Tales of Xillia Kyun Character Figures

Ladies and gents, my lovely, adorable, heavy-headed Tales of Xillia Kyun Character figures have arrived! I think I’m in love! I’ve never played with customizable figures before, but I knew these little guys were going to provide me with a lot of entertainment.

Bursting with excitement, I tore open the cardboard box pulled out this delightful little package that contained six bodies, three attachments, two stands, and two big heads!


I should note that I did not pick up the entire Kyun Chara pack, which normally includes the Tales of Xillia game, a calendar set, the figures, and a fancy box. I happened to find a seller who was auctioning the figures only, and boy am I glad I won!

I immediately removed the protective wrapper and fished out Milla and Jude, who were smiling right at me. I thought they were amazing little figures with some awesome interchangeable bodies and attachments.

Sadly, the figures couldn't stand up straight without the base and pole that accompanied them in the Kyun Chara pack. Jude and Milla instantly toppled over and rolled a little when I tried making them stand on their own. I suppose it shouldn’t come as a surprise considering how heavy their heads are... Yeah, I should have known better, but I was curious to see if they could do it!

They're a bit creepy without the bodies, eh?

The base and the poles are really the only things keeping my new little friends standing on their tiny feet. I'm really glad the poles don't actually attach themselves to Jude and Milla in any way.  Neither of the figures have holes in their bodies.  Just their shoes so they can stand on their bases.  I express this relief because I've seen a handful of figures which have holes in their backs or heads.  I know it's meant to support/hold up whatever figure it comes with, but I find that holes in the body or the back of the head will ruin the overall presentation for some figures.

To be completely honest, even after playing with them for a while, I’m still somewhat uncomfortable when I’m removing and placing different parts together. I feel as though applying too force may break something.  Or maybe I'll accidentally remove an arm or a leg. For example, Milla’s main body feels somewhat weak and the skirt actually shifts up and down if I push it lightly. I have to be extra careful when equipping the additional attachments too, that’s for sure. I don’t want to accidentally scrape Jude’s face while putting on his specs.

All right, I’m sure you’ve waited long enough. Let’s check out all the costumes for Jude and Milla!

Main Costumes

The standard costumes are done quite well, with the exception of some minor details. I love the poses Jude and Milla have because it’s better than them having their arms at their sides. Okay, that’s almost the case, but I appreciate the minor differences anyhow. Maybe it helps balance their insanely heavy heads. Seriously, I'm amazed at how heavy their heads are. One head on its own is heavier than my Tipo Plush!

I'm going to talk about Jude first since I chose his storyline in the game.

I'm very fond of his main costume. The mixture of blue tints and shades really appeal to me here because they work well with the coat design/pattern. Unlike Milla, his garments work well with his hair colour/design.

Photographs reveal so many flaws I never wanted to find or think of. I assumed these figures were really well made because they were developed for the 15th anniversary of the Tales of series. Wrong again. I keep looking at Jude’s outfit, but I can’t really make out the paint spills...until I move onto the photographs. Then I see everything!

The paint job on Jude's costume is probably the worst out of the six that are included in the package, but it's not so terrible I cringe every time I look at him. Jude looks fantastic and adorable, even from a short distance! This is probably because his face is sculpted well and eyes are printed/painted to near perfection so they draw attention away from the flaws. I think I've also grown accustomed to the fact that most of my figures have so-so paint jobs. I usually don't pay attention to too much detail until I take photographs, so I'm still always quite content with my purchases.

On another note, I quite like the little fist Jude has up. To me it says he's going into battle or he just won a battle. I'm going to say he just won a battle because his expression is really relaxed.

Jude's hair is sculpted really well, especially that one sharp strand that sits above his nose. If you look at him on a certain angle under the light, you'll see some light smudges on his head. I suppose that's what happens when the character has black hair. It doesn't bother me too much, but I figured I could make note of it in the review.

Let's take look at Milla now.

When LaLabit announced that they were going to develop figures for Tales of Xillia, I couldn't help but wonder how they were pull off Milla's hairstyle on a super deformed figure without it looking awful, exaggerated or really inaccurate. Her hair is pretty wild. There are layers and layers and layers of hair, and then there's this one stray bit that changes from yellow to green. It's also known as her "charm point" in the game. 

Even after LaLabit released stock photos, I couldn't really catch a glimpse of what the back would look like. They only did frontal shots. Owners of the Kyun Chara pack eventually posted pictures of their figures, but again, I couldn't see the back of Milla's head. I pretty much gave up on the internet, held my breath, and waited until my own copy arrived.

After examining her hair up close, I can say I am very impressed by how LaLabit pulled it off. Even though Milla's head is extra heavy, the hair styling is done very well. In fact, I wouldn't have it any other way. It's cute. It's perfect.

I really dislike Milla's main costume in the game. It doesn't match her hairstyle and there's no sense of unity anywhere on it, except for the pink ribbons on clunky boots and gloves. I don't mind them on the Milla figure at least. It's probably because her head is disproportionate to her body. It really draws my attention away from the outfit.  The colours aren't extremely bright on the figure, so that's a plus.

School costumes

These are probably my favourite costumes because they look great on both Jude and Milla. There's nothing too messy about the paint job and the overall designs appeal to me. I love the bookworm look for Jude and the punk school girl for Milla. It's a great combination! I actually prefer the costumes more on the figures than I do in the Tales of Xillia game.

