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InuYasha and Kagome
PVC Statues

Japanese anime (animation) and manga (comic books or graphic novels) have become tremendously popular in the United States over the last decade. One of the most popular is InuYasha, a story of time travel, horror, romance and comedy, all mixed in together.

The title character is a demon dog boy, and his great adventure is in helping Kagome, a reincarnated priestess, search for the broken shards of the Jewel of the Four Souls. How they manage to hook up, how the jewel was broken in the first place, and who is really the good guys and the bad guys, is all part of the excellent story. Oh, and there's plenty of action as well.

Adult Swim picked up the show and it really took off, boosting their weekend block of programming. Lots of action figures and statues have been produced based on the license, but there's a new pair of PVC statues from Kotobukiya now hitting stores.

Most American collectors are familiar with the wide variety of Kotobukiya statues. They've had a huge hit recently with their 1/12th scale Batman and Star Wars PVC statues, but they do plenty of work in smaller scales as well. The box advertises these as 1/8th scale, but I'd put them closer to 1/10th. Then again, maybe Japanese manufacturers don't base their 1:1 scale on a 6 foot male...hmmm.






Packaging -  ***1/2
I wish the boxes were just a tad more descriptive, but it's not a major issue. They are quite attractive, and the window is large enough to give a relatively good view of the statue inside. They're also nice and sturdy, and boxes are always easier to store for MIBBers. MIBBers will be also happy to know that these are completely collector friendly, since you can easily remove the statue without any damage whatsoever, and replace it later if you feel so inclined.

Sculpt - ***1/2
The sculpts on both figures are beautiful, with just the right amount of intricate detail, and yet a perfect match to the animated style. The solid, heavy PVC takes and holds detail extremely well, and Kotobukiya always uses top quality materials.

The scale fits in pretty well with other 6 - 7" figures, if you're looking to mix and match. These are a little bigger than the Toynami stuff though, so that might cause you some display issues.

One of the things I like about these sculpts is their dynamic nature. Both Inuyasha and Kagome are in action, without going into any sort of exaggerated or ridiculous pose. Hair and clothing flow naturally, and proportions seem just about right based on the source material.

There are still a handful of issues.  There's a few seam lines that stand out, something I've mentioned in other Koto statues.  But they aren't major issues, and only detract slightly from the overall appearance.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint application is very clean, very neat, and almost universally consistent. There's a few spots where the consistency in a color slips a little, but it's minor and isn't too surprising with a PVC material.

There's the occasional bleed or over spray as well, particularly on very small details, like InuYasha's fingernails. But most of this is very minor, and certainly within the realm of above average quality.

Articulation - Bupkis
If you're looking for articulated figures, check out the stuff from Toynami. These are intended as statues, and as such have no articulation. I'm not counting this against them, but it's always a good idea to point it out in case you were expecting something different.

Accessories - Bupkis
Statues generally don't have accessories, although that's not a hard and fast rule. But the dynamic designs of both characters, including the bow and arrow and sword, make them unnecessary here.

Fun Factor - **
Technically, kids could use these for play, and they are certainly sturdy enough for it. InuYasha is particularly well suited for it, and you wouldn't have to fear breakage with him.

But the poses and style don't really lend themselves to play, and that's not really the intention. Again, if you're looking for something for kids to use to battle it out, check out the stuff from Toynami.

Value - **
At $20 - $25 each, they aren't cheap. Issues like importing them, and the brand name of Kotobukiya, tend to drive the price up a bit. You're getting some excellent quality sculpts and paint though, so the value is really just a little below average. If you can find them under $20, you can add another half star.

Things to watch out for - 
I didn't have any issues with this pair. No trouble with possible breakage, great quality, great paint work - you shouldn't have any problems right out of the package.

Overall -  ***1/2
Both these statues are extremely nice, following the trend of Kotobukiya quality. Koto has trouble with real human likenesses at times - I'm not a big fan of their human Star Wars characters - but when it comes to monsters, masks and animation, they have it down.

The sculpts look great, with almost perfect paint, and a fairly reasonable price. If these were down in the $15 each range, they'd score a four star rating for sure. If you're a big fan of the show, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

SCORE RECAP:
Packaging - ***1/2
Sculpt - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - Bupkis
Accessories - Bupkis
Fun Factor - **
Value - **
Overall -  ***1/2

Where to Buy -
My sponsor Circle Red has a huge inventory of all kinds of Inuyasha goodies, including this pair of PVC statues. Their on sale right now for $40 for the pair, regularly $50.

Related Links -
I haven't done a lot of InuYasha reviews, but here's some useful links:

- I did review the convention exclusive InuYasha figure from awhile back. Toynami has been producing action figures for some time now, and this was one of theirs.

- there's the official Adult Swim site.

- if you can read Japanese, there's the official Sunrise site

- and there's a metric ton of fan sites, like the InuYasha Companion, or the InuYasha Fan.


Figure from the collection of Michael Crawford.

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