Review date: 8/21/2004
Revised: 8/29/2004

Manufacturer: Kotobukiya

Released: 2004

Availability: NORMAL

Type: PVC Figure

 
 
Personal Story:
I saw this figure a while ago in a hobby magazine and I was very impressed. I'm not a huge fan of the anime but when I saw this in a local import store, I had to get it. It looked too good to pass up. The price was good too. I checked online and found people selling this for double and triple what I paid. I felt good with this purchase. :D
 
Introduction:
This is from a series of figures by Kotobukiya based on popular anime characters. These figures were originally garage kits which have been made into PVC figures for the masses. This figure is based on the character Mizuho Kazami from the anime, Please! Teacher. It depicts Mizuho in a bikini enjoying herself. The pose and design itself is actually based on a specific illustration (which can be partially seen on the side of the packaging).
 

Sculpt:
Awesome. This is one of the best PVC figures based on an anime character that I've ever seen! The sculpt is dead on to the source. Mizuho's face is sculpted exactly the same as the original illustration that's on the box. The details for the face is quite intricate. For example, her lips are actually sculpted so you can see her upper and lower lip. They could've easily ignored that detail in the drawing but they sculpted it out. And we can't forget the little glasses in her face. It's just perfect. Her hair is equally amazing. The shape is there but what's the most impressing feature is the back of her hair. The flowing hair behind her is amazing. They didn't just do one layer, but they created a lot of layers that overlap to show a lot of volume. It looks fantastic.

The body and pose are equally nice. Mizuho is in a very playful pose and looks quite sexy. While some may argue that they might've made Mizuho too busty compared to the source, I think it looks quite accurate. And while I'm on the subject of her chest, let me tell you that she has the best set of boobs I've ever seen on a figure of this type. Mizuho's cleavage is very nice. I'm not sure how they molded her but Kotobukiya managed to create one of the most realistic cleavages out there. It beats the Lulu figure from ArtFX as well as the Yura Onodera that I'd review earlier. They also sculpted out bulges on her breasts to indicate where her nipples are. It's pretty cool since the sculptor could've ignored that detail in the illustration. But the added effect of the nipple bulges adds a lot of sexuality to the figure. :) Mizuho's body is quite curvaceous and the minor curves on her abs including the navel is nicely sculpted. The hands and feet are just as accurate as the face. The sculptor didn't take any liberties like other sculptors do with the limbs for these type of figures. The hands and feet actually look exactly like the source which was a fine detail. Even her nails have been sculpted which surprised me. The swimsuit is nice but it's nothing I would say is outstanding. It works for what it is. The figure has ZERO articulation. Don't bother trying to move her head or anything like that.

I do a have a few complaints though. The mold used for the figure wasn't perfect. There are dents all over her legs and side of the body. They're not visible from a distance but they're there. Another major complaint is the fact that her right foot doesn't go into the peg. This is not a result of the holes or anything like that. The leg's position just doesn't match up with the peg on the base. I thought it was just my figure since the prototype pics showed her right foot in the peg. But I saw a store that had it on display and their figure had the exact same problem as mine. Something must've happened during production and the problem wasn't fixed. Weird eh? Anyways, it doesn't seem like the figure will fall over from what I can tell. The left leg holds up the figure very well. If it does fall, I'll update this review accordingly.
 

Paint:
The paint job is very clean. The paint for her eyes is very nice but I think the colors are a little lighter than the source. An amazing detail is her mouth. They actually painted her tongue with a different color than the inside of her mouth. Cool. The hair looks great with a very very small amount of wash to darken it. The flesh color is also very nice and bright. The swimsuit's pattern is excellent. It's very clean and is quite accurate to the illustration. The nails for both the fingers AND toes were painted with a light pink which was a nice touch.

But there are two flaws I can't ignore. The paint on the edge of the straps weren't painted. It looks weird since it looks like her skin is melted onto the straps. Another complaint is some slight blotchiness with the paint near the side of her left breast. It's a bit uneven in pigment but the eyesore is minimal. Those are my only paint-related complaints for this amazing figure.

 
Overall: A+
Awesome awesome. This is one of the best PVC anime figures I have ever seen. The sculpt is perfect and the colors are accurate. The minor dents and the weird fluke with the right leg and base were my only disappointments with this figure. But even with that problem, I think it deserves this grade. If it didn't have any problems that I mentioned, I would've easily given it a Flawless Award. A must-have for anyone who likes the show or sexy curvaceous anime women.
 

Where can I find this?
You can find this in any anime import store (as of this review). A US distributor got their hands on it so you can probably find it quite easily.
 
Other Images:


The figure in its box. Superb design as usual from Kotobukiya. Nice bright colors and a gorgeous illustration of Mizuho on the side of the box.

 


"Wanna join me in the pool?"

 


Arguably one of the best cleavages on a PVC figure ever. :P

 


The feet. As you can see, the right foot doesn't go into the peg which was a massive fluke on the part of Kotobukiya.

 


The base. Pretty basic...

 


The back. Awesome hair...

 
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