And we’re back to our irregularly-scheduled program of figure reviews. Today we’ll be looking at Chris Yukine, one of the lead characters from Senki Zesshou Symphogear. For some reason or another, the series hasn’t gotten a lot of figures, despite apparently having been popular enough to receive a two-season anime adaptation. In fact, a quick survey suggests this is the only one scaled-size PVC figure from the show. This is also the first figure I’ve bought that is made by Aquamarine, a company that seems to be under Good Smile Company’s corporate aegis, and it’s always interesting to see whether a figure from a new company can measure up. That is, unless the figure is terrible, but happily, this figure of Chris is anything but.
I watched only the first few episodes of the anime and though it has a number of elements that I like – an all-female cast, appealing character designs, and an action-oriented premise, amongst others – it didn’t really grab me. I didn’t care too much about Hibiki, the main character, and I guess I probably would have preferred seeing Tsubasa as the lead girl, being that she seemed to have the more compelling backstory. I didn’t stick with the show long enough to see much of Chris, though I did like the one scene where she wears a bondage outfit and gets zapped by some psycho nudist woman; that was pretty cool. Maybe I should give it another shot; something tells me that I might like the show if I kept up with it.
As mentioned, this figure is manufactured by Aquamarine. I haven’t paid much attention to their products, but they do have an interesting upcoming figure of Saber in booty shorts and a tube top (yes, I’m aware that that figure is technically of Mordred or somesuch nonsense), and I was curious to see how their products stand up to those from more-established companies. Chris is sculpted in 1/7 scale and stands about 21 centimeters in height to the top of her head, and about 23 centimeters in height to her bunny ears.
Chris comes with one accessory, some sort of object that goes between her breasts. I’m not sure what it is (it looks vaguely like some kind of miniature sex toy) and I don’t particularly care for the way it looks so I didn’t even take it out of the packaging. Anyone curious as to how it looks can refer to the product photos on any retailer’s website (and perhaps they can tell me what it’s supposed to be).
This figure is based off of an illustration of Chris and it does a reasonably good job of approximating her look. Embarrassment and discomfiture are evident on her face, though the figure lacks the deep blush from the original artwork, giving her less of a panicked expression. The combination of her upward gaze, oversized eyes and comically exaggerated frown give her kind of a puppy dog look.
Chris’s hairstyle reminds me a bit of Rei Ayanami, with the longer center forelock and the two side locks looking sort of like pincers framing her face. She has a couple of long twintails that sweep improbably behind her, adding an element of visual interest that complements her pose well.
Speaking of her pose, she’s striking a sexy stance that emphasizes all the curves of her body. The swell of her buttocks and the size of her breasts are certainly the most obvious, but the arch of her back is equally attractive. The way she’s shrugging her shoulders while placing a hand on her chest in an almost protective manner also go nicely with her anxious expression.
A high-cut thong leotard comprises the main portion of Chris’s outfit, and it looks very nice. A glossy sheen gives it a realistic look, and the prominent wrinkles give the suggestion that it is made of a more rigid material than typical clothing. She’s also wearing stay-up thigh-highs rather than the more common pantyhose, and I think it looks great considering the high-leg design of her bunnysuit. She’s also wearing cherry-red pumps and the usual wrist cuffs. All in all, her outfit, despite not being nearly as unique as her normal fighting outfit, looks very nice.
And it looks very sexy, which is certainly what it is supposed to do. In particular, it reveals almost all of her back and ass. Again, it looks great.
We can’t ever get gratuitous enough, even when the subject is supposed to be 16 years old.
She’s holding up a bottle which features a bass clef on the label along with “S.D.A.U.,” which I assume is some sort of organization in the show. I doubt that they are a distillery but I’ve heard that hom-brewing beverages is a popular activity these days.
On the technical side, I don’t really see any major issues with this figure’s construction. Paintwork is neat, the sculpt looks pretty good, and they’ve done a solid job in replicating the look of the character.
Having not heard of the manufacturer, I did not have very high expectations for this figure and so I’m pleased that Chris turned out so well. She is highly attractive and though one could argue that the bunnysuit thing has been done to death, here it is used quite effectively to show off her body. This is a very nice figure and hopefully future products from Aquamarine are just as good.
First! Stunning figure and beautiful photos as usual!
Thanks XD
This looks vaguely like an Alter figure. Good show for the manufacturer indeed. 🙂
Yeah, I was a little surprised by how nicely it turned out, not just because I don’t know anything about the manufacturer, but also because some figures from the other GSC-affiliated companies (like FREEing and Phat Company) fail to impress.
Seems Aquamarine make a good stuff 😀 not really know about theirs.
well usually see her in that suit and armor, but she quite good in these bunny clothes (andas i remember there will be white ver released ? )quite like her face maybe her mouth : < ahaha
the part hold between her breast supposed to her symphogear isn't it ?
Ah, is that what it is? I guess that would make sense, being that it would have to be something recognizable to people who watched the show. Yeah, the white version is very nice; I think I prefer it to this version but I didn’t feel like paying more money.
I think the one that goes between her boobs supposed to be a lighter for guests who want to smoke XD. I stuck thru the anime for the songs XD and Hibiki’s berserker beast mode XD
Maybe! I dropped the anime early but I liked seeing that Chris’s songs were rock-themed. It’s a nice change from the helium-voiced kiddy pop that a lot of these music-oriented anime use.
