Review of Rogue - Marvel Bishoujo statue
Exclusive Edition

Introduction

Back at last summer's San Diego Comic Con, Kotobukiya was showing off a new series of bishojo inspired statues, based on the ladies of Marvel comics. At the show we saw Black Widow, Scarlett Witch and Rogue, with promises of more to come. Both Rogue and Black Widow are already available to buy, and there was an SDCC exclusive Black Widow as well. They've already announced Psyhlocke and Phoenix for next year, and I suspect we'll see further announcements.

So what's 'bishojo'? At its most basic definition, it implies a beautiful young girl, and is the design style of the majority of women in Japanese anime and manga. Much like the Ame-Comi series of statues by DC Direct, these statues meld the Marvel girls with this hot school girl style so popular in Japan.

Rogue is a natural for this style, as she tends to be portrayed relatively young, even after more than 20 years in the comics. The skin tight suit that's been her mainstay doesn't hurt any either.

There are two versions of Rogue - the regular version sans coat, and the long coat version (a Diamond exclusive in the States) that I'm reviewing tonight. This version is limited to 1000.

These statues run around $60, and Koto sells the regular version directly from their online store at that price. You can also pick up the exclusive version at some of my sponsors for about $10 cheaper. I have my usual suggestions at the end of the review.

Packaging - ***
I like boxes, since they are generally easy to store, collector friendly (you can open them without destroying anything, allowing you to re-use them later), and attractive. This one goes further by allowing you to see the statue through a plastic window. Because this statue is plastic, and not resin, the risk of breakage is much smaller, allowing them to do this.

Sculpting - ****
More often than not, the proportions on statues such as this tend to be a chiropractor's dream. It seems that sculptors feel that if the breasts aren't the size of watermelons, they've not done their job.

Rogue is an exception, looking much more natural and realistic. Don't get me wrong - she's still packin'. But she looks much more like a natural beauty rather than the product of an over developed adolescent male fantasy.

The pose is an unusual one, mixing dynamic movement in the arms, coat and hair with a rather static lower body pose. I'm not exactly sure what she's doing, but damn she looks good doing it.

This version has the Gambit-like long coat, which I think looks even better than the regular version. The coat adds additional movement to the piece, and helps frame the body.

Her face is done in the traditional bishojo style, with large eyes and a very small nose and mouth.  She's very beautiful in a Speed Racer sort of way.

She comes attached to the base, which is relatively plain. The tiered approach gives it some visual appeal however, and actually reminds me of the Danger Room. Maybe that's just me.

She stands about 7 1/2" tall on the base, about 7" tall without it, technically making her slightly too big for the DCUC display. However, because she's on the base and quite svelte, she looks better with them than you'd initially expect.

Paint - ***1/2
The paint work is almost flawless, giving this series the one up on the Ame-Comi series.

There's a few small (very small) blips and blops on some of the cut lines, and the white collar is a bit thick in coverage, but these are very minor nits.

They've also used several finishes, with a higher gloss on the coat ad boots to make them stand out. This kind of paint work helps support the price tag.

Articulation - Bupkis
This category won't have any effect on my overall, since as a statue, I was assuming there'd be no articulation. But I do want to include it as an FYI, since occasionally something that is considered a statue still does have a point or two of articulation - that's not the case here.

Accessories - Bupkis
See above. I didn't expect accessories, but you might, so I wanted to call out the lack in case it effects your thought process.

Value - **1/2
At around $50 - $60, she's in the same ball park as the DC Direct Ame-Comi statues. The scale is also similar to the Batman Black and White statues (she's a bit taller), which are also in that same range these days. She's plastic, like the Ame-Comi statues, not resin like the Bats, but it's a high quality material with a VERY smooth surface. When the Ame-Comi statues first came out a year ago, this price point was still a bit high, but with the rising costs we've seen over the last 18 months, it's sadly becoming very average.

Things to Watch Out For -
Not a thing. Even the usual caveat of not dropping it is lessened, since the plastic is much sturdier than resin.

Overall - ***1/2
This was a statue that grew on me more and more the longer I had it. The sculpt really is gorgeous, even if the pose seems a bit awkward at first. She was borderline four star overall, but the few minor paint issues held her slightly back. Still, the series looks to be one of Kotos best, and I think that fans of Rogue and this style will be very pleased.

Score Recap (out of ****):
Packaging - ***
Sculpting - ***1/2
Paint - ***1/2
Articulation - Bupkis
Accessories - Bupkis
Value - **
Overall - ***1/2

Where to Buy 
Online options include these site sponsors:

- You can pick her up direct from Kotobukiya's online store for $60.

- Entertainment Earth has the regular listed at $58, and the long coat version listed at $60.

- or you can search ebay for a deal.

Related Links -
I haven't checked out the Black Widow yet, but if you like this style then you should also look at DC Direct's Ame-comi take on the DC ladies. And don't forget to swing by Kotobukiya's site to get more info on this series and others.

You should also hit the Search Reviews page, in case any other applicable reviews were done after this one was published.

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