Yui Takamura from Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse (Eishi Strengthening Equipment Version)

Yui Takamura figure by Kotobukiya

There have been a number of figures of the characters from Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse. To date, most of them have put them in swimsuits or their underwear. Not that that’s a bad thing (would you trust a heterosexual man who said he didn’t like panties?), but given the appeal and distinctiveness of Muv-Luv’s pilot suits, it’s a shame that figure makers haven’t chosen to adapt the most iconic look of the Total Eclipse characters. That is, until now; Kotobukiya has finally made a figure of lead girl Yui Takamura in her pilot suit, and that’s who we are looking at here.

Yui Takamura's rear

This is Kotobukiya’s second figure of Yui, the first having arrived over a year ago. Like the earlier figure, this one is sculpted in 1/7 scale; unlike the earlier version and pretty much every previous figure of a Total Eclipse character, Yui is standing up here. She’s a substantial figure, standing about 23.5 centimeters tall, discounting the base.

Besides the base, she comes with her sword and three little rocks that can be strewn about at the owner’s discretion. I know I’d just lose them so I put them back in the box.

Yui Takamura Figure Review

The name of this figure makes reference to its clothing (“eishi” is what the Japanese mecha pilots in Muv-Luv Alternative call themselves), so that’s a good place to start. A longtime staple of science fiction and superhero comics, the tight bodysuit offer obvious sex appeal, and the suits of Muv-Luv Alternative amplify that effect in several ways. Most obviously, they are unrealistically tight, with the wearer vacuum-sealed inside the suit (literally so; we see this in an early episode of the anime). The various bits of armor studding the suit comprise a more contentious aspect of the character designs; in particular, I’ve heard people say they don’t care for the chinstrap. While I don’t hate it, I can see why it would be bothersome, and I would agree that I’d prefer that it not be there. I do wish the pointy cones protruding from her hips weren’t there; I think they are disruptive to her body line.

Yui Takamura Figure Review

That said, I don’t think they are detrimental; indeed, they can be hard to notice amid the obviously exaggerated characteristics of her physique. Her large breasts are one of the most conspicuous elements of her design and are, I’m sure, two major reasons why people tuned in to the Total Eclipse anime series. Yui’s design reminds me quite a bit of the aforementioned superhero comics, particularly those drawn by artists like Jim Lee, Marc Silvestri, and Andy Kubert back in the 1990s; her long legs, wasp waist, and strongly curved back are evocative of the conventions of those days.

Yui Takamura Figure Review

Being the lead female character, Yui gets to wear a unique suit that matches the color of her tactical surface fighter. The black-and-gold motif is almost always an attractive combination, and the purple accents add elements of distinction, femininity, and regalness to her design. The patterning on her suit is outlined with black piping, and looking at it close-up, it’s a bit roughly applied. Collectors who own Kotobukiya’s 1/6 scale figures of the Evangelion characters will already be familiar with this.

Yui Takamura Figure Review

Speaking for myself, and only myself, I kinda wish that this figure featured erect nipples. It’s tight enough that we can clearly see her navel, and some of the official art featured such. While I’m at it, it would’ve also been pretty cool if she wore a see-through suit like some of the characters from Alternative did.

Yui Takamura Figure Review

Anyway, it’s a very tight suit, one that does proper justice to Yui’s rear. Fans of this sort of thing will be very pleased.

Yui's feet

I like the way her shoes look; they’re big and clunky, which I think looks pretty cute.

Yui's sword

She also has this sword, which comes separately. It slides into her hand pretty easily, which is nice because that’s not always the case with some figures. The contrast between her futuristic outfit and her anachronistic weapon is interesting and eye-catching. The sword also makes her nationality obvious.

Both Yui Takamura figures from Kotobukiya

As mentioned, this is the second figure of Yui by Kotobukiya. The earlier figure was done by a different sculptor and looks a little bit smaller than this one. The hair is also a little different; this Yui’s hair is more voluminous with more prominent hair intake styling.

Yui Takamura Figure Review

The style of the eyes is also a little different; this Yui’s eyes has more pronounced black outlining, giving her a harder, more aggressive look.

