In honor of the series' 20th anniversary, the powers that be (series creator Naoko Takeuchi, along with Toei, the company that owns most of the rights to the show and all associated merchandise) have launched a worldwide revival of the franchise, including a new adaptation of the source manga. And merchandise. We can't forget that! [ After all, we all know that most anime are simply vehicles to sell toys and figures and those weird body pillows. ;D ] And thus, Toei teamed up with Bandai (another conglomerate that makes everything from video games to action figures) to create a line of Sailor Moon figurines.
One of Bandai's toys/collectibles lines is the "S.H. Figuarts" line, comprised of small (we're talking 5 to 6 inches here), detailed, highly posable action figures. Don't ask me what the name means or where it comes from, I just shrug and chalk it up to "It's Japan." They are about the same size as the action figures we fondly remember from our youth, except far more articulated, and certainly not suitable for rough-and-tumble children under 12. Less of a toy, more of a collectible.
Once I discovered the existence of these little treasures, I pledged to myself that I would collect every single Sailor Moon Figuarts. Why? It's Sailor Moon. Enough said. It might take me quite a bit of time, but I plan to eventually assemble the entire team. But I've been fortunate enough to get my hands on Sailor Moon, so let's take a look at her!
To get some of the less exciting details out of the way, these are available through a variety of methods. If you are a member of the importing scene, you can pick up Sailor Moon and her compatriots from online retailers such as Hobby Link Japan, AmiAmi, and CD Japan. I'll note that availability will vary, and it is not uncommon for a figure to sell out and be restocked after a long, long time...or even not at all. There are undoubtedly other retailers one may use to import figures, but these are the only ones I am familiar with. Should you wish to go the domestic route, you will probably have a much simpler time. Bluefin Distribution is the North American licensed distributor of Figuarts, and sells them through their website and through Amazon.com. Retail prices of the Sailor Moon Figuarts will vary, but the figures that are currently available in North America seem to retail anywhere from $35-45.
As a word of caution, there are bootleg/knockoff versions of this figure! They mostly tend to crop up on eBay or the the Amazon Marketplace (secondary sellers, that is). This is an excellent resource for determining if a Sailor Moon Figuarts is a bootleg or not. (As a rule of thumb, basically, if you're ordering from a domestic source, your box should have two warning stickers and a holographic Toei sticker, which you can see in the photos below.) Now, back to the review!
Sailor Moon was the first released in the line, and was first available in Japan in August of 2013. She was followed by Mercury (available October 2013), Mars (December 2013), Venus (April 2014), Jupiter (July 2014), and Saturn (August 2014). As of right now, prototypes of Uranus and Neptune exist, but there is no word yet on when they will be made available. Presumably they, along with Sailor Pluto, will be made available in 2015. (For the curious, the Bluefin North American releases are usually a month to two months after the Japanese release.)
Taking an initial glance at the box, my first impression is overwhelmingly of bright color and energy. The huge text and Sailor Moon graphic make it pretty obvious what character/franchise this is. The color scheme is primarily hot pink with a dash of yellow; it suits Sailor Moon's color scheme very well. You can see the doll in the front through the clear plastic window. You can't see most of the accessories, which is annoying, but Moon is there herself, looking as cheerful as ever! The sticker in the window reminds you that this is the first edition figure, and that it comes with some extra accessories. More on that later.
Opening the box is super easy; all you have to do is slit one plastic sticker, and the inside slides out easily. It's a type of plastic clamshell/sandwich type of container. It opens pretty easily, although if you're not gentle, the accessories (primarily the hands) go flying everywhere.
Bandai includes some instructions along with the figure. It goes over the different types of accessories (everything is coded with a letter to make it easier), as well as how to switch out the various faces. Very handy, especially for a first-time figure collector.
Sailor Moon comes with a clear plastic heart-shaped base with her name and planetary symbol written on it in hot pink (her signature color, or close enough to it!). The base is heart-shaped, and is roughly 3.5 inches long and 3 inches wide. It's very easy to assemble, and the claw portion opens very wide, so there will be no problem getting Sailor Moon to fit in it. The instructions included with it are virtually fool-proof. Careful, because it can pop apart with no provocation.
Now, on the figure herself. She stands about 5.5 inches, and is very lightweight, feeling a lot like the average action figure. The paint job on the figure overall is very well done. I can't see any paint flaws on my figure, and I'm very impressed overall. The colors are jewel-like, crisp, and clean, with fine, small details like Moon's brooch done very cleanly. The blue of her skirt and collar are almost metallic in color when you hold it up to natural light. I think that one of the coolest details is her hair; her pigtails have an ombre effect, shading down to translucent tips.
