Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. Nakiri Erina Mascot Figure

Another Sunday, another end of the week and what better way the end of the week with a quick gallery of a mini figure. Last time, we covered Takumi Aldini which was also published on a Sunday. So, I figured, why not continued the tradition? And here we are, with everybody's beloved blonde tsundere from Shokugeki no Soma, Nakiri Erina. 

 

Now, if you follow the manga, you might realize that the Erina here appears to be slightly different from the one portrayed currently. That is because this little Gashapon figure was released shortly after the first season of the anime had finished airing. 

Then, it was all about the cold and calculative Erina who valued her skill sets much above that of anyone else. Several chapters down the road though and Erina has mellowed some what but, I will not say too much for those of you who have yet to reach that far into the story. 

Let us talk about the figure instead. For starters, we have Erina in her Totsuki Culinary Academy school uniform with her arms crossed and a serious look on her face. For the most part, I think this pose suits her quite well. But, I am not a big fan of the character to begin with so, what do you think?

For a figure you can get from a Gashapon capsule, the detailing and painting of the entire tiny figure sure is pretty impressive. While Aldini's may be pretty simple with a plain white chef's outfit, Erina's school uniform has various pinstripes and patterns which are rather difficult to emulate at this scale. 

Nevertheless, Takara Tomy has put their best foot forward and displayed their known strengths when it comes to detailing small toys. Looking at Erina's face, we can observe that the decals for her eyes have been applied neatly and in a matte finish too. Her fringe is not too shabby either with a nice amount of layering and careful color gradation. 

The color gradation is more obvious towards the back where we can see her hair shift towards a darker tone towards the tips. Hair color may be a point of contention for the fans here as Erina is often depicted with blonde hair and this figure coming it out rather orange. I personally do not mind it  but, then again (as mentioned earlier), I am no Erina fan. 

Then, there is Erina's school uniform which is very well detailed down to the white pinstripe details in her coat and stockings and the brown plaid pattern on her skirt. Even her red ribbon has been carefully painted. If there were any complaints, it would be the discrepancy in color between her stockings and coat and the inconsistencies in the white paint which comes off as being rather thin. But, those are really nit-picky aspects as one would not ordinarily complain about those for a figure at this size and price segment. 

The mini figure is originally meant to be a hanging charm but, Takara Tomy has been kind enough to include a black base. This black base affixes itself to the back of Erina's legs and allows her to stand upright where she would not be able to otherwise. 

Earlier, I mentioned that Erina was originally meant to be a hanging charm. But, you may have noticed the lack of any string, strap or chain. 

That is because the chains are actually screwed into a little hole atop Erina's head.

You may remove it, like I did, if you prefer to display it as a figure rather than a charm. Either one works just fine. Just keep in mind, hanging this as a charm would make it vulnerable to scuffs and damage. Last I checked, this particular Erina retailed for 1,000 Yen in the re-sellers market.

For something that I decided to do on a whim, I must have been pretty lucky to get Erina. Among the four possible options (Erina, Megumi, Aldini and Soma), I would have expected Erina to be the most popular. And so, such is the life of Gashapon, you never know what you will get. Sometimes you may be lucky enough to get what you want on your first try or fail miserably and draw every possible option until you get the one you want. Gambling is what it is.

As for Erina herself, she is indeed pretty good. Despite all of that, I would not recommend you go out of your way to look for her, Erina fan or not. Rather, this is one of those trinkets you would just happen to stumble upon and, when you do, maybe get her then?

With that, comes an end to this quick gallery and spotlight on Nakiri Erina. While I may not have anymore Erina merchandise at hand, our fellow writer Takuya is quite a big fan of the character. So, stay tuned for more Erina content right here on Tiro Finale together with our daily content updates. Until the next time, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!