I was wavering on a preorder of Manyuu Chibusa for a few months after she was announced. I’d seen her recently at the Cerberus Project booth at Wonder Festival and WHF, and while I liked the design it was obvious she wasn’t castoffable, and seemed bereft of other worthwhile gimmicks. In the end I caved in, convinced that a character whose name literally means “magical breast” would be worth having – and boy, am I glad I fell prey to this pair. The salacious details of a very surprising figure follow:
Original Design: Yamada Hideki
Sculptor: French Doll (Cerberus Project)
Source: Manyuu Hikenchou (manga)
Scale: 1/7 (16 cm tall)
Option Parts: katana, scabbard, kunai x 3
Materials: PVC, ABS
Release Date: April 3rd, 2008
Production: Wafuudou Ganguten
Price: 7,600 JPY (tax included)
Current Availability: [KNC] [HLJ] [HS] [TL]
Support HD!: [PA] [YA]

Manyuu Chibusa is the stupendously endowed heroine of Manyuu Hikenchou, a manga that’s been serialized at the back of eroge magazine Tech Gian for the past year or so. The manga itself is not particularly erotic, aside from the occasional (frequent) bare breasts, and is more of a gag manga than anything. Stories of ancient ninja techniques of breast enlargement, lactation, and etc. are chronicled as Chibusa travels among ninja clans, confronting various opponents and overcoming them with the power of her mystical bosoms. Yes, it’s a very silly (and well drawn) manga.

Manyuu Hikenchou vol. 1
Sculpt
How far French Doll has come since 2004! I wasn’t deliberately intending to review two of his sculpts back to back, but viewed next to one another some comparison is inevitable. We see in this Manyuu Chibusa sculpt a mastery of craft that is truly impressive, both in terms of interpretive fidelity to the original design and overall mastery of composition in terms of balance and pleasing flow of form and line. This consonance is manifest from multiple angles, and while not the most overtly active pose is chosen here it is one that ripples with hidden energy. I like!
I could go on dissecting the many ways in which French Doll has become an even more significant force on the figure scene over the past three years, but I’ll content myself with the mention of the immense care taken on the details. Not only the tiny refined textural elements of the kit such as the wrist guards and claws on her hands, or the woven texture of her shoes, or the delicate face sculpt, but also the ability to sculpt in so many layers that when cast off look equally natural as when they’re present. As a comparison with the recent work of other makers shows, this is hardly a skill that can be taken for granted.
Production
For a PVC this expensive to satisfy it’s going to have to deliver exemplary production values, and happily Wafuudou Ganguten rises to the occasion. My first thought after an initial survey was that they were channeling Yamato, particularly some of the techniques used on kits such as Arisa – similar skin shading techniques are in evidence here as is a kind of powdery refinement in the finish that marks an approach to quality coloring distinct from the more glossy fare of Goodsmile, Max Factory, and Kotobukiya.
The casting job here is first rate, with very few visible mold lines and no offending seams. Detail work is rendered faithfully and crisply. The paint job comprises huge amounts of both detail work and shading, and doesn’t skimp in either department; one could be picky about slight shakiness in some elements of the paint detail but it’s really not worth it. Overall the impression is one of a complex kit that has been produced at a high level of competence – whether it’s due to the virtues of this kit in particular or a general raising of Wafuudou’s production capability I’m not sure, but this is the best produced kit I’ve seen from the brand yet.
Conclusion
With the unexpected quality shown here and the surprise revelation that Wafuudou Ganguten’s Manyuu Chibusa kit is not only castoffable down to her chest but her chest itself can be removed, this is a kit that I can recommend to a much wider audience than I was initially anticipating. Whether you appreciate a finely crafted figure, a novel gimmick, an incredibly large chest or a decently small one, female ninjas, or the work of Cerberus Project’s French Doll, this is a kit I think you’ll be happy to add to your collection. I know I am.
Overall Score: 9.5/10
If you’d like to support HD with your purchase, Manyuu Chibusa is currently available at Play-Asia. Links to other retailers can be found at the top of this post.
