah, he always gets really snarky whenever people try to identify which doll uses which sculpt, as many of them do look extremely similar. I mostly dislike the weird applications of transparency in general — Fans have to dig to compile information on which dolls use which sculpt + who even made the sculpts in the first place (spoiler alert, Danny is not an artist!), but there are frequent "behind the scenes" videos and photos of prototypes and such.

I'm also still cranky about his weird ways of promoting/teasing/releasing male dolls. Just let people buy them, there clearly is a market!

3 minutes ago, Q_T said:

As far as the "Well his fanbase consists of people that are just interested in characters" That's also a rather specious argument. That's ONE sector of his fanbase. Just because a fanbase has criticism doesn't mean they're not fans (look at sports teams and their fans!) To say his fanbase is a majority that ONLY wants that and is not interested in customization overlooks the fact he even did Kits and is now doing the "Simplicity" model as well. Just because he caters to one group completely disregards the other as "non fans"

 

lol you're completely missreading what both of us keep saying.

We aren't saying ALL of the people in his fanbase are just interested in characters. We are saying MOST. It's a difference in crowds, and it honestly sounds more like you just want to start a fight rather than listening to either of us. Especially because you took my "90%" and turned it into ALL and ONLY. I don't work in absolutes. I'm stating something that more than one of us is trying to tell you.

Just because you don't want to see it doesn't mean others don't. Besides, I never stated that anyone who has criticism isn't a fan. Neither did @Serena-Hime .  You put those words out there yourself. 

Simplicity isn't about customization. Simplicity is about getting a discount on packaging because you put the doll's arms and legs and all that jazz on yourself instead of the doll coming to you fully put together and in a fancy package. You don't even know what model you're getting, as Danny states that it's a mystery. You might get a Mirai. You might get a blue girl. It's basically the same as the "Only for the Brave" except for the fact that you have to put their arms and legs in their sockets. 

The kits weren't really about customization any more than a normal doll would be. What's the difference between a kit and a full doll? You put it together yourself and then have to buy extra stuff for it anyway. It's damn near the same as just buying a doll and wiping the face-up, minus some of the cost. 

 

Look, I'm not defending any of Danny's personal actions. Not in the slightest. But from the actual business and doll-production standpoint, I can see what he's doing. Whether you want this to be about you and your personalization or not, and whether Danny wants to view himself as the main rival to Volks or not, as @Serena-Hime said, these dolls are Fashion dolls. They're more like the brands that you have decided you want to cut out and not compare them to. This is just how it is. And I'm not gonna argue with you anymore just because Danny doesn't cater his dolls to YOU.

At the end of the day, Danny doesn't need your money. He doesn't need my money. This is his hobby. He's making these dolls for HIMSELF and that's why he takes everything so damn personally all the time. You can criticize him all you want. That's fine. (Because yeah, he doesn't run things professionally) But all it's gonna do is make you more stressed out in the longrun because you personally are never gonna get what you want out of this. Because we're all getting what DANNY wants. 

I don't buy these dolls because I support Danny. I buy these dolls because I like them, either as they are or because I'm just gonna wipe the face-up and do it myself. Because this is just how they come. Yelling at Danny to release the sculpt names rather than character names, or begging him to make more customization options isn't going to work because he's gonna make them the way that HE wants to make them, and that's that. 

3 minutes ago, Q_T said:

As far as the "Well his fanbase consists of people that are just interested in characters" That's also a rather specious argument. That's ONE sector of his fanbase. Just because a fanbase has criticism doesn't mean they're not fans (look at sports teams and their fans!) To say his fanbase is a majority that ONLY wants that and is not interested in customization overlooks the fact he even did Kits and is now doing the "Simplicity" model as well. Just because he caters to one group completely disregards the other as "non fans"

When did I say this? I don't even collect SmDs, have an extreme dislike of Danny and his business practices, and I'm closer to a Volks loyalist than anything, so I would never even suggest that you're a 'bad fan' for criticizing his business or for not collecting SmDs in a certain way, so...not sure how you got there lol. 

