|
Anime figures rock. Cute anime figures rock even more. And the people behind the Toricolle figures (which, as far as I can tell, is phonetic Japanese for Tricolour) seem to have taken this tenet to heart when they launched their ranges. Anyone who's a fan of the works of studio Gainax will
be well aware of the immense amounts of merchandise available for all of their
titles. In Japan many anime have merchandise around only for the short
period they are on air, or to coincide with a revival of a franchise in game,
film or special edition DVD boxset form, or during its anniversary year.
In this regard Gainax are unusual - new merchandise is being released all
the time for pretty much everything they've release for the past 20 years. |
|
If you're a fan this is a double edged sword, whist it's great to see all of these cool new figures, with so much coming out you could quickly run out of money and space. So for those wondering whether their creaking shelves can take another statue, these Toricolle figures are just what the doctor ordered! Unlike the other Toricolle figures I have seen these ones are unique in that you buy them from Gashapon vending machines (see Glossary), rather than small boxes. There are five figures in the range, covering several major Gainax projects from the 80's to today. First up is Noriko from Gunbuster, followed by Nadia from Nadia: Secret of Blue Water, Kaworu and Rei from Neon Genesis Evangelion and Nono from Gunbuster 2. Each figure stands at around 1,5" (4cm) tall and |
|
|
come ready painted with only basic assembly required. As with the other Toricolle ranges the figures are all really cute, and some body parts (such as the head) can be detached and swapped with others in the range to effectively give them new outfits. I really like these figures. Each one is well sculpted and painted, and unlike many gashapon figures they all have character. Care and effort has gone into capturing each one, and the little details - from the piece of toast in Rei's mouth to the cross-shaped pupils in Nono's eyes - really make them stand apart from the crowd. The figures are bright, cheerful and colourful, and it's nice to see more figures based on Gunbuster and Nadia so many years after the shows originally came out. They're small and not too expensive and if you can find them they are well worth picking up. Cute anime figures rock, and they don't come much cuter or just plain fun than these. Extras Ratings Product:
|
