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Cast off figures seem to be all the rage these days. Otaku just love being able to strip their favorite girls down to their skivvies… or less. Sure it sounds nice on paper, but casting off isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. For all purpose and intent, this short article will cover true cast off where the clothes actually have to be taken off the figure mold.
First things first. I don’t speak Japanese, so I won’t be doing any translations anytime soon. I’m just wondering if there’s a sizeable group that’s interested in the backstory to the Shuraki figure series. There is a ton of noteworthy voice talent with the likes of Ami Koshimizu, Mayumi Iizuka, Yukari Tamura, Saeko Chiba, and Ryoko Shintani as the lead females thus far. A lot of effort went into making the drama CDs, and it just seems a shame that we English-only speakers are missing out on this interesting facet.
Maybe if there’s enough demand for the CDs to be translated, it may just catch the attention of some generous translators out there. I’m betting that won’t be the case, but this blogger wants to see someone prove him wrong. I’m surprised no one has attempted this task yet, especially with so many big seiyuu headliners.
So does interest for a project like this lie only with the figure collectors? At the end of the day is it worth undertaking this translation for such a small fanbase?
Trading figures have always had a prominent place between low-end gashapons and the pricier scaled statues, but it seems they’ve been in considerable decline lately. Trading figures have made great strides in quality over the past year; Just take a look at GSC’s Nendoroid Puchi, Bandai’s Figure Meister and Alter’s FA4 lines. So why does it seem that trading figures are losing ground?
I really don’t know too much about this character since this was an impulse buy the other day, but I thought this one looked nice ever since seeing the prototype at Wonder Fest Winter 07. Too bad Kotobukiya’s mass productions usually take varying dips in quality.
Danny Choo and Goodsmile Company want to know your top five most wanted figures. Here’s the original link if you live under a rock and haven’t seen the post yet. Just for this article’s sake, let’s hypothetically extend the offer to Max Factory and Alter just to be fair.
The demure but deadly Ryoko Asakura secretly watches the actions of Haruhi Suzumiya. She observes the fickle Haruhi, always looking for a change to occur. Frustrated with the slow pace of her assignment, Ryoko grows impatient and decides to take matters into her own hands. Surely it is better to do something drastic and measurable than to sit around and wait for results to happen. Her course is clear. It would certainly be fun to kill that meddlesome Kyon and watch the aftermath.
Manufacturer: Max Factory
Scale: 1/8
Price: ~$42
Release date: November 2007
The seemingly innocent and demure class representative, Ryoko Asakura…
Hehehe. Please die Kyon-kun.
After watching episode 12 of School Days, Ryoko now has her inspiration.
Come out come out, wherever you are. ^_^
Looks can be deceiving. What’s in the bag anyway…?
Have you been cheating on me Kyon-kun?
Sculpt: 10/10
A nice friendly looking Ryoko Asakura greets you with a bag (or optional army knife) in hand. It’s the typical pose for the seemingly friendly, outgoing girl that everyone likes. She looks passive yet still retains a strong quality in her stance.
Paint: 9/10
Excellent application and quality as is always expected from Max Factory. Her colors are accurate to the original images and animation.
Base: 10/10
I really like the bases of Max Fac’s Haruhi lineup. Simple and nondistracting are the words that come to mind. The pegs have a cozy fit in Ryoko’s feet so they do what they’re supposed to.
Predicted Reliability: 9/10
She stands a bit off balance which could be a concern in a hot climate. Since one foot isn’t completely on the ground, the peg is connected right to the toes. It shouldn’t pose a problem unless you display her under stage lights or something of the sort.
Total Score: 38/40 = 95%
Overall: You must get her because the killer eyebrows demand it. I’ll admit that this one is strictly for the Ryoko fans out there. She probably won’t be a hot seller compared to her bretheren, though if you get her you won’t regret it. She’ll fit right in next to the other Haruhi gals.
At an average price of about 3300 yen (not including import and sales taxes), Goodsmile’s Nendoroids cost way too much for what they are. The big draws for the lineup seem to be the cute SD sculpt and the plethora of bundled accessories.
The quality seems to be top notch for the most part, however the price is just outrageous ranging anywhere from 3000-4000 yen for such a small figure. With the success of the lineup, GSC seems to be charging a premium for the newer figures. GSC has also further capitalized on Nendoroid’s success with the new Nendoroid Petit trading figures.
For the price of two Nendoroids (~6600 yen), you probably have enough for a bigger, better scaled figure from any of the companies out there. To each their own though. If you like the chibi figures then no one is stopping you. I just think it’s money better spent elsewhere.
Released in May 2007, Kotobukiya faithfully recreates Kanon’s Mai Kawasumi in a dynamic action sculpt. This one’s been on the market for about half a year and has been near the top of my figure review list. Mai is probably my second favorite Kanon girl so she deserves this review. The first run even came packed with a pair of bunny ears; A cute albeit useless head decoration that will ultimately end up damaging her hair. Sorry for the lack of photo variety. This figure has a limited viewing range because of the pose.
Manufacturer: Kotobukiya
Scale: 1/8
Price: ~$38
Release date: May 2007
The figure overall is nice but is riddled with a lot of paint problems. As you can see from the pictures, the paint on her hair and uniform is very splotchy and uneven in spots. Not pictured is a giant black scuff on the bottom of her thigh straight out of the box. It’s a shame too, because she would otherwise be fine and earn a higher score.
Sculpt: 8/10
The pose really captures Mai’s demon hunter spirit. It looks like she’s prepared to strike in the middle of a battle while Yuuichi watches on in awe. As previously noted, the pose does limit what angles you can view her.
Paint: 3/10
Terrible paintwork. I expect much better from an established company like Kotobukiya. Mine may have slipped past the QC department so results may vary.
Base: 9/10
The bases does its job and holds Mai securely in place. She’s standing on what I presume are light blue tiles. The base is a fairly off shape though. Maybe she’s supposed to connect to the other Kotobukiya Kanon gals.
Predicted Reliability: 8/10
Chances of leaning are low but not out of the question.
Total Score: 28/40 = 70%
Overall: Get it if you’re a diehard Mai fan. Despite all the paint problems, she still looks a lot better than any of the other Mai offerings on the market. If you’re willing to wait for an indefinite amount of time, Max Factory should produce something of a higher caliber.
Here’s my second go at a figure photo shoot. I know the lighting is far from perfect but I’ll get better as time goes along. Sorry in advance for the low resolution shots, because Flickr caps the maximum size for free users. Let’s get down to the nitty gritty. Shuraki is a collaboration between Good Smile Company and Red Entertainment. Mishiro is the first in the series of figure boxsets that include a figure, artbook, and a drama CD.
For all the figure junkies out there, Good Smile Company’s Mishiro Akatsuki arrived at my doorstep on Saturday. Why did I wait until now to post this? Pressing school matter as always. I’ll put my whole review up along with some pictures in a couple of days. It’s an absolutely gorgeous piece. All I can provide you for now are stock photos from the GSC site.
Edit: And the Shuraki website
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