Welcome to Figured As Much, one in a number of new review and article series being introduced to The Otaku’s Study over the coming months, in lieu of the mixed assortment of articles that have been published to this site over the years prior. While there are plans to expand at a later date to cover more in-depth matters around the topic, this series will offer in-depth reviews of both new figures released to the Japanese and English markets, in addition to some older items that I have acquired and are worth talking about given the prevalent pre-owned market for them.
Kicking off this series, I would like to look at one of the many figures depicting Chino Kafuu, one of the leading characters in Koi’s slice-of-life media franchise Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu Ka? (Also known internationally by its romanised title Is the Order a Rabbit?), which spans an ongoing manga series and a 2-season + OVA anime adaptation. There is a lot of competition for figures surrounding not only this series but this particular character, with her being depicted in everything from her usual “Rabbit House” uniform to a full-on magical girl costume.
The most recent figure of Chino offered on the Japanese market is being offered by Chara-Ani and Toy’s Works, and has been produced by Yukku. Depicting Chino in a cheerleader uniform (also known as Cheer Girl by some), this is at least one half of a planned set of cheerleader figures, the other to be released in September 2018 depicting Sharo Kirima.
Is this figure worth its recommended retail price of approximately 12,000 yen? Read on to find out!
As usual before beginning this figure review, do not that there is always the possibility of quality differences between two figures of the same type. These comments are based on the figure I possess and may or may not be 100% reflective of what you will receive should you order one yourself.
Concept & Design
While other figures depict Chino in clothing she wears either on a regular basis or has appeared in through some form of official artwork (for either or both manga and anime), this figure features her with a completely unique design. This is somewhat surprising given the multitude of options that were available to choose from across the different media formats. That said, this is a refreshing change from what the standard “unique” designs offered by other popular media series – such as bunnygirl or swimsuit.
What you get from this concept is Chino wearing a cheerleader uniform complete with detachable pom-poms, a few rabbit motifs (such as her headband and uniform emblem) and her characteristic blue and while colour scheme throughout.
Chino is depicted as having a quiet and taciturn yet charming personality in the series, and like many of the other figures based on her, this is presented well in the finished design. Compared to the elaborateness you can find with other figures, both her pose and design are fairly conservative – wearing a standard cheerleader uniform, looking directly ahead, and blushing while holding up her two pom-poms. Despite the simplicity of this design which might potentially turn some people away given its price point, this design perfectly suits the character and her demeanor, on top of being downright adorable.
The two pom-poms held by Chino are an attachable feature of this figure, and are not mandatory. However given the position and design of her hands, they do feel more or less mandatory to include. Attaching each pom-pom is relatively simple although done differently, with one designed to fit the shape of her hand and the other needing to be placed in her hand as if she were grabbing the top. It took me 30 seconds to work this out at first, but otherwise was a painless process.
There is a lot to admire about this figure despite its simplicity, but one element which could have used a bit more creative input was the base the figure stands on. The base is light blue in colour, with a few attachment points to connect the figure to it. Even though I feel it could have been more creative, it is the very least at the very least sturdy enough, and there were no complications on my part setting Chino up on it.
Build Quality
Giving this figure a close look immediately after taking it out of the box, there was very little I could complain about regarding either its build or paint quality. This was a structurally sound figure with no noticeable issues or imperfections with the sculpt work, and despite the bland base, I expect it to support the figure for years to come with little chance of warping.
As mentioned above, Chino’s pom-poms are not directly connected to her body either out of the box or via peg connections, instead requiring the owner to attach them via the positions of her hands. While there are upsides to this, they can easily become detached when cleaning, lightly bumping the stand/cabinet she is on/in by accident or spontaneously if they are not placed just right.
Outside a few very minor imperfections, more notable up-close at points across her dress, the paint quality was good overall. My comments around the paintwork are pretty much the same as my last review of a Chino figure – the quality of the paintwork and colour-choices helped make this figure adorable and something I feel is worth displaying.
Final Words on Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu Ka?? Kafuu Chino – 1/7 – Cheer Ver.
As I said in my very last figure review, this is not the first nor the last figure based on Chino Kafuu from Gochuumon wa Usagi Desu ka? on the market. Therefore, it does have a lot of competition against not only the wider market with many pricey offerings, but also those based on the series or character itself. This is a nicely designed figure with a concept that is done in such a way that suits the character well, and benefits from good build quality and paintwork.
However, despite working with the concept well, if I were looking for just one figure based on Chino, I would probably go with either a more familiar/iconic design, or something more elaborate such as the “Magical Girl” figure. Cheerleader is not something touched upon in either the anime or manga – and so it still makes me wonder… “why did they go with this design?”. But overall, a nice figure for collectors, and might be a nice coupling with the Sharo Kirima when it releases this month.
This figure has been created by Chara-Ani and Toy’s Works, and is now available for purchase. A copy of this figure was not provided by either company.