As I said: I think Danny should be listing the sculpt names in the descriptions of each character, as well as selling blank dolls, but I do not find it deceptive or ''silly'' for him to sell multiple dolls with the same sculpts and present them as new...because they are new dolls, and a large portion of his consumers are buying SmDs to leave stock in the first place. 

That is not a specious argument, it's demonstrably true that a sizable group of SmD collectors are buying them to leave relatively-stock, not to use as custom bases. You can criticize the fact that he doesn't sell blanks or list sculpts for each doll, and simultaneously acknowledge that a lot of SmD fans don't want to customize their dolls, and therefore do not care if two dolls have the same head sculpt. 

1 minute ago, RainbowNanaki said:

I'm also still cranky about his weird ways of promoting/teasing/releasing male dolls. Just let people buy them, there clearly is a market!

Oh man, SAME. My roomie wants the Gemini super bad. If he's only released in Simplicity which is entirely a game of chance, then he isn't willing to take that risk. We just wanna bring this sweet boy home so my roomie can do all of the cool stuff he's been planning with him! He even found the wig last night and we ordered it in preparation. 

He pointed out though that Prowess seemed to have been released in a Simplicity kit before she had a proper page up and was able to be bought straight-out. But Gemini has had a page up for a while. So we're crossing our fingers and hoping that he'll get released after the Simplicity kits run out. Those seem to be a giant money-trap when it comes to the teasers.

15 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

This is pretty recent though. If I am not mistaken it wasn't too long ago where a lot of hostility was expressed at people who repainted their SmartDolls. I would also say that Chaos heads with no caps are hardly a way to support any sort of serious customization. Basically it's play roulette for $$$ until you get the head and skin color you want vs. buying exactly what you are looking for from Volks. That's not a customization friendly business model at all.

I'm not trying to suggest that there aren't SmartDoll owners who want to customize, or that those folks aren't fans of SmartDoll; in that regard what Danny thinks of them is irrelevant.

Right, but I meant more about the Simplicity model or Cortex. Chaos is definitely not something I'm accounting for. As far as people repainting where was the hostility from other fans or more likely Danny exasperating the situation since he's more high profile and the creator? 

 

The points I'm making is pretty much in line with yours, as I'm pointing it out from the fact he does set himself up as a Competitor (which is the key point of me calling out the faceup thing) to a business model that encourages customization, Volks. He isn't as far as I know doing potshots here and there at Azone, Blythe, Integrity Toys or Obitsu?

 

 

Also @BeyondTimeI think you're going to have a harder time at least from the Volks end to find something more solid on Danny's interactions from them since culturally and business wise that's not what they'll generally divulge. 

Side note: It's funny that "wabi-sabi" is really and more like "Cultural appropriation" that people scream about these dsays

Edited September 12, 2020 by Q_T

I need to put my moderator hat on here and remind everyone to keep discussions civil.

Always keep in mind that we can't convey tone of voice in forum posts very well, and something that sounds hostile may not be intended that way at all by the poster.

We're all here because we're fans of this hobby and the forum is filled with people who feel a lot of passion for the subject. I don't think anyone in this thread has ever come off as deliberately mean-spirited or hateful towards other members in any way.

45 minutes ago, Q_T said:

As far as people repainting where was the hostility from other fans or more likely Danny exasperating the situation since he's more high profile and the creator? 

I don't recall for sure. It might have been on SamrtDoll Lovers FB, but I am just not certain. Even then, that group often seemed to be an echo chamber.

 

45 minutes ago, Q_T said:

Right, but I meant more about the Simplicity model or Cortex.

The cortex kits were definitely a step in the right direction, but did they come with a selectable / paintable head? I know you could buy the skin color, which was a huge plus over Chaos.

What I am remembering is from the Cortex thread starting here, and the only character mentioned is Gaia. There is a reference to another post mentioning the kits as body only with no head, but I don't know which thread. I'm afraid I didn't really keep up with the Cortex news that closely.

 

 

Looking this up did remind me that he also had the workshop where you could build a SmartDoll, but I am assuming those heads were all standard pre-painted characters.

