The Strongest Woman in the World! I came to the realization that despite how much Street Fighter has influenced my gaming and life/fandom in general, I have not spent a lot of my time with them (fanfictions, collecting, commissioning, etc). Ryu and Chun Li are well-known characters in the fandom world and I happen to like what Ryu stands for and love Chun Li. It kind of baffles me that this is my first review of a Chun Li related merchandise! Well, let's get on with the figure then.
S.H. Figuarts' box is as common in the realm of imports as they come. They're a delight and very styled to the theme/character they are interpreting. I enjoy and appreciate them since they do a lot by showing both the figure in a vanilla pose, all their accessories, and what the figure can possibly do through different forms of poses. Just as a random note, this is a SFV themed Chun Li. As I go through the review, I will point out how much it deviates from the said theme it is trying to go for.
Now right down to the figure, it is a beautiful piece. There are plenty of sculpting done here and everything they have put into this figure really does replicate as much as the Street Fighting beauty as it can. Chun Li, being one of the classics Video Game badass gal, surprisingly retained her conservative, but still sexy costume throughout the years (with some very sexy alternative outfits in recent SF addition, of course). Figuarts ensured that they got every bit of the essence that makes this costume recognizable. As one can see, the sculpt is spot on with her clothing and body shape.
Then, of course, the coloring and how well it just flows. Chun Li's colors are pretty distinct for the gaming/anime/fandom world. S.H. Figuarts translated that well and the mix of metallic and dull colors doesn't exactly shy away from making it look amazing. Nothing messy, there's shading where it really needs it. Her faces are pretty for the most part and they are also pretty consistent with each other. While it isn't the perfect every detail color job, I'd say it's pretty good though.
Chun Li's accessories aren't bad either. They're missing a few key signature things that would make this hit every point, but it's not totally bad and what lacks doesn't break the deal or anything like that. So let's talk about her faces first!
I've put them in order from how much I like them; top being my favorite and bottom my least. I just think there is something odd about the way she is 'yelling'.
And of course, what would Chun Li be without her famous 'lightning kick'? This accessory may have some minor issues, but it fits the bill. My main gripe is that it comes apart a little too easily. I found that I can take one of the 'lightning effect' and make it less 'kicks' (I guess, if that makes sense) to have some display options, but that doesn't really look that great or that different. It's cool and it works! I'm glad they added it, that's for sure. It also comes with a stand to make her stand with the effect.
To talk about accessories for a moment(or the lack of), I think Chun Li is really hurt without equipping her with her own stand. This is a figma stand I'm using. Also, Chun Li should have been given a "Kikoken" effect, which I think would have given this figure a little more depth. Still, it's just something I wanted to point out even if I did enjoy the picks I took of her.
Now as far as her range of movements, she's pretty good. I definitely enjoyed the photo shoot! I got some good shots with her, and I was able to recreate some of her more familiar poses. I know at times I do a terrible job really describing what articulation a figure has, but truthfully, if I say 'standard' for an import, anyone in this collecting game should know what I am talking about. All I have to say to summarize this is that I was able to get some of her recognizable poses on picture. Here:
What would have helped the cause for this move is maybe an alternate 'skrit' that allow sit to go with gravity.
And yes, these are one leg poses. I was able to put her on one feet with very little problem.
And here she is next to the only other Chun Li figure I have that is out of the box. Strange, I never bought her Bishoujo, her Playarts, or anyhting else when I consider myself to be a long time fan of the Strongest Woman in the World.
In conclusion, I'd say that this was a pretty awesome catch. I can finally say I have my first Chun Li figure on my collection that I truly did try and own without stumbling on it. For any casual SF fan, this is a good addition to your roster. Any die-hard fan of Chun Li must have this in their shrine. I know there is the "Storm" collection that is literally coming out with SFV figures and while I don't have the Storm version, I'd say that having both isn't a bad idea. If you have to choose, well, I can't say since I can only vouch for this one. But let me just say, having this, I don't have the urge to get the other one.
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