I have been repeatedly putting this off, not because I didn't necessarily want to do it, but because I had so much stuff to do IRL. I finally buckled down and got it done--and I admit that it's been kind of hard since it's been very cloudy lately, and the light isn't very good. So sorry about the poor picture quality here, since my camera refuses to cooperate anymore.
Today we're taking a look at the first male in the Sailor Moon S.H. Figuarts line, Tuxedo Mask! You can read the review after the jump.
First things first as always, I picked him up on Amazon for $42.99 with free shipping. And for once, the quality was perfect right off the bat! I like to imagine that Amazon reads this and is more cautious about sending me defective figures. The free shipping brought it to my house relatively quickly, in just a few days.
Just a quick observation, but in Japanese, he's called Tuxedo Kamen (the "Kamen" means "Mask," so it's a literal translation), and I was surprised that "Tuxedo Mask" was on the box. I forget what the new English dub calls him, so maybe Toei is trying to standardize what he's referred to? I'm used to thinking of him as Mamoru, so that's what I'll call him.
The box, BTW, is beautiful. The black and red are dramatic and far more tied into his color scheme than some of the girls' boxes. It looks mysterious and cool. The box is enormous, about the size of Sailor Moon's original box, and when you open it up, it's pretty evident that it's because of the cape. It is one solid chunk of plastic and it's MASSIVE, reminding me a lot of Raidou, who I reviewed earlier. The cape is attached via small magnets, and is pretty easily removed.
I have to admit that I'm suitably impressed by the level of detail that Mamoru has. The pant legs have realistic wrinkles around the knees and hips. When you bend him into a sitting position, you can see his shirt under the jacket. Everything feels solid and well-made, and the joints are smooth and fluid. Why did it take so long to get a Figuarts from this line that doesn't feel flimsy? Maybe it's because he's bulkier than the Sailors, but he has a bit of heft that makes him feel more solid and less likely to break.
I'm also pretty impressed by the base. It's rectangular, unlike the Sailors' heart-shaped ones, but this has an attractive smoky black color and is decorated with scrollwork and roses in a really lovely shade of red.
Mamoru comes with an assortment of faces and heads. He has two faceplates without his mask; one looking stern and serious, and another with his eyes closed. The other two are with the mask on, and you can choose between having his eyes visible through the mask, or the goggle-like eye-blocking mask. Mamoru also has two back-of-the-head pieces, which allow you to choose if you want him wearing his hat or not. It gives you, the collector, a lot of options for looks, which is really nice. The hat was initially a little hard to put on and off, though.
As for accessories, he comes with his trademark rose, his cane, and the Star Locket. It's a nice amount of accessories; more than most of the other Figuarts. There is also a weird black piece that took me forever to puzzle out. It's a plug to stick into the hole on his back, so if you want to display him without the cape, you can cover up the hole. I'm scared to plug it in, because I don't know if I could pull it back out. But I'm planning on keeping the cape on, so whatever. The accessories are pretty well detailed for being so small, but they feel so flimsy, and I'm worried about losing them. I almost wish that they would have been attached to some of the hand pieces!
All in all, this is a solid entry to the Sailor Moon S.H. Figuarts line, with excellent quality. I'm glad that I got him, and especially glad that Bandai seems to be stepping up the quality of their releases. I'm excited to see what figures we will get in the future!
Miss Scarlett suggests: Definitely pick up Tuxedo Mask if you are collecting the Sailor Moon S.H. Figuarts--or at least get him if you have the Sailor Moon figure; do you want to get in the way of their miracle romance?