 

45 minutes ago, Q_T said:

He isn't as far as I know doing potshots here and there at Azone, Blythe, Integrity Toys or Obitsu?

I have yet to hear of any, but @Cauldroness did mention that Obitsu is rumored to be the manufacturer of Smartdolls. Her wording seemed to stress that it's a rumor, so take it with a grain of salt. If it's true then, Apple v. Samsung aside, it's really hard to go full bore attack mode on your own revenue stream. XD

 

3 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

I don't recall for sure. It might have been on SamrtDoll Lovers FB, but I am just not certain. Even then, that group often seemed to be an echo chamber.

 

That's what it comes off to me as well. It's hard to say that the fanbase only reacts that way because from what I'm understanding there's a lot of gatekeeping (if that's the right word) or influence of what kind of comments could be made, which is not really sure if the fanbase is on one page (which I highly doubt, there's too many people) vs not offending the owner. Not uncommon in other aspects as well since for example certain gaming forums with JP creators ban a lot of negative speech towards them because of an incident in the past where threats were made towards the producers of a game.

Quote

 

The cortex kits were definitely a step in the right direction, but did they come with a selectable / paintable head? I know you could buy the skin color, which was a huge plus over Chaos.

What I am remembering is from the Cortex thread starting here, and the only head mentioned is Gaia. There is a reference to another post mentioning the kits as body only with no head, but I don't know which thread. I'm afraid I didn't really keep up with the Cortex news that closely.

Looking these up did remind me that he also had the workshop where you could build a SmartDoll, but I am assuming those heads were all standard pre-painted characters.

 

I'll be quite honest and say I'm not sure, but I'll agree it's the step in the right direction.  But as you've seen and what I'm seeing from the Simplicity grade - https://info.smartdoll.jp/en/posts/simplicity It's still prone to the problems of faceups, and a blank head would help. I mean why not let the public design their own faceups - who knows what creative endeavor you'll get from your own fans. I also don't see the big deal that he is using repeatable sculpts, it's again more of his attitude and who he believes he's competing against. 

 

Just seems obviously something happened between https://archive.dannychoo.com/en/posts/volks

Quote

I'll talk about it when the time is right but Volks and I will be working together on some really cool stuff in the very near future - keep em peeled ^o^

To his antics of now?

 

24 minutes ago, ButtonsMcGee said:

At the end of the day, Danny doesn't need your money. He doesn't need my money. This is his hobby.

Speaking of money, he released "Semi Real Mirai Candidate" in the prototype section today, and she was listed as 390 000 yen...
This went down to 270 000/250 000, and seem to have ended at 210 000.
I know he said he'd lower the price if no one is buying his stuff, but still... It is baffling to see those price-tags, especially when some of the items there are not the best quality. It'd be way better to make a proper one-off section, like many BJD companies do, then I'd find the prices a bit more ok.

And can I ask if anyone else got the feeling that Monday was mainly made as a jab towards people who dislike the flat faces of his dolls, but now, since she got so popular (?), he's been spewing them out..? And no nose-picking since..?


But back on the topic of volks/other company dolls, (it might be hard to answer due to the pandemic) but last the physical smartdoll store was open, were all dolls still welcome there..? Anyone remember?
Or if he dialed back on that too, at some point.

34 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

The cortex kits were definitely a step in the right direction, but did they come with a selectable / paintable head? I know you could buy the skin color, which was a huge plus over Chaos.

What I am remembering is from the Cortex thread starting here, and the only character mentioned is Gaia. There is a reference to another post mentioning the kits as body only with no head, but I don't know which thread. I'm afraid I didn't really keep up with the Cortex news that closely.

For the Cortex kits, the prepainted ones were Mirai (Milk), Melody (Milk), Gaia who uses the Mirai faceup masks (Tea), and Mirai (Cocoa). Melody was a micro release. There was also a micro release of "Crystal Cortex" shell pieces, made of clear plastic and unpainted. As far as I know, these were the only unpainted heads released before the Chaos packs, and headless kits were never released to my knowledge.

