Sunday, November 20, 2016

Bishoujo: Spider-Gwen


Taking a quick break from Marvel Legends review here just to spice things up! SO on to the next area of my collection that are growing and statues are the next big thing that is flourishing in 2016 it seems! the latest addition to that number is going to be a Bishoujo of Spider-Gwen herself! With her introduction becoming a HUGE success, we were bound to get a Spider-Gwen Bishoujo style sooner than later! So, how does she do as a Bishoujo?


The familiar Bishoujo box and everything it has to offer. While pretty mundane, I am happy for Kotobukiya's consistency.


It provides us with a pretty accurate artwork of the figure in its dynamic and sensual pose.


And in the back it shows us what the figure looks like with a discreet show of comparison between the actual figure and the artwork that inspired said figure. Obviously there is a mask and unmasked version and I definitely got great pics of both!


Let's start with the masked version. Right off the get go, let's talk about the pose that they chose for Spider-Gwen. Bishoujo usually goes out of their way to find a really 'sexy' pose for the female character that would fit with said character's personality(trait, signature, etc). Sometimes it is super exaggerated, and sometimes, it just naturally makes the character's asset stick out because of the nature of the posture. Spider-Gwen's is a bit on a ... reserved side in my honest opinion.


I mean sure, it still does a great job capturing Gwen's sexuality, but it truly isn't as flaunting as past characters. If anything, this is the most conservative posture I have seen them have for a character.



I mean don't get me wrong, it still highlights Gwen's perfect body. It's just that there seems to be something held back on Kotobukiya's side for this character. Maybe because she is still considered a teenager?


And her masked version is really nice. The signature hood that Spider-Gwen is known for is well done. The pink highlights around the eyes and the attention to detail really makes this version my favorite.


The unmasked variant is nice also, but in my opinion, this isn't the prettiest of Bishoujo's Marvel gal. I mean, she is by no means ugly or anything, it's just that, it feels very manga compared to other faces we have received. She also seems to be missing something that spells "Gwen Stacy" to me... maybe because her likeness to Emma Stone is so far away; and Emma Stone is the face of Gwen Stacy for me ever since her debut in the Amazing Spider-Man franchise. But over all, the skin tone, the blonde hair, the bright blue eyes, all of these 'natural' color really adds a good juxtapose to the entire color scheme of Spider-Gwen's costume.



There is no doubt about it: Gwen's Spider-Woman costume is one of the most well-received costumes in a long while. Perhaps it's the color scheme, the simple but still flared out spidery design, or maybe because it's Gwen in a tight suit... who knows. Kotobukiya stayed loyal to that costume, and they did so with great care! The color is simple in terms of choice of vibrancy and shade, but they are down right amazing. Again, most of the aesthetics are credit to Marvel staff (Robbi Rodriguez, Ricco Renzi, and Jason Latour) creators, but again, Kotobukiya knows its material. One thing I felt was lacking in the usual Bishoujo is the 'transparent' ends on the hair... maybe that's why this unmasked version is missing some flare, huh?


Her stand is a good little color scheme; it's pink, black, and white... which is Gwen's main color combination along with the teal/turqoise. It's a city silohoutte, a theme associated with Gwen's cover art and often fits her ambiance. Nice little touc hand it supports her dynamic web slinging pose.



There is no doubt that this is a beautiful statue. The posture, as I have mentioned, may not be as sexualized as other Bishoujos, but despite that, it still does the job and it is appreciated. It is dynamic, spider-y, and very energetic. Now with that said, there is one thing that takes away from this particular piece: some kind of webbing. An effect. Now it's pretty obvious that Bishoujos don't get into effects like 'energy' or 'webbing' or any of that. But it would be great to add it in! At the very least, an attachable piece.



Again, still torn on which display option I will use though.


Speaking of display options, here she is next to the metallic Spider-Woman(Jessica Drew), masked version. They're not to scale, for sure.


And the other display options, which also concurs with the way I displayed the standard version of the Spider-Woman(Jessica Drew) Bishoujo.


And here she is next to my only other two Spider-Gwen collection: Pop Spider-Gwen and Marvel Legends Spider-Gwen.


In conclusion, I think this is a pretty cool statue. I love the fact that she is just Spider-Gwen all the way, and while she has some things that makes her less "Bishoujo" quality, I still think that Kotobukiya did an amazing job with her. Any Spider-Gwen fan will adore this statue!


And I decided with the unmaksed version. It occured to be that all of my Bishoujo the Marvel Shelf is  sporting a 'hair out' display and we can't have Gwen not read the memo on that. Other than that, thwip~
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