Figure Unboxing and Review: Goddess Madoka Awake version (Banpresto)

Figure Unboxing and Review: Goddess Madoka Awake version (Banpresto)

Monday, December 11, 2017 / No Comments

When we have Homura, we will have Madoka too. Picking these up at a deal on my trip to Japan and saving shipping costs is one of the better options when it comes to prize figures for me. Madoka is my favorite character in the series and I just had to have her :)

Similar to Homura, she comes in a 2 part-pack, with the base on one side and the figure on the other. She is also lying flat on the base and thus will have the same features as Homura did.

Firstly, her base in in a wing shape which is similar to Homura's base. Despite the shape of this base not matching with Madoka's own wings, it helps to bring the two separate base pieces together and make it into a full circle.

Just like Homura's base, it shows a wing printed on it, and this is the image of Madoka's own goddess wing. That being said, when Madoka lies on it, the pattern is also mostly hidden.

Now, let's take a look at Madoka's figure itself.

 Madoka's expression looks quite forlorn and the way she is looking away from Homura reminds me of the time when she still doesn't know about Homura going through all the different timelines for her.

I also like how her ponytails are splayed out but more importantly than that...

I love how the rest of her hair cascades to the base. It's a really pretty sight and the fact that her hair is pink makes all the different layers stand out more than Homura's flat black. Despite that there isn't much shading done by Banpresto, shadows cast by the normal lighting are more visible against light pink than black, thus Madoka's hair seems to have more dimension than Homura's did.

Madoka's outfit is very detailed as well. Her ribbons are large and puffy and her garments are adequately creased. I like the touch of red against the expanse of her white outfit as well as the frills and ruffles on her dress.

Unlike Homura, her dress only has a few layers and hence does not show that many levels of dynamism from the attire alone. What makes this attire great is that even the underside which is mostly hidden is painted--and painted well with purple and white dots as stars. This depicts the "universe" which Madoka now has under her care.

The wing accessories on her heels are really cute and eye-grabbing as well.

However despite all of these good points, one of the points which I dislike is the visible hair seam on Mdoka's head. Hair seams have never been something I fancied but since this is a prize figure, it can be overlooked.

Similar to Homura's figure from the same line, the underside of the figure is completely flat as well. Despite so, there are still details shown here with all the creases.

Placing the two figures together with their hands touching must be one of the most touching moments for any collector and fans of the series!

Figure Unboxing and Review: Devil Akemi Homura Awake version (Banpresto)

Figure Unboxing and Review: Devil Akemi Homura Awake version (Banpresto)

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I picked this set up in Japan and it was a lot cheaper (400 yen each) than the prices that these are going for in Singapore (about 22-30 each). As some of you might know, I have grown out of prize figures but this show is one of the few that I really enjoyed and the figure itself is quite unique so I decided to bite the bullet and get it.

This set has both the uniform and God/Devil version and each version has an awake and sleeping variant. In this case, it's the God/Devil versions, with both being awake. Hope you enjoy the review!

Homura and Madoka come individually and for now, I will be reviewing this version of Homura today. I also have the asleep God version of Madoka and the awake version of School Uniform Homura which I will review at a later date as I have not unboxed those two yet. 

Homura comes in a plastic with two separate sections. One side contains the base and the other is the main figure. Note that the figure and base have no pegs to connect hence the figure is not secure on it. Due to the nature of the figure (lying down), it has to be placed flat and hence will take up a lot of space.

I have seen collectors who modified their figures so it's attached to the base, framed and hung on the wall. I have not done such modifications yet but I intend to when I have more time and materials on hand.

The base is extremely simple and is in a dull color to suit the dark tones of Devil Homura. This color scheme also contrasts well against Madoka's milky white base, creating this yin-yang spectrum that shows the difference between Homura and Madoka. The wing pattern on the base as well as the similar wing shape of the base are representations of Devil Homura.

Sadly, when you place Devil Homura on it, the whole pattern is covered up (image below).

This is a tiny figure but I like it because it represents a lot of differences between Homura and Madoka. However, them holding hands in this form also serves to show their self-sacrificial mindset where they gave their all for each other throughout the entire series.

Of course, as this is a prize figure, there are a lot of flaws. However, there are plenty of amazing points about this figure. The first part which I want to point out is the flow of Homura's dress, cascading down to the base. Her stockings are also accurate with the height and pattern, but loses out with the painting.

There are quite a few painting errors where the paint spills from one diamond pattern to the next. The straps of the shoes up her ankles also have paint spills.

Homura's hair also has it's own level of dynamism. Though it isn't as detailed on the level of a scale, it has a lot of individual pieces which help create the feel that she is really lying down.  Having the hair on the base as such also helps to reveal the pattern of the dress on her back which isn't very obvious in the series itself.

The dress looks extremely skin-tight, however I am unsure if the patterns at the back are really as such. The paintwork of the straps at her back are much more intricately and precisely painted than the straps on her ankles and on her upper arm.

The parts where Homura's figure meets the base are all made flat so that she can lie flat on the base. This makes it look hilarious when you view the figure from the bottom but I think it's a very nice touch that Banpresto still added details to it, such as the layers of her hair and dress.

Despite all the praises I mentioned, I do hope that the ends of her dress layers can be sharper as that would make the figure look more detailed and intricate. 

Lastly, Homura's face and ribbon. The ribbon is a very nice touch and I like how it isn't just laying flat on her hair. Homura's eyes are very bright and the artwork for the eye decals closely resembles the series' depiction.

