Ikoku Meiro no Croisée wasn't the most popular show when it aired, which is a shame. Questionable historical accuracy aside, it was a pretty show with some memorable characters. However, I admit that I probably wouldn't have enjoyed it so much if it weren't for the sweetness of the main character Yune, now available in Nendoroid form!
The box that she comes in is a bit bigger than the standard Nendoroid box to accommodate the top part of her parasol, which you can clearly see in the pictures of the font of the box and the blister packaging. She comes with the standard two extra faceplates, some alternate arms for extra poses (specifically including the pose where she can hold the parasol) as well as some other items specific to her character that I'll cover below. Randomly, she has no extra legs, but this is not a problem as they're pretty much impossible to pose under her kimono anyway.
All of you are probably tired of hearing me say this, but it's true; Yune is adorable right out of the box. The nature of her character translates really well on the smaller scale. Look at that smiling face!
Yune's base has the usual arm stand that plugs into the back of her kimono sash. I had a bit of trouble plugging the arm stand into the actual base, since it was covered with hexagon holes of various sizes and the peg at the bottom of the stand was round. I'm not sure what happened here. I got it to work eventually though, and it holds Yune quite securely.
But back to the figure itself! To the best of my knowledge, Yune is the first Nendoroid in a full kimono, and for the most part, it's quite nice! There are a few problems in the mass-production though, which you can see in the closer shots I took above.
The flowers (and I think the leaves too, but I'm not completely sure) are decals, which isn't a problem in and of itself, but some where applied off-center, making the white backgrounds stand out a little too much. There's also a big green smudge on one of her arms where apparently some leaves used to be. I think that has to do with some factory mishandling, since it was like that before I took the plastic off of her. There are also some slightly-off paint applications that are pretty much standard for any mass produced figure; around the internet I saw it on some faceplates, but mine simply had a little mark on the top of her obi and some paint bleed on one of her shoes, neither of which are deal-breakers.
Despite the flaws, I'm still impressed with the kimono body. Being able to replicate Yune's traditional clothing with that level of detail is fantastic regardless of manufacturing errors. Also, the kimono itself is quite versatile since Yune doesn't have much articulation. I forgot to take a picture of it myself, but the entire thing can disassemble to allow for the optional parts that Yune comes with.
The first extra is a folded lower half so that Yune can do the kneeling pose. You can't really see it at the angle I took the picture at, but I wasn't able to get the piece to fit all the way, so there's a big gap between the piece and the obi. Looking around the internet, it doesn't seem like anyone else has this problem, so I'm chalking this one up to my own paranoia about accidentally breaking figures since it required a lot of force just to get it on and off...
The next accessories are an apron and her headscarf! Too bad she didn't come with a broom or something. The headscarf is a separate piece that snaps on and off the back of her head pretty easily. It didn't seem like there would be any danger of paint transfer, but I didn't leave it on her for very long so your mileage may vary.
She also comes with her book, which should be familiar to those who have seen the series. There's a specific hand piece made to hold the book as well. It's a blank red book until you put the sticker on it for the cover. I was a little disappointed here since it looked like the print on the sticker was cut off somehow, making it very obvious where the sticker ends once it's on the book. Nevertheless, it's still a cute pose.
There are also her alternate faceplates, which are my favorite parts after her kimono! Once again, Yune is completely adorable. Her upset/sad face really gets to me. And the shocked/surprised faceplate is hilarious and fully exploitable for other Nendoroids.
Finally, here's her parasol! The top and the handle are top separate parts that join securely. There are also nubs on the handle that attach to hand pieces specifically for holding the parasol. I can't get it to stay in place for very long though, since by Nendoroid standards this is a pretty heavy accessory to hold up. It takes some trial and error, but when you do pull it off it creates quite the effect. The overall design in simple, but I'm quite fond of it. I'm really glad that the designers and sculptors decided to go the extra mile to give her such a fitting accessory.
While Ikoku Meiro no Croisée isn't a very popular show, this Nendoroid has been getting some buzz within the figure community for her cute looks and kimono (since her head can easily be swapped out with other characters to "wear" the kimono) so if you want her, now is a great time to get her. Post-release values for her have been kind to collectors so far, generally putting her below her original price. While mine had some manufacturing errors, I love her character and the extra love put into her accessory lineup, so I'm pretty happy with her. I recommend her to anyone who enjoyed the show and/or her character, or for someone who is looking for an extra outfit for their Nendoroids. Images by me.
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