This week had been pretty busy. The next few weeks are going to be even more so. Tests, assignments, essays...these things just pile up and go on and on! Not to mention all those info sessions and conferences that I'd really want to attend. My schedule will be pretty crazy. But I'm sure I can pull through. After all this is over, there's going to be two conventions I'd love to attend. I'll be also receiving the Eve no Jikan BD set, which actually came from a Kickstarter thing which I threw a bit of money into. I guess that's something worth looking forward to. But anyways, onto what this post is going to be really about: the two figures I received yesterday. One of them is Makoto, by Max Factory while the other is Ranka Lee, by MegaHouse. Let's start with the Makoto.
When I first started watching anime back in high school, a show that had a pretty huge impact on me was Kanon (the KyoAni version, not the awful Toei version). Not many anime fans will look back to their first few years of fandom and not cringe a bit. For example, you might've really enjoyed Gurren Lagann back when you were a teenager, but as the years go on you would start to enjoy the subtle comedy of K-on or the pure love in Nanoha, and think that Gurren Lagann is something only immature teenagers might enjoy. But to this day, Kanon still remains one of my favourite shows! KyoAni really did an amazing job bringing the Key VN to life, and this is something you'd really appreciate if you (like me) read the VN and play spot-the-difference.
It's hard to say who my favourite girl is. Right now, I'd say that they're all pretty great! But back then, my absolute favourite was Makoto Sawatari. I felt so sorry for her, and it made me really sad that she 'died' (sort of) and didn't come back. Key is just really good at manipulating emotions with cheap tricks, like killing off your favourite character with an incurable disease. In any case, I like to buy figures of my favourite characters and Makoto is really high on that list.
I picked up this figure from Mandarake for 5000 yen, which definitely wasn't cheap considering that this figure was second hand and opened. Most figures from Key tend to be slightly overpriced, especially the ones from older shows (it'd be really hard to find a figure of Misuzu, for example, even the prize figure from the Key 10th Anniversary thing). But it's in very good condition, except that the box is slightly creased.
The figure is pre-painted and ready to display right out of the box. I really really like the sculpt, which I think is based on a popular promotional image of the anime. I love her pose. It's dynamic, it makes her hair look as if it's really waving in that winter breeze, and you get to see her panties too! Alright, scratch the last one. That's definitely not a good thing! In any case, it's a nice sculpt. Her hair is made out of soft plastic, which makes the figure a bit more resilient.
The paint job is also really nicely done. The lines are crisp, and the colours do not bleed into each other. There are no uneven sprays and her facial expressions are spot on. There's even a bit of blush under her eyes, which makes her look extra cute (but as we all know, Makoto is 100% cute already, so those blushes make her look 120% cute, which is, like, way over the limits!). Nice attention to detail there.
The only thing that could've been improved is the base. It's just a plain white base with the Kanon logo etched on it, but perhaps they could've made it a bit more exciting. Maybe make it so that it looks like a sidewalk with bits of snow on it (which is what Kotobukiya did to an extent with their Nayuki Minase figure). But that's just me nitpicking. This figure was a really nice purchase, and I can't wait to buy the Ayu one as well.
And now, to our next figure...the Ranka Lee!
I'm not usually someone who's really into mecha. I've watched a few, but big robots hitting other big robots have never really been my thing. It didn't matter if the show is about drills or standing awkwardly in an elevator, mecha just doesn't seem that appealing to someone like me. I am totally unashamed when I say: I love cute girls! Cute girls are really the best.
Macross Frontier used to be the biggest hit back when it first aired in '08. Time sure passes quickly! But back then, everything had Ranka Lee's face on it. It's mostly because of her song, 'Seikan Hikou' and that iconic wink with that ultra, super-duper cute 'Kiraa!' that must've caused an epidemic of nosebleeds. But the show itself was actually very, very good. It continued that tradition started by SDF Macross: a mix of singing, missile spam and love triangles. It's something that really resembles 'pure entertainment', and it really delivered.
Honestly, between Ranka and Sheryl, I actually like Sheryl a bit more. Mostly because Sheryl has blonde hair, and I really really like girls with blonde hair. It's almost like a disease! However, I actually slightly prefer Megumi Nakajima over May'N in terms of the style they sing. May'N is a bit more mature while Megumi sounds more like an idol. Nowadays, people only know about Yayoi and Anzu and Chihaya and Eri and Honoka. But there's something special about Ranka's charisma that trumps all those idols that came out recently (and yes, I don't think very highly of Love Live, but that's a post for another day).
This is actually the first figure by MegaHouse I've ever bought, so I was eager to see its quality. It turns out the sculpt was actually by Alter, which reassured me that the sculpt at least would be very good. The figure also cost me 5000 yen, the difference being that this one is unopened.
As I expected, the sculpt is really nice. What really sets this figure apart is that you can take it apart and choose whether or not to display her with her clothes on. So you can actually undress her and show Ranka singing in a bikini! I don't really like that, however, because I didn't spend 5000 yen just to get the Ranka Beach Queen. And she looks better with clothes on, anyway. It was pretty awkward taking off her clothes because I felt exactly like Satou from NHK. Isn't this some sort of an otaku fantasy, that you get to take off the clothes of your favourite anime character? Well, I don't really know, but I'm sure some others must've enjoyed it more than I did.
