DSC_7552
Happy Family Day to those who celebrate it, and to those who don't.. yes.. yes it's a real thing here in Canada. It's a Holiday added in the winter months in certain Provinces to even up the number of statutory holidays across the country, and to make the season more bearable.
For this entry, we look at something a bit different yet the same - the SH Figuarts Sailor Moon Crystal - Sailor Moon figure, which was purchased for about $60 CAD from Hong Kong.
So.. what is Sailor Moon Crystal? Well, you may have noticed the resurgence of classic 90s Sailor Moon interest in the past few years. That's because back in 2014, Toei Animation worked on and released an Original Net Animation of Sailor Moon titled Sailor Moon Crystal. While it was broadcast across the world, and has concluded its run already, I have yet to see any of it. My understanding is that the series is a reboot of property, and adheres much more closely to the original manga than the 90s version.. which is probably an easier task with hindsight being 20/20 and all. There's to be a movie coming up in Fall 2020 entitled Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal which picks up the story where the webseries ended, so hopefully I'll be able to catch that.
Naturally, as part of the property roll out, new merchandise was made, which included of course new Figuarts entries. This is where Sailor Moon collectors start getting kind of pissed - for whatever reason, despite being released in 2017, Bandai never got past Sailor Moon, nor were there any plans to go past Sailor Moon. Who know. maybe as part of the upcoming movie Bandai might reconsider their plans? For now though.. my Sailor Moon Crystal Figuarts collection is complete.. easiest accomplishment ever.
The figure comes with both more and less than the OG version. There are definitely more hands than I can remember on the OG version, allowing for more trademark poses - the hands are brand new hands that have slimmer fingers. While there are four additional faces, there are really only two types, not to mention there is no Moon Tiara Power effect part. Other than the aforementioned, the figure comes with the Spiral Heart Moon Rod and a repurposed base and stand from the OG release with different printing on it.
Clearly there is a huge aesthetic difference between the OG Sailor Moon release and the Crystal version. At a glance, the Crystal version is slimmer with longer, lankier limbs, a more defined waist, vastly different portrait, and of course there's the fancy hair complete with barrettes that only showed up when she went Super in the original series. If you've watched the Crystal series, none of this is new to you, but for people like me, this is the first time I've really sat down and did a side-by-side. There are differences with regards to the uniform as well, as the side by side photos will show, though what is more interesting for me is the head, specifically how they've given her a proper jawline such that the figure doesn't look screwy from the sides. Much like the OG, a very close match for the anime model, though I feel from a body proportion Crystal gets it a bit closer.
Crystal is very much the same as the original Sailor Moon in terms of articulation, with the following notable differences:
- cut at feet allow for vastly improved range of motion
- completely new knee joint (single jointed) that offers about the same range of motion as the OG, but is more concealed allowing for a better silhouette and a sharper look when bent
- material on the skirt is more rigid on Crystal, but is sculpted more raised, resulting in effectively the same ability to sit
- size of joints is smaller than the OG to accommodate the slightly slimmer limbs
Hands down the paint on the Crystal version blows the OG out of the water. Of course, the 3 year time difference and price increase of over 1,000 yen might have something to do with that too. Paint apps in general are cleaner and there is more paint on the flesh areas, though the white parts no longer have that pearl finish and clearly some of the smaller details are still not that great, nor are the paint apps on the hands. Equally improved are the paint apps on the hair, which no longer looks that translucent, an issue with the OG version. Decal work is beautiful, both in terms of printing and application, as the beautiful eyes will show. Overall, the higher care of painting results in a sharper looking figure in the photographs.
Build quality and overall QC is again what you'd expect from a Figuarts, though for the record this is the first time I've broken a wrist peg - Crystal is currently using a peg donated from a bootleg Figma that I accidentally purchased. Otherwise, no real qualms about assembly quality, limb length, material strength.. all of these issues have never been issues, and that continues to be the case here.
Overall, it's not fair to call Crystal an upgrade, as overall she's got new parts, just not so much an actual new design from an articulation perspective, which is somewhat disappointing for me because I was thinking by 2017 they'd have introduced the newer mainline body to the mix. I don't know how she is as a character, but the overall Crystal design definitely SHOWS Sailor Moon as a more competent hero, as opposed to the more reluctant one she is at the start of the original anime. Visually stunning and decently articulated, I'd can easily recommend her for your Sailor Moon collection, even if she is the only one ever released.
It's just too bad about the lack of any other effects parts.
