Subdued Figures: Nendoroid Naegi Makoto Review

The first figure review of the year! I don't know about you guys, but parts of my 2013 kinda sucked, so I'm trying to bring in some extra good luck wherever I can. I think I'm starting off on the right foot with my first Nendoroid of the new year, Naegi from Dangan Ronpa!

   
Also known as Super High School Level Good Luck, Naegi is the main character of the anime adaptation and the protagonist of the first video game. For those of you who may not know the setup for Dangan Ronpa, think Phoenix Wright trapped a high school run by a sadistic bear who is voiced by Doraemon. And yes, it is just as crazy as that sounds. Naegi and his classmates are told that they must murder one of their own if they want to escape the school, but they also have to make it the perfect crime. A trial takes place after each murder, giving the other students the chance to guess the culprit. If they guess wrong, the murderer goes free and the rest of them are killed. But if they guess right, only the murder has to answer for their crimes. Naegi falls into the role of investigator after the first murder, and, in true protagonist fashion, insists that there must be a way for them to all get out alive. Heavy stuff for such a cute figure!

 
Naegi has a pretty simple design, especially compared to some of the other characters from Dangan Ronpa, but the unique features came out very well in Nendoroid form. The decals on the front of his jacket and on his hood are very clear and accurate considering their size. I was also very impressed with the painting on his zipper, since usually small details like that have smudging and paint bleeding on Nendoroids. Not in this case! It was perfect all the way around, even on the back of his hood. I'm also in love with the gradient on his hair. That's not natural shadow, that's painted on. It looks amazing.

Naegi is shocked that the anime cut out so many investigation scenes

As with most recent Nendoroid releases, Naegi doesn't have a lot of accessories, but since the overall quality is so good, I can't say that I really mind. Aside from the special accessories (which I'll get to below) and the faceplates (neutral, shocked, and yelling), Naegi has an extra set of bent arms, one arm specifically for a "thinking" pose, and a few extra sets of hands along with a pointing finger. The main idea seems to be that the Nendoroid is able to replicate some of the more memorable poses from Naegi's in-game art.

You've got that wrong!

However, they do pale in comparison to Naegi's main accessory, focused around recreating his catchphrase. The stand itself is pretty simplistic; it doesn't attach to the Nendoroid base, so you can angle it however you like. The sides of it seem to be designed to connect with others to make a circle, like the trial room is in the series... Maybe it's a sign that they're planning on making more Dangan Ronpa Nendoroids? Anyway, the other effect piece has the phrase itself, held up by a surprisingly sturdy piece of thin plastic that you can move in nearly all directions. Together with Naegi, it makes quite the impact!


While he doesn't come with a lot in the box, Naegi joins the recent lineup of Nendoroids that don't have many extras but are pretty high quality for their price point. I love what GSC did with the courtroom stand and the word bubble. If this means that future Nendoroids will focus more around character or series-specific items rather than tons of arms and hands, I'm all for that. This Nendoroid also feels accurate to Naegi's character, even considering the "cute" esthetic that the line goes for. I highly recommend him to fans of the series, especially since the stand hints that GSC is considering making more. I will hold out hope for Winter WonFest! Please announce Kirigiri

Images by me.