I remember when I first heard about Demonbane, a loli-tastic anime based on the Lovecraft mythos. I thought that it must be some kind of blasphemy. That is, until I heard that the first episode is entitled “I Am Providence.” After such an awesome shout-out, it couldn’t be that bad!
Ever since I’ve been on the hunt for a figure of Al Azif, the cute, flat-chested personification of the Necronomicon. The loli version of her is cute and all, but Orchid Seed’s rendition of Takuya Inoue’s art appealed to me a lot more. Her fierce curves, flowing ribbons and awesome base were something I just had to have.
So when Orchid Seed announced a third version of her with more vivid colors and some re-worked sculpting, I couldn’t resist!
Al Azif’s box is pretty massive. With the actual figure, the base, and all of her ribbons, there’s surprisingly little wasted space. Al is a big figure, about 9.5″ tall and quite wide, so be prepared to set aside a chunk of shelf space for her!
Al takes quite a bit of work to assemble. Getting her on the base is quite a task, as she balances oddly and is hard to get on the book, and the ribbons are quite time-consuming to put on. And, of course, if you get the ribbons on first they fall off while you put her on the base. And if you put her on the base first, she pops off while getting the ribbons on! You have to have a very steady hand and a lot of patience.
Once you get her together, though, Al is quite impressive! Her pose is fierce and dramatic, with swirling hair and ribbons wrapping around her. It looks very much like she is casting a spell, which is probably the intent.
Al’s face is stunning, with gorgeous narrow eyes and a sly smile. It matches the art, and it looks unlike pretty much anything else in my collection. I almost wish her bangs were a bit shorter, just so we could see more of her face!
The purple in Al Azif’s hair is much more pronounced than in the original, and it makes the great sculpting stand out even more. There’s a nice amount of detailing, with many separate locks sculpted as well as the ribbons that wrap around them. I don’t know what the little… wing things are, but they’re unique and actually a bit adorable!
I feel like Orchid gets a pretty bad rap when it comes to quality and even sculpting. While they’ve had some flubs in the past, that was well over a year ago, which is a long time in the figure-world! I’ve gotten almost every figure they put out in 2011, and they all have pretty spectacular quality. In fact, they’re certainly one of my favorite companies. They’ve become very reliable and talented, so I wouldn’t hesitate to put in an order for any of their figures!
Al Azif certainly grew up quickly! She has some serious curves here, and while she’s quite busty she certainly has the hips and thighs to match! Her figure is not entirely realistic, but it’s nice to see a more womanly shape on a figure, especially one this popular.
Al might have changed a lot in some ways, but she’s kept her adorable ruffle top. The ruffles are floating a bit, as if they’re caught up in the energy of her spell. But it’s a bit too small for her, I think!
One major change to this figure from the first release is the panties–here they are the appropriate shade of green, though it seems like she’s still wearing a pair from her loli stage. Really, Al, you need to go shopping for clothing that fits!
Al is an Orchid Seed figure, which means that she of course comes with some NSFW options. Here it’s an extra pair of boobs, which is a very strange thing to pick up. Oh look, a tiny pair of breasts! Anyway, Al’s alternate bust is “battle damaged” aka you can see her nips. I find this version a bit unappealing, as battle damage is not something I really like, and I also don’t feel a burning need to see Al’s chest. But it’s a nice option for those who like their figures topless, and it doesn’t cost anything extra.
Al’s base is one of the most creative things about this figure. It’s the Necronomicon! It makes her pose all the more interesting, as if she’s just burst out of the book and is ready to kick some butt. Either that or she’s in a library filled with giant books!
So is Al Azif worth buying? I can only answer that with a resounding hell yes! Al is a unique, interesting figure with beautiful paintwork and some wonderful sculpting. If you don’t mind a touch of NSFW in your collection, I think Al is a must-buy.
Thanks to Stephen for taking these pictures! The set-up for Al Azif was pretty easy to come up with, which seems to happen when figures have interesting bases that match a certain terrain.
Purchase At: AmiAmi
very nice review and the pictures are awesome.
personally I prefer the petite Al Azif, but this figure here looks very well made, especially the base appears very creative. Seems like her dress hadn’t grown for the transformation