Yui Takamura Figure Review

Kotobukiya’s earlier figure of Yui Takamura was excellent, and this one is no different. Certainly, the highlight of this figure is Yui’s body, and her chest is indeed very nice, but there are a number of other appealing factors here. Yui’s demeanor is one of them; she looks both strong and sexy here, standing nonchalantly amid urban ruin. The contrasts presented by this figure are more subtle but still compelling; the contrast between her feudal-era sword and futuristic outfit is one, but there are others, such as the contrast between her military look and her girlish ribbon, and her placid expression while evidently surrounded by destruction. All in all, this is a fantastic figure, one that I am very pleased to own.

Yui Takamura Figure Review
Japanese doll Yui Takamura with her American buddy

One of the peculiar aspects of Total Eclipse’s plot was a poorly-handled stab at injecting racial tension between the Japanese-American lead guy and fully-Japanese Yui. It was pretty badly done and made me cringe, being Japanese-American myself. I think my attempt at introducing racial commentary into my own work is better.

Yui Takamura Figure Review
Yui Takamura Figure Review
Yui Takamura Figure Review
Yui Takamura Figure Review
Yui Takamura Figure Review
Yui Takamura Figure Review
Yui Takamura Figure Review
Yui Takamura Figure Review
Yui Takamura Figure Review
Yui Takamura Figure Review
Yui Takamura Figure Review
Yui Takamura Figure Review
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54 Responses to Yui Takamura from Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse (Eishi Strengthening Equipment Version)

  1. Asa says:

    I didn’t much care for the anime, the story was weak, and the nationalism was painful at best. I did, however, like the character designs. And many of the figures to date. However I don’t own any and have no intention of getting any since the story was subpar.

    I really like what you did with your shoot here. A nice set to match her base, a great ruined urban landscape kinda deal, with the lighting. #18 is particularly grand. This is why I follow your blog. <3 Would love to see a breakdown on this shoot. Or any more breakdowns or technical posts you've promised for several years.

    Anyway, she has a nice butt. I don't like the oversized boobs, but it is certainly a fine rear.

    • Lykaios says:

      Uh oh….see, I am not the only one waiting for a tech post. Though it seems the natives are beginning to get restless ๐Ÿ™‚

      • Tier says:

        They are getting antsy! Perhaps even ornery, soon. You know, it’s sort of weird that figure photography has been a pretty popular thing for at least six or seven years now, but there are so few resources on the web that provide guidance.

    • Tier says:

      I still have half the anime to watch; I got to around episode 12 and lost interest. The portrayal of the Soviet military was pretty hilarious. And cringe-inducing. A lot of the show was cringe-inducing. I was a big military buff when I was younger, and I found myself thinking that this was the sort of anime I would design back when I was ten years old. Certainly the plot and the handling of the characters have only the sort of complexity a ten-year old would come up with.

      Ahh, I am a liar. And also lazy. Not a particularly good combination. I did take a picture of the setup, though:

      I did not think to take more shots, but I’m probably going to shoot Cryska the same exact way, so I’ll take more setup shots then. I think she’s supposed to be getting released really soon.

      • Tian says:

        So where do you keep these sets when you’re not using them?

        • Tier says:

          The sets aren’t integrated into a single piece so they’re easy to store. I have a bunch of floors and a bunch of backdrops, so I just stack them up when I’m not using them. I’ve only ever done a couple of sets that were single pieces, and after I was done with them I just pitched them in the trash or broke them down and recycled the materials into other sets.

  2. Adam says:

    I’ve had four Koto figures prior to Yui and I wouldn’t call any of them “excellent”, but I have to say that I’m pretty pleased with how Yui turned out. The detailing is a bit rough as you point out, but I think the extensive use of glossy paint makes it a lot less noticeable. My Yui also has this odd flat spot on her upper left thigh, but you really have to be at the right angle to notice it. Not a big deal, really.

    I’ve also got Cryska on order. Here’s hoping she comes out as nicely as Yui did.

    • Tier says:

      I try not to pigeonhole figure manufacturers, but Kotobukiya has always been consistently average in my view. They are rarely spectacular but they don’t have too many really bad figures. Their Bishoujo series is making me re-think that last evaluation, though. Their larger-sized figures seem to come out better than their 1/8 scale figures; besides this figure, I also like their 1/6 scale Evangelion figures, particularly Asuka, whom I’ve never reviewed but like a great deal. Those figures have a lot of thematic similarities to Yui and the other upcoming Total Eclipse figures, which gives me some hope that their figures of the Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere figures will be better than their norm.

