Love Wing Bell Hoshizora Rin Review

Hello everyone and welcome to another figure review on Tiro Finale! Having taken a look at Hanayo, we now move onto Rin-chan also from FuRyu's Love Wing Bell series of prize figure. Just like Hanayo before her, this will be the first time that Rin will be featured on Tiro Finale outside of the usual Catch-Up Content 4koma comics. Before we jump right into the review, let us first take a look at some basic information about the figure itself;

• Manufacturer: FuRyu
• Series: Love Live, Love Wing Bell
• Price: NA (~1,200 - 1,500 Yen)
• Release Date: 05/2015
• Scale: Non-scale (~200 mm)
• Material: PVC

Front View

From the front, we have Rin dressed in a beautiful white and pink wedding dressed embellished with lovely yellow flowers all around her outfit. One may not traditionally link Rin to such girly and cute outfits and neither does she but, she does pull off the look extremely well. 

Rear View

Aside from her white headpiece, the other dominant factor which occupies the rear of Rin's outfit is the huge ribbon that makes up a significant portion of her outfit. Usually such an impractically large detail would look wrong and out of place yet, it seems to fit surprisingly well here. Could it have anything to do with Rin's slim and svelte figure?

Right View

Looking at the figure from the sides and you really start to get an impression on the dimensions of the figure especially in regards to the "puffiness" of her dress. On top of that, we can also notice the bouquet-shaped microphone that Rin holds in her right hand. As mentioned in the preview, her right hand can be removed to allow her to link arms with Hanayo.

Left View

The same can be said about the left side as the dress is symmetrically designed with the same details and motifs on either side. Instead of an outstretched hand, Rin has her left hand folded in gracefully as she walks down the aisle.

When viewed from afar, Rin looks absolutely stunning with her elaborate dress and demure pose. It is almost as if she is a completely different character, which was the original goal of the song and episode. While she may hold up fine from afar, how will she hold up against closer scrutiny?

Starting with facial details, all I can say is, Rin looks so pretty! No :3 or >.< faces here that we usually see from Rin. Instead, we have a loving smile and gentle eyes frame by her neatly styled cut. The orange and green colors of her hair and eyes are not too overbearing either making sure to not pull away from Rin's visual presentation as a whole. Every aspect here works harmoniously to capture the beauty of this school idol in a simple yet, effective manner.

In any angle that you look at it, Rin's expressions emotes one of genuine happiness and not in her usual jovial and active fashion. Rather, a more reserved, grateful expression of happiness as embraces her inner beauty. 

Unlike Hanayo, Rin is given noticeably shorter eyelashes but her raised brows help add a dimension of confidence to her look.  All in all, the execution of Rin's facial expressions are absolutely sublime. They may not be what you would naturally come to expect of Rin but, for the Love Wing Bell scenario, fits her perfectly. 

Complementing the wedding dress are various accessories which Rin adorns on her head. For starters, there is her intricate headband which culminates with a large floral ribbon atop of her head. The remainder of the headband is lined with fluffy yellow balls. I am not too sure what they are but, they certainly look quite cute. Let us not forget, the headband also has an added benefit of hiding any visible head seams!

Then, there is her shawl-like headpiece which is finish in clear white. The headpiece leans more towards the opaque side yet, lets in enough light to visibly show Rin's orange hair beneath it. It is indeed a really nice touch and the only bit of clear color molding that we see on the entire figure! The slight translucency coupled with the many folds and ridges really gives the impression of actual cloth.

Seen from below, we can observe that Rin's hair has been styled towards the center of her back. This is normally not visible unless viewed at a low angle. Yet, FuRyu has been diligent enough to include proper sculpting and layering for Rin's hair here. On top of that, the color grading seen in her fringe is also present on her back giving the entire look an added layer of consistency. 

One finer detail that would probably be missed by many casual observers are Rin's earrings. They are hidden behind her hair and cannot only be seen from the sides. Even then, they may be mistaken as being part of her headband. But, upon closer inspection, there is no doubt that those are indeed Rin's earrings. 

They are a simple but, very nice touch especially since she can be seen wearing it in the anime. While the design may look rather plain, it is actually very faithful to the anime as they are depicted as narrow teardrop shaped pink earrings. 

With that aside, let us now shift our focus towards Rin's outfit, the Love Wing Bell wedding dress. This is perhaps one of the most feminine outfits worn by any member of Muse and, ironically, is worn by someone who is, seemingly, the least feminine member of the group. The odd thing is, I could not possibly see anyone else as a more perfect fit for the dress now that I have seen Rin in it. Perhaps the designers had Rin in mind from the get go?

But, I digress. Instead, let us get back to the topic of Rin's outfit. The design itself is clearly that of a wedding dress with its low shoulder line and dramatic details. The dress itself consists of two main colors, white and light pink with a single yellow acting as a secondary color. The white and pink blend very well together with differing levels of gloss finish, the pink being glossier than the white almost to the levels of a pearl finish. While, the yellow is finished in matte and sever as a lovely contrast point. 

The top half of Rin's dress is svelte and elegant with the cute ruffles framing her bust, shoulders and waist. Meanwhile, the lower half of Rin's dress puffs out dramatically with a white outer layer and pink inner layer. The varying layers on the pink inner layer also helps to add a level of depth to the entire dress. Because of the way it is sculpted, the dress appear rather rigid yet soft at the same time.

