Review: #280
Name: Asuna
Brand: figma (Sword Art Online)
Year of Release: 2013 (#178)
Variations: none as of this date
PACKAGING AND CONTENTS:
This is the 2015 re-release of the original Sword Art Online figma (to coincide with the second season of the anime), therefore Asuna comes in the older styled packaging, there is no noticeable difference in this re-release.
The back has some really great stock photos. This is Asuna based on her Knights of the Blood Oath appearance in Sword Art Online.
Taking the plastic out of the package, you can see how Asuna and her accessories are packed in two layers.
The cardboard wrapping around the figure can also be cut out to form a stand.
After taking all the accessories out, it kind of feels like there isn't too many accessories but what is there is relevant to the character.
First up are the two different faces, an embarrassed pout and an angry side stare for battles.
Asuna comes with four additional pairs of hands: open, closed, and two types of sword-holding hands (difference is the angle the sword is held at).
The first weapon Asuna comes with is Silveric Rapier, which is her starting sword in the game. It is in a black sheath.
The sword itself looks really good with some detailed sculpting. You appreciate the sculpting more when you have it in hand as you can then see how small and thin the piece is.
The second weapon is Lambent Light, which is her weapon in late game, it is in a red sheath. Note that each sheath can only fit the swords that they are supposed to be in.
Once again, there are some really intricate details on the sword itself.
Asuna comes with weapons effects, which represents her rapid strikes.
There is the standard figma stand.
As well as the figma plastic bag to use all the accessories in when not in use.
FIGURE:
As mentioned earlier, this is Asuna in her Knights of the Blood Oath garb from the anime Sword Art Online. The primarily colors here are red and white.
She has her coat tail hanging off her back, and is relatively simple in design compared to the sculpting on the front. However, this is accurate to the anime appearance.
Asuna's normal face is a smiling one. The proportions of her head and coloring are spot on, she is instantly recognizable as the character she is supposed to be.
She has a hole in her back for the figma stand to attach onto. This allows her to be put into poses which requires additional support, as well as stabilizing her when she's on display.
There are truckloads of sculpted and painted details on the figure, from the dents on her chestplate to the red outlines of her clothes.
The skirt is made of a softer plastic which does not hinder articulation at all.
Her coat tail is in two pieces, which are both poseable, and with the wavy sculpting, this means that it looks good both when "idling" and when it's sprayed behind her back in action shots.
Naturally, figma Asuna is super poseable with joints everywhere: shoulders, torso, wrist, neck, elbows, hips, knees and ankles.
The white pieces above her red skirt is also made out of the soft bendable plastic so you can safely pose her in some really dynamic poses.
She stands roughly 15cm tall (or in Transformers terms, about the size of a Deluxe figure).
On her left hip in the soft plastic is a hole, this is where you attach the sheath to. Due to sheath have a "bubble" piece, you need to stretch the plastic to insert it before it'll hold.
I recommend using a hairdryer to soften the plastic for fear of tearing the plastic apart if you force it.
Once it is on properly, it stays on with no issues, although since it relies on friction, the sheath likes to "rotate" down so that it's facing directly up instead of at a 45 degree angle.
Her hands can be changed to add expression to the figure, two of the pairs allow her to hold the sword in her hand, and thankfully, they are easy to slot in and requires no need for a hairdryer.
She manages to stay on her own two feet easily enough but as always, the stand provides extra stability and peace of mind.
Now, the face changes are easily done too, you have to take the front half of her hair off before you reach the face, it is not too finicky to be honest.
Her pouting face is rounder than her normal one, with some blushing effects.
However, it only really looks natural in a limited amount of poses.
The last face is an angry face, or her battle face, it is perpetually looking to the right, which can be annoying during posing.
This is the face you'd want when you having her holding her sword as she looks wicked.
While never canon, Silveric Rapier looks really good in this garb.
What is somewhat weird is that her feet can be detached easily (since it uses the standard figma joint) but it is annoying that her ankle pieces are separately and doesn't like to stay where it is supposed to be (either rotated to be off-center or situated too high).
Her other sword, Lambent Light, attaches in exactly the same way, again, be careful when removing and reattaching the sheaths as you can easily rip the plastic apart.
This is a more traditional sword and looks really good. The red sheath suits these clothes much better.
Recreating some of the stock photos can be difficult but very possible.
The last gimmick is her effect parts, it slots only over Lambent Light and unlike Kirito's effect parts which were so heavy they could snap the sword, Asuna's one is made from transparent plastic that's much lighter and much easier to pose with.
Her joints are strong enough to support the sword with the effects easily.
One cool thing is that her hair is separately jointed too, so you can have it resting gently against her back or flowing in the wind.
Needless to say, she looks fantastic with Kirito.
If you ever wanted to have Asuna have a proper battle against Kirito, you can do that too.
This was lightly touched upon earlier but since her battle face is always looking to the right, it limits your posing options if you want Asuna to look at the camera.
The painted plastic matches well against the unpainted sections. Parts of the figure is also hand painted.
The plastic used feels strong and appropriate, and the figure itself is solid. With these many joints, it was very possible for it to be a floppy mess.
A fantastic figure and an excellent representation of the character.
OVERALL:
If you're a fan of Asuna from Sword Art Online and want a poseable figure, then figma Asuna wins by default. If you want a good representation of the character, figma Asuna stacks up really well against even statues. The proportions are perfect and the attention to detail is astounding. With the 2015 re-release, she is now at an affordable price and is well worth your time and money.
--------------------------------------------
For other toy reviews, have a look at this page.
--------------------------------------------
Here are the remaining photos that didn't make it into the body of the review.
Thanks for looking!