Aya Kagura is one of the love interests in an Eroge game called Se Kirara, for more information google it, this site is for all ages and don't want to scare the children!!!
Packaging:
Aya comes in a standard Figma box.
On the front is a window for viewing the figure, on one side is the Figma logo, on the other is a picture of the figure, on the back there is relevant information, all in Japanese, and pictures of the figure in various poses with their various accessories. Instructions for swapping face pieces and other items are usually printed on either inside of the box tabs or on a piece of paper slipped inside the packaging. Also take note that all figures you purchase have the correct authentication printed or stickered on the box.
Inside the box the figure is held between two pieces of moulded plastic, with spaces for their accessories. The extra hands and the base of the Figma stand are stored in plastic bags underneath the figure in the plastic moulding. Figures are usually wrapped with plastic in certain areas to protect the paint. Boxes also come with inserts which act as backdrops in the box and can be taken out and used for backdrops while displaying figures. Aya's backdrop is a lovely blue sky with a yellow cut-out piece. Aya also comes with a special cut-out to use with the Di: Stage.
Figma’s also are supplied with a small zip-lock bag to store all the accessories in, the name of the figure can be written on this bag so that figure accessories can be stored neatly. Figma’s also come with a neat little device for storing the extra hands in.
Packaging = 8/10
Stand:
Aya comes with the standard Figma stand. Made of clear plastic it has three points of articulation which move forwards and back on hinge joints, one joint is at the bottom where it plugs into the base, one in the middle and one where it plugs into the Figma. The articulation of the stand allows the Figma to be posed in a variety of dynamic poses, and because it is clear it does not interfere with the aesthetic of taking dynamic and exciting photos.
Stand = 7/10
Sculpt:
This is Aya Kagura school Uniform Version.
Aya's overall design is very cute, with her long blonde hair, her pretty feminine school dress, and her pretty blue ribbons and star clips.
Starting from the top, her hair sculpt is very cute, long blonde locks flicking up on either side with a cute blue and white ribbon tied to the end, and of course her cute little star hair pins. Her face is very cute and nicely shaped with good expression. Her school uniform is a lovely dress with shrug jacket, the shoulders of which are made of soft PVC so that they do not restrict her movement. The rest of the dress is made of hard PVC and has some nice detail and of course the blown in the wind look which all Figma skirts have. Her legs are nice and she has the trademark white PVC panties. Her socks are very cute especially the one with the blue and white ribbon tied through it. Her boots are also very cute and cool, nicely sculpted and very funky in their design. Over all a very nice sculpt, she oozes cuteness and is very baby doll with her ribbons and stars.
Sculpt = 9/10
Paint:
Aya has a colour scheme of pink and purple, with some blue and red thrown into the mix. Over all Aya's paint job is pretty good, she has a lot of fine detail and lining on her clothing and all of it is pretty much spot on. I really love the depth and variety of colour she has, just beautiful.
Aya's accessories are also well painted with nice detail, her faces are very nice and all of her cats have great detail and colours and look just so damn cute.
Paint = 8/10
Articulation:
Aya use’s the standard Figma joint system. Figma joints are hinge joints with pegs on either end allowing both forward and back movement and rotation.
At the top of her neck is a Figma joint that allows the figure to look side to side, down and up. To change the faces on Figma’s the front piece of hair is removed and then the faces can be taken of and swapped.
The shoulder consists of a double joint, a ball joint which sits inside the upper body, this is attached to a ball shaped Figma joint which acts as the shoulder, and this allows full range of motion to the shoulder. Further down a Figma joint is used as the elbow and bends in and then out straight and there is some slight rotation for the lower arm to turn in and out. At the wrist the various hands plug into a small hole at the end of the arm. Each hand also has a hinge joint, which not only allows the hand to rotate but also to move up and down which gives the figure realistic wrist movement.
