My interest was piqued when Bikini Warriors was announced, being that I have a thing for scantily-clad female battlers. My enthusiasm was dampened when I learned that each episode would be less than five minutes in duration; I anticipated that viewing the show would be both pointless and disappointing. However, having watched the series, it actually works out okay. The truncated run time actually works in its favor as it excises most of the inconsequential filler that constitutes most contemporary anime. Each episode of Bikini Warriors generally comprises a brief action sequence – typically lewd in content – a silly joke that lubricates the progression of the encounter, and then a quick wrap-up, with none of the tedious exposition and anesthetizing monologues that pervade so many anime series. More shows ought to follow this model. The Fate/stay night anime adaptations, for example.
The purpose of Bikini Warriors is, of course, to move merchandise, and that’s why we’re looking at this figure here. This is the Cleric, who didn’t actually appear in the television commercial-cum-anime, but that’s okay since she still looks good and really, that’s what counts here.
The Cleric makes her first appearance in one of the OVA shorts that was released with the home video version of Bikini Warriors’ first season. She’s presented as a friendly, pious young girl who wields a gigantic hammer. She’s also a lousy healer who would much rather brawl than aid her comrades. She joins up with the Valkyrie and Hunter (and presumably the Kunoichi as well), although their adventures aren’t really part of the series.
This figure is sculpted by Amakuni in 1/7 scale. The figure is about 24 centimeters in total height, with the Cleric herself standing at about 19.5 centimeters tall.
Amakuni originally scheduled this figure for release in September but then halted shipments after a few units had made it to distributors. I’m not entirely certain why, though my guess would be quality control issues. I bought this figure from a US retailer (RightStuf, which still has it in stock if anyone was interested in picking it up) but am not sure if this figure is part of the initial batch or part of the second shipment. At any rate, I did not notice any outstanding flaws on the figure.
All of the previous Bikini Warriors figures – aside from the ones in bikinis; or that is, the ones in actual bikinis rather than bikini armor – were closely based on the concept art featured on the official site. Cleric’s figure, however, is not adapted from Kazuhiro Takamura’s original character design; rather, this is an all-new pose. It’s a more interesting pose for a certainty, with her hammer planted into the ground with her back arched and dress flying to the side, giving the world a solid look at her rear. Her lifted leg kind of resembles that of a dog relieving itself, which has its own sort of appeal, I suppose.
Her character design reminds me a bit of Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls’s Naoe Kanetsugu, with the big hammer and long twintails. She also has a slight resemblance to Airi from Queen’s Blade, which isn’t coincidental as Takamura was responsible for her design as well. (He is also multiply talented; aside from character design, he’s directed the Strike Witches and Brave Witches anime series.)
One highlight of this figure is Cleric’s big shit-eating grin. It’s not obvious exactly what she’s supposed to be doing but it’s evident that she’s enjoying herself.
Bikini Warriors is technically not a hentai series and from what I remember, there isn’t any explicit nudity. That said, Cleric’s labia are essentially on display here.
Cleric’s top is a front-tie string bikini that shows off a bit of underboob.
She can also be displayed topless; her entire torso swaps out rather than her clothing being removable, which is the way I prefer it as it simplifies the swapout process, reduces the risk of scratching and paint transfer, and facilitates a cleaner sculpt.
Cleric’s eyes are a pleasing shade of blue. They provide one of the few splashes of bold color in her design. Not that her monochromatic color scheme is displeasing; I think her white outfit and gray hair look quite nice. I even like the way her hair fades to transparency at her tips; I usually don’t care for that sort of thing but it works well here.
Although her garb is decidedly minimalistic, there are quite a few details in evidence. This stylized fleur-de-lis shows up several times.
I have to admit that for some reason, the first thing I thought of when I saw the symbol on her hammer was a crab.
And of course, here’s the sort of detailing that many prospective buyers will be most interested in.
As a merchandising franchise, Bikini Warriors holds a lot of appeal to me. Somehow this is the first Bikini Warriors figure I’ve reviewed and I’m quite impressed; Cleric turned out great, despite the peculiarities that clouded her initial release. Her pose is sexy and distinctive and her cheshire grin is hilarious. Overall, this is yet another fantastic figure of a character from a Hobby Japan property.