  3. Devastator001 says:

    Nice shots of her gonna be hard to pass her up ๐Ÿ˜€ Are you getting Inia and Kryska too?

    • Tier says:

      Yeah, I’ve got Cryska preordered, and I plan to get Inia too, though I’m not sure where I’ll order her. Sometimes you can get Kotobukiya’s figures cheaper from US retailers than from Amiami or Hobby Search, but checking the prices at BBTS, I might actually be better off rolling with a Japanese store, unless the exchange rate unexpectedly craters once more.

  4. Wieselhead says:

    Haha you could have written reviews about so many other figures, but no it had to be Takamura Yui. I haven’t even started writing about her and Im already last XD, Biotoxic is also working on a review.

    It’s a pretty figure of Yui, the glossy suit is nice and pretty tight, I don’t believe it offers the pilot any safety aside from preventing a red out or black out via pressure compensation.
    The poisonous animal color sheme is pretty cool and quite the eyecatcher.

    The chin extension is not that pretty, but also doesn’t make the figure ugly, Yui’s face is pretty. I also love her nice broken concrete base, the shading is convincing.
    I wholeheartly agree with you about some nipples, a slightly more sexualized plug suit figure would have been great, but not something Kotobukiya would do.

    I actually liked the show, the nationalistic and racism touch was something new. The tension between Yuuya and Yui was fun, like in one of these cheesy movies, where the fighting characters suddenly start to kiss passionately XD I didn’t like the harem elements in Total Eclipse, since I wanted more alien butchering in the first place. The end was an open one, maybe there will bea second season, it would be sad if not.

    The pictures are really nice, I had a hard time with lighting up her face properly unlike you.

    • Tier says:

      I did! Actually, this wasn’t my plan; I was going to shoot another figure.

      Unfortunately, the idea didn’t work at all and I needed a backup idea, so I went with Yui.

      Yeah, I think that her outfit leaves her exposed in more ways than one. But then again, whenever a warrior character seems to be underdressed for fighting, I’m reminded of the book Black Hawk Down, which detailed a gunfight between the US military and Somali paramilitary forces. There’s at least one story about how some soldiers got their pants blown off or burned off during the battle. If US Army Rangers can fight half-naked, I figure anime characters can too.

      I plan on watching the rest of the show sometime, at least to see what the Chinese girl is like (I heard she likes to jump Yuuya’s bones). I’m not expecting much and viewing it in the spirit you describe is probably the way I’ll watch it. I’m kinda surprised that it doesn’t seem to be licensed in the US; considering that Muv-Luv seems to have a decent fanbase all around the world, I would have thought someone would’ve picked it up.

      She does have really big bangs; I usually go for a side lit look, but she wouldn’t let me.

  5. Kinda disappointing that all the figure makers have abandoned the original Pilot suit designs in favour of the “E” rated ones. But, for some reason, none of the new designs have grabbed me like the older Volks designs or some of the GK I have seen around.

    Still hope that they animate alternative tho…

    • Tier says:

      Yeah, I wish they’d use those suits as well; the first time I saw them, they were so outrageous that I immediately became a fan of the series (though I did think – and still think – the name “Muv-Luv” sounded weird as hell). That reminds me that I ought to review their 1/4 scale Meiya figure, since I have an authentic version. Though I broke the sword and I guess I need to repair that first.

      I wonder how well Total Eclipse did; I recall hearing that they animated it since it’s a self-contained story, but if it did okay, perhaps it makes sense to animate the core series as well; I’ve heard very good things about it. (I wonder if it’ll ever get localized overseas; I recall hearing that Age attended Mangagamer’s booth at one of the big conventions a year or two ago.)

  6. Lykaios says:

    Man, I dunno if I should run over to Crunchyroll now or not. Ultimately for me, when I like the character designs of a show a lot, I like them. Damn other people’s opinions and more importantly, damn the show itself – though that can be more difficult than it would appear.

    I think the best current example that come to mind is Kanetsugu from Samurai Girls. Character design – for me extremely nice, not sure of the order with the others, but not last place. Character from the show – only an annoyance and would almost affect my purchase of her figure. In the same way, part of me is afraid to watch the Muv Luv anime and have my opinion of my figures be tainted. But it is not that big a deal and I am bored so….

