I’m ordinarily not much of a hinyuu fan, but when this Plug-chan kit appeared on the horizon back in April I was psyched. The second coming of Mahoromatic in an ero-ero vinyl suit – is this really Kotobukiya we’re talking about? Indeed it is, and it seems they’ve gone the rare extra mile to make this a figure to remember.

Original Design: Bow Ditama
Sculptor: Abe Masato (Amiami search) (WFS entry)
Source: Fight Ippatsu! Juuden-chan!! (manga)
Scale: 1/7 (16.5 cm tall)
Materials: PVC
Release Date: July 10, 2007
Production: Kotobukiya
Price: 5,040 JPY (tax included)
Current Availability: [KNC] [HLJ] [HS] [TL]
Support HD!: [PA]

Putting my cards on the table up front I should say that I’m not a big Bow Ditama fan. I generally prefer more solid lines and meaty curves over his ethereal designs, but variety is the spice of life and in true “ecchi wa IKERU to omoimasu” spirit I was ready to give Juuden-chan a try. According to Amazon’s entry for the first volume of the manga Juuden-chan is the true identity of a girl named Plug, a mysterious office lady from another world come to bring happiness (via electrification, no less) to the people of Japan. The manga began serialization in Comic Gum in January of 2006 and thus far has two volumes to its name; if anyone is familiar with it I’d appreciate learning a bit more about how this bizarre concept plays out.

Today we’re here to talk figures, though, and in if Kotobukiya’s goal was to take up Juuden’s mission of spreading joy among the lovers of conservatively chested automatic maidens I’d say they’ve scored a dead ringer here. Abe Masato’s sculpt is spot on, and Kotobukiya uses their craftsmanship to its fullest potential in mixing media to bring this kit to life with various densities of PVC and varieties of paint – not to mention the authentic wire you get to feed through her hands and up the small of her back. Plug-chan indeed!

If I had to cite one minor deficiency in the kit it would be the lack of shading on the skin aside from a very faint blush on the cheeks. Beyond this, everything the kit sets out to do it does with authority and and an assertiveness that belies the wispy Ditama artwork of the manga; a kit I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend to any fan of high quality figures in general, and a must have for any fan of the original.

Overall Score: 8.5/10

+ delightful sculpt
+ very solid use of mixed materials
+ consistent production quality

- lack of shading on the skin

Make her a bit more castoffable, add some shading to the skin and this would be a serious contender for a perfect score in my book. Good job, Kotobukiya!