On 9/12/2020 at 12:03 PM, Q_T said:

It's hard to say that the fanbase only reacts that way because from what I'm understanding there's a lot of gatekeeping (if that's the right word) or influence of what kind of comments could be made, which is not really sure if the fanbase is on one page (which I highly doubt, there's too many people) vs not offending the owner.

No group is ever entirely homogeneous in their thinking in my experience. In point of fact, my own opinion is that everyone has their own way of thinking unlike anyone else's. The human brain is just far too complex at the cellular level to have any two be exactly alike, and then add in nurture to the equation.

 

On 9/12/2020 at 12:03 PM, Q_T said:

I'm seeing from the Simplicity grade - https://info.smartdoll.jp/en/posts/simplicity

I remember that post now, the one with the magical portal that only appears for the lucky few. Again you can contrast this to Volks who uses a lottery not to enforce a form of exclusivity, but rather to make sure everyone has a fair chance at getting the doll or outfit they want. Certainly, Simplicity is more of a hobbyists kit, but the sales model isn't exactly hobby friendly. I think this is very much akin to how CJ handles male dolls in the sense that OK it's there, but it's kept at arms length and not treated as a standard part of their business model.

Volks falls short in the availability of male dolls, but still beats SmartDoll in that department. Dream Choice, FCS, Limiteds, and a huge range of male resins, but I am pretty sure there are no male standards, and you can't buy a male body as a part.

 

On 9/12/2020 at 12:03 PM, Q_T said:

Just seems obviously something happened between https://archive.dannychoo.com/en/posts/volks

This is the post I was thinking of when I mentioned the photo of Danny with Volks Management. I guess we can say in 2013 they were on good terms.

I met their daughter, who is is the Director of the Doll Design Department, at the LA Dolpa, she's really nice, a capable businesswoman, and very beautiful.

 

On 9/12/2020 at 12:22 PM, RainbowNanaki said:

As far as I know, these were the only unpainted heads released before the Chaos packs, and headless kits were never released to my knowledge.

Thank you.

19 minutes ago, Yumeiro said:

And can I ask if anyone else got the feeling that Monday was mainly made as a jab towards people who dislike the flat faces of his dolls, but now, since she got so popular (?), he's been spewing them out..? And no nose-picking since..?

Honestly that does sound like what he was doing. But she worked out for him so now he's all about her. 

The funny thing is, the instant I saw her I kinda thought of Anna from Frozen. She's much more of a "Disney-esque" doll.

 

Sadly I can't say on your other question because I've never gotten to go in before. 

There's something I want to address that comes up so many times,and I personally disagree with the sentiment behind it.

They'll be stated in any numerous ways, but boils down to the following:

"Just don't pay any mind when the company does stuff you don't like"

"Don't bother telling the company you don't like it/voice your opinion."

"It's your doll who cares what the company does/says,just enjoy it."

I really think this ties into the concept of "death of the author"- only applied to dolls and companies

The concept is- as ripped from the internet- "...that an author's intentions and biographical facts (the author's politics, religion, etc) should hold no special weight in determining an interpretation of their writing."

In this case- the art/product of Smart Dolls should not be impacted by the message of Smart Doll.

However, I personally don't think it can be done. Through general business practices and the way this company has perpetuated itself- the second hand market is difficult and restricted. Which means you'll have to decide on whether or not you want to suck it up and pay Smart Doll your money to get that product you want. No matter how you slice it- if you do-your funds support /whatever/ message or business practice is happening. So if you ,say, don't like the messages in the long speeches that get posted, or the customer service,the lying, the surrounding culture, or some of the general messages- your money has supported it anyway. Which can be even more frustrating if,as discussed earlier in the thread, you might want some of the representation, and want to support that level of representation Smart doll provides /that you cannot get anywhere else/.

