1/8 Kotobukiya Belldandy

This is Race's latest score: the very nice 1/8 Belldandy by Kotobukiya. He received it from HLJ, and it was sent through EMS (whose purpose I needed to convince him of) to Belgium. The lucky bastard didn't have to pay any taxes on it, so he got the whole deal for under 50 eur.

Pictures were taken by me. Race doesn't have the 1337 skillz required for macro photography :p But he supplied me with some anime and (some desperately needed) blank DVDs ^_^. So, arigatou ne.

The box art is pretty standard, although the inner backdrop features a forest background, which is very appropriate.

The figure itself stands well over 20cm, and what immediately catches anyone's eye is the lovely dynamics on her hair and dress, both wonderfully layered and sculpted. It's funny how a relatively boring character (cuz let's face it, Belldandy is nowhere near as cool as her half-demon sister) can be brought to life with a little windeffect. Most importantly, this figure embodies everything Belldandy stands for: kind, innocent and free-spirited. Kotobukiya's production is spot on, wonderful detailing in all areas, no noticeable errors whatsoever, perfect paintjob.



All-in-all, a great figure, especially for Ah Megami-sama fans.



Full review will follow later *looks at Racemaniac*.

Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu -- Figure Bonanza

We all know Suzumiya Haruhi no Yuutsu, or "The Melancholy of--". For those who don't, this show is probably (one of) the most popular show(s) of 2006. Plotwise, it's pretty insane (like Race pointed out), but it's the brilliant execution that sets this show apart. Also, the very aggressive marketing has brainwashed otaku around the world, the OP and ED even made it into the top 10 of Oricon (the Japanese pop charts).

Now, fanboys and general animation lovers alike, brace yourself for the engulfing, all-engrossing and utterly unstoppable flood of Haruhi figurines!

First we have a private garage kit of Haruhi in her bunny costume playing and singing in episode 12 (which was thé best musical of àny Seiyuu éver). Sculpted by Bubba, this kit's mass produced resin version (which is inferior to the original sculpt) is still available from select sources at very reasonable prices (50-60 $).



Next Atelier-Sai comes into play with Mikuru and Haruhi, both again in their bunny suits. I personally don't like Atelier-Sai, since they often don't get a close enough similarity to the anime/manga of the character. Cfr. Chidori/Tessa from FMP. These figures are also 1/6. Read: huge and expensive.



Then we have Kaiyodo, best known for their "Monsieur BOME" line-up. Theirs is a cute Mikuru in her "Episode 00" maid costume. Skirt has been dramatically shortened for your otaku pleasure :p I like this figure very much, it looks a lot better than Atelier-Sai's.



Last we have the line-up of one my favorite companies, Max Factory. Noteable releases in the past are Mizuho from Onegai Teacher (review and pictures pending!), Naru from Love Hina, and recently the amazingly awesome Ignis from the eroge Jingai Makyo. They are planning on releasing Both Haruhi and Yuki (in her witch's costume!!) and possibly Mikuru-chan as well. F***** 1337.

Ohno Kanako Figurine and Jeremy Clarkson

Yamato SIF EX Ohno Kanako 7” PVC figurine

Foreword

This is my first PVC figurine. I have numerous Gundam plastic model kits. I am a detail freak, and very anal about small defects in anything I buy: from dead pixels on PSP’s (sold one and RMA’ed three) to the flavour and consistency of gum I just bought at local supermarket. Well, ok, I’m overdramatizing, I only RMA’ed two PSP’s.

Having that said, I also love Genshiken. I think it’s one of the best anime ever, and I watch an episode on a daily basis, without ever growing tired of it. Consequently, I love the girls in Genshiken, Kasukabe Saki and Ohno Kanako. I can go on and on about them, like how Jeremy Clarkson can rave on about his Ford GT. Hold that thought, by the way.

Box art, parts, construction

The box is very nice, depicting a shot from the Genshiken clubroom’s window with attached Kujibiki Unbalance poster, and Ritsuko and Tokino flanking the clear window. On the sides, Ohno is portrayed as herself, holding a pair of cosplay nekomimi, and as Ritsuko. The back shows a picture of the figurine.

After carefully opening the box (which I perceive as contributing to almost half the esthetic value of the entire product), the contents are revealed: the figurine (no detachable parts), a scabbard, sword and a stand.

