Taki Corporation is a maker very new to the PVC bishoujo figure business, and this Kanu was definitely a risky purchase in that regard. The prospect of the elusive full castoff proved too seductive to ignore, however, and I succumbed to her scantily-clad lure; in the end I pretty much got what I was expecting, a mediocre production job on a very sexy sculpt (if you ignore the Akagi chin). The lurid details are below:
Original Design: Shiozaki Yuuji
Sculptor: MIC
Source: Ikkitousen (manga, anime)
Scale: 1/7 (25 cm tall)
Materials: PVC, ABS
Release Date: September 28th, 2007
Production: Taki Corporation
Price: 9,240 JPY (tax included)
Current Availability: [KNC] [HLJ] [HS] [TL]
Support HD!: [JLIST]
click for rear shot header image
Kanu Unchou consistently comes out on top of Ikkitousen character popularity polls, so it’s no wonder that Taki decided to tackle her as one of their first bishoujo PVC figure projects. Paired with the prospect of a full cast off a certain number of sales (this one included) were assured well before any substantial visual evidence came online; it’s equally sure that if those of us who preordered had the chance to get a better view of this figure beforehand, that preorder number would’ve diminished somewhat.
The controversial production aspects of this kit are so numerous that I’ll likely leave some out in this summary, but the most visible include the choice of a uniformly glossy finish over the entire kit, an utter lack of shading on almost all of the parts, incredibly amateurish trim painting, poor clothing sculpts, and a chin only a mother could love.
That said, this Kanu isn’t being sold on the virtue of her production value; she’s being sold on hotness, and when all is said and done (and all clothing thoroughly removed) I find most traces of buyer’s remorse slipping away. This is a very sexy sculpt indeed, and the full castoff goes a very long way in remedying her multitude of deficiencies.
If you can stomach the high price, this is a figure I’d recommend to fans of the full castoff first and foremost, and fans of Kanu (a very distant) second; those primarily interested in quality for the cost (or quality production period) should probably look elsewhere. I have high hopes for the future of Taki’s endeavors, if they stick to the full castoff theme and listen to the input they get on the customer response postcards that come included with the kit; we’ll be watching for new announcements from the brand in the coming weeks and months.
Overall Score: 7/10
+ knockout body sculpt, if a bit rough around the edges
+ full castoff banzai!!
o gloss finish on the skin only looks decent when clothing is removed
o clasp mechanism for castoff is clumsy, though effective
- that chin could carve ice
- zero shading
- poor paint job on the trim
If you’d like to support HD and pick up a very naked Kanu in the process, as of posting J-List currently has three in stock.
that is a -very- steep price considering all the flaws. im not an ikki tousen fan so it wouldntve been on my list to begin with but, thanks for the pictures :p
Yeah, it’s a price that definitely made me pause before hitting the order button. I’m far too weak against the nekkid factor… ;_;
I recently saw this figure go up on J-list, but after seeing the high gloss, even the full cast off isn’t enough to get me to buy it.
It looks like a nice figure, and if Taki does a better paint job(no gloss, shading) then I’ll certainly keep my eye on future figures.
Ouch! That image is just a millimetre from being NWS- but still a lot of questions if you get caught looking at the front page…
I’m glad I canceled this one and went with Dynamite Project’s version. Other than full castoff-ability, for me this one really has no other redeeming features and at that price Taki can go back to the drawing board.
>>Kat_Ears_Kahrain
Here’s hoping that Taki learns from this experience in their future kits, I think there could be a lot of potential there.
>>Sydney2K
Haha… sorry about that, it is pretty borderline. Then again, I think that’s the case with HD as a whole at this point. That might be a good subject for a poll actually, whether or not to tone down the thumbnail content. Hmm. What do you think?
>>Y
Sounds like a good decision to me, the Yamato version is looking leagues better than this.
Glad I didn’t preorder this one. High price, mediocrity, etc. I’m not one for full castoffs, and this figure’s lower body shows exactly why. An anatomically correct crotch would probably violate some sort of law, but having nothing there just reminds me of my sisters’ old Barbie dolls (not that I played with them, but I’m sure some amateur psychologist would try to make a connection with my current obsession with figures).
Which brings to mind an interesting thought – you could probably put doll’s clothes on this Kanu, if you can find the appropriate size. I would do it for the lulz, if not for the ridiculous price tag.
@DJ: i never even thought of that. is it normal for castoff-able figures to have blank crotch areas? i know doujins and such are typically ‘censored’ with a barely noticeable bar, but i wasnt sure that the same thing happened with figures. for this particular figure i just assumed it was laziness.
In general, yes, they are smooth. Giga Pulse usually has a sculpted and painted line, but i haven’t seen any of there more recent efforts (after the Sex Friend figure) to see if they’re doing a more detailed sculpt.
The only figures I’ve ever seen that were really “detailed” down yonder were the Vispo Morte and Diana set, and the Comic Tenma mail-ins.
@Imp: thanks for the insight :o
For those looking for unshaven privates, the only ones I have come across are resin kits which have hair and more accurate privates moulded onto the kits. You do have to paint them yourself. e.g. elevator girl from q-six. :)
As for PVC figures, they are usually smooth aka barbie doll. I’ve yet come across any that has hair patterns moulded. Maybe those exclusive mail-ins have them. But I don’t belong to that exclusive club. :)
As for this Taki Kanu, it’s not exactly barbie doll. Look closely at the photos. There is a slight crack moulded there. But as I never like the oiled flesh look(glossy skin paint), even for figures in swimsuits and bikinis. Good first effort, but can be improved upon.
Hopefully, Yamato’s Cobra-Kai Kanu will be a better effort.
Nice body but priced too high for a 1/7 figure with not so good paint job.