In other words: the sculpt’s greatest sin is also its greatest achievement: a mixture of one of the most iconic images of the characters drawn by the anime character designer, with many elements borrowed from the original CLAMP artwork.Īctually, they are almost invisible. Even the ruffled petticoat is quite close to what was seen in the manga. And Umi’s face is softer in the figure, which is also closer to what was seen in the manga, and more appropriate to her personality. The handle of the sword in the figure is practically identical to Mokona’s drawing, and directly taken from the production sheets (that can be seen in the Materials Collection Book). But… yellow was the original color of the necktie in all of the manga and artbook illustrations (while orange was used only in the anime images) the boot ornament is also very faithful to the original manga illustrations. It’s true that the handle of the sword, the necktie, the boot ornament, and the face expression are all different in the figure, and do not correspond to what is seen in the promo image. But it isn’t completely faithful to the source artwork: reason being that for some reason the sculptor decided to incorporate elements from the original Mokona Apapa’s illustrations. It is a great approximation to Ishida’s rendition of the original CLAMP design. The comparison above clearly shows the strengths and weaknesses of the pose, and also of the general sculpting. The pose is at the same time dynamic, fierce, and elegant. But don’t forget this is just a prize figure with no higher pretensions ^^¡ Only a full-armor version, or a goddess attire version could surpass it. For a Rayearth fan, this certainly one of the most iconic Umi images, and a pleasure to see it rendered in 3D form. The pose chosen for this figure is largely based on a promotional Atsuko Ishida illustration for the anime that was used on many merchandise items back in 1995. Her design allows for a myriad of nice illustrations. Being so tall, slender, and having a long blue mane, Umi is very attractive, despite not being a model but a regular 14-year old school girl. “ She looks like a model” is the first thing we get to know about Umi in the manga and in the anime. Mine didn't have any scratches or suffered any damage at all. All this guarantees the figure arrives in excellent condition. But I was relieved when I opened the box. The not-so-well-thought exterior of the box had me thinking. An additional small plastic piece prevents paint transfer on her right arm: Umi herself is carefully wrapped in bubble plastic, and inside she’s protected by another simple plastic bag.
MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH MANGA VOLUME 6 READ PLUS
The sword is carefully protected with a sturdy cardstock piece plus a plastic bag: The base is protected with a simple plastic bag
MAGIC KNIGHT RAYEARTH MANGA VOLUME 6 READ SERIES
The “Nostalgia Girl” badge actually hits hard, as one tends to forget the beloved series is far beyond in time, and not many anime fans nowadays recognize it:įortunately, one thing is what the box looks like outside, and another one what it contains. Interestingly, Kodansha’s sticker shows “2014” as Copyright notice: One can easily understand why the cheap exterior prevents so much. Even the base in the photos is an awfully bad attempt at Photoshop.īeing a fan of Magic Knight Rayearth for 20 years, the treatment given to the box really hurt me :( Even the old fashion dolls had a better box. One wonders why the classic Atsuko Ishida illustrations, or any of the usual CLAMP ornaments weren’t used. Let’s be brutally honest: it looks like an amateur designed the package in half an hour it’s far from attractive. The back just shows the usual information and the same front/back photos. The top and bottom lids have a plain rendering of Umi’s mashin symbol surrounded by what seems to be stock floral ornaments. On each side of the box a photo of the figure can be seen. A plain, simple, and not so pretty box that leaves something to be desired. Released on J(just four months ago), Umi Ryuuzaki received the honor of being #1 in the set. This set of prize figures are (by the time being and until Figma releases their own set) the most prominent object released to the public. Some small merchandise like keychains, clear files, charms, and other minor gimmicks have already been released recently celebrating both the 20th anniversary of the title, and Nakayoshi’s 60th anniversary. Besides a couple of toy-like releases and a set of fashion dolls in 1995, no proper official figures of the show have been released in the past 20 years since the show was first aired. Magic Knight Rayearth fans have had a hard time in terms of figures. (This is my very first review, so please forgive the mistakes ^^¡)