In the late nineties New Genesis Evangelion followed Spaceship Yamato and Mobile Suit Gundam as anime hits recognized by society. It became the catalyst for the third anime boom, with the title theme song and Ayanami Rei figurines becoming hits, voice actors gaining fame and then subsequently became the thrust behind “otaku” culture, strong interest in characters in the “moe” culture. This anime had a huge influence and the characters became so popular and the related goods started to sell.

In the new series Rebuild of Evangelion the characters’ popularity has not waned, and in the limited edition DVD a frame of the movie film was randomly placed inside some of the packages. Frames that show Rei have been auctioned online for premium price. In particular, the frame showing the scene where Ayanami Rei smiles went for over ￥150,000. A waste you may say? The mind of the fan and collectors know no limits. However, this high price may pose a dilemma for the anime producers. If a frame from the film finds its way into your hand you might want to treasure it and use it as a topic of conversation with your EVA friends.

What if after you bought it on an online auction and you found it was a copy? Don’t let this happen to you!

Ōkaba Masashi

[参照]
「アニメ！アニメ！」
http://animeanime.jp/news/archives/2008/05/_dvd_15.html　

「GIGAZINE」
http://gigazine.net/news/20080501_ayanami_rei/

「ナリナリドットコム」
http://www.narinari.com/Nd/2008059343.html