Buy and Regret

買って後悔いたしましょう
樋口真嗣

Buy and regret
Shinji Higuchi

仕事仲間の息子が小1でウルトラマンブレーザー』に『どハマりしてるらしい。順調に修羅の道を歩むことを望みたいところだけど、初めてのウルトラマンがブレーザーっていうのも羨ましい話ですなあ。初めてみたウルトラがあの感じとかどういう気分なんだろう。味方メカはロボだし、新怪獣いっぱい出てくるし。女性隊員2人もいるし。むしろ新怪獣がいっぱい出てきたおかげなのか、昔の怪獣が復活的に登場した時の旧作に対する遠慮というか、過去作品への目配せが気になって今一つ盛り上がれなくなってきます。こいつはどんな奴なのか、どのぐらい強いのか、どうすれば倒せるのか?圧倒的な強さを持つ存在である怪獣の謎が、旧作の怪獣を知っていることでスポイルされちゃうのです。ついつい答え合わせをしちゃうし、その答え合わせを前提にした当たり障りのない展開が物足りなさの原因なのか?ちょっと前までは懐かしの怪獣うれしー!旧作そっくりの完成度すげえ! といった尺度で盛り上がっていたのに、そうじゃない段階に突入してきた感じです。馴染みの怪獣がアメリカで映像化されたとしても、こんなんじゃない違う!と今までのように目クジラ立てて親の仇みたいに罵っていた時代は終わり、全てを受け入れる寛容の時代になってきた反動で驚きや喜びが浅くなってきたというか。いや全然いい傾向だと思うんですよ、過去作に頼らずオリジナルの新しいものがどんどん出てくる方が活性化するし。この号が発売される頃には終わっているであろう『ウルトラマンブレーザー」のクライマックスが楽しみです。しかし変身アイテムに装填するメダル状のアイテムのバリエーションがガシャポンで出てたけどいつになったらアレ使うのかな?ていうか使わなくてもいいの?

The son of his colleagues is small 1, seems to be addicted to Ultraman Blazer. I would like to go on the path of Asura smoothly, but I’m also jealous that Blazer is his first Ultraman. I wonder how it feels when you see an ultra for the first time. Allied mechs are robots, and a lot of new monsters appear. There are also two female members. Rather, perhaps it’s because so many new monsters have appeared, or maybe it’s the reluctance to look at older works when old monsters make a comeback, but I’m starting to feel like they’re focusing on past works, and I can’t get too excited about it. What kind of person is this guy, how strong is he, and how can he defeat him? The mystery of this monster, which is an overwhelmingly powerful being, is spoiled by knowing the monsters from the previous work. I can’t help but check the answers, and is the unsatisfying development based on the premise of matching the answers the cause of the unsatisfaction? Until a while ago, people were excited about the nostalgic monsters! It’s so perfect, it’s just like the old work! However, I feel like I have entered a stage where this is no longer the case. Even if a familiar monster was made into a movie in the United States, the days when we would say, “It’s not like this, it’s not like that!” and curse it as if it were our parents’ enemies, are over, and now we’ve entered an era of tolerance that accepts everything. I guess my surprise and joy have become shallower due to the reaction. No, I don’t think it’s a good trend at all. It’s more energizing when new, original things come out all the time without relying on past works. I’m looking forward to the climax of “Ultraman Blazer,” which will probably be over by the time this issue is released. However, there was a variation of a medal-like item that can be loaded into the transformation item in Gashapon, but when will we use it? Or rather, do we not have to use it?

The Asura Path (修羅道, Shuradō) grants the user the ability to augment their own body to summon mechanised armour and various ballistic and mechanical weaponry. During his lifetime, Nagato channelled the Asura Path through the body of a ninja puppeteer. (Source: Google)

