Video Transcript:
Released in Japan last month at a price of somewhere around 11,000 yen, this is the latest of a small number of figures currently available around the Natsume’s Book of Friends anime series, published outside of Japan by Nippon Ichi Software America. This figure is of Kogitsune, also known as “Little Fox” in English, and comes in at 170mm tall. It has been manufactured by Revolve, and features the work of Nobuta and Nana Moriyama in its creation.
There have been a few figures previously released based on the titular character, but this is one of the few based on a secondary character, especially one who only has prominence in a few episodes across the currently six season anime. That said, it obvious why they chose Kogitsune over other characters, as while simple in design, he is downright adorable.
This figure comes stored in rather simple packaging, which as you can see, features a floral, foresty theme which suits the series it comes from. Aside from the front of the box, all sides show Kogitsune in different positions, with the back also highlighting the base design. The figure sat snuggly in the box upon arrival, and was in my opinion well secured.
Staying true to his original character design, Kogitsune is presented wearing a brown kimono with green sash, brown sandals, and has the option of holding the white and pink hat he is introduced with in Season 1 of the anime. Displaying him with the hat is easy to do, as you nestle it within the position of his hands. Because there are no noticeable attachment points, you can present him without the hat as well. While this is my preference, there was an alternate edition offered by Aniplex Plus, which came with a leaf umbrella as an additional item.
Out of all the bases I have seen offered with figures recently, this figure has to have one of the nicest by far. Depicting a grassy section of forest, the little fox can be presented in a detailed, natural environment with flowers, plants and a rock sculpture. As you can see, this is not just a flat surface made to look like a grassy field, but clear work has put into this base to make it look as true-to-life as possible. Kogitsune is supported by three pegs sticking out of the base, two for the left foot and one on the right. From my perspective, there were no issues with attaching the figure to this base, and seems to be well supported.
Outside of a couple of very minor painting issues you tend to find when zooming up close to figures with a camera, there were no noticeable build quality issues with this figure. While his clothing may be less elaborate than other figures even within the same price-range, a lot of attention to detail went into presenting his long, wavy blonde hair, his bushy tail which sticks out from the kimono and the aforementioned base which looks like it’s a slice out of nature.
The white hat with pink bow you can have Kogitsune hold is simple in design and nothing special. Although unsurprisingly, he is only able to hold the hat, and due to the position of his ears, is unable to wear it.
While a little bit pricey for what is ultimately presented, especially being only 17cm tall, this 1/7 scale figure of Kogitsune is adorable, complemented by good build quality and paintwork, and one of the nicest bases I have seen in quite some time. While it lacks the prominent “wow” factor that some other figures nowadays may have, this one matches the style of its source material, and in my opinion would be worth any fan of Natsume’s Book of Friends at least looking into.
Overall, I give this figure a score of 8.5 out of 10
