Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Jeanne Cobra Genome & Lovekov Kujaku Genome

Release Date: August 2022

RRP: 6930 yen

The Kamen Rider Revice S.H. Figuarts range continues its string of Tamashii Web exclusives, and was naturally going to be the case most of the time for this series it's keeping it in the family. In just a few short years the Reiwa era of the franchise has become notable for raising the prominence and profile of female Kamen Riders, with Sakura Igarashi taking it to even further heights following her debut as Kamen Rider Jeanne. Given her popularity it's no surprise Bandai Tamashii Nations skipped over Kamen Rider Live (who debuted a few episodes earlier in the series) for the time being in order to release S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Jeanne Cobra Genome & Lovekov Kujaku Genome, further adding to the growing collection of female Riders that's amassed in the last few years.

Like the majority of Tamashii Web exclusives S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Jeanne comes packaged in windowless box that's slightly thicker than the norm to accommodate all of the parts inside. The blue and yellow colouring is a perfect match to Jeanne's signature colour scheme, while the Cobra Vistamp symbol alongside the big image of the figure in an action pose makes for quite a striking front. Turn it around and you'll find the usual array of Bandai stock images on the back, showing off the figure in various poses alongside its accessories. Some boxed out images also feature S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Revi and Vice, as the set includes some pieces intended for the them as well. Inside the contents of the box are spread across two plastic trays - a deeper one housing the figure and hands whilst a shallow one is tucked underneath containing the weapon parts.

Continuing Revice's theme of having it's initial supporting Riders themed on the early monsters from the original Kamen Rider series, Kamen Rider Jeanne's suit adopts a cobra motif that is really well integrated into the design. Touches like the orange part of the helmet being based on snake head and then extending out into the ponytail aren't immediately obvious but extremely effective. Bandai have thrown their usual level of high quality into the design, capturing all of the design flourishes and textures of the suit. Those bright blue compound eyes really stand out against the dark blue, black and orange of the main suit, whilst the Libera Driver impresses with its intricate detailing and paintwork. Though not poseable, the ponytail is made of a soft plastic for both lightness and flexibility. While overall it might not go quite as hard as Kamen Rider Demons' spider motif, it still stands out as one of the more striking suit designs in Revice's arsenal.

A martial artist needs a some good articulation to pull off all the posing required, and this another area where Jeanne certainly doesn't disappoint. Altogether the figure features;

- Ball jointed head, neck, torso, waist and wrists

- Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles

- Butterfly joint shoulders

- Double hinged elbows and knees

- Single hinge toe sections

- Bicep and thigh swivels

This poseability is standard across all of the Revice releases however with Jeanne you're obviously dealing with a very different frame, not that it makes any it of difference. It may be smaller and perhaps a little bit thinner but packs just as much punch as any male body, flawlessly pulling off any stance, punching, kicking or even cutesy pose you may have in mind for the figure. The ankle joints may take a little bit of getting used to due to the way the boots are designed, but there's still enough movement in there to keep balance from being an issue.

Kamen Rider Jeanne comes with a fairly impressive selection of accessories, consisting of three pairs of alternate hands, the Kujaku (Peacock) Vistamp, an alternate Libera Driver display with the Kujaku symbol and Lovekov as a pair of tessen (Japanese war fans). These feather-like bladed fans are nicely painted in Jeanne's colours alongside red and silver, with one of the fans also sporting Lovekov's eyes in the centre. What makes them particularly good accessories isn't just the fact they've been really well replicated in figure form, but also just how unique they are. Kamen Riders come with all manner of swords and firearms, but when you get something unique like a pair of tessen they really stand out. The alternate Driver parts might be expected given Figuarts' usual stance on screen accuracy, but everything being nice and easy to swap out (as well as fitting together nice and tightly) makes it all the better. Finally there's the hand selection, consisting of open, weapon holding, posed stance hands and closed fists. Just take note when switching them out that the wrist joints on this figure are a little different than usual - the hands are attached to an extended joint, with the sleeve cuff a separate piece sitting just behind them. It's easy enough to pull the hands off without pulling the cuff along with it though - just make you look where you're pulling.

But as has been the case for all of the Revice releases so far (and most recent-series Kamen Rider and Ultraman figures in general these days), Jeanne also comes with another accessory for the titular character. This time around it's the Revicelasher - a combination of Osutoderuhammer50 and Ohinbuster50 that brings the two together into a giant sword. As well as being wielded by Revi, it is later mass-produced for use by the Kamen Rider Demons Troopers. Both individual weapons were previously included with Kamen Rider Vice and Kamen Rider Evil respectively, but lacked the ability to combine (as usually tends to be the case with the line). But the advantage of a solid piece is you get a nicely proportioned weapon that fits with figure perfectly, and the vibrant metallic paint job is just as sharp as ever. On top of that, the Mammoth Vistamp has also been included as part of the set - giving Revi an even wider selection of alternate Vistamps. While I'm not always the biggest fan of figures including parts for other figures, at least Jeanne also has her own accessories as well. The other Lovekov weapons would have been a better alternative sure, but let's be honest - Bandai aren't usually that generous.

Credit it where it's due the Kamen Rider Revice range has delivered hit after hit so far, but S.H. Figuarts Kamen Rider Jeanne Cobra Genome & Lovekov Kujaku Genome is definitely the best one yet. Even ignoring the significance and impact Jeanne had on the series, this is a phenomenal figure with a great design and articulation to pull off all of Sakura's martial arts poses. The accessory selection is just as great, providing collectors with some unique Kamen Rider weaponry whilst also adding to Revi's own growing little arsenal. Female Riders are finally becoming more prominent and if all of the Figuarts turn out like this they'll dominate shelves as well as television screens.