Ichiban Kuji Kyun-Chara Tomoe Mami (C Prize) Review: Part 1

Let's Review: Ichiban Kuji Kyun-Chara Tomoe Mami C Prize Part 1

It's review time! As promised, today we'll be taking a look at a rather old Mami figure that I've just opened up recently. To think it has been a good 6 months since the last time I did a review on any other Mami figure just makes me ever so embarrassed to call this blog Tiro Finale, what more "The Official Church of Tomoe Mami". Blabbering aside, let's get straight into the review!

First up some basic information about this deformed scale figure of our favorite Tomoe Mami. As the name suggests, this is indeed an Ichiban Kuji lottery prize and as with any other Kuji, they are manufactured by the ever reliable Banpresto. As part of the super deformed "Kyun-Chara" series, the figure was first made available as the C Prize in one of the earlier (if not earliest) Madoka Magica Ichiban Kuji lotteries. How long ago? Way back in August 2011/ For more details about the Kuji (lottery), feel free to check out the official page here.

Dimensions wise, Mami stands a petite 100 mm (~3.9 inches) tall making it perfectly at home on your work desk. It may have been released way back in 2011 but, it's still pretty to easy to find online especially on re-sellers like Mandarake. Expect to fork out somewhere between 600-800 Yen for one which is exactly what you'd expect to pay for most Kyun-Chara figures.

Front View

Right! Moving onto to the actual figure then. Right of the bat, you immediately notice just how big Mami's head is even by Kyun-Chara standards. At first, I thought I was just imagining it. But, a quick comparison with another Kyun-Chara Mami figures confirms my suspicion.

Back View

It (the head) is indeed bigger and any doubts you may have is instantaneously dispelled the moment you pick it up. The sheer heft of it all is much greater than that of any other Kyun-Chara figures and much of this weight is attributed to that, rather comically, large head.

Right View

This makes for a "top-heavy" figure requiring much support from the stand even with both feet "firmly" mounted into the base. I say "firmly" because there are some notable mounting issues with the base which I will address further down the review.

Left View

For now though, let's just focus on the main star of the show, Mami herself. Despite having a larger head, the proportions are, somehow or another, still spot on and it makes for a very adorable figure which the Kyun-Chara series have always been known for. Why?

I believe it comes down to the pose that Mami is striking. While there may be more volume up top, this is nicely balanced out by her wide stance created by her two oppositely outstretched muskets. If the pose looks familiar that's because, aside from being one of Mami's better known combat stances, it also sees use in other Mami figures. Namely, the Ichiban Kuji C Prize Tomoe Mami scale figure which, coincidentally, was the last Mami figure I reviewed.

At a glance then, things are still fine and dandy. But, what about the finer details?

Well, I'm happy to report that this particular Mami figure excels in just that department. The finer details (of this figure) have been executed perfectly and it's always a joy to admire. For starters, the eyes have been finished in Ume Aoki's signature pencil drawn style with a lovely matte yellow finish which truly pops out! Mami's facial expressions too are faithfully emulated with a calm, confident smile and appropriate eyebrows to suit. 

A large part of Mami's Magical Girl outfit is her beret-style cap with its fluffy white fur piece and her accompanying Soul Gem hairpiece. On this figure, they're a real point of interest and have been executed wonderfully! The size, shape and coloring are all spot on as it really helps to complement the design of the entire figure.

Even under closer scrutiny, the painting done on the Soul Gem is extremely neat. It's all the most impressive when you notice the the dark orange gem and light gold hairpiece are a single piece of PVC! The white fur piece is also worth it mention, it's sized just right and finished in a bright white paint making it look so fluffy.

An integral part of any Mami figure are her lovely blond locks and twin drills. You won't find any faults here either as Banpresto has made it a point to ensure the figure lives up to its "C Prize" moniker in terms of quality. Two and a half rings on both twin drills with just the right length and width of curl. Yes, it matters.

This may be a long shot but, this is easily one of the nicer hair finishes I've seen for any Mami figure. And this isn't just bearing comparison to prize figures but, full priced scales as well. The color tones applied for Mami's blonde hair is really pretty with the outer borders being finished in a darker blonde and the inner parts bearing a lighter finish. This all makes for a soft finish which is very pleasant indeed to look at. 

Have you noticed any heads seams thus far? Chances are you most probably never realized it until after I've mentioned it. There's no doubt it is there but, the seam itself is so narrow, you hardly even notice it. If you've been following my reviews for a while now, you'd know that's a big plus in my book.

With that, we come to end of the first part of the review. Thus far, everything has been looking really good. Not just from afar but, also under closer scrutiny. In the second part of the review, we'll take a look at the details at the lower end, namely Mami's outfit and the base, as well as wrap up with my final impressions and recommendation.

All of that and more tomorrow! In the meantime, feel free to browse around the rest of Tiro Finale and its 270 articles brought to you daily by our hardworking team. Until tomorrow, thanks so much for reading and have a fantastic day ahead!