Typically I have two rules when it comes to buying figures, mostly for my sanity and getting the item to me in one piece:
1. Where possible I will purchase figures online and have them shipped directly to my PO Box and
2. If I need to break Rule 1, ensure that I am not travelling interstate with small bag capacity when buying figures.
Last month I travelled down to Melbourne to see Harry Potter and the Cursed Child once more before its season concluded, and could not resist spending the afternoon going to the city’s anime-oriented jaunts for the first time since the pandemic. Nestled away on Little Collins St is Critical Hit, a small but charming and very well stocked store full of otaku and gaming goods from both western markets and directly from Japan – complemented by friendly staff who greeted me multiple times while walking around, and provided prompt service. My goal was to pick up a few random books and knick-knacks, but I found myself drawn to their cramped but floor-to-ceiling full figure section. Having finished binge-watching the first season the week prior, I was immediately drawn to this figure featuring Anya Forger and Bond Forger from Spy x Family. An affordable purchase, coming in at just $34.95 AUD, I got to experience an hour of mental Tetris afterwards working out how it would travel from one side of the country to the other. Thankfully, what I did, worked.
Unlike other figures I have reviewed in the past, this is part of SEGA’s PM Figure (PM フィギュア aka. Premium Figure) line. These are typically more mass produced figures for use in arcades and the like in Japan, although regularly also become available in international markets where they are affordable ways for fans to collect figures of their favourite series without the high prices of other figures, and the mark-ups that typically come with them. While they may have more of that mass-produced feel to them, they are for the most part of good quality and a good way of celebrating your favourite franchises.
Anya is an adorable character, so it comes as a surprise that there aren’t more scale pre-painted models out there on the market for her. Fortunately as we wait for more of those pricier figures to be released, or if you are just on a budget, this is a nice alternative and suffices in pretty much every way except the base. In a pose replicating one found in the anime, we see Anya riding atop her dapper dog Bond (complemented with adorable bow tie), reminiscent of the end of Spy x Family Season 1 Episode 13: PROJECT APPLE. Anya is cute. Bond is cute. Therefore it is easy to see the logic behind bringing the two together for this PM Figure, which conceptually may be considered peak cuteness.
The quality of the figure itself was adequate – not exceptional, not bad, and precisely what I would expect from the price point. With ‘some assembly required’, the figure arrived in four separate pieces (Anya, Bond, Bond’s Tail and the base), with each requiring a good deal of force to attach together – although nothing had me concerned about any of them breaking – they are the typical bulky pegs that come with figures of this type. When brought together, they do a good job at hiding the pegs connecting Anya and Bond together, although they are less effective in hiding the seam line between Bond and his tail, while there is no attempt made at hiding the pegs attaching Bond to the plain base. Paint work is also reasonable, no major issues outside of Anya’s hair being perhaps a few shades of pink too bright, while it clearly doesn’t have the same level of finesse or minor attentions to detail I would expect from, say, a figure five times its price. However, provided that plain white bases don’t irk you, and that you aren’t looking at the figure mere inches from your eyes, it is a competently built and designed figure overall.
Coming in at 14.5cm in height, 6.5cm in width, and it being a little lengthier than taller, this is a nice figure that fits on most bookshelves or display cabinets, and doesn’t take too much space when it is at a premium to present figures.
If you are a fan of Spy x Family but don’t want to splurge for the next tier of anime figures, where the price suddenly jumps substantially, this is a pretty good choice of figure, with adequate quality, a cute concept and a fair price point to match. Also if you are in the area, do check out Critical Hit when you are in Melbourne at their location at Shop 1/377, Little Collins Street. There is also a delightful ramen bar, dubbed Little Ramen Bar next to it, which I found offered nice gyoza, ramen to keep me refuelled during my rapid single-afternoon jaunt throughout the city.
Acknowledgements: Everything is my authentic opinion, and none of the stores mentioned in this article paid me for this article, nor did they even know I attended their storefronts. But if they do see this article, thanks for a nice shopping experience!