Hurrah for the review Shingo! Its been at the back of my mind to confirm an order for Manyuu Chibusa since I saw it available for pre-order at Play-Asia…And thanks to your review, I just clicked on the “checkout” button…Hehehe! XD
I was considering ordering this as well, and had it in my cart at Play-Asia as well, but now it’s sold out there … Well, we’ll see how lucky I can get at HLJ…
As always great review Shingo! Got mine all reserved at Amazon.jp for 6375 Yen back in December.
Nice review! Great looking figure- heh.
Out of print/Out of stock already? Did they make like three of these things?
Ack! I feel myself teetering on the brink of the abyss once more – I always think I’m safe from wafuudo wiles – until I read Shingo’s reviews >_<;;
>>L.C
Awesome, I’m glad you got the chance to put in an order. I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. :3
>>K
Damn, I’m surprised to hear they sold out so fast. I guess they must not have received many more units than they had in preorders. :(
Seems Kid Nemo and Toyslogic both stll have her in stock, at least.
>>Y
Nice price. :3 If only Amazon shipped figures outside Japan…
>>Work_Ethic
I thought so too!
>>lostdog
I’m guessing a lot of retailers were caught by the same trap I was – no one knew she would be castoffable to this extent. I think they would’ve put in an order for more had they known.
>>PorcelainePriss
I’m sorry to be such a corrupting influence… well, not really. <_<
can’t wait to get mine, looks awesome, great review and pics, Shingo.
Yes, very good indeed. Can’t afford this, so may have to rely on restocks or re-releases (may not happen, due to WG’s track record of restocks and re-releases)..
When I first saw this, it seemed to take ages before I saw a pre-order anywhere, but when I finally found one a few months later, regardless of the little info on her, I ordered her anyway since she looked great.
Thanks for the review Shingo, I had no idea at all she was castoffable, really chuffed now since she’s on her way as of early last week.
I knew there was something special about this figure..i was temped to buy her cause i’m always into samurai,ninja themed beauties;then had to move on due to large preorder list..but such a nice cast-off?!?Thx a lot for the review and delicious pics Shingo; you helped me to realize a real gem.
Got one today but no instructions on how to cast it off, any advice?
I fear to break it using wrong method.
Please help me
J0tar0Kjo
>>J0tar0Kjo
What part of the castoff are you having trouble with?
I think I know which part J0tar0Kjo is referring to as I’m facing the same issue.
The castoff big boobs is sort of connected to both arms via 4 glued points at the end of her her shoulder pads (the 4 orange coloured ties). These don’t seem to be able to be put back once removed.
>>HengLon
I see, thanks for pointing that out. I’ll post a more detailed castoff guide in today’s Mainichi post and link back here when it’s up.
I had similar problems with their Princess Waltz figurines (Iris & Angela), where their castoff bits were kinda glued a bit together, which made putting it back again look impossible. Makes me wonder if this is a particular design characteristic for Wafuudou Ganguten’s figurines?
I’m crazy for kunoichi and this one could be one of the best PVC incarnations of that theme available if there wasn’t, again, the giga tits problem. Indeed a natural looking pair of breasts is provided, but they aren’t coverable, there isn’t a piece of cloth provided to do so. This is very regrettable, otherwise I would be purchasing her after in a flash after this great review.
>>J0tar0Kjo, HengLon
Just a note that this post contains further information on Chibusa’s castoff procedure.
>>HengLon
I don’t know whether it’s more appropriate to ascribe that trait to Wafuudou’s figures, to Cerberus Project figures, or to Wafuudou’s Cerberus Project figures specifically. It might be attributable to the snug-fitting sculpts more than anything… I’ve had some trouble with them, but nothing disastrous or that would require breaking the kit in a way that didn’t look fine when put together again.
I love you all, and i think that this figure is a previous sculpted one adapted to a new breast size, as you have to break the armor to pull off the big breast.
i think i’ll keep big breasted.
:)
by the way thank you very much
J0tar0Kjo