    Anyway I ordered mine through Hobby Fan trying to save a couple of bucks. I hope she drops soon because your pictures have fanned the flames of anticipation for me. For me, the only slight con is I think the main shade of purple on her suit is just a bit too glossy. But I will wait to get it in hand make any real judgement.

    AND Tomo (Horizon) is FINALLY on the way as well…..the plugsuit fetish shelf will finally be getting off of the ground.

    I may have to drum up some sort of licensing agreement with you, I plan to blatantly steal the general idea of a couple of your shoots. But it would be more about trying to see if I can get a similar result and a bit more understanding – like playing a bass line from a favorite song until you get it right.

    I truly like the reult of this shoot, did you actually smash a brick for it? And were you trying for a smoke effect behind her? Very nice, indeed.

    • Tier says:

      Yeah, I’ve watched shows purely because I liked the character designs. Like Guilty Crown. And Date a Live. God, what an awful show that is. They didn’t even bother coming up with a plot; they just went to the anime category on TVTropes and browsed around until they found a good one and went, “Ooh, let’s put this in the show!” And yet, I’m still watching it. And I wouldn’t go as far to say that I dislike it. Though I do really hate the little sister.

      Kanetsugu does really get the short end of the stick in Samurai Girls. I thought she might be getting better in one of the recent episodes but nope, they copped out. I definitely have no interest in getting any Yukimura figures now, purely because of her personality in the anime.

      The characterization in Total Eclipse isn’t all that bad, though, at least through the first half. I think my main beef is more that it’s a very pretentious show, similar to Guilty Crown. I dislike the word “otaku” but it seems appropriate to use here; it’s a show made by military otaku who want to show off their geopolitical knowledge, and it comes off looking amateur, particularly since they’re also pandering to the usual anime audience. If anything, the characters are sorta bland … well, except for Tarisa, who isn’t that likeable (at least not initially), but nobody’s making any merchandise of her, anyway.

      Tomo looks pretty great. She is way huger than I thought she’d be. In more ways than one.

      Feel free to do so! Indeed, if I see a picture scheme that I like, I’ll go ahead and try to implement it. De-constructing a photograph and trying to adapt it is a great way to learn. (Heck, just trying new stuff in general is a great way to learn.)

      Not exactly a brick, but I did smash and crumble up a lot of plaster to make the rubble. The little grains are ready-made pebbles that I got from a hobby shop. The background in all of these photos is actually the same backdrop I used for the vmf50 Shiho doll post a couple of months ago (I also used it for FREEing’s Nymph bunny figure). It’s one of the general-purpose backgrounds I use and I really like it. I’ve also got a similarly-designed one in red which I use a lot. Maybe I should write a post on how to make such a background, since it comes in so handy for me.

      • kinda harsh… Actually, Date A Live is a pretty bad anime but the light novel is quite fun. The problem is that they cut all the little things which make the characters more fun to follow. For example, when Touka meets Shido for her first date at the end of ep 2, in the book, she nearly kills a nearby schoolgirl who was walking in the area, reasoning that she’d take her out and then loot her clothes! Then, after she got scolded by shido for lacking common sense, she does her magic trick. That was way better than what they did for the anime.

        It’s a decent title but the adaptation is awful.

  7. arcade says:

    Fantastic pictures as always Tier. I just got her in the mail yesterday, and she looks great by default, but you somehow find a way to make Yui look better.

    I must say, President Obama sure has good taste when it comes to which girls he appears with. This one confirms it.

    Here’s hoping you get Cryska as well.

    • Tier says:

      Thanks! And he is indeed a savvy man of good taste. Man, I have to get the background for Alter’s swimsuit Fate T. Harlaown built already, she’s nearly the perfect size to stand with the president, I think.

      I am indeed getting Cryska. I’m hoping she gets released this month since I’m looking forward to her and I’ve also got her bundled with a couple of other figures that are already in-stock at Hobby Search; I’m going to feel kinda dumb having delayed the shipment if she gets delayed by Kotobukiya.

  8. Tian says:

    Yeeesssss another glossy butt. Looks like a really nice figure but the colors and chin piece aren’t doing it for me. I’m trying to get a review sample of Cryska as I like her design a bit more.