Sailor Moon comes with a buttload of accessories. She comes with: 5 right hand parts and 3 left hand parts (not pictured), 5 interchangeable face pieces, her activated Moon Tiara (in its Frisbee status), two Moon sticks, and her cat adviser and guardian, Luna. Note that the Moon Sticks can only fit in one specific hand piece. Also, left hand pieces go only on the left arm, etc. Switching out the hands can be a bit of a pain. They pop off very, very easily, but popping them back on can be difficult. The little nubs that you have to snap into the hands wiggle around very easily, and holding them down can be a bear. By the way, the reason that there are two Moon Sticks? One has the Silver Crystal, and one doesn't, so you can either have her hold it in its "normal" state, or act out her Moon Healing Escalation move.
Switching out the face plates, in contrast, is super easy. You have to pull off her bangs, then swap out the faces. You can see, in the picture above, the holes in Sailor Moon's head (heh heh) where you snap the face plates into. (You can also see the "wrist nub" I mentioned.) She comes with her default cheerful face, along with five other faces. Two of these--a crying and a winking face--are exclusive bonuses for the first wave of Sailor Moon figures, although I've heard rumors that future releases might include these as well. The expressions are very clear, and accurate to her character model.
The figure is super-articulated. She moves at her head, shoulder, elbow, wrist, hip, knee, and ankle joints, as well as her pigtails (to am extent). There's a good range of motion in all the joints, although the hip joints on mine tend to wobble and become uneven, leaving my Sailor Moon with one leg shorter than the other. The picture above shows you how the hip joints work. The articulation makes for great posing, although the figure can wobble around and force you to re-pose it. Patience and a steady hand is definitely required for this. She also cannot stand her on, although sitting and side split poses seem to be fine.
Luna is a little disappointing, She has limited articulation in her head and tail, but worst is her balance. Luna tips over at the slightest provocation, and sometimes without any at all. I've found that leaning her against something is usually the best way to keep her upright. She initially comes wrapped in a wee piece of tissue paper to protect her from scratches, which is nice.
Overall, I really like my little action figure. I think it's a great collectible item, especially for any Sailor Moon fan who also has nostalgia for childhood memories of acting out your favorite episodes with your toys. I really would have loved a Sailor Moon action figure as a kid, but something more simplified than this. I wouldn't give this to a child under, say, 12 or 13. There are so many small pieces to this that losing them would be, ahem, child's play. (I slay myself with puns.) Children are also far too rough with toys, and even though the figure is well made, I can see this easily breaking. And given the price and availability, it's not like you can waltz over to Toys R Us to get a replacement should your kid break it.
I do think that the amount of accessories gives this a lot of value, especially if you love taking pictures. If there was anything that could be improved upon, it would definitely have to be the joints. Lots of articulation is great, but you need to have a balance between articulation and stability. Or at least a sturdier stand. Also, a rebalanced Luna! Those tiny paws won't hold her body weight. If they weren't going to make her able to stand up, at least they could have included a way to clip her into the stand. I'm looking forward to the rest of this line, and hoping that we'll get a Tuxedo Mask in addition to the rest of the girls. (With top hat, cane, and rose accessories! And a face plate without his mask! But how would they deal with his cape? Wouldn't it get in the way of the stand? And would it be heart shaped like the others?)
If you're a Sailor Moon fan, I highly suggest checking this out. If the price is too rich for your blood, there's other merchandise being released for far cheaper. But should the price not cause you to balk, why not relive some of your nostalgia, or celebrate your rekindled love for the show? Before I sign off, it would be remiss of me not to give the show a further plug. Hulu.com now has Sailor Moon available to stream on their website for free, with two episodes added every Monday. (This is the original Japanese version, uncut, unedited, with Japanese vocal track and English subtitles. It is not the edited, English dubbed version shown on American TV years ago.)
The original Sailor Moon anime will also be re-released on home video in North America this fall! We're talking the full series plus the movies, completely uncut and unedited, with the original Japanese voice track and new English voice track. There is also a new Sailor Moon anime (sort of a reboot) airing this summer, as well. I will probably make a post about the home video releases when that happens, as well as posts about any merchandise that I might be able to acquire beyond the S.H. Figuarts figures.
My next review should be up the second week of June (I'll be going biweekly for a bit), where I'll be reviewing one of the fashion dolls I picked up.
Miss Scarlett Suggests: If you're a Sailor Moon fan who loves action figures and doesn't mind paying a bit more for something, definitely look into picking one up. Even if you can't afford the whole team, you can always just pick up your favorite girl!
