Manga Anime Online Shop ANIMAXIS

The most recent Wonder Festival (Wonder Festival 2010 [Winter]) had taken place at Chiba Prefecture's Makuhari Messe on February 7, 2010. As always, there were announcements and presentations of latest figures to be leased by various companies, as well as sales and presentations of the garage kits created by ordinary dealers (meaning dealers not belonging to companies but individual) - and like always, loads of people came to the event from all over the country.

According to Wikipedia, a "Garage Kit" is an "assembly scale model kit most commonly cast in polyurethane resin". One way of putting, is that an ordinary PVC figure released by companies is like a "coloring book that has been already been painted", while garage kit is like the "line drawing" - meaning you need to do it yourself. When you buy the garage kit, you need to modify (smooth the surface and set angles right, etc) each parts, color them, and assemble them into one figure.

Almost 10 years ago (boy the time flies!), Animaxis did a report on Wonder Festival of that year. That was the time when lots of "Cardcaptor Sakura", "Trigun", "The Five Star Stories series", etc, were huge hits in Japan. I remember looking at (and got to hold!) a 1:1 scale sword of Guts from "Berserk" as well.

This time almost a decade later, there seems to be more figures and garage kits of "K-On!" and "Bakemonogatari".

Before the day of Won-Fes, I've visited this unique shop called "Gare-Kissa Necosaba" located in Nanba, Osaka. This is a place where you can drink, talk, and eat like ordinary cafe, PLUS you can "create garage kit figures" at the same time. ("Gare-Kissa" is a hybrid word of "garage kit" + "kissa (cafe)")

You can always get garage kits at Won-Fes and Tore-Fes (Treasure Festival, which is another big event of garage kits), but making a figure, you need time and money. Especially when you need to paint parts, you need to use paint sprays and airbrush, which means you need a room that has good ventilation system.

And for those who have very small rooms or have no working space at home, this "Gare-Kissa" will be very useful - because it rents you the space with good ventilation and useful tools you need. If you need to borrow tools you must pay for them, but if you bring your own then all you need is to pay are food and drinks you have at the cafe, and / or for the time you spend there.

Inside the cafe is very interesting, especially if you do garage kits yourself. The shop has display of figures created by the cafe master Necojarashi, plus dolls, figures and other items that were brought in by the customers. Depending on the time you visit there, the cafe hosts a small competition, an illustration gig, a reporting session of various garage kit events and so on, so you will always find something interesting or new.

The cafe master, Necojarashi-san is very friendly and gentle, so whether you go alone, or with several of your comrades, you are bound to enjoy your stay there. This is the place where people with common interests get together apart from meeting at events. If you have interests in garage kits - then this place might be worth your visit.