    • Tier says:

      Now that’s the way to do it. It is too bad Alter doesn’t have a US-based office to hand out samples to well-connected collectors.

      Between Yui and Tomo Asama and Samus’s re-release, it’s a pretty good time to be a fan of glossy butts. I’m kinda regretting not getting those MegaHouse figures of the Space Battleship Yamato characters; I don’t know anything about the show but I do know I like the way their asses look.

      • Tian says:

        I agree about Alter but I get the feeling they’re too small to have a dedicated US office. Even GSC’s US operations are pretty limited from what I’ve seen.

        I was glad to see Samus re-released, but sadly it’s set for September. I have some non-glossy butts coming in that month (Freeing’s Marie and Max Factory’s Dark Elf) that will be eating up my figure budget. Samus has a great butt and all, but Marie and Dark Elf… those are butts I can really… get behind.

        • Tier says:

          Yeah, they don’t even have a translator for their website. I have the feeling only the GSC companiees, Kotobukiya, and Yamato really care about the overseas marketplace. Maybe Hobby Japan too, strangely enough, since their figures are mostly Japanese-exclusive, but they do seem to have an English language website and I’ve seen a few translated Queen’s Blade books that I presume they published.

          All good choices, I’m really looking forward to the Lineage II figure; the dark elf character model was pretty much the only reason I tried the game out many years ago. I’m more conflicted about Marie so hopefully she won’t sell out and I can get her cheap.

  9. Steve Chen says:

    Nice how you expanded the urban diorama backgrounds Tier (hah!) Who an I kidding, Yui steals the shots! Also got her (just arrived 2 days ago) and what drew me to her was her very kawaii expression (at least for me it was kawaii)………..so adorable that I neglected to see she’s got a samurai ready to slice and dice. Also, without going overdrive on the ecchiness, maybe some anatomical markings(as you mentioned her breasts for instance) would have made her even more alluring (as if the suit itself doesn’t do the job enough).

    Also,how Koto painted the purple on her, simply amazing! Glossy finish mirror like that I can’t help but keep on staring at her…………… let me get back again at her facial expression……..makes me want to smooch her hehehe. Also her mech boots also enchances her sexiness.

    Back on the original source material for Muvluv you mentioned, I wouldn’t be averse in getting a special edition sans the purple of her if Koto allows (pipe dream I’ll admit)
    If I have any regrets, I was not able to order Cryska (all sold out) and the other girl to complete the pose/diorama setting.

    On a slightly deviated subject, did you also pick up Alter’s Oboro Muramasa Kongiku? She also got released at the same time as Yui. Another amazing fig waiting for your camera lens to capture in all her buxom glory.

    • Tier says:

      Yeah, I really like her expression as well; she looks completely calm but still very confident. I should’ve talked a bit more about the way her back is arched, too; I really like that. The casualness of her pose is very striking, considering how outlandish her outfit is.

      Cryska is actually still available for order at BBTS; I might be ordering Inia there too, though I’m not sure yet.

      Nah, I didn’t get Kongiku; I’m not a big fan of the animal ears. Besides the ears, though, she definitely looks nice, and it’s a big plus that they made her breasts as large as they are; I recall hearing of some complaints about her chest size, which I find vastly amusing.

    • Tier says:

      That was quick; I didn’t think she’d go up for order that fast. I do kinda wish – okay, really wish – that she were wearing the translucent flesh-tone suit that she initially wears, but this is still good. I wonder what they’re using to hold her up?

      • Steve Chen says:

        Yay! But also boo(?) Iirc Koto never releases R 18 figs (correct me if I’m wrong) but as you stated,it would be amazing if they indeed released her in a translucent suit. And even Yui too, that plugsuit oof heres really deserves the translucent treatment.

        As for what keeps her up, Koto must have placed a mounting pole somewhere in her pony tail.

        • Tier says:

          Yeah, I’m pretty sure they never have, which is a little bit curious since it seems like the market is going more towards explicit figures, much like how anime in general has gotten more and more suggestive. Or pornographic, one might say.

  10. hey hey says:

    Nice the figure is actually well shaped and not flat curved like some.

    Just wondering are you going to review Oboro Muramasa – Kongiku?

