Tomopop Review: FREEing's Akiyama Mio

12:00 PM on 09.08.2010   |   Colette Bennett

Back in February, we saw the first painted preview of this figure, Akiyama Mio from K-On! Sure, there are a billion Mio figures on the market; it's obvious the character is a fan favorite. Let's say you're trying to choose just one though -- would this "moe moe kyun" version of her be a good pick?

Sure, it's a very specialized version -- but really, who can complain about a girl in a maid costume. Hit the jump to get a better look at this version of Mio and decide if you need a lovely (but slightly awkward) young lady to grace your collector's shelf with her good looks.

Figure name: Akiyama Mio
Figure maker: FREEing/distributed by Good Smile Company
Retail price: 7,429 yen (US$88.20)

This is a cutesy Mio, and she is very befitting of an equally cutesy box. My favorite detail is the top window of the box, which is just ... girly!

I originally got the idea from this that I wanted to shoot Mio on a doily. However, it just didn't come out as I planned, so I had to improvise a bit.

So here she is. Craftsmanship on this Mio is perfectly solid -- aside from a tiny bump of paint in her hair, everything is crisp, well painted, and well sculpted. However, there was something about her I just did not care for. I couldn't put my finger on it right away.

I admit the base suits the figure, but I have to admit one thing I did not care for here was the glitter in it. Glitter just screams, "Hey, look, I'm fourteen!" to me. I think it would have been a touch classier without it, but maybe I'm just old and grumpy.

And then, I realized what it is about this Mio that makes me dislike her -- she doesn't have a lot of great angles. Her best is the dead on one you see above. There's also a few other cool ways to look at her, like from slightly below...

I think this angle shows a lot of the action of the figure, and I do like that. From the right direction, it really is cute. On the other hand, the pose is just very awkward, and as you turn her, you really do see that.

Of course, a person that wants to buy this Mio loves the scene in the show where Ritsu and Yui dream of Mio in the costume. but what bugs me is that Mio never looks this awkward in the dream itself.

Well, I'm going to stop bitching for a sec here, because at least you can see her pantsu, and that's always a nice view. Thank god for that tumble she took, or there'd be no Mio Akiyama Fan Club. Let's have some more of that angle, in fact ...

Right. Oh, and you can see that tiny little hair flaw I was talking about here, too.

So what do we think? Well ... I think she is "okay." Not the best Mio I have ever seen, but certainly far from the worst. We do recommend her to fans of the show and fans that want a Mio in a maid getup. However, if you want to buy just one Mio with a similar look, I would say Max Factory's upcoming one is our most anticipated and likely the one worth saving your pennies for.

[Thanks to HLJ for the review sample]