EVOLUTION TOY HAF (Hero Action Figure) Toei-hen Akumaizer 3 Evil & Gabra Action Figure
MegaHouse G.E.M. Series ONE PIECE Roronoa Zoro RUN! RUN! RUN! Plastic Figure
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Mahoutsukai no Yome SEASON2 Nendoroid Hatori Chise SEASON2 Ver.
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Chainsaw Man Nendoroid Doll Power
PROOF Gotobun no Hanayome II Nakano Itsuki Datenshi Ver. 1/7 PVC Figure
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Nendoroid Doll Oyofuku Set Relax Sweat (Black)
KOTOBUKIYA Kiseki Series Sen no Kiseki Crow Armbrust DX Edition 1/8 PVC Figure
Shibuya Scramble Figure Card Captor Sakura Clear Card Hen Kinomoto Sakura -Battle Costume Water Ver.- 1/7 Plastic Figure
Shibuya Scramble Figure Jujutsu Kaisen Nanami Kento 1/7 PVC Figure
KT model+ Atelier Sophie -The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book- Sophie Neuenmuller Itsumono Atashi Ver. 1/7 PVC Figure
threezero Jujutsu Kaisen FigZero Inumaki Toge 1/6 Action Figure
FuRyu Chainsaw Man Makima 1/7 PVC Figure
KOTOBUKIYA BIOHAZARD: VENDETTA ARTFX Chris Redfield Renewal Package 1/6 Plastic Figure
KOTOBUKIYA Yusha Keisatsu J-Decker Super Build Tiger Plastic Kit
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Fullmetal Alchemist BROTHERHOOD HELLO! GOOD SMILE Alphonse Elric
Prime 1 Studio Gotobun no Hanayome PRISMA WING Nakano Ichika 1/7 PVC Figure
SQUARE ENIX PLAY ARTS KAI Kingdom Hearts III Kairi Action Figure
MegaHouse GALS Series Ghost in the Shell Kusanagi Motoko ver. S.A.C. Plastic Figure
AliceGlint Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darouka IV Ryu Lion 1/7 Plastic Figure
FuRyu F:NEX Tales of Destiny 2 Reala 1/7 Plastic Figure
Union Creative To LOVE-ru Darkness Kurosaki Mea Darkness Ver. 1/6 Plastic Figure (Re-release)
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Rokushin Gattai God Mars MODEROID Rokushin Gattai God Mars Plastic Kit (Re-release)
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Xenoblade Chronicles 3 figma Mio
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Nendoroid Doll Oyofuku Set Retro One-piece (Black)
MAX FACTORY MX-chan 1/7 PVC Figure
GOOD SMILE ARTS Shanghai League of Legends Star Guardian Jinx 1/7 PVC Figure
GOOD SMILE ARTS Shanghai Vsinger HELLO! GOOD SMILE Luo Tianyi
ORANGE ROUGE Tokyo Revengers Nendoroid Inupi (Inui Seishu)
HOBBYMAX Evangelion (RADIO EVA) Makinami Mari Illustrious Ver.RADIO EVA Part.2 Original Colour 1/7 PVC Figure
HOBBYMAX NANA Komatsu Nana 1/8 PVC Figure
ORANGE ROUGE REVENGER Nendoroid Usui Yuen
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Helltaker Nendoroid Modeus
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Persona 5 Nendoroid Morgana (Re-release)
GOOD SMILE ARTS Shanghai League of Legends Star Guardian Zoe 1/7 PVC Figure
MAX FACTORY Hito Kaiki figma NH-01-
Phat! GIRLS' FRONTLINE Five-seveN Faifai no Boken 1/7 PVC Figure
ART STORM ES Gokin Voltron Lion Force Action Figure
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Nendoroid Doll Oyofuku Set Detective: Boy (Brown)
ALTER iDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS Serizawa Asahi Sora to Ao to Aitsu Ver. 1/7 PVC Figure
PLUM PMOA iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Tachibana Arisu Hajimete no Hyoujou 1/7 Plastic Figure (Re-release)
EVOLUTION TOY HAF (Hero Action Figure) Toei-hen Akumaizer 3 Evil & Gabra Action Figure
