Showing posts with label Anime. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Anime. Show all posts

Monday, September 18, 2017

Figma: Kiritsugu Emiya


Now, this is a figure I've had for a long time. Okay now that long, but it's a figure that has been looming to be reviewed for a while now! Kiritsugu Emiya is one of my favorite anime characters of all time! Having him in my collection as a Figma was Fate, zero exception! To review him is also a must so let's dive into it.


Figma still retains its signature box. Not much to really get into. Oh, there's a shameless promotion of Irisvel, as if she's really that interesting aside from an aesthetic point of view (figure wise, anyway. She's pretty cool as a character).


Out of the box, many might immediately get turned off by the obvious show of joints everywhere. For a character with a not-so-complicated design, his figure version should have a less conspicuous transition, right? Not so much. I'll be the first to admit that he isn't perfect aesthetically, but for what it is, it can work as long as he is given some dynamic poses. It is very easy to recognize Kiritsugu and that's what it matters the most when we are talking about aesthetics.


Coloring, there's not much to talk about really. He has a pretty somber palette of black, dark grey, grey, and brown. His skin tone is on point and that subtle red paint for his command seal is accurate so for that part I cannot complain. I will say that he falls a little flat on the details on his hair, but it's not something that deterred me.  Now Kiritsugu comes with 3 accurate faces, and we'll just jump on that immediately.


The first of the three is his smoking face. It comes with a tiny hole on his lip that you can put his cigarettes in. It's cool and all, but my main qualm is how freaking tiny those cigarettes are! I LOST ONE, mind you!


The next face is my least favorite. While it is Kiritsugu, it's his last moment 'out of character' face that only appears for about 4 seconds (akin to the latest Rin Tohsaka figure we have with those glasses).


Lastly, we have his angry/serious face that is all about Kiritsugu. Shame it is looking towards one direction so it is limited. Just saying it now, Kiritsugu's facial options are not great. Though the yare all consistent with the color of his eyes, the skin tone, and the emotion(for what they show) of Mr. Emiya from Fate Zero.


Now that we've covered the faces, it is time to just take an overall look at all his accessories. He has a decent amount, and it's nothing less from what we would expect from Figma, really. The standard hands, some guns, fire effects, those damn cigarettes, figure stand, and some unique 'hands in pocket' alternate arms that are adhering to the character's personality (which I'm glad they added!).


First, let's talk about his guns. I don't know all their names or anything, but I'll try. Of course, he has your standard 'mini-uzzi' handgun. I see him use it mostly as a 'distraction' tactic, and it did its job when dealing with mages more powerful than him. Pair that up with the special effect, and one can duplicate some memorable scenes with Kiritsugu.


Then this canon of a sniper gun! I don't remember the exact episode when he used this, but I'm glad they included this in his arsenal. I'm not going to pose him with it, but it's a nice touch.


Then there's this guy! This is his 'anti-magic' gun, I think. This is his most effective weapons against mages, and I'm glad they added this one; how can they not though? One can get some awesome badassery shots with this thing in hand! Also, one can recreate some awesome scenes! There is one more thing that is added with this gun that really gives this figure some poseability!


This gun has a small articulation and it can bend down. Kiritsugu, along with some standard hands(fist, open, relaxed, gun holding), also comes with 'load a bullet' hand, which, if paired up with this gun's articulation, can make some really dynamic scenes! Again, attention to the detail of the character! Great job, Figma!


And then we have the alternate arms! Position it right, and one can recreate some relaxed (or badass moments like I've already done) moments. Definitely, makes the idea of this long coat worth it! So as far as accessories go, I think they've done an awesome job putting some thought into Kiritsugu!


Now it's time to talk about Kiritsugu's articulation. It's good. He has what one expects out of Figma. With the added articulation in his coat, it can reimagine some dynamic scenes fron Fate Zero. Now I know Kiritsugu was a pretty athletic and nimble character; he had to be! He was hunting mages from all over the world! This figure can do most of what we saw Kiritsugu do in the anime. Don't expect him to do some Spider-Man stuff though! All I'm saying is, he can hold his guns well, his accessories that are unique to him worked, and I managed to get some really good shots with him! I had fun getting these pictures, that's for sure!




