When anime fans sit down at their desk to go to work, it’s not exactly what you would call a shrine to their love of anime anymore. Instead of stacks of DVDs or a library of manga, fans are showing off their fandom through a range of fun desk accessories. Collectible mugs and keychains are big right now and have become their own form of collectible item. But some of the rarest items can cost an arm and a leg.
The rapid adoption of bright, bold, and expressive colors in the home décor scene may seem like just a passing trend, but there is more to the story of these vibrant hues. What do bold home colors say about the clothing choices of work-from-home professionals?
The psychology of fandom display
Anime accessories are a breed apart from regular accessories. In addition to their function as everyday items that you can place on your desk and use, they announce your love of anime to anyone who enters your vicinity.
While most pen holders are simply designed to hold pens, this Dragon Ball Z pen holder holds your pens AND proudly proclaims your affection for the hit anime and manga series Dragon Ball Z.
A number of studies have found that personalising the workspace can make it more comfortable and productive. But this effect is taken to a completely new level when the fan in question is an anime fan, and their identity anchor is transferred into the furniture of their study or home office. Why do they do it?
With bold colours, unique character designs and familiar symbols printed upon them, these accessories make amazing accessories for the true fan. With these accessories, you’ll show superior style with with bold and iconic gear that makes a clear personal statement. You’ll be easily recognised as a fan from miles away too!
Quality and craftsmanship drive collecting behavior
Early anime merchandise was typically created to be very affordable. Most early anime merchandise was made of mostly cheaply made, mass produced plastic figures that had really bad paint jobs.
That’s changed dramatically.
Whether it be figurine desks lamps, pen holders or paper weights of your favourite anime character or popular video game, collectible figurine desk accessories from well known manufacturers like Good Smile and Banpreto can feature amazing detail and high quality design. Due to the limited quantity of these items, once they have been withdrawn from sale they are in long term supply and extremely desirable to collectors. Because of this, we list them as more than just figurine office accessories for your workplace.
For the average consumer, an anime item is much the same as a collectible but collectors know that there is more to it than this. They want items that represent points in an anime’s history and different styles. Often they want items that represent their favourite anime or piece of manga. For anyone who loves Spirited Away this Spirited Away desk organisier is a wonderful item. It’s a very well made piece of anime art that will appreciate in value all year long.
Themed workspace ecosystems emerge
Many people new to collecting tend to think that the best way to display items is to throw everything possible at a wall and see what sticks best. However, successful collectors create an environment around their collection of items by organizing them by theme or color and then displaying the entire collection as a whole.
Themed spaces or rooms hit their sweet spot when heavily decorated but without crossing the line to utter excess. A Demon Slayer themed workspace might for example feature anime mousepads, anime print pen holder and monitor stand but never anything that includes every playable character.
I finally settled on a them for my holiday display, and now I see how various products from the same line are missing links in my overall decoration. Fortunately, many of those products have been released in the months (and years) since this line first debuted.
Social media amplifies collecting culture
Where once anime desk accessories may have been an indulgence only enjoyed by select anime fans, now thanks to Instagram and TikTok fans are able to show off their love for the art form through performed videos known as “desk setup”. These videos are highly viewed with creators with a large following such as Katsuya Jones and Jefro Goin using in-depth videos to connect with fans who own similar items valued in the hundreds and beautifully curated workspaces. Viewers from all age groups and demographics are engaged with content as fans show off everything from custom posters to rare collectibles.
Major mods have been put on show for everyone to gawp at and those resulting feedback loop of awed fans trying to create their own or better versions is beginning to inspire more people to have a go at modding their own console. The gaming industry is now known to be keeping a close eye on the success of these setups and using social media as a gauge of potential success of future products.
Connecting fans from around the world, these new platforms have created real-time global communities of collectors updating each other on the latest collecting developments as items are released around the world geographically remotely. For example, even items released in Japan in the hours and days leading up to a major release here are being collected and documented by fans around the world and discussed within hours in online communities generating further excitement and collecting impulse in the periods in between major releases as fans anticipate the next item to be released.
Investment potential and market maturation
A new breed of serious collectors are turning to anime merchandise as an alternative investment. Because the majority of anime merchandise is released in limited quantities it can potentially increase in value faster than other traditional collectables. We look at the possibility of items like Tamagotchis and desk sets greatly increasing in value. A 1999 Neon Genesis Evangelion desk set could potentially sell for triple the original retail price; $300 USD for a handful of items made in 2019.
Entry-level anime fans can now get into collecting similar potential to traditional items but at a lower price point with greater liquidity, enjoying a whole new genre of collectibles.
However, as the vinyl market matures, more people are finding out how to maintain a collection, store records properly, display them, and score condition grades before buying or selling. 10 years ago this wasn’t as prevalent.
Items that were once just used as anime decorations in “dens” of anime fans are now developed into crafts that are collected based on community affiliation with materials, skills, and identity. However, these items are no longer confined to the world of anime fan crafts and decorations in “dens.” Rather, as anime has increasingly entered mainstream culture, items such as figurine bases, remote controls, and pen holders made with love by anime fans are displayed on the desks of business professionals. They have become the symbol of anime fandom for adults.
