Kurukoro Ayase Eli (Movie Version) Review

Well, well, well, what do we have here? Continuing the trend of unexpected figures, today we have my recently acquired Kurukoro Ayase Eli mini-figure up for review. For those of you who follow Tiro Finale, you might remember this particular blind box Eli from my Kyoto Haul. As luck would have it, I added yet another Eli figure to the collection following her two Nendoroids. Rather than let the box sit around and collect dust, I decided instead to do a quick review of this one-of-a-kind mini figure. But first, some basic information about Eli-chi.

• Manufacturer: Kadokawa
• Series: Love Live, The School Idol Movie
• Price: 780 Yen (before tax)
• Release Date: 03/2016
• Scale: Non-scale
• Material: PVC

Front View

Before I begin the review, it is worth noting that there are actually two lines of Kurukoro for the Love Live series. The first has them in their Otonokizaka High School uniform and the second later release, has them in their kimono-styled outfits taken from Angelic Angel. Each release represents the series and the movie respectively. Although they were only released a year apart, your chances of getting the Movie Version is significantly higher.

Rear View. Nothing much to see here.

Out of the box, the first thing that immediately got my interest was the quality of the entire figure. While there was not much of a sculpt or detailing to start with, the bright colors really stood out making for a really attractive design. Quite honestly, I was not expecting such quality from a trading figure.

Side View (Right)

The second thing that caught my eye was the unique design. Previously, I was aware of the existence of the Kurukoro figures and their unique design and expression-changing gimmick. But, it is not until you see one in real life does its unique proportions strike you. With its pyramidal body and tiny limbs. the entire combination somehow comes of looking really cute.

Side View (Left)

Of course, we cannot forget about the main selling point of the Kurukoro figures which are their switchable facial expressions. At a glance, you may not even notice Eli's square head because of how well her hair covers it up. It certainly is more noticeable in some character but, not so much with Eli with her long blonde hair.

Eli's default, smiling expression.

Of course, you cannot forget the Eli-wink.

A pleasantly shocked/surprised expression.

And a disapproving/upset expression.

On top of that, Eli has a well detailed hair piece too.

So, how do you switch the expressions? Simple. You start by removing the hair.

Rotate the head to your desired expression. Becasue the head is a cube, there are 4 possible expressions to choose from.

Switch to your desired expression, pop the hair back on and you are done!

Eli's signature winking expression is one of my favorite expressions among the four choices.

In terms of details elsewhere, Eli's kimono-styled outfit is very well reproduced in 2.5D fashion.

Although the details are clearly decals applied over a flat surface, they still do a fairly good job of emulating the outfit.

Owing to its ability to change expressions, the head has some degree of mobility too.

Eli's head is able to swing left and right roughly 45 degrees in each direction. But the fork-pronged stand prevents her head from rotation any further.

Uh, oh, did Nozomi do something wrong this time?

All in all, I was really impressed and satisfied with Kadokawa's Kurukoro Eli trading figure. I had always been a little bit skeptical of the concept especially with the asking price of 780 Yen. Moreover, buying it does not even guarantee you get your desired character as it is a blind box. To guarantee that, you would have to buy the opened ones from re-sellers but, often at inflated prices. 

Objectively speaking though, I have absolutely no complaints whatsoever. So much so to the point if I were to get any of the other 8 character of Muse, I would probably be very happy about it too. Maybe not as happy as getting Eli since she is the center for Angelic Angel but still, very happy. With that, comes a close to my first ever Eli figure review. 

Until the next time, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!