We first brought news of Cocona when she appeared at Hobby Stock on August 10th, and in the remarkably short turnaround time of two and a half months from announcement to release she was here on the doorstep at the end of October. I wasn’t interested in Movic’s first Shunya-designed figure Rosanna, but Cocona’s design really appealed to me so I decided to take the plunge; despite the lack of castoff or other gimmicks she’s a decent item, though not in the top rank of stuff we’ve seen from Yamashita in the past.

Original Design: Yamashita Shunya
Sculptor: Ishida Eiichi (Amiami search)
Source: Original
Scale: 1/7 (25 cm tall)
Materials: PVC, ABS
Release Date: October 26th, 2007
Production: Movic
Price: 6,090 JPY (tax included)
Current Availability: [KNC] [HLJ] [HS] [TL] [AAA]
Support HD!: [PA] [JLIST] [YA]

Other than the illustration we see gracing the cover of the product box no official art has shown up online to help determine how faithful this sculpt is to the original Yamashita design, but Ishida Eiichi is a competent craftsman (despite some of the questionable material on his personal site) and I feel like his interpretation here is generally solid and sufficiently Yamashita-esque.

Elements of the sculpt that I found particularly enjoyable include the detached skirt which allows for an amazing view down her stomach, and her stocky, plump thighs and calves. The single least appealing point was probably the groove up the small of her back; last I checked there’s no line dug out like a furrow where a human spine should be. That’s one of the areas I most anticipate on kits that leave that part of the anatomy bare, so it was a bit of a disappointment for me.

The pose and facial expression do the job just fine as far as I’m concerned, with her spread stance and outstretched hand grasping the hilt of the sword adding a bit of dynamism to an otherwise static pose. The sword is another nice bit of work; it feels very solid and weighty, and you could hurt someone if you hit them hard enough with it (not that I speak from personal experience in this).

In terms of production value we’re looking at pretty typical Movic. Much like Tsukiumi Cocona is competently cast, with the most obvious mold line on the top of her head (rather painfully obvious, alas) and one at her waist that is artfully hidden by the skirt. The coloring job is sober with a focus on matte finish over most of the kit, though the armor is made of a stiffer glossy plastic that provides some nice textural contrast.

Other than some subtle work on the hair virtually no shading is present, and I think the skin could really have benefited from that along with a slightly more glossy finish in contrast to the matte clothing. Like Tsukiumi the trim work here is quite good, but there’s not enough of it in any complexity to stand out from the ordinary.

Overall Movic’s Cocona is a nice piece of work, but “nice” in the way that you sincerely compliment a girl you don’t intend to go on a second date with. Recommended for Yamashita completionists and those who otherwise like the look of her design, but if you’re saving your figure budget with an eye to maximum bang for your buck you might want to pass this one over.

Overall Score: 7/10

+ fun, funky Yamashita design and color scheme
+ decent sculpt with some very nice lines in the thighs and torso

– the trough dug out of her lower back is disappointing

For those interested in picking her up, she’s currently available… just about everywhere. Play Asia and J-List both have her if you’re interested in supporting HD, otherwise Hobby Search may be the best bet for the budget conscious.