First off, I’ll start by saying I am not a fan of Hello Kitty. Yes it’s adorable and whatnot but I see really nothing in it so I don’t concern myself with their merchandise. However the project entitled in Japanese Hello Kitty to Issho! has gained my interest with the puzzle games coming out and the unique female characters in each, entitled “Kittylers.”
This figure is one of them, and her name is Kei. Kei had a previously made figure which sold very well and made Sanrio decide to make another one of her, hence the “Part 2” in the title.
The front of the box is quite awkward with the splatter wall and chain link fence while bejeweled music notes float in thin air. There’s a large opening to display the figure with its name displayed on the right and the project name at the bottom.
The rest of the box is much more beautiful, with pretty illustrations of Kei, including the one the figure is based off.
Now to assure you bought an authentic product make sure there’s a Sanrio sticker put on all the Kei figures. The real thing also comes with an instructional guide (in Japanese of course) on how to affix the guitar case on the handle and keep the figure standing.
And now for the actual product…….
…….Beautiful.
On the subject of putting the figure together it’s a bit odd. Making Kei stand requires some serious pushing, but once she’s broken in she’s easy to move and remove. Putting the guitar on the handle goes against every single collector instinct I have. The handle and guitar are made of hard unflexible plastic so I begin softly in fear I might break something only to hold my breath, recite a silent prayer to the figure Gods, and jam it in there. I’m just glad it popped in perfectly the first time I did that. I will never remove the guitar case as long as I have the figure. When it comes to positioning the guitar case you could have the case stand at an odd angle and it won’t budge, also if you move it it smoothly glides. When it comes to the hand with the handle it’s pretty odd. When you look at it you can see it look square and the handle is just stuck in there. There’s also some of the skin’s paint on the handle, nothing really noticeable until you look. Despite it’s plainness the guitar case is quite beautiful, and looks very smooth and polished, I couldn’t think of a nicer one myself.
The most captivating part of this figure is all the detail that went into the simple clothes she’s wearing. Her beautiful red jacket is stunningly tinged perfectly with shades of dark red in all the right places, her blouse has folds that seem natural, and her layered skirt has dark shadows accentuating its texture. They also managed to do something I thought would never happen, put a bunch of tiny bows all over an outfit and made it look perfect.
The knee high socks have bows too perfectly placed and adorable to ignore. The five red stripe also fit in perfectly. They’re not painted perfectly, but impressively enough.
The shoes also match the outfit and, of course, have their own bow. The lace are red so the bow can be red, in Hello Kitty fashion. Sadly I had the misfortune to buy a figure with a manufacturing error that day and so I ended up having a shoe with a bow and another with a tiny empty square, didn’t let that ruin my appreciation for the figure though.
However, I can’t forget one of the key piece of the figure, the Hello Kitty hat. It is perfectly detailed, I find no fault with it. The color is rich and vibrant and really makes the figure better.
Without her hat, she has a hair divide that is hidden with it on.
Her hair is amazing when viewed from the side, it looks as if a breeze is lightly lifting it, like in a calm anime scene. When viewed from the beack it can be seen the ends are not more sharp, and the paint has accumulated and dried out unevenly on some part, but it still maintains a beauty to it.
The most amazing part of everything though, is her face. It looks like she’s calmly pondering something with her lips in a slight pout and her eyes upward. Her eyes only compliment everything else with their deep solid red, glints of light in it. Her hair style is also unique. Her rather short braid stands out from her long straight hair and bangs, and her humble necklace is the only piece of jewelry she needs to compliment her.
Overall this figure is absolutely stunning. Any collector who has the chance to get her should, as she’s one of the best quality figures that doesn’t break the bank I’ve seen in a long time. To fans of Hello Kitty, get with the Hello Kitty to Issho game series, I think you’ll really like it and all the merchandise that comes out of it. I’ll leave you all with this.
[vsw id=”EO7PKJYa_As” source=”youtube” width=”425″ height=”344″ autoplay=”no”]