MegaHouse G.E.M. Series ONE PIECE Roronoa Zoro RUN! RUN! RUN! Plastic Figure
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Mahoutsukai no Yome SEASON2 Nendoroid Hatori Chise SEASON2 Ver.
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Chainsaw Man Nendoroid Doll Power
PROOF Gotobun no Hanayome II Nakano Itsuki Datenshi Ver. 1/7 PVC Figure
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Nendoroid Doll Oyofuku Set Relax Sweat (Black)
KOTOBUKIYA Kiseki Series Sen no Kiseki Crow Armbrust DX Edition 1/8 PVC Figure
Shibuya Scramble Figure Card Captor Sakura Clear Card Hen Kinomoto Sakura -Battle Costume Water Ver.- 1/7 Plastic Figure
Shibuya Scramble Figure Jujutsu Kaisen Nanami Kento 1/7 PVC Figure
KT model+ Atelier Sophie -The Alchemist of the Mysterious Book- Sophie Neuenmuller Itsumono Atashi Ver. 1/7 PVC Figure
threezero Jujutsu Kaisen FigZero Inumaki Toge 1/6 Action Figure
FuRyu Chainsaw Man Makima 1/7 PVC Figure
KOTOBUKIYA BIOHAZARD: VENDETTA ARTFX Chris Redfield Renewal Package 1/6 Plastic Figure
KOTOBUKIYA Yusha Keisatsu J-Decker Super Build Tiger Plastic Kit
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Fullmetal Alchemist BROTHERHOOD HELLO! GOOD SMILE Alphonse Elric
Prime 1 Studio Gotobun no Hanayome PRISMA WING Nakano Ichika 1/7 PVC Figure
SQUARE ENIX PLAY ARTS KAI Kingdom Hearts III Kairi Action Figure
MegaHouse GALS Series Ghost in the Shell Kusanagi Motoko ver. S.A.C. Plastic Figure
AliceGlint Dungeon ni Deai o Motomeru no wa Machigatte Iru Darouka IV Ryu Lion 1/7 Plastic Figure
FuRyu F:NEX Tales of Destiny 2 Reala 1/7 Plastic Figure
Union Creative To LOVE-ru Darkness Kurosaki Mea Darkness Ver. 1/6 Plastic Figure (Re-release)
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Rokushin Gattai God Mars MODEROID Rokushin Gattai God Mars Plastic Kit (Re-release)
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Xenoblade Chronicles 3 figma Mio
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Nendoroid Doll Oyofuku Set Retro One-piece (Black)
MAX FACTORY MX-chan 1/7 PVC Figure
GOOD SMILE ARTS Shanghai League of Legends Star Guardian Jinx 1/7 PVC Figure
GOOD SMILE ARTS Shanghai Vsinger HELLO! GOOD SMILE Luo Tianyi
ORANGE ROUGE Tokyo Revengers Nendoroid Inupi (Inui Seishu)
HOBBYMAX Evangelion (RADIO EVA) Makinami Mari Illustrious Ver.RADIO EVA Part.2 Original Colour 1/7 PVC Figure
HOBBYMAX NANA Komatsu Nana 1/8 PVC Figure
ORANGE ROUGE REVENGER Nendoroid Usui Yuen
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Helltaker Nendoroid Modeus
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Persona 5 Nendoroid Morgana (Re-release)
GOOD SMILE ARTS Shanghai League of Legends Star Guardian Zoe 1/7 PVC Figure
MAX FACTORY Hito Kaiki figma NH-01-
Phat! GIRLS' FRONTLINE Five-seveN Faifai no Boken 1/7 PVC Figure
ART STORM ES Gokin Voltron Lion Force Action Figure
GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Nendoroid Doll Oyofuku Set Detective: Boy (Brown)
ALTER iDOLM@STER SHINY COLORS Serizawa Asahi Sora to Ao to Aitsu Ver. 1/7 PVC Figure
PLUM PMOA iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls Tachibana Arisu Hajimete no Hyoujou 1/7 Plastic Figure (Re-release)
Oops, Justin did it again — Calling out BAD journalism by journalist Justin Ling and Wired.com article "How a Major Toy Company Kept 4chan Online" from March 29, 2023

