Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Monkey D. Luffy -Romance Dawn-

Release Date: August 2024

RRP: 4400 yen

One Piece's grand return to S.H. Figuarts was one of the line's biggest moments last year, but with the franchise celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2024 Bandai Tamashii Nations had only just started cooking. As well as continuing their range of modern-era figures based on the Wano saga and beyond, Bandai are also going to back to very beginning to revisit the Straw Hat Pirates as they first appeared all those years ago. And kicking off this new "Romance Dawn" subline of figures is of course the captain himself – S.H. Figuarts Monkey D. Luffy -Romance Dawn-! Much like the previous Raid on Onigashima release, this Luffy comes with a slightly cheaper price tag to encourage fans to set sail with a brand new collection of figures.

Despite jumping back to a much earlier chapter in One Piece history S.H. Figuarts Monkey D. Luffy -Romance Dawn- sports the same style box as the rest of the current releases – a white background with a red image overlay and bold black text. On the front of the box is a nice big image of the figure alongside the transparent window, with boxed-off images of the figure on one of the sides against that strong red background. On the back you'll then find the usual selection of stock images showing the figure off in various poses, and then inside both the figure and accessories are neatly laid out on their moulded plastic tray. Instructions for how to swap the parts are printed on both inside side flaps of the box rather than a separate paper sheet. Interestingly, the Romance Dawn Luffy has been packaged with his hat off whilst the Raid on Onigashima version was packaged with it on.

As the name suggests this version of Luffy is based on his appearance during the Romance Dawn arc, which is the very first story arc of the anime and manga. That said the figure is basically Luffy in his most iconic pre-timeskip costume – the red waistcoat and blue shorts. The figure reuses elements of the Raid on Onigashima release (namely the head and legs), along with a new torso. Though admittedly a relatively simple costume Bandai have done a fantastic job bringing this version of Luffy to life in the line, with vibrant colours on the clothing as well as a rubbery soft plastic waistcoat for extra flexibility. The hat is the same sculpt as the previous version but remains nonetheless impressive, with all the appropriate texturing and even Nami's repair work after Buggy damaged it following their first encounter. While there isn't a whole lot to talk about in terms of look, its more because Bandai didn't really get anything wrong here.

Using similar body parts to the Raid on Onigashima version means this version of Luffy is much the same when it comes to articulation, featuring the following; 

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

- Swivel hinge shoulders, hips and ankles 

- Double hinge elbows and knees 

- Single toe sections Bicep swivels 

There is however one major difference between the two, and it’s proof that from time to time Bandai do listen to feedback and make improvements where necessary. This time around to compensate for the way Luffy's shorts hang over his knee joints, Bandai have built moveable parts into the back of the sculpt that slide up when the joint is bent. This gives the Romance Dawn version the full range of motion in the knees that the Onigashima version so sorely lacked. A simple yet elegant solution. The costume differences also facilitate so some slight differences in articulation too, such as the shoulder joints being fully exposed and the ab crunch present on the previous release being completely removed here on the new stomach piece. The lack of the usual butterfly shoulder movement is slightly disappointing, but there's still plenty of flexibility in the arms that's again helped by the lack of sculpted on top. The sandals being fixed to only the toe sections of the feet continues to be a really nice touch, not only making poses look a lot more natural but also helping with balance as well. While the changes from the previous release may be minimal, it's amazing how big of a difference they make to both the posing and enjoyment of the figure.

Another step up from the previous version is that despite being the same price, this Luffy actually has a somewhat reasonable selection of accessories! Altogether he comes with his iconic straw hat, alternate head and hair pieces to use with said hat, three additional faceplates (open mouth grin, angry screaming and eating), six additional hands (two pairs of open hands, a pointing right hand and an accessory holding left hand) and finally Luffy's one true love – a big hunk of meat. Said meat is your standard cartoony piece on the bone, which fits into Luffy's hand by removing the bottom bone piece so that it can slot into the hand and then be reattached. While it's no substitute for a stretchy limb or two, it does at least give Luffy something beyond the basics. The face selection here is great and gives the figure a nice range of expressions, but even better is the fact that all of the pieces here are cross-compatible with the Raid on Onigashima Luffy (as well as all the extra faceplates for him released with other figures). This means your timeskip Luffy can have his meat as well, while the Romance Dawn version can use that hilariously over the top shocked face. Bandai have also tweaked the head-swapping a little here as well, with the neck joints now fully built into the back of each head rather than a separate joint piece that needs to be slotted in and out. Again it’s a very small difference, but it's one that contributes to this being a much more straightforward figure to handle. 

Naturally some collectors will be disappointed that once again Luffy is deprived of stretchy limbs, which shouldn't be all that surprising given the price tag but at the same time is a little frustrating given it's his main physical attribute. Even the original Luffy figure from 2010 came with a giant fist piece. But fear not, as Bandai have very recently revealed a Gum Gum Option Parts set, which will not only include various stretchy limbs compatible with the Romance Dawn and (in the case of the legs) Raid on Onigashima figures but also a rather nifty Gum Gum Gattling effect and (finally) an alternate hat which Luffy can wear on his back. It's due for a February 2025 release and costs 4950 yen, which despite being more expensive than Luffy himself will at least bring the figure far closer to perfection.

S.H. Figuarts Monkey D. Luffy -Romance Dawn- is a definite improvement over the Raid on Onigashima version however Bandai's tactics around accessories still prevent it from being a perfect release. The new faceplates and meat are all great, but a Luffy without some sort of extended limb (no matter the price tag) just doesn’t feel right. At the very least there's confirmation Bandai will be rectifying the forthcoming optional parts set, that's still a bit of a while off and an extra cost that's almost equivalent to the figure itself. So while both Luffys may be among S.H. Figuarts' cheaper offerings, the "perfect" Luffy figure comes at a much higher cost. Returning to One Piece's roots is the perfect way for the line to celebrate the show's 25th anniversary though, and with Nami's release imminent and plenty of other releases scheduled for early 2025 this range of pre-time skip figures might be the line's best attempt at One Piece yet.