Toybox REVIEW: BUZZmod Yoko

Release Date: June 2024

RRP: 10,909 yen

Aniplex have been making quite a name for themselves in the world of articulated anime figures with their BUZZmod line, especially last year when they did what no other company has done for the last 15 years and made a poseable Kamina figure. But of course you can't just start making Gurren Lagann figures and then stop at one, so in 2024 they've followed it up with BUZZmod Yoko. Arguably the poster child for Gurren Lagann when it comes to character merchandise, Yoko was the obvious next step when it came to expanding the range – and hopefully it won't stop there.

Yoko comes in standard BUZZmod packaging, the box almost identical to Kamina's other than the use of pink accents instead of red and of course the name/images used. The front of the box is mostly taken up with the window showing off the figure, with a nice cut-off image of Yoko in the bottom corner. Both sides of the box simply have the BUZZmod and Gurren Lagann logos, so you have to look to the back of the box to find more images showing the figure off in various poses. Inside Yoko and all her accessories neatly fit on a single moulded plastic tray.

When it comes to both poseable anime girls and Yoko figures in general there's a lot more to compare with here than there was with Kamina, but nevertheless BUZZmod's Yoko immediately stands out with a great sculpt which gets all the proportions pretty spot on to the animation model. There are some weird touches to the sculpt that take some getting used to though, such as the top of her shorts being moulded onto the belt which is in turn a separate piece. This means posing her hips requires a little bit of tweaking to making sure the belt piece sits right, but when done properly works quite well. As is usual for the BUZZmod line the figure features a single use of soft goods, and in this case its Yoko's thigh-high socks that have been replicated in bright pink fabric. While some might think that this one instance of soft goods might have been better suited for her scarf, personally I think it works a lot better here. All of the joint cuts in the leg are completely hidden, and the solid colours of the socks look more consistent than the stripped pattern of the scarf would. The plastic scarf also works perfectly fine, wrapping around Yoko's neck nicely whilst also leaving plenty of room to dip the chin inside. Even some of the more fragile aspects of Yoko's design have been considered, with the sticks in her hair slightly thickened (though not so much to stray away from the original design) and made from a more flexible plastic to hopefully avoid breakage.

Of all the Gurren Lagann cast Yoko is the one who's received the most articulated figures over the years, the most accessible of which was the Revoltech Fraulein one from 2008 (slightly revised the following year). Comparatively while the Revoltech version is slightly larger (and considerably more affordable), the BUZZmod figure sports far better proportions (in more ways than one) and a much softer look when it comes to the face sculpt that's far more suited to the character design. Given both its age and how inflexible Revoltech can be when it comes to articulation/engineering the BUZZmod figure far outclasses in that respect as well, with joints that are far less clunky and offer a far smooth range of movement. While Yoko wasn't quite in desperate need of a new articulated figure the same way Kamina (or any other member of the Gurren Lagann cast for that matter) was, this is still one hell of an upgrade.

Undoubtedly looks are a big part of what gives BUZZmod figures their charm but they are similarly impressive when it comes to articulation as well, with Yoko featuring;

- Ball jointed head, neck, ponytail, torso, breasts, waist, hips and shins 

- Double swivel hinge shoulders 

- Swivel hinge wrists and ankles 

- Ball hinge elbows and knees 

- Single hinge toe sections 

- Thigh swivels

To sum it all up quickly you have a lot of really smooth movement here that makes posing an absolute dream, but when you look at the figure more closely there are some interesting aspects that aren't quite the standard for a figure of this kind. The most obvious of course being those ball jointed boobs. Yes it's hilarious, but as far as posing is concerned it's a simple yet novel way to make sure the torso has the right range of movement whilst also keeping Yoko's infamous physical trait intact. Despite having the socks completely cover all the joints the legs don't have any less poseability than they would had the socks been painted on instead. At a push you could perhaps argue that the thick ponytail is a little heavy for the neck at times, but the ball joint connection means it's fairly flexible in getting it to rest in a way that suits both the neck and keeps the figure balanced. Genuinely this figure is an absolute dream to pose – I don't know how or what Aniplex have done but there's something about these BUZZmod figures that just makes them feel so much more expressive even though they aren't that fundamentally different to rivals like Figma or S.H. Figuarts.

Aniplex have also kindly provided Yoko with a great selection of accessories, which while admittedly are nothing completely out of the ordinary help make the figure even more expressive. Altogether she comes with four additional face plates (smiling with eyes to the side, shouting, open-mouth smile and pouting), five additional hands (a pair of closed fists, a pair of open hands with splayed fingers and a gun-holding/trigger finger right hand), an alternate front hair piece with glasses, an alternate breast plate, her rifle, an alternate barrel piece for the rifle with attached blast effect and two straps pieces for the rifle of varying sizes. Getting the obvious out of the way first – yes this figure comes with swappable boobs. It feels just as ridiculous as it sounds, but actually comes in handy when it comes to posing. The alternate breast plate has the boobs pushed closer together, given the shoulders/arms better clearance for posing which makes a HUGE difference when posing her with rifle. Honestly the only dud among the bunch is the shorter rifle strap meant for display whilst the rifle is being used, as it's hard to properly fit over the area it goes and then plug the front and back ends of the rifle back in. That said, it looks just as good without the strap attached so it's hardly essential for a good pose. More importantly the longer strap is just the right length for slinging the rifle across Yoko's back without having to force it into place or feeling like the strap is going to snap. The rifle itself is the right scale to the figure itself and nicely detailed, fitting into the designated right hand comfortably and not too heavy that the arm joints can't hold up its weight. The alternate effect piece barrel is a brilliant addition to the accessories, with the translucent blue blast coming out of it a great representation of how it looks in the show. But for all the praise I have for the rifle it's the alternate face plates that are the real highlight of the accessories, adding so much more personality to the figure. The standard smiling/shouting faces look great, but that pouting face is the clear winner of the bunch. Together with the alternate hairpiece (which features clear plastic glasses so that the eyes can be seen through them), there is a lot of variety offered here when it comes to posing/display.

As was the case with Kamina, it's true that BUZZmod Yoko is an expensive figure for what she is but at the same time Aniplex are really showing they're a force to be reckoned with when it comes to this line. Sure she can be a little fiddly at times, but the sculpt is so precise that almost any pose oozes a level of personality rarely seen in a figure of this kind. The soft goods socks are also an inspired choice, hiding the leg articulation perfectly whilst creating a much cleaner look for the figure and more importantly not hindering that all-important movement in any way. Yoko is the perfect companion piece to Kamina, and though Kamina may the more special release in terms of quality and execution Yoko definitely comes out on top. My only hope now is that BUZZmod don't end the Gurren Lagann line here (at the time of writing no other figures have even been teased, let alone confirmed), because Simon, Nia and Viral deserve this kind of treatment as well.