Toybox REVIEW: HELLO! GOOD SMILE Panty & Stocking with See-Through

Release Date: July 2024

RRP: 6500 yen

In 2021 Good Smile Company launched the HELLO! GOOD SMILE line - a range of affordable figures from numerous franchises that all followed a distinct chibi style. This style comes from Shigeto Koyama, a prolific designer who's worked across a number of productions for both Gainax and Trigger (as well as designing Baymax from the Big Hero 6 movie). And if you're thinking this particular style looks familiar, then it's because it also matches the art style from Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt's iconic end sequence. But despite having run successfully now for four years, it is only now with the advent of New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt that these characters are now joining the line. In addition to individual releases of Panty and Stocking themselves, a special HELLO! GOOD SMILE Panty & Stocking with See-Through set has also been produced - with an early release at Anime Expo before being sold exclusively through the Good Smile Company website.

The HELLO! GOOD SMILE Panty & Stocking with See-Through set comes packaged in a bright pink windowless box matching the colour of pair's signature convertible, the front of which features a big "HELLO! GOOD SMILE" logo along the top and then an illustrated image of the set just below it together with the set's name. Right away you can see just how close these figures are to the ending animations from the series, with the image genuinely looking like it was lifted from the anime itself. Each side of the box features a front on image of See-Through (one side with the Anarchy sisters seated inside, one without) alongside its angel wing insignia and the HELLO! GOOD SMILE logo again. Finally the back of the box features a nice big illustration of the sisters rolling into action, complete with appropriate "RRRRR" onomatopoeia behind them. Inside each component of the set is neatly stored on the moulded plastic tray, with individual stands for each of the figures also bagged and taped to the back of the tray.

The HELLO! GOOD SMILE figures are around 10cm tall, making them roughly the same height as Nendoroids. Despite their incredibly low price tag (the individual figures are 2000 yen each), the quality of these figures certainly isn't any lesser, having that same smooth soft plastic feel that Nendoroids do. And although it took all these years for them to be produced, it couldn't be more clear that the HELLO! GOOD SMILE line was made for Panty & Stocking. While there are some slight differences here and there simply by way of them translating the designs to 3D models, Panty nevertheless has a fantastic likeness to the onscreen models used in the ED sequences for both seasons of the show. The more pastel colours and blue eyes give them a slightly closer likeness to the ones in the New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt ED, but that vacant expression is instantly recognisable to the original series'. It's also worth noting that despite both figures being available separately, the ones included in the See-Through set are actually variants. Whereas the individual release Panty has green earrings to match her appearance in New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt, the two-pack version has the red earrings from the first season. It might only be a little change but the difference doesn't go unnoticed - it's nice both to get something a bit more exclusive within this set, and representation from the first season should collectors have a preference and aren't planning to pick up the individual ones as well.

As with Panty, Stocking is presented here in her signature outfit - this goth lolita number also being the one she wears in the end sequences. Again it's a fantastic likeness to the animation whilst also fitting in perfectly with the rest of the HELLO! GOOD SMILE figure line. Once again this figure is also a variant to the standard edition, though the sole difference is a lot more obvious this time round. On this two-pack version Stocking's distinct two-tone hair only comes down to shoulder length, whereas the single pack version it comes down to a more screen-accurate ankle length. Initially I assumed this was so that this version could fit into See-Through without the hair getting in the way, but after going back and rewatching the original series ED this is actually how Stocking appears in that sequence. So once again Good Smile have strived for season one accuracy with this variant, albeit in a way that you might not have expected. Other than that though the figure itself is exactly the same, capturing all those core details in a simplified fashion.

Admittedly Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt doesn't have a lot of options when it comes to poseable figures (and certainly no affordable ones at the moment), but if that's what you're looking for then sadly these HELLO! GOOD SMILE figures aren't for you. Each figure has a single point of articulation - a ball jointed neck that allows their heads to move side to side just as they do in the original ending sequence. Even though that's probably just a coincidence since the line's a few years old now, it's a fun little trait nonetheless. Each figure also comes with a clear plastic display disc that they can plug onto, which is necessary for posing as they (like most Nendoroids) are unable to support their own weight.

But with both sisters available individually undoubtedly the main draw of this set is See-Through itself, which is far bigger than I could have expected from simply looking at the images on the Good Smile Company website. But giant hunk of plastic it may be, the moulding and detailing is near perfect. While naturally it's a more simplified than the key art for the vehicle, it matches the more dynamic shots featured in the anime really well. All of the cartoony angles of the design are exactly as they should be, as are the pastel colours. Despite being "cartoony" all of the detailing on See-Through is present, from the grate and angel wing insignia on the bonnet to the head/tail lights and all the small bits of moulded detailing along the sides. That said, this only really applies to the exterior of the car - there's no steering wheel or any seat detailing on the inside, it's just a flat baseplate. That said, See-Through doesn't have a steering wheel in the ED sequence either so it totally works for this release. It's a really nice piece even without the Panty and Stocking figures to go with it - a nice chunky piece of plastic that justifies the set's price tag.

Both figures fit comfortably into See-Through via pegs identical to those on the individual stands. Although technically either figure can fit on either side of the car, Panty is the one frequently shown in the driver's seat (despite the lack of steering wheel here) so that's how I've placed her in the photos. From there the car's only real feature is the four free-rolling wheels, which despite not being much is still more than I expected from something that's ultimately just a very elaborate display base.

The HELLO! GOOD SMILE Panty & Stocking with See-Through set isn't the usual kind of figures you'd find me reviewing, or even buying for that matter. Being cheap, non-poseable figures that all adhere to a specific style, in many ways the HELLO! GOOD SMILE isn't really all that different to the likes of Funko Pops. However when it comes to actual execution the two lines are lightyears apart, and for Panty & Stocking the style is all the more significant because it's something that originates from the show itself. It's hard to believe it's taken 15 years for Panty and Stocking figures to be made in this style, and even harder to believe that the line they've been produced in has existed for four years before they happened. Despite being purely display items, these are arguably some of the coolest Panty & Stocking figures out there - and the inclusion of See-Through makes this a must-have set for diehard fans of the series. New Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt has already come out swinging in regards to merchandise and we're only few episodes into the series.