ここのところ新潟によく呼ばれるというか去年だけでも3回行ったぐらいなんですが、新潟には奇跡のようなおもちゃ屋さんがいくつもあります。フィギュア王NO.308第145回で紹介した竹内玩具店通称いもや。猫とおもちゃとプラモデルに囲まれている主人はおそらく自分と同世代だから新潟に行くなら顔を出してみようか、と車に乗って行くといもやはお休みでした。ワタクシ用の掘り出し物が発掘されたので渡しますから来てください、と誘われてたのにお店は閉まっていました。臨時休業らしいです。でもプランBがあるとまた車でちょっと走ると、古い宿場町のような街に残っていたおもちゃ屋さんがあるあたりが新潟のすごいところでもあります。そのお店――――はしもと玩具店はマルブルタイプのオールドファッションなソフビ人形がビンテージものから再販もののカラーバリエーションまで、メチャクチャ充実しています。

I’ve been invited to Niigata a lot lately, and I went there three times just last year, and there are a number of miraculous toy stores in Niigata. Takeuchi Toy Store, commonly known as Imoya, was introduced in the 145th episode of Figure King NO.308. The proprietor, who was surrounded by cats, toys, and plastic models, was probably the same generation as me, so I thought I’d show my head if I was going to Niigata, so when I got in the car and headed there, Imoya was closed. I was invited to come and see that they had discovered a treasure for me, but the store was closed. It seems that it is temporarily closed. But if you have a plan B, you’ll find a great place in Niigata, a short drive away, where you’ll find a toy store that still remains in an old post town. The shop — Hashimoto Toy Store has a huge selection of marble-type old-fashioned soft vinyl dolls, ranging from vintage ones to re-released ones in a variety of colors.

通販もやっているらしいのですが店頭在庫がこんなに多いのには驚きです。が、それだけではありません。現行商品や駄菓子の類までが並び、近所の子供たちが小遣い握りしめてやってくるような、地域密着型のおもちゃ屋さんとしての顔もあります。マニアックな当時ものソフビやお面といった貴重なアイテムに囲まれて、コーラを瓶でラッパ飲みしてるとあのマルサンやブルマアク全盛の時代のおもちゃ屋さんに行ってるような気分になりますな。あー瓶のコーラうめえ。とはいえほとんどの商品は売り切れているほどの繁盛で、今はどうなっているのかホームページを覗いたら――――発送業務多忙につき展示販売コーナー一時閉鎖のお知らせですと!しばらくの間は展示販売コーナーへは入れず、ソフビ人形をご購入の際はご希望商品をお伝えいただきレジにてお渡しとなります。すいません。この記事読んでいこうとしても昔のソフビに囲まれてコーラが飲める幸せな空間には入れないみたいです。

Apparently they do mail order as well, but I’m surprised they have so much stock in stores. But that’s not all. It has the appearance of a community-based toy store, with current products and even cheap sweets on display, where neighborhood children come in clutching their pocket money. Surrounded by valuable items such as soft vinyl and masks from the maniac era, drinking a bottle of coke makes me feel like I’m in a toy store from the heyday of Marusan and Bullmark. Ah, that bottle of coke. However, most of the products are so popular that they are sold out, and when I looked at the website to see what was going on now, I was informed that the exhibition and sales corner would be temporarily closed due to busy shipping operations! The exhibition and sales corner will be temporarily closed for a while. When purchasing a soft vinyl doll, you will not be able to go to the corner. If you are purchasing a soft vinyl doll, please let us know what product you would like and we will hand it over to you at the cash register. Excuse me. Even if I try to read this article, it seems like I won’t be able to enter a happy space where I can drink cola surrounded by old soft vinyl.

そしてもう一つ残念なことが。いもやのご主人、竹内さんは我々が伺った時には入院していたらしく、そのまま亡くなられたそうです。本当に残念です。渡しそびれた掘り出し物というのは野村トーイの「宇宙戦艦ヤマト第一艦橋

And there’s another unfortunate thing. Imoya’s proprietor, Mr. Takeuchi, was apparently in the hospital when we visited and apparently passed away. It is really a pity. The treasure I missed was Toy Nomura’s “Space Battleship Yamato First Bridge.”

作戦司令室」でした。ご遺族からいただきました。宝物です。ご冥福をお祈りします。

It was the “Operations Control Room.” I received it from the bereaved family. It’s a treasure. I wish you all the best in your life.

みんな健康に気をつけてね。他人の事はいえないけどな。

Everyone please take care of your health. I can’t speak for others though.