A waist joint is located under her chest. Waist joints are ball and socket joints, a ball joint will be attached to the upper body and which plug into a socket in the main torso, this gives the body twisting movement and bending forwards and back. At the hips a three jointed ball and socket joint is used. One ball plugs into a socket at the bottom of the torso acting as the hip joint; this allows the hips to turn side to side, lean forward or back, then on each of the other two ball joints the legs plug on. Each leg has an inner socket which the ball joint plugs into, this piece allows full range of motion from the ball joint and also allows the thigh to turn in and out as it pegs inside the main leg piece.
A Figma joint is then used as the knee allowing the knee to bend backwards and then out to straight, and there is some slight rotation for the lower leg to turn in and out. The ankle also is a Figma joint allowing the foot to point and flex turn in and out.
Aya has one points of additional articulation the end of her hair where her ribbon is is a peg joint, her ribbon and end part of her hair plugs on and can be rotated around to give her hair a bit more movement.
Pose:
Aya is therefore highly posable and can be posed in a variety of ways. With the use of the accessories supplied, her Violin, her itteh bitteh kitty committee, and her cups and tooth brushing utensils, she can be displayed in a number of poses, on her way to a music practice with her Violin case in hand, playing a beautiful tune on her Violin, cuddling a bunch of cats, and looking embarrassed as the brushes her teeth. However there are a few areas in which articulation is restricted because her skirt is long and made of hard PVC her leg movement is restricted, her long hair also restricts the movement of her head and waist joint as she has no joints in her long hair.
Articulation & Pose = 8/10
Enjoyment:
I will break down enjoyment into two categories: Accessories and Play Value.
Accessories:
Aya comes with two facial expressions; a happy face and an embarrassed blushing face. Aya also comes with an assortment of hands; a pair of open hands, a pair of relaxed hands, a pair of fists, a pair of hands for holding items, a pair of hands specially designed to hold a cat, and a pair of hands special designed to hold her Violin.
Aya also comes with her Violin, which looks amazing, the detail is great and it just looks so lovely, the Violin also comes with a bow and then a carry case for it, which opens so that the Violin and bow can actually be placed inside and carried by Aya, which is an awesome thing for Max Factory to do, gives added realism to the figure. Next up is her itteh bitteh kitteh committee, she comes with so many cute little cats. One ginger one which is she can hold between her hands, one which is sprawled out on the ground looking very cute and sleepy, another one which is sitting hunched gazing up at her, yet another one which is sitting back on its hind legs looking very pleased with itself and then lastly a black one which is playing with a ball. The cats are just so great, nice poses lovely detail and paint, and each cat has a great facial expression, and Aya just looks so cute surrounded by this troupe of cats.
And if you thought that these were sufficient accessories enough she also come with a large coffee mug, and a small pink mug with matching tooth brush and roll of tooth paste, these accessories I am sure where thrown in with Aya Version in mind, and would make a nice cross over accessories if you have that version of her as well.
To use her Violin simply use the special designed hands, one goes around the neck of the Violin and the other has a gap for the bow to plug into, her Violin case also can be held with her holding hands by simply pushing it on, and her cat has grooves which her special holding hands fit into to hold the cat snuggly.
To use her Violin simply use the special designed hands, one goes around the neck of the Violin and the other has a gap for the bow to plug into, her Violin case also can be held with her holding hands by simply pushing it on, and her cat has grooves which her special holding hands fit into to hold the cat snuggly.
Play Value:
I will break down play value into two categories: Compatibility, with other figures and accessories, and general play.
Compatibility:
Aya is very compatible with other Figma accessories. As her holding hands are open slightly she can basically hold any other Figma accessory, she can lovingly hug a bottle of sake, she can beat off perverts with a baseball bat, she can also read books and use other accessories of Figma's who have straight peg hands.
Next up is a height comparison, as you can see she is on the taller side of the Figma height scale, and she stands just a bit taller than the Haruhi Suzumiya Figma's around the same height and size as Figma Cute.
General Play:
In general Aya is a great figure, she oozes cuteness, she has a load of accessories which also ooze cuteness, and generally she just is visually appealing. I think I will have a lot of fun with her as a figure, especially with her itteh bitteh kitteh committee. Sadly though I think Figma Cute has finally got some competition for the spot of my favourite Figma!
Enjoyment = 9/10
Over all Aya Kagura scores 8.2/10
