Jumbo Nesoberi Kousaka Honoka (School Idol Thanksgiving 2016 Version) Review

Hello everyone and welcome to another Nesoberi review on Tiro Finale! Yesterday, we got a little sneak peek at my recently acquired Nesoberi Honoka and, today, we will be taking an in-depth look at this limited edition Nesoberi made in collaboration with the Love Live mobile game, School Idol Festival (SIF). So without further ado, let us dive straight into the review of this sleepy little plush.

Even among those familiar with Sega's Nesoberi line of plush toys, this particular Nesoberi of Honoka may be a tad bit unrecognizable. Prior to this, the only pajamas Nesoberi of Honoka made was the Mega Jumbo one that was a collaboration between Sega and SIF. Yet, this one is the smaller Jumbo Nesoberi type which measures 30 cm from end to end compared to 41 cm (of the Mega Jumbo). 

Then, there is the drooling face which was only ever available in the keychain mascot sized Nesoberi(s). Which begs the question, is this some form of knock off Nesoberi made by another company creating a Frankenstein of designs? Fortunately, no.

More specifically, this is actually a small-volume production of Jumbo Nesoberi made by Sega exclusively for the Love Live School Idol Thanksgiving 2016 Event, an official annual event hosted by Bushiroad (the parent company of the School Idol Festival mobile game). Limited to only 1,000 units daily for the UFO Catcher machine, there were only 2,000 of these Nesoberi in total ever made. Effectively making this one of the rarest Nesoberi ever made.

But enough about the backstory of this Honoka plush toy, let us get into the real details beginning with the dimensions. Measuring just 30 cm from end to end, this is a significant step smaller than the Mega Jumbo Nesoberi and a significant step up from normal Nesoberi. The difference in 10 cm from in length compared to a Mega Jumbo Nesoberi may only be 25% but, the increase in volume is markedly more substantial. In fact, due to the nature of surface area and volume increments, the Mega Jumbo Nesoberi are often ~50% heavier than the Jumbo Nesoberi. Definitely something to keep in mind if you are used to the usual Mega Jumbo Nesoberi dimensions. 

While I personally prefer the Mega Jumbo Nesoberi size, there really is no faulting the Jumbo Nesoberi Honoka. From the drooling face to her intricate pink pajamas, the quality is top notch with none of the concessions you would usually experience due to space constraints on smaller Nesoberi(s). Just like her larger counterpart, Jumbo Honoka has very well finished hair with a velvety surface and sharp defined edges on her hair. Even her signature side-ponytail is well reproduced adorned with an oversized white ribbon.

Fun fact, the tags on a Nesoberi are equivalent to the box of a figure. Losing the tag significantly reduces the market value while, a damaged one diminishes the value too. Mine came in with a slightly crumpled tag but, that was of little consequence to me as I have no intentions of ever selling Honoka. 

Just like the Mega Jumbo version, Honoka's pajamas have been very intricately produced with differing textures and fabrics used throughout the pajamas. Both the socks and shorts use the same fabric which give a very fluffy feel. While the blouse, is made with a smoother, finer fabric. 

One of my favorite parts of the entire outfit are Honoka's multi-colored stockings and arm warmers. They are so bright and cheerful, almost like Kotori made the outfit for her. 

Not one know for wearing girly clothes, the frilly pink pajamas somehow works very well for Honoka providing good contrast with her orange hair. The drooling face? That is simple the icing on the cake as we will explore further in the review. 

Just like Nozomi's Nesoberi, Honoka's pajamas is littered with little details such as this yellow bow at the collar of her pajamas. The two fluffy balls add a touch of playfulness to the entire outfit. 

Just like her stockings, Honoka's also wears multi-colored arm warmers. These are stitched in place on the proximal part of Honoka's arms to prevent them from slipping off. 

Other details throughout the outfit include the ruffles present on the sleeve of the pajamas. This can be very difficult to do owing to the small size of Honoka's arm but, fortunately, the stitching has been finished neatly. The same can be said about the rest of Honoka's outfit which has been carefully and neatly stitched.

By far, my favorite aspect of this Nesoberi has to be Honoka's drooling face. No other member of Muse would have pulled off the drooling face as well as Honoka and it truly fits her personality. I first stumbled upon the existence of this particular Nesoberi while browsing and immediately knew that I had to add her to the collection. The fact that she was a limited edition Nesoberi just made the desire all the more greater. Unfortunately, the fact that she was a limited edition also meant it was going to be very difficult to find.

One day, Honoka surprisingly turned up on Mandarake's Sapporo store and I purchased it on the day itself. A long wait later, she finally arrived at my doorstep. While I would have certainly preferred if Honoka was a Mega Jumbo Nesoberi, the Jumbo Nesoberi is still great in its own right.

With that, we come to the end of the review for Sega's Jumbo Nesoberi Kousaka Honoka School Idol Thanksgiving 2016 Version. If you have any questions about the review of Nesoberi in general, feel free to ask them in the comments section below. I would love to hear what you have to say. Until then, thank you so much for reading and have yourself a wonderful day ahead!