For men, there's a certain "size" that makes them want to collect them.

—Please tell us why you are drawn to soft vinyl figures.

I started collecting Yoshimizu soft vinyl figures about a year ago, but I think my generation played with Kinnikuman erasers and soft vinyl figures, so I have a latent fondness for them as an extension of that. Unlike plastic models, soft vinyl figures don't break even if you handle them roughly while playing. There was a time when I went to toy festivals and bought them every day at auctions (laughs). I like everything from indie releases to older ones.


As someone who designs for Satomi , I feel that soft vinyl figures offer more freedom than anything else, even more freedom than T-shirts. I have this feeling that "anything goes" when it comes to sculpting, and that high degree of freedom is what's so appealing about them. There are still so many things in the world that I haven't seen yet, and the more I dig, the more interesting it becomes. Lately, I've been running out of space to put them, so I'm thinking I need to do something about that (laughs).

I collect all sorts of old toys, and I love old things, so soft vinyl figures have always had an antique image for me. I'm trying to reclaim some of the lingering wounds from my childhood (lol), and now that I'm an adult with money to spend freely, I'm buying them back. For boys, there are roughly three size levels: Kinnikuman erasers, soft vinyl figures, and one of the larger ones, and there's a size that makes you want to collect them. I like the standard size, so I really like this soft vinyl figure.


Yasuda: I remember the "soft vinyl toy boom" that happened about 15 to 20 years ago, and I saw adults seriously making toys, so I always thought I'd like to make them myself someday. When I went to toy shows, there was a proper market for buying and selling soft vinyl toys, so I thought I'd like to participate by making them rather than just keeping it as a hobby or pastime, and that's how I started making them.

Genomens "Soft Vinyl" Commentary by the Creator Himself

One of the Yoshimizu figures is "Father Lion," and the other is "Rabbit Robot." These two figures have a story behind them. On his way home, the lion father hunted a rabbit, but there was actually a baby rabbit riding on his mane. That baby rabbit studied hard and developed a robot, and riding in the robot, wielding a carrot sword, he comes back to take revenge on his father lion. There is a switch on the back of the robot.


The main character of Satomi PUNK DRUNKERS is "That Guy," but this is his zombie version, so it's "Zoitsu." It's surreal that Zoitsu is holding his own head, which is actually That Guy's head. This is the first time I've made a zombie version of That Guy.


I personally like Utagawa Kuniyoshi and Kawanabe Kyōsai, and I love Japanese-style paintings and figurines with cat motifs, so I created "Neko-riman" (Cat Salaryman) holding a treat in his hand, while still giving the feeling that there's a person inside. I own two cats, but I'm allergic to them (laughs).


Yasuda prefers figures with a mechanism, so he created "Dimitri," a two-part version of an old-fashioned clown, and "Madcap," which has a pop-up face, reflecting his desire to create an American-style soft vinyl figure.

Page 3: What are your future goals following your debut at Isetan Men's?