On each corner of the dress, there is a yellow flower with five in total throughout the entire outfit. This is the same flower seen on Rin's headpiece. While I am not sure what flower this is or if it has any particular meaning towards the entire outfit, it does do a pretty good job of adding some contrast to the entire outfit.

The flowers may look a little out of place for a traditional wedding dress but, this is first and foremost a school idol outfit. As such, there were some creative liberties to make the entire outfit more playful and youthful. In that aspect, I think the design does a very good job of it. 

Do not let Rin's exposed back distract you from the giant pink ribbon that sits at the back of her outfit. Prior to this figure, I had absolutely no clue that Rin had such a humongous ribbon at the back of her dress! But, as ridiculous as it may be, it just looks so good.

The ribbon is attached to Rin's lower back and sits right below the ruffles which surround her shoulders. From a figure standpoint, the ribbon is very well secured with absolutely no signs of give or play. As such, you would not have to worry about the ribbon falling off anytime in the future. 

The ribbon itself is finished in the same glossy pink finish as the rest of Rin's dress. Because it is applied on such a large surface area though, the final results is quite a marvel to behold. The high gloss finish which gives off a pearl-like look glows and shines under the light with a unique gleam depending on where your source of light is. 

The large ribbon's surface area also allows to appreciate the way light reflects of each individual fold and crease of the ribbon. Move the figure towards a different angle and you end up getting another completely different set of results. The best word I have to describe for it is, hypnotizing. 

Now, we cannot spend our entire review fawning over the giant pink ribbon. Instead, here is a closer look at the two remaining flowers on Rin's dress. They are located side-by-side on the lower hem of Rin's dress towards the back. 

Being a fixed pose prize figure, Rin herself is rather light on accessories. Her only true accessory would be her bouquet microphone. Although, if we were to generalize it further, Rin is also wearing a pair of white gloves. These white gloves have ruffled edges at her wrist which work well with the rest of the outfit's theme. The gloves do not make her fingers look too thick and each individual finger can still be made out.

Then, there are those little yellow balls which are also present on her headband. I really have no idea what they are but, they were part of the original design so, I am sure Kotori had something in mind for them. 

Rin's only real accessory is her bouquet microphone. This microphone can be removed fairly easily as it is only lightly gripped by Rin's left hand. Compared to the anime depiction, the bouquet microphone is much more detailed despite sharing the same design which includes the yellow flower, white ribbon and green leaves. It just looks much, much better as a figure.

The mysterious yellow balls are back. Perhaps they are some form of fungi?

Another look at the super pretty ribbon before we move to;

Rin's legs! Being active and athletic in nature, Rin has always stayed in very good shape unlike her more food-loving group members, Honoka and Hanayo. This nature is reflected in Rin's legs as well with slim thighs and calves which have no problem fitting into a pair of white stockings.

The white stockings are finished in the same gloss white treatment as her dress. This may be a little weird for a pair of stocking but, surprisingly, it works. Sculpting itself is rather simple with nothing to dismiss nor bring up in that regards. 

Rin's shoes are a pair of pink platform heels. Where singing and dancing are concerned, high heels are definitely out of the question even for a wedding dress.

The shoes, like the stockings, are finished in the same glossy pink finish as the dress. Detailing is rather simple with a small bow at the front of the shoe and a slight line running between the shoe and the heel. 

FuRyu were kind enough to add a slight bit of detailing to Rin's base rather than leaving it blank. Written in cursive and in pink is Rin's name surrounded by the same motif as the one seen in Hanayo's figure. 

With Hanayo, it was the facial details and expression which really caught me by surprise. When it was time to review Rin, I had come to expect something similar and expected to be less surprise. Knowing that beforehand would enable me to stay more objective throughout the review but, Rin brought together with her a whole box of surprise which hit me completely unprepared.

The main factor of which, is Rin's wedding dress. In the past, I had reviewed a good number of prize figures but, nothing could prepare me for the near perfect execution of Rin's dress. From the sculpting, coloring and detailing, every aspect is faithful to the anime but, better. It is one thing to see the characters in anime brought to life through figures but, it is something else completely to see it being improved as a figure. While not uncommon, this phenomenon is practically unheard of for a prize figure. Could a premium scale figure pull off something even better? Possibly but, not by much. As such, FuRyu's Love Wing Bell Hoshizora Rin has force me to reconsider my standards of what constitutes a prize figure's outfit. 

Both Hanayo and Rin in their Love Wing Bell guises are absolute beauties even when viewed individually. Putting them together? That would paint the perfect picture. I have said this before and it is probably worth saying again, if you were to ever only get one Rin and Hanayo figure, make it the Love Wing Bell versions. Essential collection for any Love Live fan and even more so if you are a Rin/Hanayo fan! Together, the two would cost no more than 3,000 Yen but, they will certainly liven up your collection a great deal.

With that, we come to the end of our review of Love Wing Bell Rin. This has certainly been a very interesting figure and one that I have no regrets purchasing especially at the low price of 974 Yen. To wrap up the entire review, we will be doing a 360 view of Rin later in the week. So, stay tuned to that together with all our daily content updates on Tiro Finale. Until the next time, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!