PVC Review: 1/8 Scale Jiburiru (Max Factory)

Hello again. Today I'll be reviewing 1/8th scale Jiburiru from the hentai anime series of the same name. I purchased this figure for a reasonable price from a trusted eBay seller. She was $34.99 if you're interested. I've looked at many of the popular figure websites for a yen price equivalent but haven't had any luck. From what I've read she's been discontinued for some time. If you really want her just about your only chance will be eBay.

Jiburiru's packaging is uncharacteristically small which is nice because I'm running out of room in my closet. The box has a lot of pictures of the figure from many different angles and of course some Japanese words. The figure, including the box, seem to have a hospital motif. I've seen little of the series so I don't know what the motif is all about. As you will see in the pictures below Jiburiru is flying. There is a silver rod that fits into her right knee (ouch!) and connects to the base. The rod fits snugly into her knee but I can't say the same for the base, it's very loose. If I lift the figure from the middle of the rod it disconnects from the base. Out of curiosity I turned the figure upside down and held it from the rod to see if it could withstand the weight of the figure without disconnecting, it does not. Curiously the figure comes with two rods; unfortunately neither one connects well to the base.

Jiburiru comes with a few accessories, but not nearly as many as my Yui figure, which I'm thankful for. Included are her two wings, her halo, and two little extras that attach to her hips. And then there's the spare rod of course. I don't know how else to describe the two extras but you'll see them in the pictures. I'm not sure why but the two extras don't fit all the way into her. The plastic pieces that connect them to her hips are small enough to fit into their holes but gradually get larger so they're sort of half in and half out. That's probably confusing so I'll make sure to take a picture of them.

Both of my Max Factory figures have great paint jobs, their sculptors are outstanding. Jiburiru is wearing an outfit that looks like a one piece bathing suit and you can even see her bellybutton imprint, but what's more impressive is the way the sculptor gave the illusion that the muscles in her midsection are twisted as she glances over her shoulder. Very realistic! The figure isn't too grandiose like some of my others, but grandiose isn't always better. To the judgment.

Paint and craftsmanship: 10
Packaging: 9
Price: 10
Likability: 9
Overall: 38/40

I really like this figure but if I could change just one thing it would be the size, I think I would have preferred her to be a 1/7th scale. Other than that I'm really satisfied with the purchase. The last picture is one of two extra pieces that connect to her sides. I'm not sure if it looks that great but it's not a big deal. Alright that's about it. Thanks for reading and take care.

Blog changes

As you may have noticed this blog is undergoing a series of changes. Essentially I'm taking this obscure blog and turning into something more grandiose, with heavy influence on figure reviews. In all honesty I'm hoping to turn this blog into a review blog in which fans can come and read up on figures they're interested in before buying. I'm also looking for a co-author to assist me with figure reviews. At best I'll be able to review two a month by myself which is probably not enough to take this blog to the level of seriousness I'm interested in. If you are interested in being my co-author please email me at zacksawesome06@yahoo.com. There are some requirements you will have to meet before I'll take you into consideration. In an effort to save us both some time I'll spell out those requirements now.

You must be able to review at least two figures a month, and yes that means you'll be buying two a month. Try to make sure that you buy a newer figure every other month or so. I define newer figure as being 0-4 months old. This won't be much of a review blog if we're reviewing figures that are exceptionally old all the time. Also, you must have a reasonable command of the English language. (i.e. No "yeah this figure is the shit 'cause you can see her panties.") You don't have to be an English major to be accepted just someone who can author a serious review. If you're interested please email me a sample review and I'll look it over. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, you must have a DECENT digital camera to take pictures of your figures. You do not have to have a $1000 camera (mine was only $300 after buying an 8gig SD card.), just something better than a camera phone.

All of my posts will still be listed here and I will be continuing to post pictures of my monthly acquisitions as I have before. Those posts and any other non figure posts will be under the new tab titled "Other posts."

If I haven't found anyone interested in being a co-author after a couple of months or so I may just bag the idea of a review blog altogether because there's no way I can buy/review enough of them to achieve the goal of review blog.

Thanks for reading, take care.

PVC Review: 1/8 Scale Mai Kawasumi (Kotobukiya)

Does anyone see a pattern here? Out of my five figures three have been distributed by Kotobukiya. I didn't do this intentionally it's pure coincidence. I guess I must really like their figures! O.k. Today we're taking a look at Mai Kawasumi from the 2006 animated version of Kanon. (There are two versions of Kanon and a video game. This figure is from the second rendition of the series). It's difficult to say exactly how much Mai retails for because you can't find her very easily anymore. She's been out-of-print for sometime and I happened upon her at eBay. The eBay user whom I purchased her from sold Mai to me for only $27.99 plus a few bucks for shipping. If you browse sites like HLJ you can find her (although discontinued) for around 4800 Yen. Now onto the figure.

The packaging, like the figure, is simple but nice. The subtle shade of blue perfectly captures the scene in which the figure depicts. All in all it's a really basic box; there are no pictures of the other figures on the line just a few words on the underside, but no one buys a figure for the box. Mai comes with a platform that is shaded white and blue to complete their winter-y effect. Mai doesn't come connected to her stand and it was a bit difficult to wedge the pegs into the holes in her shoes.

Also included in the package is a sword and a pair of bunny ears. Now I do own Kanon and Mai is on the cover of the fourth single holding her sword but I haven't actually seen it yet so I don't know the story behind the bunny ears. Mai has taken a knee and her right hand is made to hold that sword she comes with. She looks like she's ready to gut someone if it weren't for that smile on her face. There's really only one negative about this figure and that's its simplicity. It makes her seem a little on the ordinary side, but in all honesty it's not really a big deal.

As far as I can tell the paint job is great and the sculpting is also done well. The only thing I can't understand is why she's wearing such a short dress in the winter! There must have been a breeze as well because the back of her dress is hiked up revealing her white unmentionables. For the price I paid there's little cause for buyers remorse even if I didn't like the figure too much (which I do). If there's one thing about this figure that makes me unhappy is that the other Kanon figures are also out-of-print and will be difficult to find at any price.

I didn't take too much time in finding the perfect spot for Mai. She fits in perfectly between Uratori and Gekisou Haruhi. Not much else I can think of to say. Onto the judgment.


Paint and craftsmanship: 10
Packaging: 9
Price: 10
Likability: 8
Overall: 37/40

Like I've already stated there's really not a whole lot wrong with this figure. I took away a couple points from "Likability" because she's a bit bland, and a point from "packaging" for the same reason. I can see others not being impressed with this figure if don't know of or like the Kanon series. That about does it for today. Thanks for reading again, take care.