I love the serene smile on her face as it really captures Homura's personality as well as all her sacrifices and insecurities when she became a Devil.

Devi's Japan Travels Part 11: Arashiyama and Tetsugaku no Michi

Devi's Japan Travels Part 11: Arashiyama and Tetsugaku no Michi

Saturday, December 9, 2017 / No Comments

After 3 weeks of non-stop traveling, starting in Fukuoka, going down to Kagoshima and then to Beppu, we finally ended up in Kyoto via Shikoku and Tsuyama. It's been one trip, and we have driven lots of miles to come here! Before we part ways, my husband and I had one more encore in Kyoto.

Kyoto day 3: Arashiyama and the Philosophers Path

How Harry Potter does this title sound?! Anyway, back to Kyoto. Or rewind a bit further even to Kusatsu. As I wrote in my last blog, we were staying in a hotel in Kusatsu. After our really tiring temple-day yesterday, we were so tired that we had missed breakfast. Well, judging from the day before there wasn't much to miss. I still had an ebi-mayo onigiri to wake me up in the morning. Most people use coffee. I am not like most people. I am weird. 

Now that we've established that, it's time to go to Kura-sushi again for some brunch! The chain is really big in Kansai, ever since we went there in Nara we saw lots of them. We did the game again, and won some Conan the detective sticker/figure which we gave to a cute little girl at another table. Again, it was just 2000 yen and we ate like pigs once more. We gave this place 'The Feeding Shed' for this reason. 

ABURI EVERYTHING!!! Aburi is when the top part is grilled, usually with a (small) blowtorch. I bought one myself for cheap and it was actually really easy to make my own aburi sushi. Some places have mayo on top of the sushi or cheese, or whatever is popular at the moment really which they then grill.

After eating we drove to Kyoto, straight away to Arashiyama. Of course my husband needed to see the bamboo forest. We took a very weird route and ended up at the end of the bamboo forest path, and did it the other way around. But on our way there, we saw the Kameyama park and Oi river. Unfortunately, the weather was terrible. It was cold, raining, and humid, really wet and sticky. But the misty views had its own charm. We finally found a parking spot, which was only 500 yen for the day. We had to look long for that one and it was still a while away from the touristic spots, about 20 minute walk but for the cheap price it was worth it heh heh.

 Driving to Arashiyama, the weather was not nice..

Sakura trees on the way, heavenly roads

Arashiyama arrival, the sakura were beautiful

  Misty mountains, a misty Oi river, and some sakura highlights on the mountain

  Beautiful colors in Kameyama Park

 Despite the weather the bamboo forest was beautiful, the green colors were amazing

We were quite tired after all that walking. We went to the train station and walked around there, it is a really nice train station, it even had a foot-onsen for only 200 yen. We went to Tully's for some hot chocolate, matcha latte and a hot dog with avocado. It was pretty nice actually. A most welcomed break after walking for so long in the cold.

 This warmed us and charged us up for some more exploring!

 Cute little train at Arashiyama station, and pillars of light with different patterns 

 The 'Kimono Forest' by designer Yasumichi Morita

On our way back I got some ichigo daifuku, mochi with a strawberry inside. But, it wasn't 'just' plain ol' ichigo daifuku, it was CHOCOLATE ichigo daifuku! Instant drool! It was really good. I figured because it was springtime the time for ichigo daifuku I could eat it a lot but I couldn't find many! So I was disappointed but this made it aaalll worth it. Walking back we did some more photoshoots with sakura.

Sakura in the sun, Sakura in the rain, Sakura at night, it doesn't really matter. It's always beautiful.

We wanted to stop by Kinkakuji, the Golden Pavillion, and we drove there from Arashiyama but I suspected it would be closed because it it was past 5 'o clock. As expected: we arrived there and it was closed. Well then, onwards to the Philosopher's Path then!

 Onwards, to tetsugaku no michi!

I love driving through the city at night, especially after the rain. The lights and reflections create a nice atmosphere

 Arrival! And the sakura trees are already welcoming us with some nice overhanging flowers

 It feels like a winter wonderland, something from a Disney movie or something...

 Flash a Sakura in the Dark. Sounds like the title of a very bad bad movie lols...

 Some greens coming through already

 Had enough of these pictures? My bad! Sorry not sorry

 Oops I did it again - Britney Spears

 Like snowflakes in the dark wintersky

 Aaand again

 More more more - Capsule

Beautiful pink colours in the background

We were getting tired and hungry, so we decided to find some place to have some dinner. We found a ramen place to eat. It was not as good as the Kurobuta ramen we had in Kagoshima of course, but still decent.

After that we took more pictures of sakura, but I will spare you guys from that. Anyway, after a cold and wet day it was time to head back! We needed to rest up for a last day together.

 Ok ok, one last pic for the road then!

Crossing the bridge back to Kusatsu

Kyoto day 4: Not so much Kyoto

After weeks of non-stop traveling and sight-seeing, we decided to stay in on our last day. I needed to make some travel arrangements as from the next day I was alone and needed to buy some train tickets. I also arranged a shuttle bus to the train-station from the hotel, which was for free. We ate at Kura sushi again (of course) and Matsuya (another chain). Easy foods in the neighbourhood for an easy day in. From the next blog onwards it will be about my solo-travels in Kanazawa with a lot more beautiful sakura! So if you are not sick of it yet, stay tuned for more!

~Written by Devi~

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