Earlier this year, coinciding with the airing of the TV anime adaptation of The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls U149 in Japan, figure manufacturer PLUM announced a re-release of four of their past figures. These figures are based on characters from the original manga series by Kyouno. Why the manga specifically? This is because three of the characters: Akagi Miria, Arisu Tachibana, and Momoka Sakurai, have appeared in at least the first season of the anime adaptation. However, the fourth figure, Kozue Yusa, was introduced later in the manga. Over the next few weeks, I plan to showcase these figures that I’ve collected, sharing my thoughts on their value. After all, figure collecting can quickly become an expensive hobby.
Let’s begin with the odd-one-out of the aforementioned quartet: the ‘Sweet Fairy’ figure of Kozue Yusa. In the wider The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls franchise, Kozue stands out as a quiet, absent-minded, and somewhat sheltered 11-year-old. Her sleepy persona has a way of invoking a protective big brother/sister instinct in both characters and readers alike, at least in my opinion. As one of the debut idols in the Cinderella Girls franchise, Kozue has donned a wide range of outfits over the years. These typically comprise a mix of flowing, comfortable, and frilly attire, most of which complemented her aloof nature perfectly. They have even started to veer into darker tones we her recently too – including an underwater sea queen which is downright adorable. With such a wide array of outfits to choose from, it’s surprising that the figure’s design choice seems to be its biggest shortcoming.
PLUM chose to sculpt her figure based on her Sweet Fairy (non-plus version) card from the original mobile release of The Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls Starlight Stage. The card is undeniably cute, featuring Kozue in casual clothing, trying to keep cool on a hot summer’s day while sitting on a tatami mat. I can see why they made this choice; it highlights Kozue’s character well. The figure was also well designed, and they didn’t even skimp on the better-than-expected quality fan prop to pose her with. However, considering that most characters have only received one pre-painted scale figure so far, I believe PLUM could have chosen a more distinctive design. They could have stuck with the Little Marching Band Girls (L.M.B.G) theme from the other figures, adopting her Marching☆Tone+ design. Or, they could have opted for a design newer fans would recognize, such as her Magical Angel+, Child of Fairies+, or even the Innocent Invitation+ design. This isn’t to say you shouldn’t consider this figure based on the chosen design. However, given that Kozue placed in the Top 4 in the 8th Cinderella Girl General Election just prior to the unveiling of the figure, a more adventurous design might have been expected. But I digress.
The figure version of Kozue Yusa’s Sweet Fairy design was originally released at a price of approximately 13,800 yen, with the re-release receiving a small uptick in its price to 15,800 yen. For a 1/7 scale figure, this isn’t too dear a price, especially considering there tends to be ways of using sites such as Amiami to get a few hundred or thousand yen off the price (Such as 14,770 yen on AmiAmi). What you do have to consider is that because Kozue is kneeling, her figure’s height is only 140mm tall, making her considerably smaller than standing 1/7 scale figures.
I’ve had this figure in my collection since 2021. Delivery was considerably delayed due to the pandemic at the time, but the figure arrived in a very high standard of quality. It has held up well over the last two years on my shelf, with no notable quality issues. The overall design, despite my minor qualms with the concept, was also well executed. The designers didn’t skimp on the details, such as the table-top fan or Kozue’s expression, which is adorably depicted. I particularly appreciate the dual-layer dress, with one layer being completely transparent over her main dress. It might seem like a minor detail and arguably pointless, but it’s a cute touch!
As with all figures, the value is in its appearance. Please scroll down to see a large assortment of photos of PLUM’s Sweet Fairy’ Figure of Kozue Yusa from a variety of angles:
Given she was unvoiced in-game until a couple of years ago, it is nice to see that Kozue Yusa was deemed worthy enough to receive a figure release so soon following her being voiced. Especially when you consider that other popular U149 characters such as Nina Ichihara have been voiced much longer, have the potential for a full range of adorable animal kigurumi outfits, and have received a total of 0 pre-painted figures (PLUM, you really need to get onto that). Overall though, this was a delightfully cute figure albeit a surprising choice given the source material, and I hope with the currently airing U149 anime, it may prompt renewed interest in figures around characters such as Kozue receiving more figure releases in the future.
That said, I’m personally holding out for a Haru Yuuki figure release.
