Super Sonico Drink Holder Champagne Gold (Early) Review

Can you believe it? It has been 6 months since the last time I released a figure review! Even then, today's review is merely a taste of what is to come as I have yet to return to my "studio" and equipment. Nevertheless, the need to write overwhelms all as I put the long-term review drought to an end with today's review of the Super Sonico Drink Holder by FuRyu. As usual, before we get into the review, let us start with some basic information about the figure itself.

• Manufacturer: FuRyu
• Series: Super Sonico Drink Holder
• Price: ~1,200-1,800 Yen (before tax)
• Release Date: December 2015
• Scale: Non-scale
• Material: PVC

Front View

From the front, it is pretty obvious that Sonico is meant to be doing something extra especially with her pose and oddly sculpted bust. That is because, Sonico is meant to be wrapping her arms around a drink bottle, hence the name drink holder. Is that a novelty or an actual function? Well, we will find out about the in just a bit when we put that to the test.

Rear View

Towards the back, Sonico's long flowing pink hair covers a large majority of her back. FuRyu has decided to go with a rather aggressive color tone shift for Sonico's pink hair with bright pink tips and a very pale pink towards her scalp. While I have criticized this decision in several Sonico figures in the past, somehow, I am not opposed to its implementation here. Probably because of how well defined Sonico's hair is with this sculpt with each tip molded cleanly and sharply. 

For her facial details and expression, FuRyu has gone with the tried and tested formula of Sonico with an innocent smile, large bright doe eyes and a slight blush on her cheeks. The end result is the sweet and innocent expression that we have all come to love and, well, expect. It is worth noting though, that Sonico's eyes for this is a brighter shade of pink-red. Also, the decals used for her eyes are of a glossy finish meaning they tend to reflect quite a bit under bright light. I would have preferred a matte finish for Sonico's eyes but, it would be a non-issue for most especially when placed indoors.

The Drink Holder Super Sonico figure comes in two color variations, Champagne Gold and Pearl White. The one we have for review today is the Champagne Gold colored one but, I would forgive you for mistaking it for another color as the gold finish of Sonico's bikini is indeed very pale. When I first un-boxed this Sonico, it took me awhile to realize that it was indeed gold colored as it appeared to be closer to silver upon first glance. It was only after looking at her under different lighting conditions that I begin to be convinced it was actually gold.

Here is a closer look at Sonico's hair from the back. From here, you are able to better visualize the shift in color tones that I mentioned about Sonico's hair earlier. Fortunately, there are no visible head seams thanks to Sonico's headphones! More about those wireless cans in a bit.

But first, Sonico's outfit! Sonico is not wearing much aside from her gold bikini but, FuRyu were smart and kind enough to include several other additions such as, the gold bangles around her arm and her signature electric guitar charm necklace. These little charms go a long way in making this otherwise bland prize figure all the more interesting. For that I say, good job FuRyu!

Now, let us take a closer look at another one of Sonico's signature charm points, her silver headphones that she is never seen without. These headphones are often the downfall of many Sonico prize figures as manufacturers often put too little effort into them resulting in something that looks either decidedly disproportionate or being poorly painted.

It has often been the point of my love-hate relationship with many Sonico figures with this one being no exception. On one hand, this has to be one of the best sculpt and detailing I have seen for Sonico's headphones on a prize figure. The proportions are absolutely spot on being neither too big or small. While, the little details like her suspension headband and color separation on the ear cups are done impeccably. 

On the other hand, the painting on the headphones especially the silver bits are absolutely horrid. The final job is clumpy and rough detracting from the entire look that the figure has established. Undoubtedly cost-saving measures have to be put into place somewhere and this certainly comes as no surprise. Hence, like I mentioned earlier, a love-hate relationship.

Moving on and further down, we take a closer look at Sonico's lower half. Because of her pose where Sonico is kneeling on her knees, she is no taller than 105mm making her considerably shorted than most prize figures. But, as we will find out in a bit, this is a necessity for her to function as a drink holder.

While we are on the topic of Sonico's lower half, I have to mention that the sculpt on Sonico is absolutely stunning! Sonico looks as if she has gone on a serious regime of exercise and diets to get into swimsuit-ready shape. I may still have a preference of the chubbier Sonico (see: Wave Beach Queens Super Sonico) over her slimmer variants but, FuRyu has done an absolutely fantastic job with this one. 

Speaking of mass lost, Sonico does not only lose the excess fat around her abdomen but, also a considerable amount around her hips and thighs. If this issue is a deal break for you, I would recommend holding back from getting this particular Sonico. If not, there is absolutely little to complain about here especially seeing how hard FuRyu have worked to emulate the cloth feel on Sonico's bikini bottom.

Other little neat touches include the little knots on her bikini including the ones for the her bikini top. It may be a little difficult to visualize as the ones on top are covered by her hair. They may look a little crude and thick but, that is pretty much to be expected for prize figures regardless of manufacturer or character. The one thing which has me a little disappointed is that one of the straps of her bikini top was not painted gold and left unpainted. I am fairly sure this is a manufacturing defect that will not recur in all of them.

Painting wise, I am fairly satisfied with the results. Except for the headphones, everything is painted well with even paint distribution throughout. There are several bits with paint spills but, these are only on the narrower segments. Overall, for a prize figure, I have few complaints about the coloring and painting aside from those associated with prize figures.

So, now we know that it works fine as a figure. But, what about as its advertised function, a drink holder? Time to find out!

Well, it certainly holds onto your drink that much is for sure but, all of this comes down to size of the bottle. For this test, I chose a relatively small glass bottle and Sonico had no trouble wrapping her hands around them.

In fact, she looked pretty adorable doing it too! Her hands wrap comfortably around the bottle with her bust,surprisingly, molding well around the circumference of the bottle.

So, Sonico can and will hold your drink for you granted you have a bottle of the right size. But, is this merely a gimmick of a proper function that every figure collector requires? The answer, as you would have probably guessed, is that it is indeed just a gimmick. 

While technically it does fulfill the function of holding your drink, it does not confer any actual benefit to users besides making your drink a little bulkier. Because Sonico's grip is not very strong, they do not actually prevent you from tipping your drink over in the unfortunate event that you do. 

Yandere Sonico in the making...

Final thoughts? Throughout my course of reviewing this Sonico figure, I found myself loving the figure more than I initially expected to. Previously, I have always associated the "Drink Holder" function as a gimmick at best. Now that I own one though, I am beginning to be of the opinion that 1,200 Yen for a rather useless drink holder is not too bad after all. If anything at all, this may very well be the first "slim" Sonico figure that I like and, I have a feeling, it will not be the last.

With that, thank you very much for reading the review. I hope you have found it useful! Until the next time, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!