A Day at Good Smile

So you probably know by now that I spend quite a bit of my time at Good Smile but what is my typical day like in their offices?
Up at 6AM, leave house at 7:45 and arrive at the Good Smile offices for a 9AM meeting with the boss.

9:40AM. The comrades from a US TV station arrive to shoot behind the scenes at Good Smile. Here we go over where the camera will go and what can/cant be filmed.

The snacks desk. All the companies that I've worked at in Japan have a snacks desk filled with yummies from visiting clients. You have the same at your work place?

I start to salivate when I'm in this room looking at the stuff that wont be announced for months to come.

10:40AM. Then its filming Aki-san (Good Smile boss) at his desk pretending to work ^^; Guess who influenced him to switch to Mac ^^;

Interestingly enough, most of the Good Smile employees don't have figures at home - one of the reasons given was because they work with and are surrounded by figures all the time ^^;
Do you ever feel the same? Would you like to be surrounded by figures at work and at home or would rather have a break from them?

That camera cost 5,000,000 yen - lens alone was 2,000,000 yen @.@ !

And while they set up I wander around and spot the Decomas (Decoration Master's) for the Shuraki figures and other goodies.

All the Good Smile employees gather and some pick up their fave figure. Aki-san pulls me into the middle of the shot ^^;

Here we do a few rounds of shouting out slogans and what have you ^^;
Aki-san has done very well for himself. Hes about the same age as me and...actually, I think I'll save his story for another article ^^;

The food here is just fantastic. The stone carvings outside the restaurant are also made by Good Smile.

