Tomopop review: Nendoroid Sebastian Michaelis

6:00 PM on 08.06.2009   |   Colette Bennett

From the first moment I saw him, I was swooning for mysterious butler Sebastian Michaelis from the anime series Kuroshitsuji. Originally adapted from the manga of the same name (now being published in the US by Yen Press under Black Butler), the series seems to be gaining popularity here in the states, if the amount of Kuroshitsuji cosplay I've seen at recent cons is any indication.

Naturally, I've bought almost every figure of this guy that's out there (as you may recall), and when I heard a Nendo was coming I was ecstatic about the news. I'm in that "not enough male anime figures out there" camp, and so every one I add to my collection feels like some small victory.

Hit the jump to see more of the guy who calls himself a hell of a butler (tongue in cheek, of course).

As I mentioned in a post earlier today, Sebastian is number 68 in the Nendoroid series. His box is black with purple details, which perfectly complements the colors of the series. Look how cute he is in there, just waiting to come out! Ok Sebby, I won't make you wait any longer.

Ok, he might only be a few inches tall, but even in Nendoroid form that face gets me and I have to take a moment for fangirl spasms. Aaaaah! Everything is right, from the devilish expression to every strand of the hair. Of course, change a few accessories around and you can get a very different look.

Oh dear. Sebastian is not the type of guy you want to piss off. I'm sorry, was it because I didn't offer you anyplace to sit? I can fix that. Give me a second!

Oh delightful, I've cheered him up. That's good. As you can see, we borrowed L's chair here and everything started looking up. Does that make you feel a bit happier, dear?

Oh, he likes me. My heart is flip-flopping....

Sebastian also comes with a cat and arms to hold it, which looks something like this after you get it attached:

My cat makes that face all the time, so I know how it must feel. Anyhow, one of the joys of Nendoroids is obviously to ability to mix and match their faces and bodies, and so I got the rest of the family and started to experiment. It wasn't long before I noticed something I had never come across before: Sebastian's head was actually a bit smaller than some of the other Nendos, Itoshiki's in particular.

Since one of the ways you can display Itoshiki is to hang him by a noose, I considered this may have been because the head needed to be a bit bigger so he is weighted correctly. However, trying to interchange their faces I discovered that they are actually incompatible, which is a first for me with any Nendoroid I have ever owned.

Itoshiki is on the right, and as you can see, the fittings that slide the face into the hair pieces are two different sizes. No big deal, although it would have been pretty funny to get Itoshiki's angry little face into Sebastian's classy uniform. I had to make do with a few other variations instead.

Aw, he's so grumpy!

Well, you knew this was coming.

If they can't wear each other's hair, they can at least wear each other's costumes.

Ooh! Maybe Sebastian's had enough of Ciel after all!

A quick word from Miku before I forget: Sebastian's stand is a little different from the Nendos that came before him as well. It's hard to capture on film since the stand is clear plastic, but I hope you can see it. What you're looking at is a new version of the Nendo stand which is a bendable peg with the leg fitting attached to it. In other words, you have much more flexibility with how you can pose them on the stand, which is always a good thing.

Anyhow, I hope Sebastian likes it here. Some of the other toys can be pretty fussy, especially when they want attention.

I'm sorry, I didn't mean for you to get irritated, Sebastian! Sometimes Totoro can be a little--

Well, I guess he's upset now. This seems like as good a place as any to end it and let him have some space. Anyway, if you're convinced the world's sexiest butler is still available through Hobby Fan for about $38, but he's sold out through most other retailers, so if you want to add him to your collection, I advise you do not hesitate!