We’ll be continuing Blonde Bikini Girl Month by looking at Alisa Ilinichina Amiella, one of the main characters from Bandai Namco’s God Eater series. I had hoped to get this post out earlier but the timing still works out as she just appeared as the focal point of the anime adaptation’s most recent episode. We’ve looked at figures of her wearing her original outfit from the first game and her updated costume from the second; now we’ll look at her wearing something rather more revealing.
Curious about the series and lacking the desire to play games on handhelds, I skimmed a bit through the anime to see what it was like. I can’t say I was impressed; I skipped around the second episode and all I saw were talking heads and a peculiar cel-shaded animation style that made it look like the characters had been dunked in baby oil. I’ve also heard that the anime’s plot isn’t particularly engaging, though I guess that doesn’t surprise me; I wouldn’t expect a PSP action game to have much in the way of a compelling story.
To recap Alisa’s history, she is one of the battlers that fights alongside the protagonist. She is Russian and like several Russians in anime – including Muv Luv’s Cryska Barchenowa, Seikon no Qwaser’s Sasha, and Black Lagoon’s Balalaika – she is depicted as enigmatic, quiet, aloof, and possessing a history of psychological trauma which motivates a consequent affinity for violence. Her agreeable appearance has led her to become the face of the franchise.
This figure is manufactured by Alphamax. She’s sculpted in 1/8 scale and stands a bit under 20 centimeters in height. A small instruction sheet is provided to show how to remove her vest.
A large part of the appeal of this figure is, of course, generated by her very brief swimsuit. Her tiny bikini shows off her body very well, and as expected, her trademark underboob is readily visible. Her pose, with her back arched and buttocks thrust outward, accentuate the allure of her look.
That said, this would still be a fairly typical anime bikini girl figure without a few more distinctive elements from her God Eater appearance. First, she can be displayed while wearing her vest. It adds a bit of flair to her look with the way it billows out, as if caught in a breeze. It also provides the practical benefit of making her neck look a little shorter and more natural.
She can also be shown wearing her hat, which has become a kind of beret in God Eater 2. It’s held onto her head by a magnet, which is a nice touch.
And of course, there is her enormous sword, which she is leaning up against. It looks pretty cool but being that this is my third Alisa figure, it’s lost some of its uniqueness.
I’m not so sure that her appearance here is faithful to her canonical look in the games, if there is such a thing. Nonetheless, she is still quite pretty, and true to form, her expression is inscrutable, conveying neither happiness nor anger nor discomfort.
The sculpt is not highly detailed, but there are some nice touches, such as the way the waistband of her bikini digs into her skin, giving her skin the impression of softness.
I think the aspect I like best about this figure, aside from the skimpiness of her swimwear, is her nonchalant pose. Her stance is obviously erotic in nature, but she doesn’t seem too anxious about her situation. Her nonplussed expression and crossed arms give her a pleasant, relaxed look.
This is a pretty good figure – not an amazing figure, but as swimsuit figures go, this one is solid. I’m not so sure that it’s a great representation of Alisa – her expression is a little less sharp and more placid than one might expect – but nonetheless, I do like the way she’s depicted here. The level of sex appeal is high, even for a swimsuit figure, and the optional hat and vest give her a little bit of distinctiveness. Of the figures of Alisa I have, this is certainly my favorite of the three.
I don’t have a lot to say really.. but dat ass.
It’s a little peculiar how that part of her body is this figure’s highlight; she’s much more known for her underboob, I think. Not that I’m complaining, of course.
I like the pose
It’s definitely made to appeal.
While she isn’t my favorite figure; I must say that you are to be commended for your camera work on this set. The whole setup/backdrop looks amazing, as does the lighting. Also, that shot of her wrist device that kind of gives off the illusion that she isn’t wearing any bottoms was particularly nice.
Thanks XD This was very, very, far from what I intended (I had a very clear image in my mind of how I wanted the scenery to look) but I guess I’m not too displeased with how the pictures turned out.
Her emotion seems a bit too friendly to me but it goes well with the pose. Having hard time to decide which one I should buy, this or
http://myfigurecollection.net/item/164557#tab/official/date/8/1
Thanks for the awesome review Tier
There’s a review of that figure up at Reflective Boundary; it’s the same sculptor and they kinda have the same face style, though the older figure’s face is a little more expressive. And the pose is certainly more dynamic.
Beware “fighting” Alisa. The alignment of the sculpt isn’t done properly and there’s a gravitational chance for her sword to slip out of her ridiculously loose grip and hang mid air.
Nothing to say…Epic, for me one of the best, and this background.
Thanks XD
As beautiful as this Alisa is, WonFest took the wind out of my plans to get another figure of her for now though, of the ones I’ve been considering, this looks to be the one to get. Bah, I never really mark anything off of my wishlist anyway.