13:35PM. After a long lunch talking stuff and seeing the camera crew off, we head back to the office for a meeting with the web development team. Hmmmm. Whats that being displayed on my MacBook Pro? ^^;;
Hopefully I can announce what it is tomorrow.
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Undergraduate
seems like a real English version of GSC's website
Otaku
http://imperiomoe.wordpress.com
I hope you're right, GSC needs to begin expanding their customer service to the rest of the world.^^
Student
http://yellowguy89.blogspot.com/
good catch, the orange smiley face says it all. XD
Pre-U Student
http://wakuwakusuru.zeroclipse.net
But that's only the top page right? I tried navigating through the links and the rest of the stuff is still in Japanese
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
^^;
free lance otaku, full time Protector of Peace.
i see huge huge scale of a figure.. @_@
figs seller , photographer
http://exelica-meteor.com/
Working with something you like a long time , and you always start to dislike it little by little :)
Anyway nice to see more GoodSmile coverage , thanks Danny :)
The sacred shrine is awesome :o
オタク all day long
http://www.nekomagic.com
I agree! It happened to me before! But it's not really "dislike", it's just lost interest little by little.
http://yuuwaku.wordpress.com
US TV crew? What network/show is that for? I don't see nothin bout no figures here on tv here :(
Aki-san's desk area is awesome btw :P The floor/desk thing is really cool imo. Could use underneath the desk as a private cubby/nap area haha. Must suck when you drop something down there though...
http://yuuwaku.wordpress.com
and what's ceiling Mirei doing in one of those shots? Is she watching me masturbate? o.O
Pre-U Student
http://wakuwakusuru.zeroclipse.net
I am curious about what show will it be for too...
News broadcast or something like a documentary?
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
Will let you know closer to the time.
Otaku
http://imperiomoe.wordpress.com
Great coverage. But too bad no new figures announced, I always want to know what is behind Mirai.
BTW my fave is Shana
流浪人
Cool article...looking forward to the future article on Aki-san. ^_^
http://twitter.com/phossil
http://www.animoe.net
Wow, what a great day you have!!!
I really envy your place work.
In my job, we dont have a snack desk....awww..
It seems a very cool group of partners you have (specially Aki-san,...)
^_^
houkouonchi
http://www.flickr.com/photos/red_mango/
Would it be great if Good Smile gave tours to the general public. Then again I live in the U.S. and would not be able to go. Thank you for posting your photos and past videos.
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
I think I can arrange something but needs to be groups of people and not just a couple.
Artist/Flash Programmer
http://wcloudxkumo.wordpress.com/
Yeah, looks like a Good Smile Compnay site dedicated to ENglish speakers ^^ Maybe GSC's planning to expand their online shipment internationally? XD
Too good to be true right?, but we can always wish XD
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
All will be revealed soon ^^
http://www.marvinryan.com
why not add "all DannyChoo.com members get a special discount on that stream of wishful thinking". ^^
Administrative Assistant
http://bob-san.animeblogger.net
That would be cool. I've had difficulty finding a way to contact them about a broken Haruhi figma I bought at a con.
University Student
http://plurk.com/Fuyumachi/invite
I see a lot of Mirai-marked figure lol
Top secret, i guess..
Desktop Support in the Medical Field
http://thedisjointedzone.com
Great to see another Good Smile coverage.
Apparently we don't have snacks for our visiting clients but we have bread for our colleges. lol
So much figmas, so many I'm missing. T_T
Student
So many figures and secret figures ^-^
Is it possible to get a free tour around GSC?
it would be awesome (^w^)
Student and full-time otaku
Danny, you tease us! Spill da beans already, I want to know ^^. Anyways, I'd love to be surrounded by figures at work (I already am at home, albeit not enough for my taste), but I don't know if that's in the cards. We do have a snack frigde at the student society, but I really try to practice self constraint on that (don't wanna get fat), even more since I was responsible for keeping it filled for the past 2 yrs.
Photography Student
http://hugodeathy.deviantart.com/
Wahh~~ So nice. And there's any chance we see more video tours from GSC or other offices Danny?
And I noticed that there's some cute 3D girls in GSC offices.
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
Other office tours soon.
Otaku
http://imperiomoe.wordpress.com
Alter onegai!!
http://www.marvinryan.com
Bandai onegai. ^^
Vampire
http://feeout.blogspot.com/
