Union Creative Kokichi Oma scale figure (Merch)
Official GBAtemp Review
Product Information:
- Publisher: Union Creative
When video game franchises reach a certain threshold of popularity, licensed merchandise is almost always soon to follow. In the case of gaming characters that are household names, such as Mario, Pikachu, or Sonic, they have enough plushes and figurines to fill a swimming pool hundreds of times over, thanks to their popularity. Smaller franchises don’t get that luxury, however, leaving fans in the lurch and unable to decorate their shelves with their favorite gaming characters. If you’re lucky enough, maybe there’s a Funko Pop out there, but the physical appearance of those can be quite divisive.
That’s why, when Union Creative announced that they’d be releasing an actual scale figure--one that’s non-deformed (chibi)--of the character I utilize as my forum avatar, Kokichi Oma, I was overjoyed. Danganronpa may have become a more popular series following its success on the PlayStation Vita, but it’s still relatively niche, even to those who enjoy Japanese games and visual novels. Union Creative have actually made three figures of this specific character in the past, though they were all in the same “chibi-fied” style and happened to be long since sold out on most retailer’s websites.
Even knowing full well that the figure was only going to be about 4.3 inches (11 cm) in height, I was still surprised at how small it happened to be. He’s about the same size, vertically, as a Nendoroid, but with proportions more akin to a Figma. It’s understandable, given the toy is posed in a sitting position, but the relatively tiny size makes him difficult to put next to most figure types without looking out of place.
As to the accuracy of the figure, Union Creative did a spectacular job at making the character look exactly as he did in Danganronpa V3. Danganronpa has a very iconic anime art style, and I think this figure captures it well. The expression could benefit from being a bit more dynamic, but at the same time, a more neutral look fits the casual pose. Fortunately, the cross-legged pose lends a bit of charm, making up for the slightly bland facial expression.
The paint job is also on point, lacking any major flaws, which is especially impressive on such a small figure. All the details are nicely done, from the neatly painted checkerboard neckerchief to the immaculate symbol on the sleeve. There's some shading on the mostly white uniform as well, highlighting the wrinkles in the shirt and pants. It was a wise decision to do this, not just to add further detail, but to keep the figure from looking too plain, given the stark white design of the outfit.
As many figures tend to be, this was released in Japan only, and sold out fairly quickly even during the pre-order stage, making it hard to find even just days following the figure's release. While I do find the figure to be very well done in nearly every aspect, it's difficult to recommend due to the cost and trouble of having to import it from Japan. If you're a fan of Danganronpa and like the character a lot though, you might find it worth the price tag, purely just to have one of those rare bits of Danganronpa merch added to your collection.
Verdict
- Great paintwork and detailing
- Good pose
- Hair highlights are rather faint unless you've got really harsh lights above the figure
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