Tag Archives: Figures

KOS-MOS from Xenosaga III (1/4 Scale Version)


Volks KOS-MOS from Xenosaga Review

As usual, laziness overrides my intentions and instead of Miku, we have here a figure of KOS-MOS from Bandai Namco’s Xenosaga III. I keep meaning to build a nice backdrop for Miku so that I can photograph her, but there’s about a billion reviews of Miku out there already and everyone knows what she looks like, anyway. KOS-MOS, however, is far too large to build a special background for, and besides, while Miku is nice and all, KOS-MOS is one helluva figure.
Continue reading

Posted in Figure Review | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 54 Comments

Aaliyah from Ikusa Otome Valkyrie 2 (NSFW)


Giga Pulse Aaliyah from Ikusa Otome Valkyrie 2 Review

My last figure review covered a figure that evoked mixed feelings, so I thought that for my next writeup, I’d look at a figure that everyone can agree is the very epitome of class, a figure that is, without a doubt, fun and appropriate for people of all ages.
Continue reading

Posted in Figure Review | Tagged , , , , , , , | 27 Comments

Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann (Real Image Version)


Max Factory Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review

Backstage we’re having the time
Of our lives until somebody say
Forgive me if I seem out of line
Then she whipped out her gun and tried to blow me away!

Continue reading

Posted in Figure Review | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 33 Comments

My Five Favorite Figures of 2009

Retrospective lists at the end of the year are de rigeur for magazines and newspapers and blogs, so I figured I’d provide a list of my five favoritest figures of 2009. This list includes only mass-marketed PVC figures released last year; otherwise, Kenshin would occupy slots one through five.

5.


Alter Narika from Beat Blades Haruka Figure

Narika from Beat Blades Haruka (Alter)

Despite being neither a big fan of twintails or the flat chest, I love Alter’s rendition of Narika. She’s got a great pose and her face expresses sauciness and playfulness in equal measure. Her split-front trousers and that huge weapon – whatever it is – are too cool as well.

4.


Orchid Seed Seena from Shining Wind Figure

Seena Kanon from Shining Wind (Orchid Seed)

Seena was one of the figures I was most looking forward to, and Orchid Seed did not disappoint me. She’s an elegant mix of sexiness and subtlety, of quiet repose and martial prowess. Tony’s designs usually make for excellent figures, and Seena doesn’t deviate from that expectation.

3.


Daiki Kougyou Kanu Unchou from Ikkitousen Figure

Kanu Unchou from Ikki Tousen (Daiki Kougyou)

Daiki Kougyou is one of the enigmas of the hobby; one has to wonder why they green-lit some of the figures they’ve churned out, but when they are at their best, they stand right up there with the big boys. Many companies – including Daiki – have made figures of Kanu Unchou, but their miko version stands out not just as my favorite Kanu, but one of my favorite figures of all time. They’ve done a great job making Kanu look sexy as hell in a sarashi and low-rise hakama combo, and if her fashion sense isn’t to one’s taste, they can be taken off altogether.

2.


Native Collet from Tony Taka Figure

Collet from Tony Taka (Native)

I’ve already noted how this figure answered one of my long-held dreams, but even besides that, this is an incredible figure. Ero figures are usually the province of smaller, less skillful manufacturers or niche garage kit makers, but Native shows us how to do them right. The combination of Tony’s art and Max Factory’s craftsmanship is unbeatable, and sculpting the figure in 1/6 scale elevates Collet from excellent to transcendent. Truly one of the best figures of 2009.

1.

Alter Metatron from Demonbane Figure
Metatron from Demonbane (Alter)

I suspect that Metatron was not one of Alter’s more popular releases in 2009, but of all the figures that they’ve made, she stands out as my favorite. I normally don’t like the looking-back-over-the-shoulder pose, but it works perfectly here, allowing the viewer to admire both her face and backside at the same time. She looks hot, capable, and confident, and she’s the 2009 figure that I like the most.

The most annoying trend of 2009
If I wanted to be snarky, I’d nominate the rampant proliferation of nendoroids for this prize. Instead, I’ll say that the increasing proclivity of figure manufacturers to sell their products solely on exclusive websites or at particular events is the most annoying trend of the past year. This sort of marketing strategy was once principally employed by less-mainstream companies like Volks, but now we see Alter jumping on board with several of their Hyakka Ryoran figures being exclusively sold through a magazine and their highly-anticipated Saber Alter maid figure being a Hobby Channel exclusive. MegaHouse retailed their Kagura and Yomi figures only through Digitamin, and Max Factory packed one of their figmas with a Gantz manga. I’m certain that the various deputy services in Japan are loving this, but for the rest of us, it’s quite the hassle.

Actually, you know, if I really, really wanted to be snarky, I’d claim that the unceasing torrent of Drossel pictures is the most annoying trend of 2009. But that would be unlike me, no? Me? Snarky? Unthinkable.

One thing I don’t ever want to see in 2010 but I know I will
Anything to do with Rin Kokonoe.

Three things I want to see in 2010 but I know I won’t


Two of these three girls have figures but one does not.

Beat Blades Haruka has some of the coolest character designs around, an opinion not lost on Alter, who have put out superb figures of Haruka and Narika. Conspicuously missing from their lineup is Subaru, the third ninja heroine. Now admittedly, she’s a bit quirky compared to her compatriots; Haruka is kind-hearted and loyal, Narika is spastic and mercurial, but Subaru is duty-minded, somewhat humorless, and something of a martinet. None of that is unusual, you say? She is also an amputee who gets a set of tentacles to replace her lost arm, she can potentially violently rape Haruka depending on how good you are at the game (or how sick you are in the head), and she seems to have a thing for pigs – don’t ask about that last one. Just join me in transmitting mental thoughts to Alter’s offices to persuade them to complete the Jougenshuu trio.

