Review date: 12/18/2003
Revised: 12/29/2003

Manufacturer: ???

Released: ???

Availability: RARE

Type: PVC Figure

 
 
Personal Story:
On my trip in Hong Kong, I saw this figure in one of those shops on the streets. She was selling for a very low price but I passed since I was in a rush to somewhere. I saw her again in another shop but it was more expensive. I decided to go back to that shop and grab it. It was cheap. My cousin was willing to pay for me as a gift which was very nice of her. I really had no idea who she is or what anime she was from due to the lack of information on the box. Thanks to that included card, I was able to look up her name and find out who she is.
 
Introduction:
The figure is based on the character Ichigo Mew from the anime, Tokyo Mew Mew. It depicts Ichigo in her battle costume. I'd like to note that the packaging has no markings other than a simple design on the front and instructions on how to use the stand on the back. This has given me reasons to wonder if it's a bootleg or not. Personally, I think she's legit but if you know, please contact me.
 

Sculpt:
Cheerful. That's the word that comes to mind when I look at her. The sculpt is simply fantastic. The character looks just like her anime counterpart. The face is super cute and her hair is equally nice. I really like the separate strands that flow out to create movement. The ears are okay. I wish they sculpted it in to make it look more like real ears. The pose is very nice. It's full of energy and is quite dynamic. The hands and the object she's holding are solid. No problems with them. The outfit and tail are also nice. They aren't heavily detailed but all the creases and folds in the skirt and bows are very well done. I also like to point out the boots. They're quite detailed. They even sculpted out the shoe laces. Nice.

The included stand works very well. Ichigo's left leg is actually hollow so you can insert the entire stick portion of the stand into her leg. It's weird but very smart. Once you placed her into it, she's very stable to display. It also adds the illusion that she's in midair. I wish more companies used this method to display figures. The figure is large too so it's great. I've seen her placed on the stand incorrectly due to the poor instructions. But any idiot who placed her incorrectly can see it right away. She's tilted looking down if you got it wrong. As you can see, I have her placed correctly on the stand.

There's an included card with her name but it's nothing special. It's just a photo of the figure's front and back. It would've been nice if it were an artwork instead. No big deal.

Ichigo has ZERO articulation. She's a statue. You won't be playing with her at all. There are minor scratches to the back of legs near her butt but it's from the factory probably. It's only noticeable if you look at it with a direct light. The overall figure is very smooth and there are no seams at all! Very cool.
 
Paint:
The paint job is very clean. There are hardly and problems with it at all. It's actually very simple. The flesh tone is nice. It's not too dark or pale. The outfit's pink and red look very close to its source. I guess the only complaint is that there's no airbrushing or other such details on the figure. The entire figure is painted with flat colors. It looks fine to me though. Nice job.

 
Overall: A
A truly wonderful figure. If you like Tokyo Mew Mew or cute anime catgirls then it's a must-have. The sculpt is clean and smooth and the pose is dynamic. I guess some people might want more detail with the paint job. But it still looks great. I wish I had more information on who produced this figure though. Even if she's not legit (I doubt that), she's still a beautiful figure.
 

Where can I find this?
I'm not really sure. You can try Ebay and some online import stores but she'll be hard to find there also. Good luck.
 
Other Images:


The figure in its packaging. Simple box design. The regular cardboard gives it a very unique look. But there's no markings of what company or place it came from...

 


"Meow meow meow meow meow..."

 


The stand and included card. As you can see, the stick that goes though her entire leg is quite long. The card is okay.

 


The side. A great view of how dynamic her pose is.

 


The back. Baby got back. :P

 
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