Anime Gamers Lots of anime Trading figure boxes hold mysteries

May 3, 2005 East Wind There is a wind that blows east to west. It starts Far East, in Japan. And it carries certain trends. Cell phone technologies ride in on this wind. Also horror flicks like The Ring and The Grudge. And the king of all Japanese imports: Anime. Tap into the next trend blowing our way at Anime Gamers in West Los Angeles. The name is a bit of an understatement. A more suitable one might be "All Things Anime" because of the wide selection of video games, DVDs, comic books, graphic novels, magazines, toys and collectibles. Since Japanese anime TV shows have an outlet here on the Cartoon Network, those brands tend to be top sellers. Pick up an action figure from Full Metal Alchemist. Or choose a pre-painted model kit based on Gundam and build it yourself. Here's a trend to watch: Trading figures. For $6.95 you buy an action figure in a package the size of a box of baking soda. You can't see what's inside so you don't know which figure you're getting. Highly tradable. Highly collectible. The characters are based on Japanese anime TV shows and video games. Chiseled heroes for boys and cavity-causing cutesy creatures for girls. We guaranteed you'll be wide-eyed at the selection. Anime Gamers is located at 10811 Pico Blvd., right across the street from the Westside Pavilion.