While the Tekken Bishoujo line has sparked the inevitable controversy among the more outspoken fans of the series, I’ve been really pleased with both the character choices and figures in the series so far. As Christie Monteiro (review) proved, Kotobukiya is pouring a ton of effort into this line. Though with intricate designs like Alisa and Jaycee in the line, I have to admit that I kind of overlooked Asuka here. I know that the changes to her face were met with mixed revies, but I find that I usually end up liking the Bishes a lot once I get my hands on them. So did Asuka end up as a pleasant surprise? Hit the jump to find out!
Asuka’s box deviates a bit from the standard Bish fare. The Tekken girls seem to have slightly sleeker boxes, and Asuka’s is black with blue and purple detailing. It looks pretty snazzy!
Her assembly, like almost all of the Bishoujos, is pretty simple. She isn’t attached to her base, but you just put her on the pegs and voila! All done. She can, however, kind of balance on her own with a little support. To be honest, I have quite a few of my standing figures base-less just to save space! When displaying a lot of figures, museum putty is your friend.
Usually I don’t talk about faces right away, but I think it’s a bit of an issue for some people on Asuka so let’s dive right in! She’s different from the illustration, there’s no denying that. She looks more mature here, without the innocence of the art. However, I really don’t think that is a bad thing! She looks more like a Shunya girl with this flirty expression. As my mom described it, her pose and face make it look like she’s saying “Hey sailor!” It took me a while to get used to, but once I saw her in person I really did like her face. Especially the lips, they’re really well sculpted!
Shunya is the master of flirty poses, as Asuka clearly demonstrates. With her hand on her hip, her arched back and her winking expression Asuka gives off a very coquettish vibe. However, it’s not too over-the-top and she still retains a bit of her fighter’s demeanor. Yeah, she’s winking at you, but she could also kick your ass!
Asuka is a busty girl, there’s no denying that! I think she’s got less… omph than in the illustration though, which I appreciate. And while a zipped-down top doesn’t seem totally necessary given her original outfit, it does show off some great detail on the zipper and pin! I think Asuka has one of the best outfit sculpts of any Bishoujo, there’s tons of detail to be found.
Usually the Bishoujo line has slightly simpler sculpts to keep the price low and affordable, but Asuka’s is really impressive! I think her coat is the clearest example of this: it’s really not even on the viewing side of the figure, but still has a ton of work put into it.
I am totally in love with the color palette here! Sure, it looks like just a basic blue & white combo, but there are several different shades of blue along with black, purple and even green accents! Blue is my favorite color, and I think it’s used very well here. I also have to point out the great job they did on her skintone: often this is a tricky point for figures, but Asuka is nice and peachy.
Painted nails are always a great detail to see on a figure–when they’re well done, that is. I’ve seen a lot of fingernails with messy paintjobs, but Asuka’s are done quite neatly. I also love the long nails, an aspect that you surprisingly don’t see emphasized that often. Most figures have rounded nails instead of pointed ones.
Sadly, we have no butt shot for you today! I know right, it’s crazy. But Asuka’s coat neatly covers her backside, I’m kind of amazed Shunya actually illustrated a character without a prominent rear.
Like the rest of the Tekken line, Asuka comes with a clear plastic base and inserts in case you want to mix it up a little. There are three in fact–the Tekken logo, Harada’s signature, and of course the original art! And you can display her without any, which gives you 4 display options (not counting sans-base). It’s a nice addition and adds a bit of customization.
While I was admittedly not too excited about Asuka’s release, I found myself really enjoying the final product. Her sculpt is definitely one of the best in the line, with tons of detail far beyond what I was expecting. Her color palette is also great, and while the face isn’t for everyone I like the more mature and flirty look they went for. She is definitely a great addition to the Tekken Bishoujo line!
Thanks to Stephen for taking these shots. The idea was to replicate the feel of a lot of her victory screens, complete with tall buildings in the background. Thankfully, her small size makes the area around us seem really large!
Purchase At: KotoUS | Big Bad Toystore | AmiAmi
[Thanks to Kotobukiya for providing Plastikitty with this review sample]
Hmm… I really like the way the rest of her came out, but while the face isn’t bad (those lips are gorgeous) something about the way the hair shields her eye from light makes her eye almost disappear. In the face shot it’s so shaded she looks almost like her eye in entirely black and it’s… kinda creepy, actually! I don’t think it’s a deal-breaker as, in person, you can get even more angles on figures than in a photograph, but it is kind of a shame.
I really don’t like this one. She’s too skinny – she doesn’t match Shunya’s illustration at all.
I agree that she is definitely thinner than the usual Shunya girl. Overall, I think the Tekken line is going for a more slim/muscular look as opposed to the pinup styling of the Comic Bishes.