Easily one of my most anticipated figures in awhile, Alter's Black Hanekawa from the fantastic Bakemonogatari hit all the right chords with me from the minute I saw her. White hair, a cute pose, and of course, the whole kemonomimi thing. Isn't this a given by now? Being a little familiar with Alter, I had a good idea that there wouldn't be many things to dislike about this figure.
Of course, even the most eagerly awaited figure can end up a huge disappointment when actually in hand, so click on through to find out if she's really the cat's meow!
Figure Name: Black Hanekawa
Figure Maker: Alter
Retail Price: ¥8,800
Available at: HobbyLink Japan
Similar to other Bakemonogatari releases, Hanekawa's box is done up in a fairly stylish black theme, along with the series' flashy logo and some nice little thematic additions like the silhouette of a cat to add a bit of a personal touch. It's nice as boxes go, and the small details did make it stand out a bit, so Alter earns a few points there.
I've noticed with Alter's releases that they often disregard any windows on their boxes' side panels, and it's little different in this case. I'm not so sure why they don't like to give potential buyers an option to view the product from all angles, but compared to the front you only get a tiny little square on one side. If you were buying this in person, which might not be likely for most of our readers, I could see it being a little frustrating. As it stands, however, it's merely an odd stylistic choice as opposed to any real issue.
Once tugging her out of the box, I discover my only real issue with the figure. Somehow, despite all my fawning over the various galleries around, I completely failed to notice her base. It's not a bad base, per se. It's actually kind of cute, with a fitting paw print motif and a nice street-like texture, complete with a random manhole for, well...ambience, I guess.
The problem is, as you may be likely to see, she falls into the same pitfalls that trouble so many other figures. Sadly, the holes in her feet and the oh-so-tiny pegs on the base do not match up. At all. Whether you want to say the holes are far too tiny or the pegs are too big, the end result is the same. It's a huge pain in the butt to get her in place. I had to wiggle and squeeze and push quite a bit just to get her right leg onto the peg, and the left didn't go much better. Even with that done, it's hard to tell if the pegs are in fully, and she feels a little loose on the base.
It's hard to complain when I love the figure as much as I do, though. I'm impressed with how Alter managed to craft her pajamas, in particular! It seems silly, but they did a good job with realistic folding and making them look like a really comfortable, loose outfit despite being made of PVC. The creases convey her stretch naturally and believably, and the figure is all the better for it.
One thing that caught me off guard, however, were her nails. Specifically, how very un-nail-like they were! Fittingly for such a character, both fingers and toes are tipped with rather long and rather sharp looking claws, and while I'm just fine with them, pretty much everyone who's seen the figure did a double take upon the discovery. Needless to say, it didn't sit well with them, but I doubt it would be an issue for any kemonomimi fan, and it's a cute little added detail.
Speaking of details though, one little thing caught my eye when viewing her from behind. At least, once I managed to pull my gaze away from more distracting aspects of the figure! The sole of her left foot is completely devoid of detail for some strange reason. While I don't expect a lot, it's almost as if she's got some rather industrial strength moisturizer going on, because it is completely, totally flat. A foot might be a small detail, but when it's technically as visible as this one is, I have to scratch my head at the oversight.
Despite a few little puzzles, in the end, Hanekawa is truly a gorgeous figure. From her wild, flowing hair, to her comfy looking PJs and rather lithe frame, she's got to be a must-buy for any fan of kemonomimi in general, let alone fans of the actual source material. Alter did a fantastic job conveying her movement and feline grace, and while I wish they could have fitted her more sturdily on her base, I heartily approve!
[Thanks to HobbyLink Japan for providing Tomopop with this review sample!]
