Author: Chang

Categories
Figure Review

Review: Chozou Art Collection Jotaro Kujo

Chozou Art Collection Jotaro Kujo-002

So, did you think because Ashlotte has become the figure guy around here, you wouldn’t hear any more figure-related stuff from me? Hohoho, how mistaken you are…

…Though this is a little different, to put it mildly.

Jotaro Kujo is the protagonist of “Stardust Crusaders”, the third arc of Hirohiko Araki’s JoJo’s Bizarre Adventures. As a delinquent with a good heart, Jotaro is your typical strong silent type character. What isn’t typical about him is his possession of a stand named Star Platinum – a guardian-spirit-like entity with supernatural strength, agility and precision. Though I typically steer clear of shounen fighting manga, Stardust Crusaders was an absolutely magical experience for me. With its not-too-serious approach to the genre, its bold and unique art style, its limitless creativity, and its gripping action, I knew that I had to get something JoJo related after I finished reading. (I actually wrote a review for Stardust Crusaders a long time ago on MyAnimeList.net. It’s one of my less shoddy attempts, so check it out if you’re curious about the manga!)

In the end, the decision boiled down between this Chozou Art Collection Jotaro and the Super Action Statue figure, both produced by Medicos Entertainment. Since JoJo’s art is so detailed, I decided to do it justice by avoiding action figure joints that would slightly blemish the presentation (though the Super Action Statues do a good job of preserving the aesthetics). Now that I have the figure in my hands, I am pretty confident that I made the right choice, as this figure captures Araki’s art as much as reasonably possible in a three-dimensional medium.

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Categories
Miscellaneous

Hiatus & Announcement, with a Side of Reflection

Hiatus – now there’s a word that I never want to punch out, but alas, starting Saturday I’ll be embarking on a three-week trip to visit my relatives in China. As some of you may know, China is not only known for its ancient wonder, the Great Wall, but also its modern wonder – the Great Firewall of China. Cyber-Mongolians such Blogger, WordPress, Twitter, and Flickr are currently repelled by the glorious mother nation’s mighty defences, and this effectively throws a rocket-propelled brick into any hopes of my maintaining the site over the duration of the trip. I’ll be back on the night of the 29th, just in time to drag my jetlagged carcass over for the last day of Anime North. If you don’t hear from me after that, assume that I have perished in a hall full of “costumed freaks”.

Thankfully, I also have good news for you today: Ashlotte has joined the Hobby Hovel crew! Users of MyFigureCollection are likely to be familiar with spiffy reviews and friendly comments. Needless to say, I am bursting at the seams with excitement – not only is Ashlotte a very capable reviewer and a great friend, but I have also recently run out of bishoujo figures to review. His arrival effectively prevents the site from descending into a mecha-saturated sausagefest. Hurrah for Ashlotte! Look forward to his review of the Griffon Claudette in the coming weeks.

Anyhow, as thrilled as I am to revisit the place I grew up in, being away from my baby for three weeks is going to be slightly awkward. It has been more than half a year since the Hobby Hovel came into being, and when I look through the now nicely populated review archives, I really do feel a sense of accomplishment not unlike the completion of a model. Of course, unlike a model kit, Hobby Hovel has the potential to continually grow almost like a living creature – a baby, perhaps? It’s a good thing this overgrown infant is resilient enough to withstand a little neglect, hehehe.

That last six months or so have been immensely rewarding, writer’s blocks and busy weeks notwithstanding. I’d like to thank my father (on the off chance that he’s reading this) for his tolerance of this hobby and his invaluable help with my photography, my dear friend Alicia for her continued support as a reader and layout designer, Jianyan and Molly for their generous contributions of content, Ashlotte for his commitment to expand the future of the site, as well as all the readers out there who give our work a layer of meaning beyond the self-indulgence of creation – thank you all!

Until we meet again~

Categories
Plamo Review

Review: HGUC ReZEL

HGUC ReZEL-036

Asides from pioneering sci-fi anime in general, the original Mobile Suit Gundam established the two design philosophies that the franchise would carry to this day. There is the Zeon aesthetic, which is characterized by bulkier shapes and the iconic mono-eye. Its counterpart – the Earth Federation aesthetic – is characterized by a slimmer shape and visor-like head camera. While the Zeon designs branched into all sorts of creative designs over the years. The Federation designs have been a mixed bag. Sure, the Gundam designs are the focus of every entry of the franchise, but the same cannot be said for the mass-produced grunts.

While many of the grunts look pretty spiffy, there is a serious want of variety when it comes to the Federation’s arsenal… That is, until Gundam Unicorn.

Enter Katoki Hajime in a headband and war paint, crashing through the glass roof of Federation grunt MS designs clenching a giant bowie knife between his teeth. After doing a 360 degree flip in the air, he proceeds to karate kick the old GM philosophy with an unlikely inspiration: the Methuss from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, which was known for its role as a mobile battery pack over anything else. Nevertheless, the result of this violent combination is the RGZ-95 ReZEL, the successor of the failed ReGZ. It’s big, it’s mean, and it finally managed to prevent the Zeonic grunt designs from completely stealing the show. An HGUC model was inevitable, and given how excited I was over the ReZEL, my purchase of the kit was a forgone conclusion. So, how does the Federation’s new poster boy fare in model kit form? Pretty well, I’d say!

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Categories
Figure Review

Review: 1/8 Kagamine Len

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If you have read my review on Good Smile Company’s 1/8th Scale Kagamine Rin figure, then you would know appalled I am at the relatively cold reception of that underrated gem. In retrospect, I think I understand a part of the reason why figure collectors didn’t go nuts over the Kagamine twins, and that is because of their paired presentation.

No matter how nice the Rin figure may be, the question of whether or not to get the Len figure would inevitably occur to those considering purchasing the figure. Because so much of the Rin’s identity is rooted within the twin relationship between the two characters, the acquisition of only one of the siblings would feel incomplete for many fans. However, as a non-cross-dressing male figure, Len lacks the critical element of sex appeal that is so important to most collectors of Bishoujo figures. As the result, Len becomes a liability to Rin– he’s important enough to make Rin feel incomplete with his absence, but not important enough to warrant a 5800 yen price tag.

Aww, stop it – you’re making Len cry!

Okay, maybe “liability” is too strong of a word, but the double threat of Rin and Len probably made the duo seem a little too intimidating of a package. But enough speculating, let’s get on with the review!

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