I don’t envy having to clean up all of that sand but what is all of your glorious “concrete” made out of? The 45 degree up/down ‘twixt-lighting makes for a nice effect among the layered walls.
I’ll be honest; of all the figures of Alisa, I think the Dollfie Dream doll is the best. The price tag probably puts it out of the reach of many collectors, though.
It actually is made of sand, too; I bought a pack of sand, intending to use it for a different figure, and then I decided it was a too-dark brown color. Then I thought it could make for a decent way to texture the wall, so I put down a layer of adhesive on a sheet of wood and sprinkled the sand on top of it. Of course all my work isn’t visible because the aperture is too wide.
Woah, wait….you’re saying your walls are sand textured too?! That’s pretty sweet. The texture is really great. Hopefully it’ll lend itself to other shoots as well.
Perhaps I’m being too presumptuous but I’m tempted to presume that you simply prioritized the shoot over the effect so it’s understandable that the full resolution of your background efforts isn’t fully realized in any given shot from this shoot but, by design, elevates it overall? Either way I love the texture and lament the fact that I don’t have a suitable vehicle to wrangle the materials of necessary scale to pull this off (I’m thinking full sheets of 4cm insulating foamboard).
I won’t lie, the DD stuff scares the hell out of me. A disproportionate number of figure acquaintances have fallen into the DD pit and it is so crushingly expensive. Thankfully I have a disproportionally high intolerance for joints in any figure or doll so, save for the occasional android like Aegis (Persona 3), I should be, at least in theory, relatively fortified against such sensory assaults.
Well damn….she’s great as a DD; you weren’t kidding! Holy mother of pickled iced-cream, are they off their nuts!? Ok, she is very nice but I’m gonna retreat back into what I already thought was as wallet-immolating venture. (I stand corrected; figures are cheap, ya hear me? CHEEAAAPPPP!!!!!!!)
My fake tags for quasi-humorous effect got culled….D: Suck it WordPress!!
Yeah, I was pretty happy with how it looked; one of the things that has bedeviled a lot of my past setups is a lack of texture on surfaces, which makes things look really fake, sort of the way early-generation Playstation 3D graphics looked really fake.
I’m a little disappointed in the way the shots turned out since I had a clear idea of what I wanted, and this definitely wasn’t it. I wanted something a little sunnier, like an early afternoon setting, with the structures resembling something like a decaying military blockhouse on a beach. It didn’t quite turn out that way and even though I wasn’t thinking about it, it turned into the sort of dusk/nighttime ruined-wall background that I’ve used quite a few times in the past. Maybe my subconscious is telling me that I like that sort of setting, even when I’m not actively employing it.
Haha, yeah, I’ve never really gotten into the DD thing specifically, though I do have quite a few dolls of my own, and my doll collecting actually predates my anime figure collecting by a year or two. That’s not so much a criticism of dolls or DDs on my part as much as a distaste for how peculiarly fashionable they’ve become, particularly amongst a certain sect of people who worship – and that’s not too strong a term – a certain demagogue. At least, that was the way it was a few years back, I’ve lost track of all that stuff.
Wow, your intended shoot sounds like another I had planned long ago but never executed on for a Revy shoot. The entrance was going to be an old ammo box laying on its side overgrown with vines and Revy sitting in at on edge waiting for an ambush. First it was going to be at a beachhead then a winter forest but then I couldn’t decide on what would be a suitable replacement for the vines….then deadlock.
I should revive that to see if I can make it work. The gauze I bought as a prop [as an impromptu wound dressing] is probably still around somewhere too. But you’re right, mimicking daytime is really tricky. A bright main and tons of ambient light seems to be a good start but something is nearly always just a bit off from reality.
Plants have always been something I’ve really struggled with. You should definitely try it out, though. Just make sure you have a backup plan in case it doesn’t work XD
Yeah, I’ve had a tough time simulating daylight; there have only been a couple times where I pulled it off, I think (the Daisy figure from Kotobukiya comes to mind, I think I managed to fool a few people into thinking I shot that figure outdoors). I was watching some Youtube videos of some racing games like Forza 6 and Gran Turismo 6 recently and I was thinking that even the daylight there looked a little off, despite the hyperrealistic natures of those games. It’s hard to explain exactly why but you just get that impression from looking, and that’s a tough thing to get around in photography (a related problem for me is crooked walls; people will notice that sort of thing instantly).
Did you actually import real sand into the studio for this 🙂
I did! The arts and crafts store near the office stocks little bags of sand. They only cost a few dollars, though I have the feeling that is still overpriced for dirt.
The Chinese made a very good castoffable version of this figure .
They are endlessly creative in their piracy.