So this from Aquamarine… never really noticed this, although I looked at her a little longer back then, I was torn between ordering and not ordering her. I like that the regular fishnet pattern was substituted by bare skin ^^ The bodysuit part looks quite awesome, I like how it shows such wrinkles and shines, the contrast between it and the girls skin also is something nice, because of the hairstyle you can also admire the shoulders, I think she turned out great overall, I can’t really see any bad things about her from here ^^. It’s actually very appealing that she’s 1/7 instead of the more common 1/8. The sullen face is something new haha, but nicely adapted.
I sometimes put rather strange things on my 1/3 doll, but seeing pink with red shoes, I don’t know XD
If she’s got a smile face I would place my order. Not sure if I like the unhappy face. Plus I would really love bunny girl suit to have fishnet pantyhose.
By the way the 1/4 bunny girls from Freeing is truly stunning. Just got their Laura Bodewig, my first 1/4 figure……and now I’m considering 1/3 dolls……
I probably would have ordered her then as well, although it’s not bad as it is.
Ah cool, I knew this Laura had potential, most Freeing bunnies are great, even though I haven’t found one I wanted really badly.
Ahh what!? Well, I can recommend that step into doll territory ^^
Just noticed today there is a black version start taking preoders……..
I’m hoping Laura goes on sale; I forgot to preorder her but being that my order slate looks pretty empty, I might pick her up if I could get her cheap.
The bare thighs are one of the best parts of this figure. Not that I don’t like the usual pantyhose but somehow the thigh-high socks look right. I keep saying I’m not a big huge fan of the bunnysuit thing but for some reason I keep buying these figures.
In my book, no big-ass doll is complete without cuffs and a collar.
I’m sure a part of you likes bunnies ;D
Well, we can talk about the collar thing.
This is one of aquamarine’s best figures produces thus far. Their earlier figs are somewhat lackluster to average but this one changed their game. Its a bummer that they only release one figure for this series despite of its amazing designs. About the thing in her chest, that’s her transformation device in a form of pendant; just like fate’s bardiche in standy mode.
About the anime; as one of its fans, I highly suggest that you continue watching it as long as you can accept its flaws. This show has definitely something that other shows lacked: the passion from its creators; judging from its great soundtrack and lots and lots of reference (one of its creators created wild arms by the way). Second season’s story is bit of mess but it improved the visuals. Getting excited for third season which will be aired this summer so I guess you can still catch up on the ride
Ah, that is good to know, then; I was really wondering what that thing was. Now that you mention it, someone should make a figure of Fate with that little triangle Bardiche token between her breasts. I’m kinda surprised no one hasn’t.
Yeah, if not much catches my eye this season, maybe I’ll go back and give Symphogear another look. I kinda need some detox after going through Kantai Collection and Symphogear might fit the bill.
I’m really glad you reviewed Miss Yukine. While she was initially compelling I had written her off primarily because of the inexplicable bit between her breasts in the official product photos. I wasn’t sure what it was but I was sure that it was off-putting not knowing what its inexplicable function was.
You’re very right, bunny suits can very fairly be said to have been done to death but, like the very anatomical bits that they emphasize, they’re also a timeless classic and it’s always welcome to see yet another exemplary incarnation.
My only remaining reservation is her somewhat cryptic frown. Is she sad, embarrassed, pissed…? Normally I’m drawn to a compelling mystery but maybe because this seems so squarely anchored around “upset” that I’m not so sure she’s receptive to being seen [as opposed to the “plaintiff but cute/pouty” expression that’s so much more prevalent].
But of course your detailed shoot and interwoven commentary are once again enough to push me from my delicate fence-perch so, likely someday soon, she will also be mine.
I guess the mystery is solved! I probably should’ve shot at least one photo with that little object, I guess. Knowing that it’s her little transformation gadget, I suppose embarrassment would seem to be the most likely emotion, and it seems to match up with the illustration too. From the very brief time I spent watching the anime, I didn’t get the sense that Chris is the sort of character to embarrass easily, which makes this figure all the more cute.
Gah! So of course they’d release a black variant too which will deadlock me with indecision like with that Ro-Kyu-Bu figure.
I usually get annoyed when I see a recolor that I like better than the original, if I’ve already put in a preorder for the first version. That’s a big reason why I’ve only bought one of those Ro-Kyu-Bu figures; I figure I’ll just wait for the black versions of the ones I like.
Thanks for this review, this figure caught my eye for a lot of reasons (pink +light purple! A bunny outfit that doesn’t have fishnets for once!) and I’m happy to see that the execution isn’t failing.
You’e welcome! It’s definitely a nice figure and a very nice change from the usual bunnygirl style.
Aquamarine’s with GSC? So is it highly recommended?
They seem to have some sort of business affiliation with GSC. I don’t think that says anything about their quality, though; FREEing and Gift seem to have the same arrangement as well.
How do you make your background with figures ? And more particularly the floor. He is smooth.
I just painted up a sheet of foamboard. The floor in this post is just black foamboard with a sheet of transparent acrylic on top. This reminds me that I been meaning to do a post on backdrops for the last few years already …
AH ! You also know paint ! When you say “a sheet of transparent acylic”, you talk about acrylic glass ? I don’t know the sheet of acrylic.
Maybe, you misunderstood. What is the “sheet of transparent acrylic” ? An acrylic glass ?
It’s also called Plexiglass. It’s just a sheet of transparent plastic. It’s like the material used for the front of cheap poster frames.
Ok, I’ll try to find this. Thx.