And we’re back to our irregularly-scheduled program of figure reviews. Today we’ll be looking at Chris Yukine, one of the lead characters from Senki Zesshou Symphogear. For some reason or another, the series hasn’t gotten a lot of figures, despite apparently having been popular enough to receive a two-season anime adaptation. In fact, a quick survey suggests this is the only one scaled-size PVC figure from the show. This is also the first figure I’ve bought that is made by Aquamarine, a company that seems to be under Good Smile Company’s corporate aegis, and it’s always interesting to see whether a figure from a new company can measure up. That is, unless the figure is terrible, but happily, this figure of Chris is anything but.
I watched only the first few episodes of the anime and though it has a number of elements that I like – an all-female cast, appealing character designs, and an action-oriented premise, amongst others – it didn’t really grab me. I didn’t care too much about Hibiki, the main character, and I guess I probably would have preferred seeing Tsubasa as the lead girl, being that she seemed to have the more compelling backstory. I didn’t stick with the show long enough to see much of Chris, though I did like the one scene where she wears a bondage outfit and gets zapped by some psycho nudist woman; that was pretty cool. Maybe I should give it another shot; something tells me that I might like the show if I kept up with it.
As mentioned, this figure is manufactured by Aquamarine. I haven’t paid much attention to their products, but they do have an interesting upcoming figure of Saber in booty shorts and a tube top (yes, I’m aware that that figure is technically of Mordred or somesuch nonsense), and I was curious to see how their products stand up to those from more-established companies. Chris is sculpted in 1/7 scale and stands about 21 centimeters in height to the top of her head, and about 23 centimeters in height to her bunny ears.
Chris comes with one accessory, some sort of object that goes between her breasts. I’m not sure what it is (it looks vaguely like some kind of miniature sex toy) and I don’t particularly care for the way it looks so I didn’t even take it out of the packaging. Anyone curious as to how it looks can refer to the product photos on any retailer’s website (and perhaps they can tell me what it’s supposed to be).
This figure is based off of an illustration of Chris and it does a reasonably good job of approximating her look. Embarrassment and discomfiture are evident on her face, though the figure lacks the deep blush from the original artwork, giving her less of a panicked expression. The combination of her upward gaze, oversized eyes and comically exaggerated frown give her kind of a puppy dog look.
Chris’s hairstyle reminds me a bit of Rei Ayanami, with the longer center forelock and the two side locks looking sort of like pincers framing her face. She has a couple of long twintails that sweep improbably behind her, adding an element of visual interest that complements her pose well.
Speaking of her pose, she’s striking a sexy stance that emphasizes all the curves of her body. The swell of her buttocks and the size of her breasts are certainly the most obvious, but the arch of her back is equally attractive. The way she’s shrugging her shoulders while placing a hand on her chest in an almost protective manner also go nicely with her anxious expression.
A high-cut thong leotard comprises the main portion of Chris’s outfit, and it looks very nice. A glossy sheen gives it a realistic look, and the prominent wrinkles give the suggestion that it is made of a more rigid material than typical clothing. She’s also wearing stay-up thigh-highs rather than the more common pantyhose, and I think it looks great considering the high-leg design of her bunnysuit. She’s also wearing cherry-red pumps and the usual wrist cuffs. All in all, her outfit, despite not being nearly as unique as her normal fighting outfit, looks very nice.
And it looks very sexy, which is certainly what it is supposed to do. In particular, it reveals almost all of her back and ass. Again, it looks great.
We can’t ever get gratuitous enough, even when the subject is supposed to be 16 years old.
She’s holding up a bottle which features a bass clef on the label along with “S.D.A.U.,” which I assume is some sort of organization in the show. I doubt that they are a distillery but I’ve heard that hom-brewing beverages is a popular activity these days.
On the technical side, I don’t really see any major issues with this figure’s construction. Paintwork is neat, the sculpt looks pretty good, and they’ve done a solid job in replicating the look of the character.
Having not heard of the manufacturer, I did not have very high expectations for this figure and so I’m pleased that Chris turned out so well. She is highly attractive and though one could argue that the bunnysuit thing has been done to death, here it is used quite effectively to show off her body. This is a very nice figure and hopefully future products from Aquamarine are just as good.
