こんにちはゲストさん！ 会員登録（無料）はこちらから
YUTO HORIGOME the player who livened up this summer, is now available as an action figure!
World-renowned skateboarder YUTO HORIGOME has become an action figure at S.H.Figuarts! Why did HORIME, who has made Japan so exciting this summer, become an action figure? And what is the unique appeal of action figures? Keisuke Okamoto, who is in charge of planning and development, tells us.
-- "Why did you decide to make YUTO HORIGOME players into action figures S.H.Figuarts?
OkamotoWe have been making action figures of characters mainly from animation and special effects at S.H.Figuarts, but we have also sculpted numerous real-life people, and have considered musicians, actors, and comedians as our main focus outside of movie characters. When we wanted to further expand our range, we came up with athletes as a "new challenge.
We thought it would be great if we could reach not only existing figure fans, but also people who have never touched figures before, and when we were considering athletes who are active in the world, we focused on Horime, who had won many championships, and this led to the commercialization of this product.
The S.H.Figuarts YUTO HORIGOME is a new addition to the S.H.Figuarts series, which has been making action figures of foreign artists, legendary actors, comedians, and other popular figures. Of course, a skateboard is also included.
--Out of all the different sports, why did you choose skateboarding?
Okamoto: Skateboarding has become a highly popular sport, with the number of participants increasing dramatically in recent years due to Horimai's influence, and skate parks are becoming more common. I have also had a lot of interest in Horimai, who has achieved many successes while respecting the street culture that is the background of skateboarding, so I made him an offer as all of the conditions matched.
--Given the success of the summer, the announcement of the product comes at a very timely time, but when did the planning begin?
Okamoto: We had been considering the project for the past 1-2 years, but it actually started around summer or fall of last year.
How was the product developed?
Okamoto: This time, with Horimai's full cooperation, we scanned his entire body and made it into a three-dimensional figure. So, we hope you will take a look at how we have carefully recreated not only his body shape, but even his bone structure. We also scanned Horimai's wrists and fingertips in detail for the various wrist parts. The facial expression of the hands is surprisingly important for a figure. During the scanning process, we asked Horimai to create a facial expression for his wrist based on the image of him performing a trick, and we have recreated the same in the actual figure.
▲ YUTO HORIGOME was scanned and made into a 3D model. Not only his whole body, but even his wrists are focused on to recreate the real thing.
--The facial expressions are also very realistic.
OkamotoThe "Tamashii Digital Coloring Technology technology" used in S.H.Figuarts is mainly used for figurines of real people. The "Tamashii Digital Coloring Technology technology" is a technology that combines "digital modeling" to express the features of real objects in fine detail and "digital coloring" to reproduce them at a microscopic level, making it possible to reproduce a more authentic feel. We were also able to scan the actual face of Horime, and although the face parts are about the size of the tip of a finger, we were able to precisely reproduce the shading and skin texture. In the case of ordinary figurines, colors are applied one by one as in printmaking, but the "Tamashii Digital Coloring Technology technology" is a special technique that is possible because the coloring data is created digitally and precisely. The coloring data is created to match the figure, so it looks realistic, including the shading.
--What do you think about your hairstyle?
Okamoto: This isn't limited to Horimai, but hairstyles in figures tend to have an anime-like look. Based on the scanned data of Horimai's face, we created a 3D figure with the optimal solution, matching and balancing the anime-like 3D look with a realistic face.
▲The face is reproduced to look exactly like the real thing using "Tamashii Digital Coloring Technology technology."
--Are there any ver. A.N.I.M.E. that are unique to skateboarder figures?
Okamoto: The best part of skateboarding is the tricks, right? That means you also need to create action on the skateboard itself. In an actual trick, the skateboard and the person's feet come into contact and separate. Special clips and joint parts are included to create the trick action. At first, I thought about attaching clips to the feet to secure the skateboard, but I wanted to recreate the trick in as natural a way as possible, so I changed to a joint part that connects to a special base rather than connecting to the main body.
▲The figure itself is held by a "special pedestal" and the skateboard is held by a clip on the joint parts, allowing each part to move independently, making it possible to display the figure in a state similar to a cut-out scene of Horimai's trick. The joint parts also have movable parts, so you can recreate the board being separated from the body.
--Could you please explain about the joint parts?
Okamoto: This is a part to be used with the "special base" that comes with the product. Skateboarding involves a variety of tricks, including Jump and spinning the board around, and we designed and produced a joint part to allow for spinning tricks in particular. This was the most difficult part of the development, and we think this part has improved the level of recreating the tricks. We would love to see Horimai's trick recreated. Of course, we want to recreate the "Nollie Backside 270 Blunt Slide." In fact, when you watch this trick on video, it's all so quick that even in slow motion it's hard to understand. But you can see it frame by frame. We would love for you to pose the figure and experience Horimai's trick.
--Are there any other ver. A.N.I.M.E. besides the joint parts that help recreate tricks?
Okamoto: The wrists used for the tricks I mentioned earlier are also included, so you should be able to recreate the tricks you imagine. Another thing we paid special attention to is the paper craft, which allows you to recreate stairs and handrails as objects to perform tricks on. With the interchangeable face parts, you can recreate the smile of when he won the world championship.
▲ A paper craft is included as a structure, so you can enjoy displaying it in trick poses like in street scenes.
How did you decide on the costumes?
Okamoto: We proposed something simple that would allow for ease of movement, and a flat design. The T-shirt is made of resin so as not to get in the way of the action, and movements such as lifting the thighs can be recreated by sticking the legs out through the slits. The T-shirt can be turned up, and the body and abdominal muscles underneath the clothes are also recreated. During competitions, Horimai sometimes wears slightly thicker pants, but we adjusted the width to his current size to balance his proportions as a figure.
-Are the skateboard designs original?
Okamoto: When we were considering what kind of design to use for this figure, we proposed using our brand logo for the graphics on the deck that comes with it, but in the end it was decided based on an idea from Mr. Horimai. It's an original graphic that only comes with this figure, so please pay attention to that point.
▲The board is an original design. The T-shirt has a loose hem and is made of soft material.
--Do you have any other stories about you and Horimai?
Okamoto: I met him when he was scanning, and he was a very polite and gentle person. After the scanning was finished, he said, "I'm looking forward to the final product, so I'll leave it to you," and that really captured the hearts of all of us on the development staff (laughs).
--Horiguchi is currently in his prime in terms of both popularity and timing.
Okamoto: This summer, Yuto Horimai had a dramatic performance that we could never have imagined. With this product being commercialized, we were cheering on Yuto Horimai's performance with joy and sorrow, but before we knew it, it had become item attracted attention from various quarters within the company (laughs). It is truly item could only be made now, item we want you to get your hands on now. Of course, it is not just because it is "in season," but it was developed with overwhelming passion and love. We hope you will recreate scenes from YUTO HORIGOME 's tricks in your home and deepen your understanding of skateboarding tricks. Thank you!
--thank you very much.
S.H.Figuarts YUTO HORIGOME" will be on display at the Tokyo Toy Show 2024!
Please come to our Public Days on August 31 (Sat.) and September 1 (Sun.).
©YUTO HORIGOME