That's not to say that if you already have the product, and you love it, that now you have to get rid of it. That out of moral obligation you can't own the doll/must sell it. The product can be, in it's own way, a separate entity. But it may not feel that way, especially if you did buy direct from the company or currently pay attention to the company. Smart Doll cultivates and projects very specific messages (as all companies do)- and yes you can ignore them, but there is a very real and tangible pressure from their marketing.(As conflicting as it can be sometimes!)

Another,literary, example attached to a company with strong marketing- is the Harry Potter Franchise/JK Rowling. People feel conflicted on their consumption of a franchise they love, that in some cases was formative, and based on what the author believes/does/says.

I get stuck on this myself because of my objections with the company vs my appreciation for the product. I frikkin love Smart dolls /I wouldn't say anything if I didn't/ and why this forum, and people voicing there opinions is important. Which is why I find that things can be a bit frustrating when the response is along the lines of "do what you want"

(thank you for coming to my Ted Talk)

59 minutes ago, HazelMaze said:

Another,literary, example attached to a company with strong marketing- is the Harry Potter Franchise/JK Rowling. People feel conflicted on their consumption of a franchise they love, that in some cases was formative, and based on what the author believes/does/says.

I get stuck on this myself because of my objections with the company vs my appreciation for the product. I frikkin love Smart dolls /I wouldn't say anything if I didn't/ and why this forum, and people voicing there opinions is important. Which is why I find that things can be a bit frustrating when the response is along the lines of "do what you want"

(thank you for coming to my Ted Talk)

(Sorry I snipped it)

Re. Harry Potter... it's difficult wrt death of the author. Not just because Rowling retcons everything all the time, but because even viewing the text on its own, it's very problematic. (Not gonna detail because it's everywhere. But I didn't read HP until I was in my 30s, so I was much more aware of allegory and the subtle ways things in the book are not quite right.)

Anyway!

I sympathise. It's really hard to separate the product from the creator. Likewise, I love the damn things and wish I could see those Gemini kits going to the people who want them. FFS if he can list cortex versions as an option on a product page, then he already has the website infrastructure to list simplicity as an option on the dolls he has kits available for, and people would go effing nuts for them! They really should be in the hands of the people who'll love them the most.

It's worth noting my doll purchases are very emotion driven XD which actually does help separate things a bit. The doll becomes mine when there's place in my heart for her. Yeah I'm sappy. I feel that about all my dolls though. 

The only downside is I feel like I cannot celebrate Smart Doll the way I do other brands. Because while I have my doll and have that separation, someone new to the dolls won't. And they'll see all the drama and talk of poor quality and believe it. I wanna see these dolls thrive, and when their own creator is telling people not to buy them... it's like self-sabotage!

Sorry for the rambles. And for the millionth reminder about how much I like my doll XD

Edit: I hope Smart Dolls thrive not just for me though. My toddler is so enamoured by my doll XD but it'll be a good few years before I'd let her get one. Basically she's gotta be old enough to get a paper route and make some money. I'd probably kick in half the cash XD but yeah. I had to do that when I was young and I started collecting.

Edited September 12, 2020 by Katsudon

52 minutes ago, HazelMaze said:

"Just don't pay any mind when the company does stuff you don't like"

"Don't bother telling the company you don't like it/voice your opinion."

And close this thread down! No need for it!


It is as you say; it's good to remind people who browse this thread that it is ok to own and/or like Smartdolls, despite partaking in this thread and the problematic side of things.

I'm reminded of the whole Mulan thing going on. Correct me if I got some details wrong, but you pay for the Disney streaming monthly fee, and then they want an additional fee on top for you to be able to watch the new Mulan movie.
So if people do nothing - do not speak up - and pay that extra cost, it means that the company, and all other streaming companies, know that they can get away with charging extra, so it becomes the new standard. Roughly speaking.

Same with how the outlet-, and prototype section is now. People keep buying and thus sustaining bad practices.
Smartdoll as a brand will not benefit from people being quiet about things they don't like - in other words critique. If Danny chooses to take that as hate, then that should be on him, not us or potential future customers.

2 hours ago, ButtonsMcGee said:

Sadly I can't say on your other question because I've never gotten to go in before. 