Construction is straightforward, no excessive bending or jamming was necessary. All parts fit snugly and firmly. The scabbard is unfortunately not hollow, and thus, not functional. The stand has a snakeskin motif, but is otherwise very basic, almost flimsy. But it does the job. The figurine’s center of gravity is slightly to the rear, but the ankles seem strong enough to prevent bending.

First impression, design

At 7” tall, it’s about the same height as a 1/100 Gundam plastic model kit. Ohno is in a simple standing pose, nothing special here. The way she stands though, and how she holds both the sword and scabbard is great. She looks slightly sideward, whilst smiling sweetly and politely. So instead of a samurai girl, she looks like a girl *pretending* to be one, and that is *exactly* what we want cosplay-queen Ohno to be like.

Both hair and clothing ripple slightly in the wind, like it is being created by a fan during a photo-shoot. Again, exactly the effect that fits perfectly with Ohno’s character. The effect itself is well done, with the creases not too deep and the fringes rippling in a believable fashion. The hair is also great, and the ribbons (one in the hair and one on her back, which straps in her short battle yukata) adds an enormous amount of cuteness to the entire design.

Technical: paint, mold

The paintjob is pretty good. Blacks are done in a matte finish, the colours are bright yet slightly shaded, so it doesn’t look too much like a toy, but still like anime. Lines are generally crisp, no major flaws. The eye decal is excellent; the entire facial area is, actually, with Ohno’s trademark moles positioned perfectly. Another outstanding element is the shading on skin areas, especially the knees. The boots are also great, the straps are sharply painted.

The mold is good in the crucial areas (front, face, skin, J-cup boobies), and there is not an intolerable amount of flash (small dots of excessive material). The knee looks fantastic, with noticeable tibial tuberosity (the narrower elevation below the kneecap). Detail on the hands is also great, the recession of the nails is visible and the fingers are slender and feminine. There are a number of flaws though, especially in the hair. There were 3 flat spots, 1 of them even mimicking an ugly “solder burn”. Another similar damaged spot can be found on right fringe of the pink ribbon in her hair. Seam lines are also visible, although not in a dramatic fashion. There is also a dent above the right knee.

Although the PVC production process is prone to this kind of defects, the combination of all of the above, pose a serious issue. It usually comes down to the manufacturer’s QA policy. Companies like Good Smile Company, Alter and Max Factory have higher standards, others lower ones. I have little first hand experience, but this figurine, as well as the buzz on the net, puts Yamato on the lower end of the scale.
Having considered this, the many great technical features seem to outweigh the production hick-ups though.

Personal satisfaction, conclusion

Yes, this figurine has an amount of serious flaws. Yes, the pose isn’t very dynamic. Yes, Yamato probably is a poor manufacturer. It just looks so nice though, it’s right up there with my 1/100 MG Freedom in terms of eye candy yumminess. Detailing and colouring are very good, with high marks going to the face and knees. The figurine perfectly conveys Ohno’s character. One of the reasons why I held off a long time from figurines is the fact that they seldom get the faces and “heart” of the character right. Not so with this figurine. It *is* Ohno. I can kinda sum it up like Jeremy Clarkson’s Ford GT. It is impossible to get into due to the ridiculous doors that contain part of the ceiling. It needs to be filled up at virtually every single petrol station you come across. And it breaks down more than clockwork made by a baboon. But he still loves that car. As I love this figurine.

Figthing gravity

 Behold my cute cosplaying Saki figurine (character from 
Genshiken, great anime/manga ). As always, trouble is never 
far off when you're trying to have a bit of fun... In this case,
buying this nice figurine has given me another thing to worry
about.

In the store, i already saw that the one on display had fallen forward, 
but since i got another one, i thought mine would be stable (in 
retrospect, pretty naive...). After a few falls, i knew mine wasn't any 
different, so i came up with the brilliant idea of superglueing it to the 
base...That's when the real problems started. Now it doesn't fall over, 
without any real damage afterwards, but starts to bend forward! 
In a few weeks my figurine would probably have been wasted if i 
hadn't found a way to counter it! 

Luckily i did. After a few nights of hanging her horizontally off the 
handle of a drawer, she has bended backwards enough to compensate,
and appears to be pretty stable now :) (and i can always hang her on 
the drawer a bit more if necessary).

Ahhh, another crisis averted :), and somehow i don't really mind. 
Encountering little challenges, and seeking solutions is also fun, i
think life would be boring without such little mishaps (as long as
they don't ruin things, ofcourse).

Well, this concludes my first post on this blog, cya soon!