Just who is this Haruhi Suzumiya anyway? Why does she grab onto the hearts of Otaku across the globe. Is she simply a Moe idol, or is there much more to her?

Just who is this Haruhi Suzumiya anyway? Why does she grab onto the hearts of Otaku across the globe. Is she simply a Moe idol, or is there much more to her?

At first glance, Haruhi Suzumiya seems scientifically orchestrated to pull at the desires of the lonely otaku. The schoolgirl outfit, the bows in the hair, the doe-eyed stare. I supposed it would be easy to dismiss here as just another pubescent obsession. Suprisingly enough, there is more to Haruhi than you might expect.

According to Wikipedia, Haruhi Suzumiya is nearly a god. She has the ability to alter reality, but doesn’t know it. She may be one of the most powerful characters that ever existed, but unless you know the show, she is dismissed as just another anime schoolgirl.

Regardless, you can’t deny the popularity of the character or the show she hails from – The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya. The dance during the show’s end credits has become an otaku phenomenon, and it shows no sign of stopping.

It seems only natural then that the one of the first releases in Max Factory’s FIGMA line would be of Haruhi. What better way to launch a new line of figures than to start out with one of the hottest characters out there.

As I mentioned in the Figma Saber review, the Figma line is a direct competitor to the Revoltech Fraulein line. But Max Factory does it better. They just seem to have a better grasp of how to make an articulated female figure.

The Figma Haruhi Suzumiya is a great toy, even if you are not familiar with the anime. It’s solid construction, fantastic articulation, and great details.

Haruhi comes with three different facial expressions and several interchangeable hands. The hands can all be attached to an included holder, a nice touch. Each hand has a wrist joint for added articulation.

Other accessories include two different arm bands one of which is a Chou Kantoku (Super Director) band (whatever that means). There is also a yellow megaphone looking thing that she tends to point at people.

The display base is really nice, featuring clear construction and an articulated support arm that attaches to the back of the figure.

Also included is a cool plastic bag with the Figma logo on it to store all of your parts. What a great idea.

So it appears Figma is taking off big time, and now is a great time to get in on the ground floor. You can get your Figma Haruhi Suzumiya at Angolz.com

http://www.angolz.com/home/productDetails.aspx?PLU=0000105909&catId=904

Figma's take on Saber is even better than the Revoltech version

Figma, for those of you not in the know, is Max Factory’s answer to the Revoltech Fraulein line. They are poseable action figures but they are not just limited to female figures (but lets face it, most of them will be).

Jump to Video Review

Saber is actually the third release in the Figma line, but it is the first one we are covering here at CDX. No, it is not mecha, but they are really nicely done action figures and we think they are worth checking out.

Saber comes courtesy of Angolz.com, our sponsor for all our Figma reviews.

You may remember our previous Saber reviews from the Kaiyodo Revoltech 2G line. We loved those – they were done really well. Imagine our surprise when Max Factory comes out and does one BETTER.

That’s right; I think the Figma version is better than the Revoltech version.

Saber comes with a bunch of accessories, including a load of variant hands, 3 different faces, 2 different hairstyles, 2 different swords (with sheaths) and a display stand.

The faces can be swapped out easily by removing the front part of the hair, and can express all kinds of rage.

The hands easily plug into the arms, and each also has a swivel joint at the wrist. There are hands that can grab the swords, and hands that just look cool. And as an added bonus, included is a holder for all the extra hands (like Microman figures come with).

Both swords are intricately detailed, even with etched runes on the blades. Each blade slides nicely into the included sheath.

Saber is really constructed solidly, and all the joints are tight. They don’t click like the Revoltech ones do, but they don’t really need to. The way each joint is cut allows for a fantastic range of motion, especially in the knees and hips. Watch the video, you will see what I mean.

In addition, the armor of the figure is actually made out of several layers, and made out of different kinds of material. For example, the silver chest armor is actually a rubber-like material, and underneath it is a fully detailed and sculpted costume. The flowing skirt is a mixture of rubber and plastic, with the individual parts of the skirt being jointed independently.

The figure is just done right on so many levels.

The stand is clear plastic with the figma logo embossed on the base. The jointed arm is secured by screws at the hinges, and connects to the back of the figure. It’s tight and solid, enabling a variety of poses.

But by far the coolest thing included with this toy is one of the simplest things. I’m surprised more people don’t do this, and I hope more follow suit.

A plastic bag.

Figma includes a plastic zip-lock bag with the Figma logo and a large white writable area on it. Toss the box, because all your parts now fit in here, and you can label it so you know which fists each one goes with. How cool is that?

The Figma Saber figure is highly recommended. If you collect Revoltech figures, Moe figures, or just action figures in anime, you owe it to yourself to check it out.

Saber can be found at Angolz.com.

Saber can be found at Angolz.com.