Collecting Anime Figures as an Adult Helped Me Feel at Home

My whole life doesn’t need to fit in my car anymore.

I spent so long living that way that even after I had a home, I kept my load light. Fewer things meant less to pack and move. It made sense to me, and I had gotten comfortable with it. But recently, a moving sale at a nerd store helped me realize how much of that was still me living in survival mode.

Collector’s Marketplace in Phoenix was moving to a new building and having major sales to get inventory out. I had suffered the loss of someone and a career change, and I was struggling to figure out what I was going to do next.

The anime figures were $15 and cute. At the time, that was enough.

I started finding some of my favorite characters: Hado and Bakugo from My Hero Academia, Frieren, Mitsuri from Demon Slayer, and of course, my girl Jigglypuff. They filled my weary heart with joy during a time when I needed something to feel good about.

It was summer in Phoenix, so there wasn’t much else to do besides try to stay out of the heat. After work, I would find my way back into the store to see what inventory had come out of the back. Every visit gave me something to look forward to. I might find another character I loved or a figure I hadn’t seen before, and before I knew it, I had a whole display in my living room.

Which is wild, because little me dreamed of having something like that.

I have a photo of my childhood bed covered with stuffed animals and my little collection of favorite treasures. Looking at it now, I realize I have always been a collector. I liked keeping the things I loved where I could see them. Somewhere between growing up, being homeless and learning how to keep going, I stopped giving myself much room to do that.

I had become so used to thinking about the next move that I hadn’t really considered what I wanted to keep.

Making Room for the Things I Love

When I look at my figures now, I feel accomplished. That might sound funny when we’re talking about a shelf of anime characters, but I know what it took for me to have a home where I could put them.

For a long time, home felt like the place where I slept between everything else I had to do. I had somewhere to stay, but I hadn’t put much thought into making the space feel like me. Keeping everything easy to move felt practical, so I kept doing it even when I had a little more room to get comfortable.

Then I started bringing these figures home and making space for them. As the display grew, I could see more of myself in my living room. These were characters from stories I loved, and I could enjoy looking at them while I was home.

I don’t need the biggest collection or the rarest figure. I’m not trying to spend the most money. I like the characters I like, and I want my action figures to look like they are in action. Give me a pose, something happening. Why are we all standing there? Haha!

The sales have ended, and I have calmed down on buying more. But if I see something cute, it might still come home with me. I have space for things I enjoy now, and I’m learning to let myself enjoy having them.

Still a Nerd, Still Me

Loving these things is nothing new for me. I was the kid going home after school to watch Japanese dramas on dial-up. If you remember dial-up, you know that took commitment.

Now I’m getting older, and sometimes I realize I’m becoming the oldest person in the room. I don’t like that part, haha, but I still love anime, games and cute things. Getting older hasn’t made me stop wanting to be around people who love them too.

That is one of the reasons I started Spark & Saga. I wanted to connect with other anime and video game loving people in their 30s and beyond who still want to wear Sailor Moon earrings. Sometimes you want a way to wear what you love that feels personal, something you can work into your own style.

Subtle enough that if you know, you know. But also still bold. 

My brand is for nerds at any age, and anyone who loves colorful things. I know I’m not the only adult who gets excited about finding a favorite character in a store or wearing something that another fan will recognize.

My Home Gets to Look Like Me

I think those $15 figures meant so much because they gave me a reason to start making my home a home.

I was grieving and unsure about my future, but I could go into that store after work and find something that made me happy. Then I could bring it home, put it on display and feel that happiness again when I saw it. As small as that sounds, it mattered to me.

I spent years learning how to live with very little. Now I’m learning what I enjoy having around me when I have a choice. I take pride in my space because my space is a reflection of me.

When I look at that childhood photo, I recognize the girl who wanted to keep all her favorite things close. She didn’t need to grow out of that. She needed somewhere to put them.

Now she has a living room, adult money and a whole display of anime figures.

And if we move, they’re coming too.