    • Tier says:

      Nah, I didn’t buy that figure, actually; I’m not a big huge fan of anime girls with animal ears. It’s actually why I don’t have that many Strike Witches figures, either.

  11. Phil says:

    One of the best sets you’ve done recently. Nice work!

    • Tier says:

      Thanks! The funny thing is I put it together literally at the last moment; I was painting it as I set up my lights (which is why there’s a bottle of rubbing alcohol right off to the side, to clean up any paint smudges).

  12. icelava says:

    I’m heterogeneous and i don’t like panties.

    i like what’s behind it.

    ๐Ÿ˜‰

    • Tier says:

      Ha, fair enough. Though some people have claimed that the suggestion is more enticing than the reveal. Judging from the sorts of figures I buy, I don’t quite subscribe to that theory.

  13. Wolfheinrich says:

    I sort of understand how Total Eclipse might have been viewed as a failure from an anime adaption stand point; however, from the viewpoint of Muv Luv Alternative Universe as a whole, Total Eclipse is nothing but a branch story. In fact, the main story of Alternative is so dramatic and deep, it almost cries for something like Total Eclipse to balance it out. If anyone is looking for a good mecha battle against the alien known as BETA, go for main Muv Luv Alternative game story, it has a fan translated English patch already. I know I did because watching Total Eclipse got me interested in BETA and wanted to find out what they are and why they appeared on Earth.

    Now, with all that said, I still like Yui Takamura, or Princess Yui as she is often referred to in the anime; her personality is somewhat confusing as the story develop but it doesn’t take away from her beauty. I originally thought about getting this figure as well but the pointy chin distract too much for me to go for this particular one.

    As for some explanation of the translucent flesh-tone pilot suit, the alternative game offer two reasons. One is for the trainee pilots to get rid of their sense of shame, two is for the instructors to see if they are injured/bleeding inside.

    • Tier says:

      I don’t know if it was a failure or not … it wasn’t what I was hoping for but then again, I do not think that what I was hoping for would’ve been commercially successful. I do have the sense that Muv-Luv Alternative is more along the lines of what I would like to see (which is to say, something dramatic and realistic, not a caricature of military operations with a big dose of the typical harem conventions).

      I love that they offered an explanation for the suits. Much of the time, Western titles go for realistic outfits and uniforms, and when outlandish (or outrageous) outfits are featured, you almost never see an explanation for why (I’ve never heard a reason for why Superman wears briefs over his tights, for example). However, anime makers seem to love explaining why characters wear what they do, even if nobody is going to accept the rationale because the real reason is so blatant.

  14. Dvalinn says:

    I’ve got the figure staring at me from my desk at the moment myself, and I think she’s quite excellent as well. Koto’s Muv-Luv line has given consistent quality so far (I’ve got their swimsuit Inia in my detolf and pilot suit Cryska on order) and she’s an interesting figure in more ways than one – she’s big, colourful, I like her pose and her overall look is pretty awesome. And shiny. Shiny enough that I can see my face in her ass, heh.

    While she’s got a smudge and a glue stain on it (Koto’s QC kinda screwing me again, eh) they don’t bother me too much. I vastly prefer little flaws like this than a shit base that’s only shown two weeks before it comes out (I still haven’t forgiven GSC for Tenshi) so I can forgive Koto for it. And Yui’s base is actually pretty awesome, love how convincing they managed to make the cement wall.

    As for the show, while it wasn’t stellar by any means, I enjoyed it. People love to heap hate on it for some reason, but as far as mech shows go, it was fun enough (it was far from trainwrecks like Guilty Crown or dumb as hell shows like Valvrave, anyway). While the dialogue and developments were clunky at times, and the animation got really sloppy whenever they ran out of money (epic chins!), the whole setting of soldiers overcoming their xenophobia and differences, and stopping the humans from fighting for one time in their life to go kill some aliens, was pretty interesting in the end. The Chinese girl was kinda fun too, for that matter, so I wonder if they’ll make a figure of her. Not too interested in the original Muv-Luv girl, cause I don’t know her (unless they ever decide to animate it).

    Now to wait a few months for Cryska (cause I ordered her from a local shop).

