Yoshino & Yoshinon 1/7 Itakushinaide ver. (PLUM)

Figure Review

yoshino1

Adding something a little something extra to this website in the final days of 2015, I have decided to reboot the ‘Figures’ section of The Otaku’s Study, which previously has only been updated once or twice every year and never seen a review on it. Going into 2016, it is my goal to bring some news and reviews about a range of anime, manga and video game oriented figures available in both the Japanese and Western markets. While I will be reviewing some newer figures, it is also my plan to cover some older items in my collection – from scale figures to the pop vinyls you can easily find in your local pop culture store.

Starting off, I would like to review Yoshino & Yoshinon 1/7 Itakushinaide ver. which has been produced by PLUM. This figure is also referred to as the ‘Yoshino Don’t Hurt Me ver.’ by some websites including RightStuf. As you might already know, Yoshino and her puppet Yoshinon are from the Compile Heart developed ‘Date a Live’ visual novel series. Although the original game has never received a release outside of Japan, its TV anime adaptation has been published in western markets by Funimation Entertainment (North America) and Madman Entertainment (Australia / New Zealand). You can read my review of the TV anime’s first season HERE.

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Concept/Design

As you can see from the images above, this figure features both Yoshino and Yoshinon with their most recognisable appearances. Kneeling down, and emphasising the more shy nature of her personality, Yoshino is seen wearing the green, rabbit-ear hoodie which she was first appears wearing in Episode 4 of the anime. Her apparel is complemented by good work on her hair and facial expression. Based on the design alone, it is mostly authentic to the original design, and makes her look incredibly cute.

Yoshinon on the other hand is more simply designed, opting to retain his/her original design rather than dressing them up in one of the few costumes they appear in throughout the visual novel / anime. Nevertheless, what was presented was the adorable rabbit puppet I was expecting.

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Build Quality

Do note that there is always the possibility of slight quality differences between two figures of the same type. These comments are based on the figure I possess, and may or may not be reflective of what you will receive should you order yourself one.

Although the design of this figure was really good and it looks adorable on my shelf, I would not say the build quality is flawless. You might be able to overlook these issues should you be standing at even a short distance away, and I wouldn’t consider these to be particular deal breakers, but they nevertheless must be acknowledged. In my case, the figure was designed and constructed well, with no anatomical issues or anything being placed off-centre. Instead, the main issue I had was with painting inconsistencies. There was a noticeable lack of refinement with the painting work on Yoshinon (around the eyepatch area), and a few chipped patches and small marks on Yoshino’s hood.

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Base

Because Yoshino is kneeling down rather than standing up, she can be seen as much shorter than other 1/7 scale figures on the market. But because she is kneeling down and the overall of her outfit, the figure itself takes up considerably more space on a shelf than your normal standing 1/7 figure. As you might have already noted from the images above, the base has a diameter which provides more than enough room for Yoshino to sit on. This means that if you have limited space on your self for figures, this one could very well take up more space than you have available for it. That being said, if you want to save space, there is nothing actually requiring you to use the base. Because Yoshino is already sturdy on a flat surface, there are no spots to attach her to the base.

Possible space issues out of the way, the water-themed base is very nice overall, complementing the figure well. It is clear that more than a little work has gone into conceptualising and constructing it.

yoshinobox

Packaging

Yoshino & Yoshinon 1/7 Itakushinaide ver. comes in a very nice box, themed after the outfit Yoshino wears. Overall it turned out to be a very sturdy box, and sealed well enough that it took me a fair few of minutes to open up. The plastic within the box (not pictured) fit both the figure and base snugly.

yoshinon

Final Thoughts on Yoshino & Yoshinon 1/7 Itakushinaide ver.

Overall, this is an adorable figure which I will definitely be keeping on display in my collection for quite some time to come. While it is cute, its overall appeal is slightly hampered by a less than perfect build quality – particularly with regard to the paint work which could have used a little more refinement, especially around the edges.

Where to Buy

As this is a fairly new figure on the market (only a couple of months old), it should still be possible to find this in a number of online stores. I am aware that Play-Asia still has this figure on sale for $99.99 USD (without shipping costs). You can also pick up both new and pre-owned copies via Solaris.


Review Score

Design: A-
Build Quality:
C+
Base:
B
Packaging:
A-
Personal Opinion: 
B

Final Score: B

This review is currently being transitioned over to the new review system.


Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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