Alter onegai!!!!
Full-Time Otaku!
http://otaku-gakuen.org
Cool, very cool @.@
This small crew is all the GSC employees?
And my fave is Wilhelmina.
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
Some are out but this is most of em.
Full-time student へへ
http://www.kenleewrites.com
I spy 両儀 式 in the last shot. is she as yummy on your desk as she is in the online photos? ^^
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
She sure is ^^
銀河帝国五〇一軍团 TK/TD 8316 M.E.P.D. Police Sergeant
http://gordonator.com/
that's a very low desk Aki-san is using. wonder how does the chair he is sitting on looks like? does his guests sit/knee in front of his desk?
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
Imagine a chair without legs.
Hikikomori in the making
http://supermariabros.deviantart.com/
Ooh cool... Like those chairs in inns...
boss of zotaku!!!!
http://www.zotaku.com
Love the tours, my Fave is Fate. Looking forward to what you are working on XD
anime/cosplay events organizer
http://www.cosplay.ph
I could see Mirai Inc.'s engine being tested for GSC's site ^____^
http://www.nanyate.biz
Interesting to see the boss sit at a 'traditional' desk hehe.
Student, Otaku, She-Geek(Sheek lol)
http://meimi132.wordpress.com/
Hauuuuu MEGA WANT ALL!!!
And Phweeeee I cant wait to find out what that Goodsmile site is all about!!!
Kagami-chan!! I can't wait till she's released!!!
Programmer, Web Developer / Web Designer
http://xenohawk.wordpress.com/
Wow, nice to see the world is starting too see that figures are not just girls toys. My parents always said "your brother started to collect a lot of girls dolls" LOL ^^.
Love also to see that other japanese companies are taking the global market more serious now, not just game companies ^^
Physical Therapist
http://www.flyingpussyfoot.com
Id atleast take the figures i sculpted myself with me home to display them.You should be proud of your babys^^.I actually thought that the goodsmile team would be bigger
I wonder whats mirai is making on the ceiling in one of those pics.Im really looking forward for that broadcast.
Student
http://www.vocaloidism.com/
Love this post, I always love Good Smile Company xD
Nice to see a tour of their office, thanks Danny! ^^
Game Development Student.
me want to be surounded by kawaii onee-chans at home/work/school !
Computer Science Student, C++/Java Programmer
Urayamashii! It sounds like lots of fun to be able to waltz into Good Smile all the time and gloat over unannounced figures.
Soporte Tecnico
Let my guess Danny, maybe Good Smile Company will relauch her site with support in english and in your Mirai GAIA platform???
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
^^;
part time illustrationist, doll clothing seamstress
http://puppy52art.com/
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!! So exciting (at the last image!) Looking forward to read about Goodsmile's boss's story! So cute that he pulled you into the middle for the group picture ^O^
Actually I think I'd enjoy having my favorite toys around me at work or at home :P but it'd clutter up my surroundings (which is happening now ^^;) I give my hubs the excuse that having things on my desk prevents our dumdum cat from taking over my desk :P (fat cat has currently taken over hubs desk as he out working)
full time student, 60% of the time.
http://www.games.dcu.ie
I dunno about you Danny but I'd find it extremely hard to keep all the figures that you've seen a secret, I suppose an NDA would help :P
IT-Architect, SysAdmin, WebDesign and Coding, Virtualization (VMware + NetApp)
http://www.milkdrop.de/
Gogo GSC, show of the design. :D
Ye, agree with Chun, cute you were pulled into it too, Danny is secretly assimilated into GSC i think. :P
occuwhat?
So many figures *starts drooling over the keyboard*
As usual, Danny keeps tempting us with more and more figures overtime.
Wannabe Web Developer
http://www.sakuafk.com
Nice coverage as usual, Danny.
Hmm I saw GSC logo on your macbook pro and the layout seems similar to what you have on Dannychoo.com.
I am guessing a new GSC website using your Mirai Gaia platform. An english version of GSC website which leads to the hiring of 3 translators last month. It would be great if GSC has online store with international shipping ^^
Student
Really inspiring article. ^_^ Will be looking forward for the next coverage :)
Otari Vader, Sith Lord for Hire, will fillet Makoto Itou for free
http://coffeebugg.blogspot.com/
I see figma miku.. wantses
Otaku
http://imperiomoe.wordpress.com
There is a 1/8 Miku in their box too!! I want my now^^
Student
Great coverage. So much interesting stuff. And surprises for the future:)
Student
http://fruitjuicy.wordpress.com/
So that's what the translator jobs were for . . . :3333