Her clothes and hair are made out of soft rubber/plastic, but it's still probably quite easy to break it considering how tight the joints are. In fact, I had major problems putting her corset back on because there was very little space between the joints. Beyond that, the figure is pretty much perfect. The paint job is spot-on, as usual, with very little bleeds or uneven sprays. And the base is transparent, with Ranka Lee's signature imprinted on it. The figure also came with a few accessories, including an alternative facial expression and a microphone, but I decided not taking them out since they are bound to get lost since they're so small.
I've got a few figures on my mind for my next purchase. There's one more Kotobukiya Strike Witches figure I'm getting (Sanya) and also the swimsuit Hayate by Gift. Beyond that, I can't really think of anything since my room is literally packed, and it's really hard to find any more spaces to display plastic. Then again, it's been so long since I bought a figure (8 months, to be exact), and my disposable income has to go somewhere, right? Figures is actually a pretty acceptable hobby (financially) because if you live frugally, they are quite affordable. So more figures are coming my way, while I sit in front of the computer eating ramen. Such is life!
When I first started watching anime back in high school, a show that had a pretty huge impact on me was Kanon (the KyoAni version, not the awful Toei version). Not many anime fans will look back to their first few years of fandom and not cringe a bit. For example, you might've really enjoyed Gurren Lagann back when you were a teenager, but as the years go on you would start to enjoy the subtle comedy of K-on or the pure love in Nanoha, and think that Gurren Lagann is something only immature teenagers might enjoy. But to this day, Kanon still remains one of my favourite shows! KyoAni really did an amazing job bringing the Key VN to life, and this is something you'd really appreciate if you (like me) read the VN and play spot-the-difference.
Makoto's face when she's the newest member of the Chloe harem...
Mwahahaha
It's hard to say who my favourite girl is. Right now, I'd say that they're all pretty great! But back then, my absolute favourite was Makoto Sawatari. I felt so sorry for her, and it made me really sad that she 'died' (sort of) and didn't come back. Key is just really good at manipulating emotions with cheap tricks, like killing off your favourite character with an incurable disease. In any case, I like to buy figures of my favourite characters and Makoto is really high on that list.
The paint job is also really nicely done. The lines are crisp, and the colours do not bleed into each other. There are no uneven sprays and her facial expressions are spot on. There's even a bit of blush under her eyes, which makes her look extra cute (but as we all know, Makoto is 100% cute already, so those blushes make her look 120% cute, which is, like, way over the limits!). Nice attention to detail there.
The only thing that could've been improved is the base. It's just a plain white base with the Kanon logo etched on it, but perhaps they could've made it a bit more exciting. Maybe make it so that it looks like a sidewalk with bits of snow on it (which is what Kotobukiya did to an extent with their Nayuki Minase figure). But that's just me nitpicking. This figure was a really nice purchase, and I can't wait to buy the Ayu one as well.
And now, to our next figure...the Ranka Lee!
I'm not usually someone who's really into mecha. I've watched a few, but big robots hitting other big robots have never really been my thing. It didn't matter if the show is about drills or standing awkwardly in an elevator, mecha just doesn't seem that appealing to someone like me. I am totally unashamed when I say: I love cute girls! Cute girls are really the best.
Honestly, between Ranka and Sheryl, I actually like Sheryl a bit more. Mostly because Sheryl has blonde hair, and I really really like girls with blonde hair. It's almost like a disease! However, I actually slightly prefer Megumi Nakajima over May'N in terms of the style they sing. May'N is a bit more mature while Megumi sounds more like an idol. Nowadays, people only know about Yayoi and Anzu and Chihaya and Eri and Honoka. But there's something special about Ranka's charisma that trumps all those idols that came out recently (and yes, I don't think very highly of Love Live, but that's a post for another day).
This is actually the first figure by MegaHouse I've ever bought, so I was eager to see its quality. It turns out the sculpt was actually by Alter, which reassured me that the sculpt at least would be very good. The figure also cost me 5000 yen, the difference being that this one is unopened.
Her clothes and hair are made out of soft rubber/plastic, but it's still probably quite easy to break it considering how tight the joints are. In fact, I had major problems putting her corset back on because there was very little space between the joints. Beyond that, the figure is pretty much perfect. The paint job is spot-on, as usual, with very little bleeds or uneven sprays. And the base is transparent, with Ranka Lee's signature imprinted on it. The figure also came with a few accessories, including an alternative facial expression and a microphone, but I decided not taking them out since they are bound to get lost since they're so small.
I've got a few figures on my mind for my next purchase. There's one more Kotobukiya Strike Witches figure I'm getting (Sanya) and also the swimsuit Hayate by Gift. Beyond that, I can't really think of anything since my room is literally packed, and it's really hard to find any more spaces to display plastic. Then again, it's been so long since I bought a figure (8 months, to be exact), and my disposable income has to go somewhere, right? Figures is actually a pretty acceptable hobby (financially) because if you live frugally, they are quite affordable. So more figures are coming my way, while I sit in front of the computer eating ramen. Such is life!
