Toybox REVIEW: ACT MODE Maria Cadenzavna Eve

Release Date: May 2023

RRP: 9500 yen

It may only be a fraction of the size and popularity, but when it comes to the Symphogear franchise the ACT MODE line has Figma beat hands down. Not only did Good Smile Company deliver on all three of the original girls, but then they went the extra mile and released the later three heroines as well - starting with ACT MODE Maria Cadenzavna Eve. Initially an antagonist in Symphogear G alongside Kirika Akatsuki and Shirabe Tsukuyomi before becoming a protagonist for the rest of the series, Maria wields the Airgetlám relic and is a top ranking music idol - often collaborating with fellow Symphogear wielder Tsubasa Kazanari.

As per the previous three releases, ACT MODE Maria Cadenzavna Eve comes in a teal, white and black box that perfectly matches the colour palette of her Gear. Each side of the box shows off the figure in a variety of poses, showing off both the poseability of the figure and her accessories. The front also features a headshot of Maria directly lifted from the anime, alongside the Good Smile Company, ACT MODE and Symphogear GX logos. Open the box up and you'll find the content layout has changed slightly this time around - with only one moulded plastic tray housing the figure and accessories. The display stand parts are now bagged and taped to the back of said tray rather than included in their own separate one.

This is the very first articulated figure of Maria, and like the previous ACT MODE figures is based on her appearance from the third entry in the franchise - Symphogear GX. Her Gear is primarily white, with flourishes of silver, blue, red and silver as well as long teal stockings. It's a very clean design which Good Smile Company have nailed brilliantly with the sculpting - the proportions are perfect and Maria feels like she's leapt straight out of the anime. One thing that was immediately noticeable alongside the other figures is also that Maria is a little bit chunkier than previous releases - something that's not only in-keeping with the scale between the characters but also makes for a sturdier figure. While there are still some pieces of the armour that may pop off from time to time, that's just the nature of the design. Better they pop off every now and again when posing than be glued on and snap off entirely.

Articulation is largely similar to that of the previous ACT MODE figures, with perhaps some minor adjustments made along the way. The build is also very similar to that of a Figma release, and consists of;

- Ball jointed head, hair pieces (x4), torso, waist and hips

- Swivel hinge shoulders

- Hinged elbows, knees and ankles

The hip attachments (along with the tailcoat piece on Maria's right-hand side) are also connected via peg joint to give them some individual rotation movement parallel to the legs. Those previously mentioned "adjustments" mainly refer to the individually ball jointed hair pieces, which are far more manageable than previous releases and can lift/move out of the way of the head/torso really well. For a design that has quite a lot of design flourishes, not only can it pose really well but also balance surprisingly well given those thin, high-heeled feet. All except the left arm that is, which really brings the poseability of this figure down. The shoulder guard that is completely glued down to her upper left arm absolutely kills the outward shoulder movement, severely limiting what that arm has to offer. Whatever route they'd gone about it the left arm would have had significantly less movement than the right, but at least a floating ball joint (or at the very least making the guard a separate, removable component) could have alleviated it a bit. It's a shame as it puts a damper on what's otherwise a pretty impressive figure given the design.

After the previous two ACT MODE figures really impressed with their accessory counts, Maria is more along the lines of Hibiki in having far more limited extra parts. That isn't to say what's been included here isn't good though, which consists of two pairs of alternate hands (closed fists and weapon holding hands, complimenting the default open pair), two alternate faceplates (smiling and shouting), knife, sword and chain sword. The standard ACT MODE articulated display stand is also included with the set, sporting three articulated display arms to hold both Maria and her weaponry. Both the sword and knife are very nicely moulded and painted, fitting into the figure's hands well. But of course this is Symphogear so the more over the top the weapon is the better, so naturally both pale in comparison to the chain sword. Identical in design and colour to the other weapons, the chain sword is connected together at four different points - allowing for a fantastic range of movement for display and posing. Although additional stand arms have been provided to support the chain sword, its lightweight build and tight joints means it's perfectly capable of free-floating despite its impressive length. 

It's worth noting that while there aren't any big pieces included in this accessory count, a separated Armed Gear set has since been released with additional accessories for Maria, Kirika and Shirabe. While admittedly these parts are fairly sizeable, given the amount of accessories Chris and Tsubasa came with it doesn't seem too unrealistic to think they all could have just come with these parts in the first place.

This line has been a joy for Symphogear fans who have waited for years for some of these characters to get articulated figures, and it's amazing to see that they were enough of a success for Good Smile to carry on the cast with ACT MODE Maria Cadenzavna Eve. While the subtle improvements here and there to improve the build quality of these figures definitely hasn't gone unnoticed, it's a shame that there are a few flaws that hold Maria back from perfection. The minimal articulation in the left arm being the biggest, but the smaller accessory count and slightly higher price tag (at least in comparison to the other figures) are definitely factors too. Nevertheless given that this is Maria's first articulated figure and at one point we didn't even know we'd get this in the first place, it could have gone a lot worse.