Good Smile Company has such a nice office! It would be nice to visit there one day.
Student, part-time slave
http://yakuri.wordpress.com/
What does it take to work here?!?! I'll do anything O_O
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
More opportunities to work with figure makers in the future - stay tuned.
University's Slave
Maan. . . The GSC office looks like such a fun place to work. I'd like to work there almost as much as I'd like to work for Pixar.
When I get a job with its own desk, I'd like to keep a few figures there. I think I'll rotate them out with the home ones periodically though, just to keep things interesting.
Ninja / Engineer / Sensei / 魔法少女 (What!?! I can't be, I'm a guy...)
Lots of interesting pictures. Can't wait to read the next article.
Videogame Magazine Editor
http://www.gamerslitterbox.com
I have figurines on my desk at home and at work. It makes my desktop look more lively and less boring.
Worker
http://wbd.deviantart.com/
Thanks for those pics, and I'm looking forward to all the announcements!
Service desk support
http://lookingglass.kokidokom.net
I'm leaning towards an english GSC website for international visitors and the like.
Which is a good thing but a little disappointing since GSC products aren't particularly hard to obtain from online shops in general. Volks however...
I don't watch TV so I have no idea about the TV crew tho. Interesting that Aki-san chose Char to demonstrate cast off, but since her clothing is a 1 piece, I guess it's the easiest one to do while holding her up. But Char is my fave too
software manager
http://wawawawasuremono.com
curse volks! it's going to cost me an arm and a leg to get kaguya, suzuka and ashen orz worst part is that they already *have* an english site for their doll and other stuff... if you add a pvc figure to your cart you get an error message -_-
looking forward to the announcement!
Student
http://anime.tedfox.com/
the crew took only three hours to film the entire office? that was surprisingly fast.
i guess you were there along as a translator for them or something?
i am gonna make a wide guess and say it's discovery channel.
on a sidenote, one of those crew members looks like a scout from tf2 hurhur
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
tf2?
software manager
http://wawawawasuremono.com
team fortress 2?
http://profile.xfire.com/skullzero1
lol your absolutely right
Student
http://anime.tedfox.com/
darn should stop using abbreviations...
Student
it's would be nice !!
As usual Danny, your daily activities make me want to work harder, but sometimes they just make me feel jealous and unsuccessful! We live in 2 very different worlds my friend. Oh well, back to work...
Also, shana is my favorite. How could she not be, the show is about her? And i'm very curious to learn more about "the boss" over at GSC.
Thanks for the inside info!
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
I dont post articles to make anybody jealous - I hope to encourage folks that they can do anything that they want if they remain passionate and focused. I know you can do it.
Online Shop
http://wildarms.egloos.com
Can't wait to see that program when it finally airs :) I guess people at Good Smile not having figures at home is similar to people working at McDonald. People working at McDonald would not want to eat the food from there since they see it everyday, similar thing happened to me when I worked at the restaurant ^^;
Is Indo Tei opened to public to eat there? If it is, I think I'm gonna visit there next time I go to Japan ^^;
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
Yes - they are just below the GSC offices. Tell the manager of the restaurant that you read dannychoo.com and he will go grab a figure for you - but it may be a trading figure of puchi nendoroid.
So far a few readers have taken up this offer apparently ^^;
http://yuuwaku.wordpress.com
I must remember to do that next time!
What do they serve there? I see a lot of curry, which is all right by me haha
Dirty Gentleman
http://cantstanzya.wordpress.com/
If I tell them I'm your cousin Fatty Choo, will I get a nicer figure? ^^;
part time illustrationist, doll clothing seamstress
http://puppy52art.com/
omg I'm jealous! :P
Student Otaku (ITM Student) and ACG NA Staff
http://koiaichaku.com/
FIGMA!!!!!!
Vocaloid FIGMA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I want it!!!!!!!
GoodSmile office looks like a really cool place to visit...I wish I could...
Motivational Speaker
ARGH! So many cencerd bars! Me wanna see :(
Student & Authorized Chicken Slapper
http://www.otakuinternational.com
Wow very nice stuff, Good Smile looks like such a fun company to work for. I am envious!
Oh btw in this picture, these 2 girls look pretty cute in this pic
http://www.zou136.com/uploader/Images/sdfsdf123123.JPG
Working in a place with cute chicks and figures, what a life!!
CEO MIrai Inc
http://www.dannychoo.com/profile/eng/
Will let them know ^^
Student
favorite SnS char is... Shana >.<
GSC English page... cmon danny just say it. I mean the translators? the US TV station?
wait why was it a US TV station? i wanna see it! and maybe all those Mirai marks are new figures to be announced along with the release of an all new english site?!?!?
Aki-san's desk is awesome...
university film student | ecchikid | the Archivist
http://www.vimeo.com/longhim
I can understand where they're coming from - I like things in moderation too, so if I was surrounded by figures at work I'd want a break at home. Though given a choice, I'd rather it be the other way around. Figures at work would distract me. ^^;
Everything
http://www.happysoda.com
English translations for the new releases and stuff would be awesome. Working there would be awesome too, though I could see not wanting to keep figures at home if I'm with them at work all day long.^^
Full time student
Same could be said about a lot of occupations. If you're a chef at a restaurant I'm sure you'd get tired of cooking and meals to the point where you just want to keep it in one place.
Student
http://cottondream.blogspot.com/
i wanna work over there too!
nendoroid len is so cute! i wan him! >__<
Ronin - Looking for #1
http://unit-1978.deviantart.com/
fantastic article and pics Danny. I have figures at home and I have figures at work. I keep more of my crappy figures at work to surround. The good stuff stays home XD
Programmer/IT/Student
http://wickedotaku.blogspot.com/
Wow, quite awesome. As was mentioned above, I think groups office tours of GoodSmile would be awesome. I would be willing to bet that people would schedule their trips to Japan to coincide with each other just so that they could take a tour of the GoodSmile office. (And your office too Danny! :p) I have to say, my goals for the future include one of these 4 jobs: Owning my own company, working for GoodSmile, working for Mirai Inc., or working for Google. ;D
The Sword of Magus
http://daichouginga.blogspot.com/
Secret Figures! Hidden website agendas! This news makes my heart beat fast! This site of yours really encourage me to study Japanese and try my best at school! xD
Pokemon master
http://thecococafe.wordpress.com/
How exciting!
Why must you keep teasing us Danny. T_T
Student
http://viajapon.com
Nice job to be surrounded by figures *o*
An office looks 1000% pro with a Mac on the desk :)
student
http://www.gunpla-inochi.com
Oh man... that must be awesome. Working at GSC... always surrounded by nendoroids and figma... It just look so fun to work there!
Engineer
http://lovelyduckie.com/
I have a few figures on my desk at work. Seeing Yotsuba's cheerful face makes me a bit happier at my desk :)
Student Engineer
http://www.tgwnetohh.blogspot.com/
Cool, helping goodsmile with web stuff? ^^.
"Do you ever feel the same? Would you like to be surrounded by figures at work and at home or would rather have a break from them? "
I can understand where they are coming from- they may feel like they are at work around figures, but they love what they do! Personally I would need some.
Pilot for Singapore Aerophile
http://www.bazhang-.blogspot.com
Those are a " MUST GET" figurines :P
http://tenori-taiga.blogspot.com/
the FREEing bunny gives me inspiration too every time I look at it lol
Working Otaku mom
http://riianadoon.blogspot.com
I think you are so lucky Danny to get to work around that many figures!:D And I must be way past my point of tiredness because that Kagami figure for some reason looked life-size in that picture!:P
Hikikomori in the making
http://supermariabros.deviantart.com/
Danny's gone Mirai mark crazy! Alot of Mirai marks in this post LOL
Student
http://inazumakick.wordpress.com
aah! the last picture fills me with excitement! What could it be??
???Confused???
Never get tired of these...thanks for the article...
Dirty Gentleman
http://cantstanzya.wordpress.com/
Hmm... the more I see of that Ryoko bunny the more I like. Unfortunately the only think we have at work is stale coffee, and half an uneaten donut. Goodtimes.
Danny, you should get hair like Aki-san. ^o^ Pulled you into the shot? I guess you are officially part of the GSC family now. Lookin forward to the exciting news.
And finally ??"quick wizz around the office"??
Camera Operator. PV director/producer.
http://www.digitalinterference.net/
I love the unofficial uniform for older camera operators. Nothing says union operator like a pattern button up shirt and cargo shorts. This guy's is rather modest, I believe they usually prefer Hawaiian shirts.
Director/Technical Director, Cameraman
http://www.sulkorp.net
It's usually the lighting guys around here who wear the hawaiin shirts.
