Thursday 15 September 2011

1/8 Lucy Maria Misora (GSC)

I confess, I know diddly-squat about To Heart2 other than it's some sort of dating sim that spawns a helluva lot of figures.

I confess, I know absolutely nothing about who, what, or when Lucy Maria Misora is (except a rather awkward name). All I knew when buying this figure was 1) white hair, and 2) red eyes. Oh, and the expression. I liked the expression.

Did I spontaneous-buy? Absolutely.

This face. It be compelling.
Lucy Maria Misora is the oldest figure I have, dating back to 2006. I'd like to say I bought her new, but then I'd be a time-traveller. I didn't start collecting figures until mid-2010. Being an older figure, she doesn't quite match the quality standards of more contemporary GSC figures, but that's only something I can say with spectacular hindsight. Lucy in her time was probably very well recieved.

Unfortunately, Lucy comes with a garish, tangerine base that represents an spring day about as well as an AK-47. Fortunately, Lucy balances without her base. Unfortunately, her feet are tiny and barely manage to keep her upright (a slight breeze would defeat her), so it's risky to display her without the nasty slice of concentrated evil they call a base.

For 1/8, Lucy's rather small. She's one of the smallest 1/8 figures I have (Misaka Mikoto might be a little smaller).





I realize GSC's Lucy doesn't look exactly like the Lucy from the game. Official art gives her much wider, darker, more rectangular eyes. But really, that's the only difference.


Given I have no attachment to this character in any way or form, I actually like GSC's face better. It's the bored, half-lidded eyes. I swear. She has just the right amount of pout. Add a touch of contempt, and BOOM—an expression after my own cold, black heart.That little squat nose isn't very pronounced, but she still manages to look good from all angles.



Lucy has a few seam lines, but they aren't very pronounced. Most are discreet and well placed, i.e. on the sides of her uniform. Given Tenshi's obvious hair-crack, I expected all light-haired characters to have rather nasty divides on their heads, but Lucy's seam isn't nearly as glaring as I expected it to be.

Her flower pins look flat and glued to her hair though. This may be an older figure, but they could have added more pop to those blossoms.



I can't say I'm a big fan of crazy anime hairstyles, but I do like variety, and the only characters I know that have this hairstyle (flipped up in the back) are Shinobu from Bakemonogatari and Lucy. If anything, it's utilitarian. Stand Lucy on your desk, and she can hold your pen for you—with her hair.

For a 5-year-old figure, the hair is still incredibly sculpted. Sure, figures with hurricane hair have cool factor, but realistic hair that looks good without strands whipping everywhere deserve kudos, man. The lines in her hair give it a sense of depth, and the movement of her bangs are superb (again, this is something Tenshi seems to be lacking).

"Ruuuu..."
 10 points if you can find the seam lines in Lucy's hair. I suppose the paint job on the bangs can be a little sharper, but it doesn't really bother me in this case.



Lucy's pose is deliciously feminine. This Lucy is---how shall I say it?---chunkier than most anime figures. She's got full womanly hips (despite having the face of a 12-year-old) and thick, womanly thighs. Now I love my elegant, suspected anorexic figures, but the plumpness of Lucy really delights me. She looks like a girl that eats 3 meals a day, and that, my friends, is sexy. 



Look at that cute little butt thrust.
Is it just me, or are her shins a tad short?



Thighs...and a some butt.
Hailing from a romantic novel-dating-simulation game (or something along those lines), it's not surprising Lucy's cast-offable.

Now Lucy's skirt is difficult to remove. They chomp down on her hip region and refuse to relent. It took a great deal of wriggling and tugging to get them off (God I sound like a perv). Needless to say, it's not something I'll be doing often. I got my Lucy is used, so she came with a reddish smear against her stomach (thanks, stubborn, chaste skirt). I wish the previous owner had been more careful with her, but it can't be helped now.




The paint job on Lucy's shirt is a little shiny for my liking. It doesn't show as much in photographs, but her shirt tends to take on a plastic-y look when the light hits it. Other than that slight discontent, I'm very pleased with the shading on Lucy.

The shirt and Lucy's hair are both pinkish to match her darker pink skirt. Lucy's not too pale, which I like. It helps stop her face from disappearing into her hair (as her flower pins do).The metallic paint on her suitcase is also a nice touch.

Unfortunately, the suitcase is attached to Lucy's hands. She's just that determined to leave.



Finally, her eyes. Are they not delicious? The red is actually brighter than it is in the pictures, giving her a full set of bloody-red gazers. The shading is gorgeous, and the polish give them a luscious liquid mask. If you look closely, you'll notice the whites of her eyes are shaded along with the irises. That's the type of detail that deserves a gold star in my book.

Oh, and the eyebrows. They're paler than they are on most figures. Helps soften up her face, don't you think?




I tend to be pleased with many of my spontaneous-buys, with very few exceptions.

It's probably because I wallow in buyer's remorse until the figure arrives. Then, when it does arrive, I think it's the greatest thing in the world. (This is a great strategy. Just lower your expectations and hate yourself. This makes everything else seem spectacular. Works every time.)

Do I recommend this figure to others? Well, it's difficult to now that she's been out of print for so long. Depending on if you're familiar with Lucy as a character, you might love or hate what GSC's done with her. I can't say anything except I personally find this figure splendidly endearing. Kotobukiya's also done a rendition of Lucy, but I much prefer GSC's. The sculpt is superior, and honestly, the face is full of win.

The Run-Down
Packaging: 5/10 (Shoot, I forgot the take pictures! But you're not missing much.)

Base: 2/10 (Concentrated evil.)
Pose: 7.5/10 (Flirty and girly.)
Sculpt: 7.5/10 (More seam lines than I'm used to, but no major mistakes.)
Paint: 7/10 (Could be sharper, shininess of shirt a little disappointing.)
Overall: 7/10 (I like this figure more than I should, probably.)

Company: GSC
Price: 4572 yen
Purchased from: Mandarake

Ciao for now,
Jenn

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