When we first reported on this item back in November I was a bit skeptical as to how it would turn out; it seemed like a bunch of expensive knick-knacks worth less than the sum of its parts, little more than an attempt to sucker Ikkitousen fans like myself into parting with our hard-earned cash without providing much in return. After having the chance to peruse my copy in person my opinion has not changed, but as both a sucker and an Ikkitousen fan I have to say I’m happy with the result, and would appreciate being pandered to in a similar fashion by other shows in the future (Sekirei, I’m looking at you). Read on for a textbook primer on how to be swindled in style:

Product Name: 一騎当千 秘蔵限定BOX – Ikkitousen Hizou Gentei BOX
Release Date: April 17th, 2008
Publisher: Comic Gum / Wani Books
Price: 15,750 JPY (tax included)
Availability: See Below

Box Contents:

• A 32-page original volume of “gaiden” (side story) Ikkitousen manga drawn by Shiozaki Yuuji, not found in any other serialized or compiled format
• A set of 13 B4-sized posters featuring the cover illustrations of the 13 volumes of Ikkitousen manga released thus far
• A Sonsaku Hakufu bust figure, ~13.5 cm tall, sculpted by Yamamoto Masahiro, produced by Griffon and compatible with 1/6 scale doll parts (sold separately)
• A Kanu Unchou oppai mousepad complete with contoured gel bosoms
• A Ryomou Shimei “cell phone cleaner” (looks kind of like a patch)
• A set of 15 Ikkitousen-themed clear manga covers, sized to fit the released tankoubon
• Sonsaku Hakufu panties…. panda print, as featured in volume five of the manga.

Comments

Omake manga – The story is an episode about Chouun when she was still B-rank. Interestingly this is the highest quality printing with which we’re likely to see Shiozaki Yuuji’s monochrome art reproduced (B5-size offset, vs. the serial B5 pulp in Comic Gum or the A-6 offset tankoubon size) and it looks really damn nice.

Bust figure – As can be seen from the photos, the head is removable and can be placed on the neck joint of any similarly sized doll (1/6 size) such as this (a random example, I don’t have any doll bodies around to verify with). The quality is decent (standard Griffon), and reminds me a lot of Yamamoto Masahiro’s earlier Hakufu PVC kit.

Kanu mousepad – As can be seen by the comparison with my hand, the mousepad isn’t huge. The make is sturdy, and it feels durable enough that it would hold up if I chose to use it. Testing it right now, actually, and it’s surprisingly comfortable… I’m not sure if I want to mouse over Kanu’s face for very long, though.

Ryomou Shimei cell phone “cleaner” – This is basically just a plush cell phone strap/fob thing meant to hang from a loop on your phone. I may end up using it as it has the advantage of not having plastic edges that would break off in my pocket. The print quality is slightly better than the initial prototype images made it appear.

Hakufu panties – I wasn’t planning to take them out of the plastic they came in, but I ultimately couldn’t resist. They’re smaller than I was expecting; probably about the right size for an upper elementary student, but not Hakufu. I’m not going to speculate for too long regarding possible uses for this particular item and instead return it carefully to the packaging… ^^;;

Final Reckoning

Any way you slice it, after estimating the worth of the individual components of this set and adding them up you don’t reach the sticker price – maybe two thirds of it at a conservative guess. This is not a purchase for someone looking to maximize their buying power; it is the purchase of a fool in love with the Ikkitousen franchise, and the box delivered exactly what I was expecting in this regard. When trying to inflate the price of a set of “premium items” Japan knows the importance of pretty packaging, and man the box itself is a work of art – I almost want to tuck everything carefully away in the packaging and put it away for storage, secure in the knowledge that it’s in my possession – but I won’t, because then I couldn’t relish the Kanu and Hakufu bosoms properly. This is a set I can wholeheartedly recommend to anyone as Ikkitousen fanboyish or just plain dumb as me. If you’re such a person and would like more information about any of the items or anything I neglected to cover here, let me know! I’d be happy to provide.

Note: As of posting the only two HD affiliates that still have the set in stock are J-List and YesAsia, though it may still be available elsewhere. The reason the markup is so high at these shops is that there was essentially no wholesale discount on the purchase; this is corroborated by the Amazon listing, where the set was being sold at retail – not a single yen off the sticker price. If anyone knows where the set can be had for less please feel free to post it to comments.