Yeah didn't think many here have, but he was quite frequently posting pics from the store with a whole table of visitors dolls 🙂

30 minutes ago, Katsudon said:

Because while I have my doll and have that separation, someone new to the dolls won't. And they'll see all the drama and talk of poor quality and believe it. I wanna see these dolls thrive, and when their own creator is telling people not to buy them... it's like self-sabotage!

In all honesty, this can changed on a person by person basis. 

I'm relatively new to the Smart Dolls. I bought one used, got hooked, bought another new, and now that our money is flowing a little easier again, I'm planning on buying another one on Monday and will be keeping an eye out for two more on the second-hand market to make into my other characters. 

Because of the fact that I'm new, I have a better separation than say someone who's been following Smart Doll since it's inception. People who have been following along and have seen their friends be hurt by Danny's antics or whom have been hurt themselves are more prone to feeling emotions towards it and therefore will have a harder time separating things. 

Meanwhile I walk in, look at Danny's stuff, laugh at him because he's being a big man-child, and buy the dolls because I like them and don't really care that he's being a twat. (Other than the thing about Gemini because of how badly my roomie wants one.)

 

Back to using Harry Potter as the example, I did grow up with those books. They where all the rage when I was younger when they where coming out, and I actually work in a place where we have a ton of the merch and themed areas and stuff. I've been surrounded by it and... admittedly the whole SmD Vs. Volks thing kinda makes me feel like I'm not good enough for being a Hufflepuff in a room full of Slytherins again. XD

(Like no lie, I went to Universal once in my Hufflepuff hoodie and actually had people making fun of me to the point where I actually wanted to take it off. You know, before fantastic beasts came out and then suddenly being a Hufflepuff was cool.)

Having grown up with the books and those off behaviors not having been pointed out to me as a kid, it was a bit of a harder blow when J.K. Started pulling her shit and being a twat publicly. Whereas someone who is just wandering into it now is wandering in KNOWING about all of the stuff that has gone down and can make better judgments on things. 

 

I hope I wrote that all out alright. XD

A bit late to the discussion, but because people brought up the Nier dolls again...

I thought that incident was very...interesting. It was when I was still a big fan of Danny so I followed his socials very closely and I remember when he got really, really into Nier Automata. He had several posts about how much he loved the game, along with comments like ‘2B has long legs, just like a smartdoll...’ and other stuff that really hinted that he was pursuing a license. Or rather they seemed like the kind of comments someone would make if they *already had a license* and so a lot of fans took that as confirmation. Then he posted that image of the ‘first real face smartdoll’, which was clearly intended to be 2B (it had the beauty mark and he was holding it in a way that obscured her eyes, the way her eyes are usually obscured, which clearly meant he definitely had the go-ahead, right...? Uh, well. I actually have been wondering a lot if he got in some kind of trouble for this now that we know he never had any license and was thus seriously jumping the gun. It’s not...particularly good form for a professional company (as opposed to a doujin group) to tease licenses they don’t actually own, especially a company like Squeenix who seems to hold their licenses in an iron grip (and basically dashing my hopes of 9S and 2B nendoroids ;-;)

I remember that after Volks announced the license, he never posted a single thing about Nier ever again. Whatsoever. I wondered if it was bitterness towards Volks, but I also wonder if there is some negativity towards Squeenix there too. This is just me speculating and possibly tinhatting, obviously, but I was still surprised how he seemed to entirely halt what seemed like an obsession with the game after that.

I also often wonder if Squeenix were the ones to seek out Volks and not the other way around. On the website for the Nier preorder they include an interview with members of the creative team of the game (including Yoko Taro so it’s very funny in places although YT please have more confidence in your beloved creation lol) https://www.volks.co.jp/nierautomata/en/special_01interview/ Theres a few interesting hints here and there - namely that Aoi Yuki is well known as a huge doll fan and a lot of the development was helped by her, that they collaborated heavily with the original modellers for 2B and 9S, etc. when I look at his other collab dolls, who overwhelmingly (fo me) resemble his OCs cosplaying (or worse - that Spike...), it’s hard to imagine the same level of commitment.

tl;dr I think the Nier thing -definitely- didn’t help his growing tensions with Volks, him not even asking for permission before hinting at making dolls could not have gone over well and I regularly wonder if this (and other conduct) has affected potential relationships with other IP holders. 
 

additional: I also don’t think he had any permission from companies like Nintendo to use things like pokeballs in his official photos, and Nintendo are known to be extremely strict about this kind of thing - so I‘m also regularly wondering if he has another smiting coming (or if he’s really playing the long game in hinting at future collabs...)

