Tomopop Review: (NSFW) Kotobukiya x GA Graphic's Feng Pastel Box/Minato Nagase 1/7 figure

12:00 PM on 05.14.2010   |   Call Niero

Minato had been staring out at the water for hours, watching the tide gently rise and fall. She had placed a large rock near the water when they first arrived, and had spent the entire trip watching the water swallow it up. He wanted to ask her why, but she looked so...content. As if this was a perfectly fulfilling way to spend an afternoon. If he was disappointed, he didn't show it. Being with her was enough. Sure, splashing around in the water might have been slightly more enjoyable, but he was just happy that he convinced her to go.

"Where does the water go when the tide falls?" She asked suddenly, still looking out at the river. "Um...out to the ocean I think." He was taken aback--it had been hours since he had heard her voice, and he had almost forgotten how soft and sweet it was. "I mean, it goes to wherever the tide is rising I suppose." "So it travels? To another part of the world?" She looked back at him briefly, hair floating gently in the breeze. "Well I don't think it goes very far. It might, I...I'm honestly not sure where exactly it goes." He was trying to remember the lecture on tides in Earth Science, but the memory was fuzzy. "So the water here could have come from anywhere in the world." "Technically, I guess...it is still partially salt water here. So it could be from pretty far away." 

"I wonder how many people have looked at this same water. It's interesting to think about, you know? We're connected." "Mmmhmmm." He said distractedly, too busy examining the delicate curves of her back to really take in her words. "Well, it is getting dark. We should probably leave." She rose off the ground, taking one last longing look at the water. "You don't want to watch the sunset?" He was surprised--she seemed like the kind of person who would love looking at a pink and lavender sky. "No, not really. You can't see the waves when it gets dark. Let's go." She reached out a hand to help him up, but he knew that he had not said the right things today. This was the last time they would go to the beach together. 

So today we are taking a look at the gigantic Feng Pastel Box. So gigantic that it could only be shipped EMS, yet I am sure most people ordered it just for the figure. Ah Japan, you always trick us into spending far more money than we want to. This was originally a Japanese webstore exclusive, but thankfully AmiAmi got quite a few in. I ordered mine through them, mainly because I could have her shipped with my huge April order that ended up being not-so-huge due to some lovely delays. 

Now before we get to the review of Minato, let's take a quick peek at the contents of the Feng Pastel Box!

For 7800 yen you get the figure, a mousepad, a visual art book, and 3 clear stick posters. Now I was under the impression that the posters and mousepad would be of Minato, but sadly I was mistaken. They are of some other random ladies who I do not know. I think they all come from games made by the same company, but don't take my word on that. I think if the mousepad and posters were of a character that I liked the extra money would have been worth it, but I have not the slightest clue who these ladies are. They're cute, but not as cute as Minato.

The artbook, however, is totally worthwhile because it has tons of pictures of the lady in question. The pages are very thick and glossy, so it was impossible to get a shot with no glare. It is a pretty nice book, but a bit on the slim side--no more than 10 pages in length. It did contain some very NSFW images, which are in the gallery if you wish to view them.

Next up are the stick posters, which depict a cute girl in various sates of undress. While I am not sure if I will actually be displaying these (I only put up scantily clad pictures of characters I like!) she does have some damn cute undies on in that second poster. And the heart cutout on her stockings--adorable! 

Now on to the reason I bought the fancy Feng Pastel Box, Minato Nagase! She comes in a little box inside the much larger box. She is 1/7, but because of her compact position the box is indeed quite tiny. There is a picture of the original artwork on the side so you can compare it with the finished product--and I must say, for the first time I actually like the figure more than the art. Mostly because the figure has the cutest damn face I have ever seen.

Minato comes with a base made out of clear blue plastic that is actually quite nice, but there is no need to display her with it. She stands fine on her own. She also comes with 3 extra straps for the back of her bikini and instructions on how to take her top off. Quick warning--there are cast-off shots toward the end of the post, so you might want to skip that part if you are at work.

As I said before, her face is just insanely adorable! Her coloring did come out quite different from the promotional shots, but I am certainly not going to complain. Her hair in the original pictures was a rather washed-out brown, but the actual figure has a lot of rich highlighting going on. Parts of her bangs are actually a deep purple! Her eyes also lost some of that staring-into-your-soul quality they had in those pictures. They darkened them up a bit and added some additional detail. This is one of the few times where a figure looks better in real life than it does in the original photos.

