Friday 9 August 2013

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Akiba Yellow (Season Tsuu Ver.)

SH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Season 2 Tsuu Akibaranger Bandai

Didn't we see this figure back in August last year? Well yes, we did - only know we can enjoy S.H. Figuarts Akiba Yellow in glorious Akibaranger Season 2 edition! Yumeria Moegi is back, newly married and now going by her real name of Yuko Yokoyama. Once again Akiba Yellow has been lucky enough to receive a mass release, only this time sharing the same July 2013 release month as Akiba Blue rather than coming a month later.

SH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Season 2 Tsuu Akibaranger Bandai

SH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Season 2 Tsuu Akibaranger BandaiSH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Season 2 Tsuu Akibaranger Bandai

Akiba Yellow follows the same packaging pattern as the previous two releases from Akibaranger Season 2, featuring plenty of images of the "new" costume. As promised, I can now also give a vague idea of what the text printed on the box says! While I still don't have any idea what it says specifically, my Japanese-speaking friend has informed me that Red and Blue's were descriptions of their characters, so I assume the same can be said here.

SH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Season 2 Tsuu Akibaranger Bandai

SH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Season 2 Tsuu Akibaranger BandaiSH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Season 2 Tsuu Akibaranger Bandai

One of the best things about the Akibaranger girls is how Blue and Yellow aren't simply just the same figure in different colours. Sure the overall body might be the same, but the considerably different helmets and different skirt types (Yellow's is a more traditional style one as opposed to Blue's cut skirt) make them feel a lot more different than they actually are. The clashing yellow, black and white colours really make for an effective and striking design, making Akiba Yellow the one that brings out the best in the overall design. Unfortunately the skirt does hinder some of the leg articulation, but Bandai made sure to make it out of two pieces so it does have a little bit of flexibility.

SH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Season 2 Tsuu Akibaranger BandaiSH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Season 2 Tsuu Akibaranger Bandai

Like Akiba Blue the differences between this figure and the season one edition are small, but noticeable. The most obvious difference is the new helmet, which swaps out the twin pigtails for ribbon buns. It's a small change, but I was surprised to realise how much more mature it makes the overall suit. - which is kind of fitting for Yuko's newfound status as a married woman. Speaking of which, the second change can be found under the skirt - quite literally, as the kanji for "married woman" is now printed on her suit panties.

SH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Season 2 Tsuu Akibaranger Bandai

SH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Season 2 Tsuu Akibaranger BandaiSH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Season 2 Tsuu Akibaranger Bandai

Akiba Yellow may share the same standard accessory set as her teammate, but this still feels like a massive step up from what the season one version came with. Included are 10 different hands, 2 swappable muffler pieces and the MMZ-01 weapon in doll and gun modes. One minor gripe I have is that I wish the figure came with a peace sign for the left hand to made it a little more varied from the original release, but there are a few brand new hands bundled with this release. Sadly not as many as Akiba Blue (who came with 14 hands) which is a shame - Yuko is just as expressive a character as Luna is and the original was pretty short on dynamic hands too.

SH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Akibaranger Dairen BomberSH Figuarts Akiba Yellow Akibaranger Dairen Bomber

As an added bonus, Akiba Yellow also comes packaged with the remaining Inordinate Power for season two - the Dairen Bomber. This Dairanger themed hand-rifles can be combined into a larger cannon that (in the show) fires a replica of the Dairangers Qi-Power Bomber attack. The guns are nicely detailed, but are however an absolute nightmare to get a figure to hold properly.

SH Figuarts Akibaranger Inordinate Bazooka BandaiSH Figuarts Akibaranger Inordinate Bazooka Bandai

With three new weapons in hand, that can only mean one things - Inordinate Power combination time! Season two's weapon is the Inordinate Bazooka, which is a much thinner ultimate weapon than season one's offering. The weapons are quite easy to put together (and if you get stuck a guide is included with Akiba Blue), however once again its a nightmare to get figures to hold properly. The best way to go about it is to put the hands on the Dairen Bomber, connect the hands to the figure and build the bazooka around it.

But that's not all, as fans of the show will know that these three Inordinate Powers can also be combined with those from season one (Deka Red's Deka Wapper, Bouken Red's Bouken Scooper and Red Hawk's Jet Winger) to form the wonderfully named Inordinate Cannon Bazooka! As the first full-sized combinable weapon to appear in the Super Sentai Figuarts range (and any that follow aren't going to be this big), the Cannon Bazooka is a really impressive piece. Getting the three figures to support its weight by themselves will be no easy task, so have a Tamashii stage on standby ready to give it some extra support.

SH Figuarts Akibaranger Inordinate Cannon Bazooka BandaiSH Figuarts Akibaranger Inordinate Cannon Bazooka Bandai

While I found the original Akiba Yellow to be a better figure over all than the season 1 Blue, I don't feel the same way the second time around. Maybe it's just because a lot more effort went into the Blues to make one feel like Mitsuki and the other Luna, but here it does just feel like a lot more of the same. If you already own the season 1 Yellow, it would be difficult to recommend this figure - the new headsculpt is a lot nicer, but is it enough to make it worth buying the figure twice? It all comes down to how much you want the Dairen Bomber really - it's a hefty accessory, and absolutely integral to forming two different ultimate weapons. And you'll be hard pressed to get it on its own anywhere, so my advice is to just suck it up. Akiba Yellow is still a great figure, so why not own two?

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