Edited September 12, 2020 by Monty

58 minutes ago, Monty said:

I regularly wonder if this (and other conduct) has affected potential relationships with other IP holders. 

Correct me if I am wrong here, but pretty much no news on the Bandai / iM@S front since Mika was released? I know he teased Shikki, but nothing since then.

 

30 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Correct me if I am wrong here, but pretty much no news on the Bandai / iM@S front since Mika was released? I know he teased Shikki, but nothing since then.

 

You're not wrong at all.  No news on her and MANY other supposed collabs including:

C.C. of Code Geass

Naruto

The Dirty Pair girls

Supergirl

Batgirl

Wonder Woman

 

Sure we get little views of a few of these in the backgrounds of certain photos but to be perfectly honest, I doubt we will ever see ANY of these available for sale.  Why?  Because I think the companies involved have either backed out after witnessing his business tactics and customer service..... or.... he never had the licenses for any of them to begin with.  It's like with the 2B situation, he had a prototype or two of her and was posting excitedly about her for a while and then nothing.  This is nothing but speculation on my part of course but things seem to line up nicely when you think about it in this light.  

I would *love* to see all the dolls above come out, really.  You have no idea how bad I've wanted a cool looking WW doll that is DD sized.  Same for C.C. and Kallen.  

 

 

Billy

10 minutes ago, baldylox said:

The Dirty Pair girls

Dirty Pair would be nice, but I think they are more suited to DDS than SmD. They were very compact ladies, and SmD are more tall and willowy.

 

10 minutes ago, baldylox said:

No news on her and MANY other supposed collabs

That's what I had thought. In the case of iM@S I figured the issue might be the fact that they were Cortex license and Cortex is basically dead. Depending on how well Mika sold, it might not have been worth his while to renegotiate the license for vinyl.

 

10 minutes ago, baldylox said:

Because I think the companies involved have either backed out after witnessing his business tactics and customer service..... or.... he never had the licenses for any of them to begin with.

I wonder about this aspect too, but it's mostly around the Superhero and Disney properties. Those are licenses whose owners will back out if there is even a whiff of scandal.

I think Naruto and CC will happen but they’re delayed due to Covid. We already know he had the Code Geass license and he’s teased her pretty recently. Meanwhile Naruto is somewhat noteworthy for being one of the very few dolls he credited the sculptor for in the reveal - because it seems like he wasn’t sculpted in-house or was a collaboration. Plus he was shown as an official product at Wonfest. I think fans waiting on those two -will- see them, it’s just frustrating though because there’s no reliable release pattern for SmDs that could let people speculate on when they’ll actually come out (as opposed to DDs where we can at least assume it’ll be one of the Dolpa or the preorders).

I think the death of Cortex may have also complicated the licensed dolls a lot because I remember a while back he said that all licensed girls would use the cortex body. He really did seem to count on it being a method to produce much higher numbers. So it’s likely that he’s trying to figure out how to make a higher number (cost effective) with the vinyl bodies, which may not be possible atm, hence the holdup. IIRC he seems to have a Light Yagami under wraps - no idea if he actually does have the rights, but given that it’s a Jump/Shueisha title, maybe...?

But as for those other teased licenses like Black Rock Shooter, I wouldn’t hold my breath. 

Edited September 13, 2020 by Monty

To be fair it may not even be scandal, they could have parted ways over certain terms not being met, ie #of dolls produced or cut of profits.

 

 

Edited September 13, 2020 by Q_T