I love how adorably nerdy Jude looks in his school uniform.  He's going all out as a nerd, what with the sweater, the glasses (which he probably doesn't even need), and what appears to be four books!  It suits him well since he is a fifteen year old doctor in the game. 

Putting on his glasses for the first time was bloody frustrating.  I couldn’t figure out how to get them on properly and I feared the thought of damaging my new acquisition on day one. The original Kyun Chara pack included instructions from what I read over the internet, but I didn't receive them with my package. Apparently sliding in the right side first and then the left worked for me. I’m always afraid of snapping them in half or scraping Jude's face because I have to push the arms against his cheeks. Try as I might, I cannot place these little specs on Milla's face! I tried numerous times, but they instantly fell the the ground. She probably would have looked cute in them too...

Somehow I can see Milla as the chick who skips class all the time. She looks like a total rebel in that costume, what with the belly flash and the two types of hot pink stockings. The tie is a nice touch, though.

The combination of hot pink and navy blue is very appealing to me. I'm extremely glad that there isn't an overload of hot pink. I certainly wouldn't want to be blinded by my figures... I suppose she'd have to keep most of her blue on since her and Jude are sort of a set here. I can see her bullying him now...just because she can.

The little burger in her hand is painted well for something so tiny. I like the idea of Milla holding a burger because it reminds me of her character in the game. As a spirit, she doesn't need to eat, but she became hungry after leaving home.

Butler and Maid

I think Jude would make a good servant and Milla would make a really defiant maid. She doesn't seem like the type to take orders. Jude? Yeah, I can totally see him doing his master's bidding. It's what happens when I see him as a softie.

His butler figure looks awesome though. Jude's got good shoes, good posture, and a good pose! What's not to like? The paint job is excellent! I expect it to be if it's all black and white. The manufacturers didn't need to mix anything up. I really like the ruffles on the back of the costume.  It's a small detail, but I find that it's a cute addition to the figure. 

I adore Jude's pose because it pretty much says he's ready to serve you. When I think about it, he's almost pulling off a Rowen pose!  Rowen is an old, but kick ass butler in the Tales of Xillia game who often bows his head. 

I would have awarded the best paint job award to the butler and maid costume set if it weren't for Milla's wristband. It's painfully obvious that the pain spilled onto her skin. It saddens me greatly. I feel like the painter didn't really care that it happened. They just left it there for me to see.

Nooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All right, let's move on to the more positive aspects of this costume. The leggings on Milla's look simple, but excellent for the maid costume. I think the brown suits her better than white. The lines on the dress are surprisingly clean (view the awful image above). It reminds me of cake with some chocolate drizzle! Mmm....cake....

*Ahem* The broom and headpiece can be adjusted because they're attachments. The headpiece is actually a bit difficult to put it on. It slid off Milla's head a few times. Maybe I'm just putting it on wrong, but it does become rather frustrating after a few attempts.

All right, so I've shown you guys all the costumes and attachments. Now it's time to show you how much fun I can have with them. I decided to play around the night I received my figures by switching the bodies around and giving Jude Milla's attachments.

Standard costumes swapped

Jude

I find it funny how you can only see the back of Milla's outfit if you detach it from her body or attach it to Jude. Let's face it, attaching it to Jude brings more entertainment to the table!  From far away he looks pretty cute in that outfit.  I think the short hair really does the trick!

Milla

She does not look attractive in Jude's costume...

School costumes swapped

Jude

Again, you can only see the back of Milla's costumes if they're detached or if they're attached to Jude. By the way, he looks awesome as a school girl. It's probably because he has a cute face when he's super deformed, but I like it!

Jude is totally working this outfit! I'm so tempted to keep him in the school girl costume for a while because he looks so surprisingly good in it.  Especially on an angle. Plus Jude seems rather confident in a skirt. Just saying.

Milla

Milla looks cute as a little nerd, but she doesn't look complete without her glasses! She's not really badass here, but at least she looks like she's ready to finally study!

Butler and Maid costumes swapped

Jude

It took a bit of struggling, but I managed to equip Jude with the headpiece! It's not a perfect fit, but it works! He looks oh, so pretty! I love how he looks ready to clean the house with that broom in his hand. I know I had Milla in the same pose, but somehow... I can just see more happening with Jude. I still prefer him in the school girl outfit though.

Milla

I couldn't fully attach Milla's head to Jude's butler body. Her hair and the ruffles on the back of Jude's costume grind against each other. I did the best I could, but you can still see some neck. By the way, Milla's pretty good looking as a butler. Maybe she's finally ready to serve someone!

Summary

Poses: 8/10 (I know they have to stand still because of the bases, but I love how the other bodies are actually holding other objects)
Sculpt: 8/10 (The hair for both figures is what really won me over.  I'm still a bit worried about breaking some part of my figures sometimes...)
Paint: 8/10 (The obvious spill on Milla's wrist still saddens me)
Enjoyability: 10/10 (I love being able to switch their bodies around)

Overall: 8.5/10

All in all, I love the Kyun chara figures very much. I'm really glad I didn't have to spend another $200.00 or so on another Tales of Xillia special edition.

I don't think I'll ever put these little guys on a shelf because I'm afraid their heavy heads would doom them. They now stand on the table with my other figures. I like the thought of being able to switch them out of their costumes every now and then.

Maybe I'll consider opening some of my play-arts figures some day.

Customization for the win!

Manufacturer: Banpresto (distributed by Lalabit Market)
Purchased from: Yahoo Auctions using FromJapan
Price: 3000 ¥ (Original Price for the entire Kyun Chara pack: 12 980¥)
~Suich