Disclaimer:

  • This piece is, once again, NOT about 4chan, you will not find anything about 4chan here. Go somewhere else.
  • We are not here to defend GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC), rather, we are here to point out all the WRONG FACTS in the March 29, 2023 Wired article written by, yes, that Justin Ling again.

In a follow-up article to his original "Who Owns 4chan?" (https://www.wired.com/story/who-owns-4chan/) published by Wired back on May 26, 2022, freelance journalist Justin Ling [https://twitter.com/justin_ling] is at it again, with a few details in the first half of the article caught by our keen eyes.

First thing first, the link to the new article, "How a Major Toy Company Kept 4chan Online" (https://www.wired.com/story/4chan-good-smile/), and let's be fair for just a tiny-second: it is a good read.

Now, did Justin take up on our 2022 challenge and actually finishes his assigned homework??? A BIG NO, and unfortunately, he failed his new assignments yet again. At this point, we are just flabbergasted by how much "incorrect" information on GOOD SMILE COMPANY (GSC) Justin kept throwing out with none of the editors at Wired fact-check them. At this point, Otaku HQ should be paid by Wired for all the corrections we have to dole out to keep our own sanity in-check.

Alright, first error: it is in the secondary article title, right off the bat.

Documents obtained by WIRED confirm that Good Smile, which licenses toy production for Disney, was an investor in the controversial image board.

What's the problem??? GSC do not "licenses toy production for Disney", they obtain licenses from Disney, other companies and entities (i.e. production committees) to create toys based on characters owned by those companies under GSC's brand or for their clients. GSC make their own plans, and ask for proper permissions and licenses to do so, end of story. This funny line creates the illusion of GSC is dependent on Disney to survive, which is 100% fake news, and we will further elaborate later.

Minus 10 points for Justin's classic mis-direction.

Second error:

Good Smile produces licensed content for a variety of major brands, from major manga series like Attack on Titan to video games like Assassin’s Creed and movies like The Matrix. But Good Smile's largest licensee is, without a doubt, Disney. The company markets dozens of toys and figurines from Disney properties, like Spider-Man, Buzz Lightyear, and Mickey Mouse.

Justin did some of his homework here, we will give him that, but his words as quoted above is simply a pile of "loaded crap". Why??? Disney is a large global company, but just because Disney is large, it does not mean it is GSC's largest license. In fact, if you go through a thorough product count on GSC has ever produced since 2004, Disney-related characters only takes up no more than 5% of their portfolio (maybe around 10% if you only look at Nendoroid), and that's a fact.

If Disney really stops dealing with GSC from now on to eternity (as Justin indicated that will happen in his article), GSC will not cry, nor they will care much. They will just create something else and make more money, end of story. Making it sounds like a death knell to GSC might be nice for your ego, Justin, but it just shows you have once again not doing your homework PROPERLY. THAT'S YOUR JOB! UGH!

There will be fans who hate the fact GSC will not be able to make any future re-runs for those Disney characters products, and you know exactly who to blame (Justin, or Aki-san for some). But most hardcore figure collectors does not really care, anyway. At most, we might mourn the fact that we might never see another re-run of Nendoroid Stormtrooper or Nendoroid Darth Vader, that's it. Then again, Justin just help jacking up the second-hand market prices for them, and quite frankly NO collectors out there will like you either way, Justin, and it is our job to make sure all the right information are clearly stated here for everyone to make their own judgement.

As for whether Disney will completely cut off GSC, that remain to be seen, and certainly Justin Ling will want you to believe so. But I can already give one likely exception: Disney Twisted Wonderland characters for Nendoroid, these are licensed to ANIPLEX and likely will continue with new items coming out, even though GSC handles "everything". WAH HA HA HA HA.

Minus 20 points for Justin's favourite play-with-numbers (and very bad at it, AGAIN).

Third, the last bunch of errors:

In recent years, Good Smile has branched out into content creation, working with various animation and film studios, has opened online wholesale companies in China and elsewhere, and has even sponsored a Super GT racing team.

Yes, GSC has dipped into "content", but you forget to mention they are into mobile games too. Minus 10 points for missing easy-to-find facts.

As for "wholesale companies", that's just yet another completely loaded crap. GOOD SMILE Arts Shanghai is a subsidiary making toys based on China IP and some anime titles, but "wholesale"???? Where the heck you get that information from, Justin????? They have distribution partners around the world, and none are own by GSC, Justin. They do not have "wholesale" in their business, period. Minus 30 points for factual errors.

And, "sponsored a Super GT racing team"???? Aki-san OWNS (or partly owns) the team, "GOODSMILE RACING", since 2008 (and currently known as "GOODSMILE RACING & TeamUKYO"). Minus another 30 points for yet another factual error that are easy to check.

Final score for Justin Ling on this assigment: MINUS 100 POINTS. Why are we not surprised??

Flushing out all these crap just proves not all journalists are equal. Do your homework properly, Justin Ling. As for Wired editors, that simple single word again: fact-check, you bunch of "lazy-bones".

[April 8, 2023 Update] A slap in the face for Justin Ling: GSC released a really short press release on April 7, 2023 on its corporate website (https://corporate.goodsmile.com/ja/news/1852/), denying any "direct" involvement with 4chan. What's done is done, and if you want to hate GSC like Justin Ling, you are free to do so, and we are not here to change your mind, nor we care about your feelings. GSC will be around for years to come and ignore the noise, and that's a fact, whether you like it or not.

With Justin having sour grapes that GSC never acknowledged him and Wired directly, nor GSC "contacting" him about their press release, we certainly will look forward to another crap-loaded GSC article by Justin in the not-so-distant future (and we rather hope you can disappoint us, Justin).

Written by Otaku HQ

First published on March 29, 2023.
Adding official GSC press release on April 8, 2023.

May 19, 2023: Justin Ling Twitter account went inactive after April 20, 2023, and who says we are letting him off the hook?? His "ugly" website [https://justinling.ca/] and his Mastodon account [https://mastodon.online/@justinling].

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