Gloomy Bear

Revoltech is back on CDX!

Gloomy is a character created by designer Mori Chack. Gloomy at first seems to be your typical cute bear, but then you notice the claws, and then the blood. The story behind this is Gloomy is found by a boy named Petty. Gloomy is cute as first, but as he grows he begins to attack Petty. You can check out some awesome interactive flash at Mori Chack’s official site here.

Revoltech Gloomy Bear arrives courtesy of HobbyLink Japan.

I first learned about Gloomy in 2002 I think, with these crazy animated gif files of this pink bear beating up a kid. It was a chance encounter in Tokyo’s Kiddy Land toy store in 2003 that I saw my first Gloomy merchandise. I thought it was awesome of course.

Years went by and Gloomy began to invade America. First in comic stores and import shops, later in stores like Hot Topic.

I’m actually surprised it has taken this long for there to be a real action figure of this.

So, Gloomy Bear comes in the new style Revoltech box, which is larger with more things visible. Included in the set is Gloomy, Petty, two stands, a muzzle, blood and a Revoltech container.

The Gloomy figure is not bad at all. Yamaguchi did a good job of trying to hide the joints.

Articulation is not bad, but there is only so much you can do with the figure. You have Revoltech joints in the head, shoulders, elbows, hips and knees. There is also a swivel joint in the waist. At the end of each arm the whole claw assembly is on a hing that allows doe smooth movement.

The figure cannot stand on its own due to the rounded legs, so you will need the stand for that. Gloomy’s often depicted sitting, and that works just fine.

Gloomy is a naughty grizzly bear. If the blood stains on his chest and claws isn’t warning enough, there is a translucent red blood accessory that attaches to the bottom of the nose. One neat feature is that the nose and ears are connected to each other and moveable. If you pull the ears back, the nose will move.

Included in the set is a figure of the victim – a small boy named Petty-chan. Petty is fully articulated, but the only Revoltech joint is a dual joint in the neck. Petty comes with two heads, but swapping them is a pain in the ass. Taking the head off is fine, but getting that dual joint into the hole in the head is near impossible. I needed to use a pencil eraser to stuff it in.

The best accessory in the whole set is the muzzle. It gives Gloomy a Hannibal Lechter vibe. To put the muzzle on, you have to remove the head.

Also included with the figure is a Revoltech coin (used to redeem for special items) and a Revoltech Container. This amber case has a removable lid with holes the size of Revoltech joints.

Unlike the Doko Demo Issyo Revoltech, this is my style. I have a soft spot for Gloomy, and this is a great toy regardless of the character. You can get your Revoltech Gloomy Bear from HobbyLink Japan.