For a swimsuit figure, Minato has an incredibly detailed sculpt. Most of the detail is in her hair, which is simply astounding. The seam line is masked perfectly by her big bangs, and the paint is perfect. I love how her hair is gathered on the back of her head where she drew it up into a ponytail--such a nice detail. The swimsuit itself is quite cute, with perfectly applied polka dots, some very nice shading and realistic folds in the "fabric."

Her body also has the nicest sculpting I have ever seen--and no, not in a pervy way. From certain angles Minato looks like a real live person. Her back is practically a work of art, every toe is fully sculpted, her legs have fat tissue and muscle. Though she is certainly an idealized representation of the female form, she could be a real girl. Her legs aren't chicken thin and her breasts are not ridiculously large, two pitfalls swimsuit figures often fall in to. 

Minato's hair is sculpted from flexible PVC, so there is really no worry about it snapping off. Maybe if she dropped from a shelf, but simply moving her about definitely won't cause any harm. There is one small thing to note about her hair--the right side isn't floofing out like it was in the original pictures. She is so lovely that I don't really mind, but this is perhaps something the company should have been more up-front about.

Now you all probably know by now that I love ribbons, and Minato has one of the nicest I have ever seen on a figure. I love how it has the shape of a butterfly and how the ends flow through her hair. And the color is exceptional, it matches her coloring without being overwhelming. Also note how delicate her hands look--her fingers are much longer than the average PVC figure, but that is only because they usually tend to have small hands with short appendages. Once again, Minato has a surprisingly realistic sculpt.

The back strap of her bikini is removable. It simply pops out without much fuss, and as mentioned there are extras in case you lose it. You can see how warm her skin tones are here--though she is a pale character, her skin looks almost real. There is a lot of subtle shading going on. And if you notice towards the bottom of the picture, her flesh is actually squished a bit by her bikini bottom. Hooray for realism!

I do have one complaint about her sculpt--her arms are ridiculously thin! Usually I don't notice something like this, but considering how curvy the rest of her is, it looks a bit odd.

Here is a better shot of her feet. One problem I often have with PVC is the lack of detail in this area--I know it's a small thing to gripe about, but it can ruin a figure. For example, Chua Churama has the most bizarre looking feet I have ever seen. They look like wedges. It does not ruin the figure, but that is only because the rest of her sculpt is so excellent.

There are a lot of details I would like to point out in this picture, but I know you all went straight to that butt cleavage. Okay I won't lie, that is why I put it in! Although you can see how well her hair seam is masked and the details on the ribbons on her bikini quite well. But hey, who cares about that when there are butts involved? Speaking of butts...

Here is a better picture of hers! You might know that I hate a girl with a flat behind, and Minato is the exact opposite of that. Her detailed lower anatomy is a bit...off-putting though. I don't see why this level of detail is necessary in a figure like Minato, as you can't take off her underpants. Then again cast-off figures tend to have barbie-like anatomy, and it is often the fully clothed figures that are the most detailed down there.

As you may be able to see, there are unfortunately some seam lines running down the back of her legs. They are pretty well masked, but if you look directly at her bum they do pop out a bit. I'll be displaying her facing frontward so it is not really an issue, but it is still a bit distracting if you want to view her from this angle. Okay, folks, from here on out we are going to be in cast-off territory, aka NSFW (one clothed boob shot for protective reasons--that's right, I am totally looking out for you guys!). 

Actually, I included this shot because it is impossible to get a picture of her arm-cuff things without including her breasts. It's also the only way you can really see her bikini top, and considering that it makes up half of her outfit it is relatively important.  I love that the strings are not attached to her body. I am sure this was done to make her easier to cast-off, but it also looks quite nice. Also, she has a very, very pointy chin. She could hurt somebody with that thing!

As weird as this sounds, I actually appreciate that they did not give her crazy, large and unrealistic boobs. She is no more than a full C, and they are squished in a surprisingly realistic way. While they don't quite react to gravity they would in real life, that is only because they would look a bit weird that way with her top on. You can also manage to cover her nipples with her hair. Fancy! 

And one more just because it is too hilarious not to include:

MINATO SEES A GIANT DOG PRINT!

So to conclude, Minato Nagase is by far my favorite swimsuit figure! The cute pose, the adorable face, the amazing hair and the beautiful sculpt make for an irresistible figure. There are still a few Feng Pastel Boxes left at AmiAmi for 7800 yen, and even though that is a bit steep for a 1/7 figure, I am very glad that I spent the extra bit to get her.

Of course thanks to Stephen Donaldson for taking these lovely pictures, and getting soaking wet in the process even though it was 40 degrees out. That's right, 40 in May. We have lovely weather up here! And don't forget to check out the extra pictures in the gallery!