Moving on …


One of these three girls has a figure but two do not.

So I was watching Sora Kake Girl, and I notice this thing on the right side of the screen:

See that? Now either Good Smile Company paid money to get their logo up there, or GSC’s chairman has some photographs that Sunrise’s chairman would much prefer to keep secret. Given their sponsorship and also the fact that the cast of the show is composed almost entirely of female teenagers, one would think that GSC would be chucking out Sora Kake Girl figures left and right, no? Or at least, one would think that after they made Akiha, that Itsuki would be next, yes? I mean, they even let her cosplay as this character, whom I’m certain does not need an introduction:


This is not actually who she appears to be.

Heck, I’ll even settle for a cosplaying Itsuki figure. Maybe. Wait, no I won’t. GSC, I demand that you give us Itsuki in her Q-tector suit.


MegaHouse, you are the key that can set Irma free.

I took a look at the Queen’s Blade roster, and of the nineteen characters in the main line, I think only two haven’t gotten figures: Melpha and Irma. Melpha I can understand, she’s one of the more recent characters and she’s fat. Irma’s situation, however, confuses me. She’s not a new kid on the block – she was Queen’s Blade character number three. Her hair and eyes evoke Rei Ayanami, and like most of the lineup, she doesn’t wear many clothes. She received a bit more love (and even more pain) in the recent anime series, so hopefully that raises her profile enough that MegaHouse or Griffon sees fit to give her the PVC treatment.

Posted in Figures | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 23 Comments

Collet from the Art of Tony Taka (NSFW)


Native Collet from Tony Taka Review

We all have our dreams, things that we hope to do, things that we hope to become, things that we hope will come to be. For me, this figure represents the culmination of a dream that I’ve dreamt for a long time. It’s one that I always wished would be fulfilled but never really expected to. After waiting for so long, after holding out hope for so long, my dream has come true: I can finally say that I own a figure with a realistically-sculpted anus.
Continue reading

Posted in Figure Review | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 62 Comments

Black Rock Shooter


Good Smile Company Black Rock Shooter Review

A couple of months ago, I was reading The Lord of the Rings, and one of the things that’s always struck me about J.R.R. Tolkien is how few books he ever had published. His bibliography basically comprises The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings, The Silmarillion, and several short stories. His most famous work is barely over a thousand pages in aggregate, shorter than many single volumes of contemporary fantasy series, and he labored virtually his entire adult lifetime on The Silmarillion without completing it.

That’s not to say that he wasn’t an active writer, though. Tolkien wrote prodigiously; the thing is, he constantly trashed his stories and started anew, coming up with new ideas, defining and redefining characters. One of his most famous characters, Frodo Baggins, was originally Bingo Baggins, Bilbo Baggins’s son. The character is refined over decades through numerous iterations and revisions until he becomes the Frodo that everyone knows from the movies. Despite the paucity of Tolkien’s published work, it’s safe to say that his characters are some of the most beloved in all of fiction and have, thanks to the films and the books’ enduring appeal, become pop-culture icons.

There is, however, another way to develop characters and ensconce them in the hearts and minds of the masses, one that doesn’t require a lifetime of toil. Start with a female anime character with big eyes, give her some attributes that hit on a variety of fetishes held by anime fans, get an associated video or a song up on the web, and chuck some merchandise out into the market. Then, when the inevitable anime and manga and video game tie-ins come out, you’ll be able to move more merchandise and sit back and watch panting fans drop thousands of yen on your goods. Character background? Don’t need it. Personality? Make it up as you go. Just be sure that it falls within one of the common, proven-to-sell archetypes. If it does, you’re good.
Continue reading

Posted in Figure Review | Tagged , , , , , , , | 16 Comments

Ivy Valentine from Soul Calibur


E2046 Ivy Valentine from Soul Calibur Review

Now here’s a figure that I’m still a bit surprised to own, mainly because I didn’t buy it. E2046 does a monthly drawing where they give away free stuff to people who post product feedback. Guess who won the most recent draw?
Continue reading

Posted in Figure Review | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Seena Kanon from Shining Wind


Orchid Seed Seena Kanon from Shining Wind Review

Sometimes when you first see a figure, you know right away that you’re going to get it regardless of price or difficulty of acquisition. You religiously scan all the figure news sites for the latest scoop, you load up Japanese pages and run them through Google Translate and do your best to interpret the results, you count down the days until its release date, and above all, you fervently, feverishly pray to all the gods above and below that the manufacturer please, please, please doesn’t screw it up. How many times have you’ve seen a figure’s prototype shots, excitement building unabated, and then, when the production sample photos come out, felt anticipation displaced by distress, lust metamorphosing into ire as you wonder, “How the hell did this happen?”

Then, when you get your shipping notice, you hope that maybe you overreacted, that your concerns were unmerited, and that your pretty little anime figure will rekindle the love for it that you first felt.
Continue reading

Posted in Figure Review | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments

Risty from Queen’s Blade (NSFW)


MegaHouse Risty from Queen's Blade Review

With snow armageddon spreading across the entire east coast, I had some time to shoot some photos, so here’s a look at a figure that was released a few weeks ago. Risty is one of the original Queen’s Blade characters and is thus one of the franchise’s more prominent representatives, but this version is a bit atypical compared to its counterparts.
Continue reading

Posted in Figure Review | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 32 Comments

Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann


E2046 Yoko Ritona from Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann Review

There are numerous figures of Gurren Lagann’s redheaded sniper, and they generally take one of two approaches: most, like Gift’s and Kotobukiya’s, emphasize her cuteness, but a few, most notably Alter’s version, depict her as a gunslinging badass. This particular figure undoubtedly belongs in the second group.
Continue reading

Posted in Figure Review | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments