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We're now getting into the home stretch for the introductory posts for GameCenter CX. Now let's talk about--the merch!
GameCenter CX has become such a phenomenon among Japan's TV viewers, to the point of inspiring the production and sales of:
In addition to the above merchandise--which can be easily imported from import retailers like Amazon.co.jp, CDJapan, Play-Asia, YesAsia--the GameCenter CX show staff also have booths at the Tokyo Game Show starting from 2006 (I believe), as well as other GCCX-themed events, where they sell T-shirts and trinkets that you are not likely to get anywhere else. (I think they used to sell GameCenter CX branded USB keys at one of their events--I can't find them anywhere on Amazon.co.jp. I'd kill for one of these things...)
And to close out this post:
Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, wish you the very best on Kwanzaa... and a belated birthday to the Emperor of Japan!
GameCenter CX has become such a phenomenon among Japan's TV viewers, to the point of inspiring the production and sales of:
- Six DVD-BOX collections (Japanese only, no subtitles), each containing a best-of compilation of episodes--the most recent of which was released one week ago in Japan on December 18, 2009. Many of the DVD-BOX collections have ranked near the top of Amazon.co.jp's most wanted preorders lists when they are announced.
- Four books (also Japanese only), which contain the following (the details I have for the 1st and 2nd book may be a little sketchy, because I only own the 3rd and the most recent book thus far):
- The first book contains a synopsis of the first season.
- The second book contains a synopsis of the 1st to 4th seasons. I believe that it also contains some interviews with selected Japanese game developers.
- The third book can be said to be a "Making of GameCenter CX book". Among other things, the book follows the filming of selected TameGe segments and the The Northernmost Game in Japan: A Travelogue special. It also contains an encyclopedia of all the terms and concept that came up from the 1st to the 6th season of the show, several cute little 4-panel gag manga retelling classic moments from the show, and a short manga chronicling how an episode of GameCenter CX is made, entitled--fittingly enough--"The Making of GameCenter CX". This is my favourite GameCenter CX book so far.
- The most recent book, GameCenter CX COMPLETE, is a compliation of interviews with Arino and the show's staff, as well as interviews between Arino and game developers Fujiwara Tokuro (藤原得郎, the creator of the Ghosts 'n Goblins franchises) and Sakurai Masahiro (桜井政博, the creator of the Kirby and Smash Bros. franchises--by the way, the first Smash Bros. game for the N64 is now out on Wii Virtual Console~). Many of these interviews have been previously serialized in Japanese video game magazine CONTINUE. Very informative, although not quite as entertaining as the third book.
- Two Nintendo DS games--the first of which is also released in North America as Retro Game Challenge by Xseed Games. The GameCenter CX show itself covered development process for both games, in the form of the the GameCenter CX Gameification Project segments (one per game).
In addition to the above merchandise--which can be easily imported from import retailers like Amazon.co.jp, CDJapan, Play-Asia, YesAsia--the GameCenter CX show staff also have booths at the Tokyo Game Show starting from 2006 (I believe), as well as other GCCX-themed events, where they sell T-shirts and trinkets that you are not likely to get anywhere else. (I think they used to sell GameCenter CX branded USB keys at one of their events--I can't find them anywhere on Amazon.co.jp. I'd kill for one of these things...)
And to close out this post:
Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, wish you the very best on Kwanzaa... and a belated birthday to the Emperor of Japan!