    • Tier says:

      I don’t think I’ve seen the base for Tenshi (that’s the lavender-haired girl from Angel Beats, right?), though I have seen a number of bases that I don’t care for. Particularly ones that are garishly bright, like Buddy’s pink base; they greatly complicate taking photos. (As do themed bases, like Yui’s, since they basically lock me into a choice of backdrop. That’s not a big problem here since I already have an urban ruin backdrop that I’ve used many times, but it’s a bigger problem for something like Plum’s Nymph, so I’m going to ignore it.)

      I wouldn’t say that I hated the show, but I will say I was disappointed. I had hoped for something substantive and instead, it was about as derivative as it could get. I can see a lot of parallels between it and Guilty Crown, though the significant difference in my mind is that the Guilty Crown characters were morons and the Total Eclipse characters were not (well, aside from maybe Tarisa and Yuuya but they improved quickly).

      This reminds me that I really want to do that Guilty Crown post. I don’t know what sort of format I should use, though; the things I want to talk about are specific rather than general, and so I was thinking of doing more of an episodic discussion, but talking about episodes over a year after its airing seems like a weird way to write about it.

      • Dvalinn says:

        Yeah, she’s that girl from Angel Beats. The problem was that her base turned out to be bland sandy disk instead of something that fit the figure, and it looked like it was something they threw together at the last minute (I have prize figures with better bases, I kid you not). For a figure that was a pretty expensive exclusive, that’s just lazy.

        As for Guilty Crown, the show is so terrible in so many aspects, that I think perhaps dividing a look at it in terms of subjects, like ‘characters’, ‘plot’ or basic narrative cohesion, would perhaps work better than an episodic look.

        • Tier says:

          That is unfortunate; a shoddy element can really detract from an otherwise nice figure. (And from my own experience, a badly-done aspect of a photo can really detract from an otherwise nice picture.)

          I was thinking of taking that approach, but I’m not sure it works for the sorts of things I want to talk about. I don’t think I want to separate out its components, particularly since there would be a lot of redundancy if I did it that way (i.e., I would obviously have to write about Shu, who is a terrible character, but his character changes significantly as the plot progresses). Also, I think that sort of format lends itself more to an analytical review, whereas I had something more humorous in mind.

  15. C43 says:

    Oh Yui, Yui, Yui. Judging from the comments here nobody has read the ending to the Total Eclipse VN. That being said my brain is still on meltdown mode. Any pictures of anyone from TE will just make it worse.

    But all that aside the figure looks pretty good and makes the sexy Yui sexier.

    • arcade says:

      Hehe, I read it. Great time for Yuimouto to get reviewed, if I do say so myself.

    • Tier says:

      Quite probably not. I would imagine most people are familiar with Total Eclipse through the anime, and are acquainted with Muv-Luv either through the TE TV show or through Muv-Luv Alternative. From what I have read, the two big revelations sound pretty ineptly handled, which is not surprising, and I am not shocked by either. As I do not like spoilers being brought up in the comments section here, I think it is best to leave it at that.

  16. Emeraldgamer says:

    I just won a auction on ebay for this figure. I love the color pattern and the chin strap. Love that mech-tech look she has going on. But tell me….did you use Armour All on her to make her look that glossy or does she come that glossy?

    • Tier says:

      Nope, no additives or substances were applied to this figure; she really is this shiny. It’s sort of a hallmark of the Muv-Luv Alternative pilot suits, and a lot of pilot suits in anime, I guess – they really do like their shiny spandex look.

  17. Safehold says:

    Most of MLA’s characters have dark eye line shadowing at the top and corners. Makes them look more serious, even the kids.

    They made great use of eye blinking as well.

  18. Emeraldgamer says:

    Fed Ex finally dropped off this figure yesterday and I must say….she really is glossy lol. Love her figure and her curves…not to mention a lovely booty!! thanx for your review and pics of her….it made buying her that much easier. Oh….love the background on your pics….awesome work!!

  19. Wieselhead says:

    Hi, I have a short question, on my figure the fingerpart of her swordholding hand comes loose rather easily? Is this the case with your Yui as well?

    • Tier says:

      Hmm, I don’t believe so; I don’t recall having any issue with her hand or getting her sword into her grip. The only thing I noted about her hands is that I thought the one that is resting on her base fits kinda loosely.

  20. Pingback: Yui Takamura by Kotobukiya ร‚ยป wieselhead

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