DSC_7552
Happy Family Day to those who celebrate it, and to those who don't.. yes.. yes it's a real thing here in Canada. It's a Holiday added in the winter months in certain Provinces to even up the number of statutory holidays across the country, and to make the season more bearable.
For this entry, we look at something a bit different yet the same - the SH Figuarts Sailor Moon Crystal - Sailor Moon figure, which was purchased for about $60 CAD from Hong Kong.
So.. what is Sailor Moon Crystal? Well, you may have noticed the resurgence of classic 90s Sailor Moon interest in the past few years. That's because back in 2014, Toei Animation worked on and released an Original Net Animation of Sailor Moon titled Sailor Moon Crystal. While it was broadcast across the world, and has concluded its run already, I have yet to see any of it. My understanding is that the series is a reboot of property, and adheres much more closely to the original manga than the 90s version.. which is probably an easier task with hindsight being 20/20 and all. There's to be a movie coming up in Fall 2020 entitled Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon Eternal which picks up the story where the webseries ended, so hopefully I'll be able to catch that.
Naturally, as part of the property roll out, new merchandise was made, which included of course new Figuarts entries. This is where Sailor Moon collectors start getting kind of pissed - for whatever reason, despite being released in 2017, Bandai never got past Sailor Moon, nor were there any plans to go past Sailor Moon. Who know. maybe as part of the upcoming movie Bandai might reconsider their plans? For now though.. my Sailor Moon Crystal Figuarts collection is complete.. easiest accomplishment ever.
The figure comes with both more and less than the OG version. There are definitely more hands than I can remember on the OG version, allowing for more trademark poses - the hands are brand new hands that have slimmer fingers. While there are four additional faces, there are really only two types, not to mention there is no Moon Tiara Power effect part. Other than the aforementioned, the figure comes with the Spiral Heart Moon Rod and a repurposed base and stand from the OG release with different printing on it.
Clearly there is a huge aesthetic difference between the OG Sailor Moon release and the Crystal version. At a glance, the Crystal version is slimmer with longer, lankier limbs, a more defined waist, vastly different portrait, and of course there's the fancy hair complete with barrettes that only showed up when she went Super in the original series. If you've watched the Crystal series, none of this is new to you, but for people like me, this is the first time I've really sat down and did a side-by-side. There are differences with regards to the uniform as well, as the side by side photos will show, though what is more interesting for me is the head, specifically how they've given her a proper jawline such that the figure doesn't look screwy from the sides. Much like the OG, a very close match for the anime model, though I feel from a body proportion Crystal gets it a bit closer.
Crystal is very much the same as the original Sailor Moon in terms of articulation, with the following notable differences:
- cut at feet allow for vastly improved range of motion
- completely new knee joint (single jointed) that offers about the same range of motion as the OG, but is more concealed allowing for a better silhouette and a sharper look when bent
- material on the skirt is more rigid on Crystal, but is sculpted more raised, resulting in effectively the same ability to sit
- size of joints is smaller than the OG to accommodate the slightly slimmer limbs
Hands down the paint on the Crystal version blows the OG out of the water. Of course, the 3 year time difference and price increase of over 1,000 yen might have something to do with that too. Paint apps in general are cleaner and there is more paint on the flesh areas, though the white parts no longer have that pearl finish and clearly some of the smaller details are still not that great, nor are the paint apps on the hands. Equally improved are the paint apps on the hair, which no longer looks that translucent, an issue with the OG version. Decal work is beautiful, both in terms of printing and application, as the beautiful eyes will show. Overall, the higher care of painting results in a sharper looking figure in the photographs.
Build quality and overall QC is again what you'd expect from a Figuarts, though for the record this is the first time I've broken a wrist peg - Crystal is currently using a peg donated from a bootleg Figma that I accidentally purchased. Otherwise, no real qualms about assembly quality, limb length, material strength.. all of these issues have never been issues, and that continues to be the case here.
Overall, it's not fair to call Crystal an upgrade, as overall she's got new parts, just not so much an actual new design from an articulation perspective, which is somewhat disappointing for me because I was thinking by 2017 they'd have introduced the newer mainline body to the mix. I don't know how she is as a character, but the overall Crystal design definitely SHOWS Sailor Moon as a more competent hero, as opposed to the more reluctant one she is at the start of the original anime. Visually stunning and decently articulated, I'd can easily recommend her for your Sailor Moon collection, even if she is the only one ever released.
It's just too bad about the lack of any other effects parts.