In conclusion, I think Kiritsugu lived up to the Figma idea. I got what I wanted and I was impressed, had fun, and satisfied. As a character I got really attached to, I think I can say that this is a pretty awesome representation of him. Fans of Fate Zero and Kiritsugu in general should have something to appreciate with this guy. Be warned, as most imports, he is a bit pricey. I was able to snag him when his price was 'decent' (with minor dings to the box). If one is willing to deal with the price range(s) and be okay with some REALLY tiny accessories, then it is Fate that you waste Zero time getting him! 

Sunday, April 16, 2017

A New idea

I think one of the main thing with my blog is that I try to have too much of a rigid structure with each post. As if there has to be a theme or some kind of path to follow. But I think I will just make posts here and there to focus on sporadic thoughts on gaming, damsels, etc. While I know I don't have that time to make those intricate reviews on gaming, at least I can talk about some minor thoughts here and there. Damsels I can make highlight posts. And as for collection, those I will do the usual review.

=)

Here's to making 2017's Masterless a bit more fluent and less on formality. 

Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Evangelion OP - "Cruel Angel's Thesis" | ENGLISH ver | AmaLee


Just listen. It is amazing.

The anime is two decades old but its fanbase is still out there. And just listening to the English interpretation of the opening theme... wow. I'm too freaking tired to really delve into a discussion, but I will say, I do adore this song even more! 


Tuesday, March 14, 2017

Fate Movies/Series


Wow! Another Fate Stay/Night adaptation! This time it will focus on Sakura and Shiro? So does that mean Rin will be on the back burner? Will Rider actually get some cool parts? Will we get that bondage scene with Rin AGAIN(w/ gag this time)? Will we see more of the other Servants this time? Will we get more awesome Figma toys? And a Rin with a more conventional outfit? A Medusa/Rider update Figma? It's movie trilogy so... it will definitely have more flesh that the 2010 Unlimited Blade Works movie. 


And I'm not entirely sure if this is an amalgam of a bunch of Fate movies/series/games that are coming out but it's pretty darn cool with that music. I know there are a plethora of Fate related animes coming out this year so I'm pretty excited. 

Sunday, February 28, 2016

Figma: Rin Tohsaka 2.0


An updated Rin Tohsaka figure was a must for sure after Fate Zero and Fate Unlimited Blade Works! Figma was bound to have another one after the rebooted Fate series. After the last figure, I really was excited to hear about this! So, let's get right into it!

 

 

The Figma box this time around is a bit different from the last version of her. I saw the change with Mikasa Ackerman. It's bigger than the old ones, and perhaps there is a purpose for it; Figmas are getting bigger perhaps. So, on to the figure! Let's not sit around and stare at the box all day!


Right off the get go, I do have to say that the decision on this particular outfit is not exactly what I expected. I think for all the Rin and Fate fans, this probably took a lot of them by surprise. Okay so Rin did wear her school outfit a lot and for the good first part of the first season, but it doesn't exactly FEEL like Rin without the red coat. I'll elaborate on that.

 

But as a figure, she is well done. She does resemble her anime counterpart a whole lot. The new female mold announce seems to be doing well. It also stuck well with Rin's stature in the new anime; she was after all skinny but endowed in the right areas.... yep. The joints are hidden well enough for the most part, but there are some areas that make certain poses look odd. At times her neck joint looks a bit long, but that little problem can be hidden well enough. The paint job is amazing and right to Rin's detail on her sleeves, to her Command Seal mark, and just crisp. Pulling off the color combo does well; Although I do wish Rin's ribbon is a slightly a bit more different color of black; seems to get lost in her black hair.


It's been some time since I reviewed a Figma figure, and I sure do miss it. I have to say that while I do appreciate all this one has to offer, and she does come with plenty of accessories, some of it seems a bit different and doesn't feel 'as complete' like the previous Rin. Well, we'll talk about that but let's just look at the stuff she comes with. 


Rin has a variant shoes and glasses. Now I do appreciate the nice touch, but the one thing about the sunwear is that it only happens for 30 seconds in the series. Not sure why they would go ahead and put a thought in this. Nicely done, but again, I think it was a rather insignificant piece. Then she has her alternate shoes which are indoor shoes if we are talking about Japan. Nice touch, but I think this department is rather... almost pointless. 


