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.

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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.