Toybox REVIEW: Meisho Movie Realization Akazonae Royal Guard

Release Date: May 2016

RRP: 8856 yen

While Bandai Tamashii Nations' Meisho Movie Realization line seemed like a brilliant idea right from the get-go, the fact it's managed to last so well over the years is a testament to just how perfect samurai versions of iconic Star Wars characters really is. Admittedly the line so far has been particularly villain-heavy, but when those are the designs that lend themselves to best to that aesthetic who can blame Bandai for sticking to the bad guys. The ranks of the Galactic Empire have been filled out rather nicely with two versions of Darth Vader and a legion of Stormtrooper variants, but for real prestige look no further than the Meisho Movie Realization Akazonae Royal Guard. "Akazonae" translates to "blood-red armour", and specifically refers to the crimson armor worn by famed Sengoku era General Sanada Yukimura. The perfect reference for Emperor Palpatine's elite bodyguards, which are among the figures in the line to have been released as a Tamashii web exclusive.

 

The Akazonae Royal Guard comes packaged in the usual stylish two-piece box that houses all Meisho Movie Realization figures, with the minor (but key) difference that the top half of this one also bears the Tamashii Webshop logo just below the Movie Realization one in the top corner. Interestingly the picture of the figure on the lid is also the Royal Guard with the extra front robe piece attached, which isn't how the figure is generally presented in Bandai's stock images or how it's stored inside the tray. It is however the more familiar look for the Royal Guards, so in that respect it does make perfect sense. One spine also features an appropriately sinister profile shot of the character (making these boxes perfect for bookshelf displays), and the underside features a number of other images of the figure and its various accessories. The shot of it alongside Vader is definitely almost enough to make you want to buy two. Inside you'll find both the figure and accessories neatly spread across a moulded black plastic tray.

Despite the amazing screen presence they have in Return of the Jedi, the Royal Guards didn't really do all that much on screen. Their armour completely hidden behind their crimson robes, other than the force pikes they carried there was absolutely no indication of their armament or abilities. It's only in the expanded universe (particularly Crimson Empire) that the Royal Guards were truly shown as a force to be reckoned with, and it definitely feels like the Movie Realization version owes a bit to what we saw in that 1997 comic. The Akazonae Royal Guard is covered head to toe in deep red body armour, very similar to that seen on the various Stormtroopers that have featured in the line. The chest even features a stylised version of the Imperial insignia, which compliments the black visor nicely and adds a nice breakaway from the overly red body. On top of a beautifully done black wash to bring out all of that moulded detail the design also features some purple sections and detailing around the skirt area - not the first colour you'd necessarily associate with the Guards but appropriately royal and works with the red exceptionally well. The cape at the back is made from a fairly solid piece of plastic, sporting some nice torn detailing at the bottom akin to the Samurai Taisho Darth Vader. But of course the instantly recognisable element to the royal guard is the expressionless tapered helmet, complete with a thin black visor running across it.  Though the Movie Realization version keeps the same idea, the helmet has been altered into a more human-like shape with a thin chin piece stretching out from the bottom. This separates it from the collar piece as well, giving it both more flexibility and practicality. While the Royal Guard may have a similar vibe to the Stormtrooper, the red colouring and helmet definitely help carry the design across as a more elite class of soldier.

The level of articulation has remained steadily consistent across the Movie Realization line, with how posable they are depending more on just how much armour is surrounding all the joints. The Royal Guard features ball joints used in the head, waist, shoulder pads and hips along with ball-jointed swivel hinge shoulders, standard swivel hinge ankles, double hinged elbows and knees and the line's usual variety of single hinge wrists with a ball connection on the end for added mobility. They might not be quite as flexible as Figuarts wrists, but the thick hinge joints add a considerable level of sturdiness so there's no worry of breakage. Due to the Royal Guard helmet design sadly you can't get anywhere near the full amount of mobility you usually would from a ball joint, but the head can tilt from side to side - which is still probably more than the actual suits in Return of the Jedi could manage. The cloak and skirt armour surrounding the hips does restrict a lot of the hips' forward/backward motion, but this is nothing out of the ordinary for the line and those hips still manage to have an impressive amount of lateral movement. While you won't be getting Figuarts-level articulation from these figures, their heavily armoured bodies are still a lot more mobile than you might think.

The Akazonae Royal Guard comes packaged with a short sword with scabbard, a more ornamental version of the force pike the Guards carry in the films and two additional pairs of hands to hold these weapons. The sword is similar to ones that have been included with most of the Movie Realization releases, but comings with a matching blood red scabbard that can clip onto the left hand side of the Guard's belt and sheathe the sword when not in use. The force pike staff has been completely done out in a nice gold paint, and is firm enough not to break when trying to wrap the fingers around it so that the figure can properly grip it (having hot water handy to soften the hands first always helps though). Though the figure can't really grip the pike in the thinner parts and needs support from one of the more open hands at either end, it can successfully be posed either in a standby position or in the midst of melee combat. Though the weapons may be a bit more simple than the detailed variants included with other figures in the line, they are true to the Royal Guards on-screen arsenal and suit the figure perfectly.

But if you'd prefer a more traditional look for your Royal Guard, Bandai have also included an alternate front robe piece that's more in line with their appearance from the films. Simply remove the Imperial symbol from the front of the torso (you'll need to wedge something under it to pry it off but it isn't difficult at all) and peg the robe in its place, tucking the top underneath the collar. The robe is made of the same soft plastic as the back piece so has some bend to it, but on the whole is fairly rigid. However because it only sits at the very front of the body it doesn't actually get in the way of the limbs all that much, so apart from lessening frontward motion in the legs the Guard can still pull off most of the poses it could before. While the Guard may suddenly look more for show and less for action, it's great that Bandai thought to feature the design in both ways with this figure.

While the Meisho Movie Realization line might not be quite as much a staple as the Super Imaginative Chogokin (S.I.C.) line is for Kamen Rider, they both share that same level of imagination that you just don't see on Bandai's more source-material accurate toy lines. You could write paragraph upon paragraph on how well Star Wars blends with the Japanese samurai aesthetic, but words just never properly do it justice. You only have to take one look at the Meisho Movie Realization Akazonae Royal Guard to see how brilliantly it works. The line seemingly never fails to impress, with each figure reimagining the respective character in clever ways while never diverging too far from what makes the original design so memorable in the first place. Whether you prefer yours fully robed or armoured and ready for combat, the Royal Guard is another figure Star Wars fans won't want to miss out on.