Out of all of Rin's accessories, this one definitely adds a whole lot more dynamic to her. Rin was a trigger happy mage, often sprouting out magical projectiles out of her hand and the affect resembles this little beauty more or less. I'm not going to complain about the notion that perhaps that they should have given two so that there is a variety of firepower happening, but it would have been nice. One thing though is that it only connects to her 'gun pointing' hand, which is accurate to the anime. Though Rin did fire projectiles when her hands were formed in a 'sword hand'(or karate chop hands) position so it would also have been nice if that was made possible. Regardless, it fits quite well on right and left hand so there are some fun factors to this. 


The next piece is also a good addition since it is also an important part to Rin: her magical symbol that is part of her Tohsaka lineage; I forgot the full details and the name of the said symbol. All I know is that she did mention it once or twice in the anime. This alternate forearm does wonders to also add more accuracy to Rin's character. And unlike Rin 1.0 from Figma, the symbols are much easier to see. Seems like the previous Rin's paint was a little shy from being noticeable. 


Next are the alternate faces. I have to say that we are given three and we are missing one core expression: Rin's rather confident(or arrogant) face that she has shown more than a few times. What a miss, but the ones we got are adequate for what they are. Her smile face is fitting for all the times Rin was calm and pleasant in the anime.


Next is her angry or shouting face. More of a battle dynamic face if you ask me. Works well with all the action poses I was making her do.


Then the face I could have done without and replaced with her arrogant one: the embarrassed look. She's shown it to Archer and Shiro more than enough times so this one is appreciated. Still, maybe a frustrated or closed mouth angry and again, the arrogant look would have been better.


Then just for a close up of her glasses accessory. It is attached to her interchangeable bangs so the glasses isn't as hard to put on as Mari's was. 

 
Of course now we can talk about her articulation and honestly, it does well. I do feel that there are some poses that are rather awkward with this mold and I don't remember it being that odd with posing Mikasa. For me, the oddest joints are the shoulder and the neck; the shoulder more or less because its wide range of movement does make it look like her shoulder is out of place (and it is, and I wish there was a way to hide it better). The neck as I mentioned earlier just looks really odd and long with certain angles. Everything else though works just fine and we get the standard legs and feet movement we have seen in all Figma figures. The hair itself is also articulated with her pigtails and the hair that is down having their own separate joints. Definitely easier and more possible than Rin Tohsaka 1.0.


Oh and her skirt is very pliable so it doesn't hinder too much leg movement. 


One can also get a good panty shot too if you really want. Oh and YES, I love that pose. Rin firing off her magic with that arm posture is just badass. One more thing, I forgot to mention that she comes with the standard Figma stand; of course we all know that. It would be an asinine decision for Figma to not have a stand in their lines from here on out. 


Now as a comparison to her former Figma self. I'm going to be completely honest, the previous Rin seems to have more to offer with accessories. So Rin never used her daggers at Unlimited Blade Works, but the Rin from Fate/Stay Night Figma did offer it as accuracy, but she had the alternate hand with the magic jewels. her outfit was more the more popular look for Rin. Accessory wise that seems 'dynamic', I think Rin 1.0 takes the cake. But as for aesthetics, Rin 2.0 wins, as she should. She is a newer figure and definitely the 'update'. I still think if they went with the red coat look, this figure would be more 'Rin feel', so to speak. Red is Rin's dominant color and for it to only be a mild pop up contrast in her ensemble, I do think it worked against this figure. Regardless it has a pretty fun energy affect and her colors are more vibrant and detailed. 

Here is Rin in my crowded Anime shelf (one that is in dire need of some purging and consolidating!).


Just so one can get a better look of just how crowded this shelf is! -And- I still want MORE Figma/anime figures in the future?!


As a final word, I do think this figure is very cool. I am a Rin Tohsaka fan so I had to have her. Die hard Fate fans would appreciate her and for all who are just Rin fans, this isn't bad. I do hope they plan on making more of her with the more popular outfit/s, but for now, she's who we have from the Unlimited Blade Works reboot. Again the missed opportunity with the faces, more 'significant' accessories, perhaps the addition of the redcoat would have been better and I wouldn't have mind paying more for those. Well other than that, I don't think I can say much else other than I'm planning on getting Kiritsugu next! oh and on another note:



A Rin Tohsaka 'hot toy'! VERY affordable too! I plan on getting her on my collection soon enough!