And I gotta say the mixer seems overly dressed for work. Funky hat and everything ;p
Head Lackey and Scape Goat
I can understand the reason none of them have figures at home. I'd feel the same way if my major connection to a figure wasn't the manga but the 12+ hours a day it took me to create it.
Student
http://tsubasa126.wordpress.com/
Wow, I really want to visit GSC. I would even love to work there, in a atmostphere like that.
.NET/Web Developer
http://scrumptious.animeblogger.net
Wow. That's a lot of mirai marks in those pictures there. I wonder what they are working on. And the boss' desk is cool. I want a desk like that. heheh! Just got a glance of the english GSC page and it looks waaayy better ^^
computer science Student / Programmer
nice they dont have that Big number of Employees,can i join them ^^
中学生
http://thezhukeeper.blogspot.com
Aki-san is such a young boss! ^^ The "boss" my mind imagine is always those old grandpas lol ^^;
Very young. I had the same grandpa image. Nice to see a successful young boss
student desu
of course yes, who wouldn't want that xD
Illustrator
http://rossettiartwork.blogspot.com/
Hi Danny i have a question: if i'll come in japan do you think that i'll can visit the good smile company?
Well, in my studio i have many figures and mecha( some mecha there are in the box,and when i'm depressed or i've need a ispiration for my work i play with!
Sorry for my english!
Policy & Research Officer
http://www.alafista.com/
Haha the panty for my branch is just overflowing with goodies from all over the world. Thankfully my branch deals with international matters so my collegue travel frequently and we get to eat on quite some exotic tidbits.
Technoserf
http://www.frontiernet.net/~darkside
We'll assume you mean the "pantry" for your branch, eh?
Ork Warlord
I`m already surrounded by figures at home, but in work sure will be a dream, giaguiaa...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/aseps/
if i can put some figures in my workplace... well i have to content whit in my home for now...
website/graphic designer and karaoke amateur~
http://www.furudango.com
Main reason they wouldn't really collect figures must be because as they spend the whole day looking at them, they'd pick out all the flaws afterwards... same for artists u_u~
Looking forward to the completed coverage!
Polytechnic Junior, Bronze Lifesaving Trainee, Mech Designer In-training.
http://thehangerbay.wordpress.com/
That's, woah, FIVE different types of curry for the picking? The maximum I've ever seen in a single stall is four...
At the end of this post, I got the mistaken impression that the majority of the Goodsmile employees looked like Mirai XD Ah, all that suspense!
Student
http://chappypyon.wordpress.com/
"one of the reasons given was because they work with and are surrounded by figures all the time"
I hope i can say that too. Personally i don't mind staring at these cuties all day, since i really love nendoroid and figma.
Graphic Design student | Receptionist | Otaku
http://sukidesho.blogspot.com/
Thank you for sharing your tour with us again, Danny! T___T It makes my cry with tears of joy, to see the place where the hard work. Really inspiring post ^-^
Assembly line worker, nationally certified madman
http://urisblog.morbid-sore.de/
No, I don't want to be surrounded by figures. Being surrounded by anime figures in the military, while holding a G36 assault rifle would just feel very weird. Besides, I need to save my money for a bike (Kawasaki Z750 F*** YEAH!)
I Think Would Be Cool If GSC make Neon Genesis Evengelion Figures!!
And Thanks for the Tour, Danny
I Mean 1/8 Scale PVC Figures!. I think GSC Figures have an Amazing Quality. Like the Last lala Satalin Deviluke Figure, that is Amazng
Admin
It looks like a wonderful place to visit, Danny. But please stop by the groceries on your way to GSC next time and buy a wet fish. Slap that Aki-san with it a few times. Tell him that's for the poor design of their Shuraki figure line (Char with leaning hair, Rize with broken peg, Meifeng with ridiculously hard castoff) and they ought to be ashamed to even put their company logo on the boxes.
Full-time student へへ
http://www.kenleewrites.com
i like the tatami platform that aki-san has. very cool. ^^ reminds me of one i saw in the shopping catalogs onboard the shinkansen.
Operation
http://kitsunesuki.com
It nv fail to amaze me aki-san working table is unique
Programmer Trainee
http://jointsareokay.blogspot.com
haha when I get a desk it will probably be filled with different figures.
Or when I get a cubicle I'll start buying statues.
Philosophy Student
What Do I need to do to get a job like yours???
Or maybe.... What can I do to get a place at "Good Smile"??
Office is larger than I thought.
Student
wish i could work at good smile...too bad... im just 14