It's no secret that I'm an Ilyasviel (Illya) von Einzbern fan, as the psychotic little tsundere captured many hearts (besides once capturing the rest of Shirou as well). About a month ago we learned that FREEing was making yukata versions of both Saber and Illya; Saber has gone up for pre-order since then and now dear, sweet Illya joins her.

While I've personally never found yukatas appealing, both girls have at least partly changed my mind. Of course, a yukata-attired Illya is something special in itself given that Rin usually trumps the other non-Saber girls in the Fate/Stay Night roster (in fact, poor Illya rarely gets figures...). Given the character's exuberant personality, Illya is a great fit (especially next to the more subdued Saber) since she conveys a feeling of festival excitement.

Illya is posed as if she were shouting and waving (no doubt at Shirou and crew). As previously noted, she has a tiny-sized Berserker mask on the side of her head. The mask is a very cool nod to her servant but, I can say with some amount of relief, it also appears to be removable. While I greatly like the look of this figure, I must confess that when she was first announced I thought the two were just prize figures. Sure, yukata Illya is still great but there just feels to be something missing for that JPY5850+ price tag. If you feel differently, be advised that she's due out in late January.

Oh yes, plus apparently Rin is on the way as well... And a Sakura (?) concept.

[Pre-order at HobbyLink Japan | Hobby Search | AmiAmi | Otacute | CD Japan | J-List | Big in Japan]