Characters: Princess Shirahoshi and Monkey D. Luffy
Series: One Piece
Sculptor: Ajiken
Manufacturer: Megahouse
Release Date: August 2012
Run: Standard
My Figure Collection Link: http://myfigurecollection.net/item/91361
Unfortunately I never made it far enough to reach Shirahoshi’s character, but upon seeing her figure, I immediately fell in love with her design. The figure looked amazing in the promotional images, so I went out on a limb and bought her.
I have always had a fascination with mermaids. I think it started back when I played Magic : The Gathering. Anime, however seems to be lacking in these tauric fish. A few years ago I did manage to snag the Evangelion mermaid figures, and coincidentally I received Ayumi’s mermaid figure the same day as Shirahoshi.
Shirahoshi has a beautiful face. I really mean it. Her blue eyes are very detailed, especially the black detailing in her iris’. Her nose, and mouth have just enough detail to get give her a decent profile. It always bothers me when a character’s nose goes all the way down to its mouth without their being an upper lip. Shirahoshi may not have the most defined lips, but they did high light them with a glossy finish.
Her hair is amazing. The finer lines in her bangs make her hair look very natural. The long tendrils that frame her face have a tapering colour gradient. The hairpin she wears is shaped like a fish. This accessory really compliments her well. The other notable accessories that Shirahoshi wears are her clamshell earrings. These pearly trinkets are very cute.
I am not exactly sure how the physics of this hairstyle work. The two loops that rise up behind her hair clip do not seem to be held there by anything in particular. They are just there. The shading on these pieces look fantastic as well. I can honestly say that the colouring of her pink locks is some of the best I have seen. The main body of her hair cascades down her back. There are several layers of hair here, giving it more body. The longer pieces also taper to transparency. I am especially fond of the frosted finish. The wavy lengths, and curls near the bottom look really nice.
Shirahoshi’s slender neck is shaped well, and ends at a lovely collar-bone. Her breasts are large and well proportioned. I am curious how her sexy golden top is keeping them in there, given the upper strap is floating behind her head. The detail on the shirt itself looks good. The ruffled edge gives it a clamshell appearance. Not exactly a clamshell bikini, but close. Each side has a raised dotted pattern.
The floating strap really puts me in the mind of a hagoromo. They used the transparency technique here as well. The folds in the fabric look very realistic. They did a very nice job on her clothing.
Her torso is really sexy. Not only does she have really nice cleavage, she also has a very delectable belly. Her slim waistline is emphasized by the beaded loin cloth she wears. She also has a great belly button. I don’t know if the loin cloth, and the ruffled belt are the same garment, or just two pieces that are meant to look good together. The creases in the fabric here all look really natural, as the cloth lays over her tail.
Shirahoshi’s back is just as nice to look at as her front. It may be even more appealing. You can see the back strap of her tiny shirt, but other than that her back is virtually bare. Ajiken did a wonderful job sculpting her shoulders, and back muscles.
A bit lower we have the small of her back, and the beginning a very nice backside. Her entire back is absolutely gorgeous, but if there was one single complaint I have about Shirahoshi’s character design would be her butt. On any other girl this would be super sexy, but she is a mermaid, and thus she has no need for butt cheeks. If you imagine her hips to tail ratio, there is virtually no way for her hips to gradually turn into that wide tail.
Speaking of that tail, a very nice tail it is. One of the things that really bothered me about the other three mermaid figures I own is their tails. Ayumi easily has the best torso fading to tail effect of the four, but even she has the issue that bothers me. The other three all have definitive leg muscles, whilst Shirahoshi’s tail actually resembles the tail of a fish, as opposed to a girl cosplaying as a mermaid. Why would a mermaid need thighs, and calves? Her tail does suffer from a problem that is found nowhere else on this figure, the red stripes are not painted well at all. There are places where the colour over laps and appears darker. There are also points where the stripes are crooked.
The fins on the lower portion of her tail have a frosted finish, similar to that on her hair. The edge where the fin connects to the tail is a bit darker, gradually fading out to transparency.
Her end fin is a little plain. It looks good, but could have been done better. The ribbed lines don’t really curve with the fin. They are almost too straight. The fade out of the red paint looks really good though.
Shirahoshi’s right arm is well proportioned to her body. I think her hand might be too big, but it was meant to support Luffy so it can be excused. You can’t really tell when he is in her hand. Another detail that is easily missed, would be her fingernails. Each one is painted a pearly pink shade.
Her left arm is mostly obscured by her hair, but what you can see of it looks good. Her elbow and forearm aren’t quite as defined as her right arm. This hand also looks a bit on the big side. Her nails on this hand, though obscured, are still painted well.
Luffy is almost perfect. His tiny sculpt is amazing. The texture of his straw hat, is great, and the folds in his tiny clothes are just right. He even has tread on the bottom of his sandals. His paint job is done really well, especially on his face. The only flaw on this little guy is a brown spot on his knee. It looks they botched this up while painting his sandal. It almost resembles a bruise.
Shirahoshi’s base is a blue rock, accented with a couple of examples of underwater plant life. They are really cute touches, but none of the three things look very convincing. They do look good with her colours though. The contrasting dark blue looks really good on the base. I am quite a fan of the way it is shaded. It also does an excellent job of supporting the figure. She nestles right down against it. There is even a raised spot to place her lowered hand.
I decided not to review her box, as my local comic shop destroyed mine. I will say it very sturdy, and despite being crushed will protect the figure.
Pros:
The shading used on her is very nice.
Amazing use of transparency.
Great pose.
Her tail is very fishlike.
You can tell small children she is a flesh-eating monster, and about to devour Luffy!
Cons:
Her proportions are slightly off.
The stripes on her tail are a bit sloppy.
Overall Enjoyment: 9/10
Somewhere In The Midst Of Nowhere 