So… I bought another doll.
In fact, the dolls I currently own are not accurately reflected in these posts or on the profile pages. There are 3 Pure Neemos on my shelf amidst all the ponies, and although I decided to sell my Nagisa, Claire, when my F-12 arrived, she hasn’t actually sold so she’s still in the house. I was mulling over whether or not to put my Ms. Mariko Dollfie Dream Sister up for sale, but I never settled on doing it. (Every time I see her face I lose my nerve. XD) Despite all that, I still bought a new doll. I have no regret, not even a little bit. When I first saw the promotional photos for this doll, I knew I’d be pre-ordering her.
Her manufacture was delayed several months–she was originally slated for release in November 2013, but she did not ship until the very end of January 2014. She arrived at my workplace on Friday, February 7, 2014… and I am so incredibly happy that I bought her~! ♥
Generally speaking, I’m not one for character dolls. I’ve owned figures and display items of characters in the past, but I don’t enjoy having them. Even well-made character dolls with designs that I find interesting don’t encourage me to purchase them. I watched a lot of anime when I was a teenager, but I don’t find most of it that interesting. I love Sailor Moon with the passion of a thousand suns, but my favourite character is Sailor Chibi Moon–and there just aren’t many well-made dolls of her (usually because the hairstyle is difficult).
This doll, however, appeals to my other weakness: Revolutionary Girl Utena. That series. So amazing. The art. The plot. The symbolism.
When I saw the pictures for Azone’s 1/3 scale Utena, I made a weird squeaky noise of excitement. When I shared the pictures with my husband, he enthusiastically encouraged the purchase. In all ways, it was unavoidable. And thank goodness for that! She’s a really beautiful doll.
The black cardboard box has a large label with the logo for the series and a beautiful picture of the doll.
The box has a partition inside to keep the doll from shifting during storage or transit. The doll herself was wrapped in plastic and bubble wrap, with her accessories and outfit tucked in a compartment below.
The box contained one doll with eyes installed and face painted, a styled pink wig, the Sword of Dios, sword-holding hands, a black metal stand, and the pieces of Utena’s duelist outfit.
I love the details on the Sword of Dios. It is sculpted and painted beautifully.
Utena uses the Obitsu 50cm body.
I love her eyes! They are just like the animation art! I’m not sure that I like how the right eye is rotated to a different angle than the left eye, but this is the way they had the eyes installed in the promotion photos. I haven’t decided if it bothers me enough to want to change it.
She came with instructions on how to dress her and what assembly was required of which accessories.
The pieces of her outfit are very nicely made. Everything is painted and finished without any major visible flaws.
She did not actually come with any underwear–probably because her shorts are fitted and made of stretchy material. When she’s in just the shorts and the black tank top, it’s the outfit she wears when playing basketball.
The adornments that make up her duelist uniform are not permanent. All are removable, so that she can be attired in her school uniform. I appreciated that it was an option.
Her duelist uniform is a perfect match for the series! It’s hard to tell in this picture, but the white “skirt” under her jacket is split in the front and the back as it is shown in the animation, but it tended to overlap when I posed her.
The sword hand keeps a good grip on the sword. It’s not so loose that it might fall out, but not so tight that placing the sword in her hand is difficult and could damage the sword. Replacing the hand itself gave me some trouble; the vinyl is very stiff and needed a lot of warming to remove the old hand and install the new one.
The body poses very well, but one of her knees is stiffer than the other.
I just had to pose her in front of the boxed sets! She looks fantastic! I appreciated that the wig was already styled. The longer pieces of hair are a bit odd, but I would have had a much harder time trying to do it myself.
The white on her jacket is not anything actually related to the jacket; it’s lint. If I had noticed earlier I would have removed it with tape.
She’s really amazing~ If only they would release an Anthy! That would be the best! I would buy Anthy in a heartbeat so that I could display them together~ ♥
She is AWESOME!!!!! And wait… 3 Neemos?!
I’ve still got Majokko Chiika and Forest Aika, but I also have Forest Raili. I’m not sure I really want to keep her, though; I just wanted her outfit. I’m very “eh” on the doll herself. I wish I could have gotten Forest Koron, but she sold out like WOAH.
She’s lovely. Are her eyes removable? Because I see a very small gap in one of your pictures. That would be a surprise since Azone tends to use painted eyes.
Her eyes ARE removable! You are correct that Azone tends to use painted eyes, but Utena’s eyes are actual eyes. It’s especially nice because the reflections aren’t even currently, and it’s something that I can change by just adjusting the eye position. If it were painted, I’d be totally stuck with it.
has her clothes caused any staining with them being red and black? and can you pull her socks up higher if you wanted? im assuming you can get a body stocking for this doll body type ?
So far, I have not noticed any staining. She has been wearing the black and red uniform since February. I cannot pull her socks up any higher; they have some stretch, but not much. There are body stockings available for this doll body type, but they are more difficult to find that Dollfie Dream body stockings.