28 August 2011

figma WRS review

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Way back in February, I have mentioned the figma WRS which has just been announced back then. Having bitten pretty badly by the character design of it, I admittedly was craving for it until the day I finally got the figma on my hands.

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Like figma Chouyusha Haruhi, Saber Lily, and a few others, figma WRS is one of those action figures that are bundled with a game. There appears to be a trend where the games that the figmas come along with are usually pretty mediocre, so this is why many collectors consider the figma being the main thing, while the rest are just supplementary. As for figma WRS it comes as a "bonus" along with the White Premium Box limited edition of Black Rock Shooter The Game, which has just come out on 25th August, with English version being just announced not long after that.

As for who this WRS really is? I won't put spoilers here for now, but you can say that she is like a white counterpart for BRS, but her name is never properly addressed (some calls her White Rock Shooter, but she's usually only known as White or just "WRS"). She serves as the antagonist and the final boss of the game.

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WRS with accessories. 2 extra faces, 1 extra front hair piece with pink flame, White Scythe, as well as the White Wing parts (back joint, 2 wings, and part-swapping collar piece). 4 pairs of extra hands (same with most other figma hands) are also available.

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4 different angles of WRS with normal face. Due to her really tall and exquisite looking high heels, WRS can't really stand by herself UPDATE: WRS can still stand by herself despite the small feet and high heels, but this requires a lot of patience. The overall colour theme is white with lines of black and a hint of pink, which is a stark contrast to BRS's black, white, and blue.

There is pearl coating on some parts of the clothings, such as the jacket, shorts, and part of the leggings around the knee.

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Equipped with White Scythe.

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This pose is mimicked from one of the preview pictures in one of the magazine shots. It's one of my favourite poses of her too.

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Closeup shot of the second face. With the tongue sticking out this expression is very reminiscent of Dead Master's. However this expression does not appear in-game (WRS turns out to be much more elegant and graceful than I have expected, despite the very short game appearance and the not-so-impressive motivation behind the whole plot).

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Game Showdown pose

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Attempting to mimick the final showdown scene with BRS from in-game (abeit the BRS here is the original version rather than the game version)

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The White Wing has 4 parts: 2 wing pieces, a backjoint, and the part-swapping collar/hood piece. The grey swing joints in the wings don't seem to hold too well when the wings are attached, and one side falls off rather easily for me. In fact it fell off quite a few times while I was doing the photoshoot, so I ended up not putting as much effort in posing with the wings equipped.

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WRS with White Wing equipped. This is how she looks like when you fight her for the first time (i.e. the first form). The second form differs by having no scythe and a different pair of wings inste

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As the back joint connects the wings to the main body, the figma stand goes into the back joint of the wings when the wings are equipped.

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With Scythe

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Wing parts have a lot of ball joints in there, so there is a fairly good range of articulations available there.

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A quick shot of WRS with the third face, which something of an aggressive look as if shouting. Just like the second face you don't get to see this expression in the game itself (or should I say it's "out of her characer"?).

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Face expression parts from figma BRS is compatible with WRS. Here is the closed eye one, and WRS now *feels* very different to her other expressions.

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WRS and BRS side by side. WRS is a tad taller than her black counterpart (possibly due to her taller heels) along possibly thinner thighs (again possibly due to her attire).

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And finally for a bit of a bonus, a scythe comparison here. From left to right figma WRS, figma Fate T Harlaown, and Revoltech Airi. I don't have Dead Master so I don't have her Dead Scythe to compare here.


Any final thoughts? Well I get figma WRS mainly for the character design, minus the wing stuff which people tend to associate with Busou Shinki; I personally think that such mechanical stuff attached here and there looks a bit odd, which is a reason why I am hesistant and probably won't get the game equivalent of BRS (aka BRS2035). So apart from the wings which I mostly won't use, the figma itself satisfies parts of my personal tastes (or my lust rather). I'd leave it at that before I make this sound too funny.

So is WRS worth getting? Unless you are really digging for the design, paying over ten thousand yen for it along with the PSP game, artwork book & soundtrack is still way too much, and I won't be grudging over this so much should it be not so dear to acquire. Oh and by the way the game is really short for a JRPG, and first playthrough took me 12 hours to complete. Is it a good game or does the game have good story? I can't nod with this for sure, but this is expected for fan oriented games or media. Oh well.

17 comments:

  1. Is it me or does the back joint look a lot like gunpla backpack designs? especially OO's.

    That aside,I like the overall design... although the half-hoodie does look a lil' wierd without the wings

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  2. I have no idea who she is, but her scythe and those crazy things on her back are fucking awesome.

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  3. Thanks for the review. WRS review hard to find as not many will get to get this. Basically the character created from the hypes and one thing build on another. But will you still love her after you played the game or after another year or two?

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  4. I was originally going to get her myself, but financial crisis hit right before her release and I had to cancel. I still very much like her and wish I could have gotten her. It does sound like the game (which I also looked forward to) is a bit disappointing, 12 hour play-through? I could beat it in a day or two if it's that short. Well, right after I cancelled my order they announced the English version so I might as well just get that instead and save my money, though I'll still regret not having satiated my appetite for WRS.

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  5. Mine is on its way. I'm no fan of BRS but this was one of those "spur of the moment" preorders which I then completely forgot about until the shipping notice hit me...

    Maybe I'll hold onto it for a bit and then sell it on. Or use the mechanical parts on my Busou Shinki!

    But... 12hrs??? What a croc!! I remember ranting about infinite undiscovery on the 360 for being a "JRPG" which lasted a little over 18hrs! 12 is just taking the mick! There are some action games which take as long as that! Of course, the "fans" will lap it up but this purchase is turning out more and more to be a very bad idea... orz

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  6. "this is why many collectors consider the figma being the main thing"

    That reminds me of when I got my Sumomo nendoroid. It was bundled with some game that I can't remember the title of, but I bought it purely for the nendoroid.

    I actually like WRS's wings, she doesn't seem as cool as BRS without them.

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  7. @ AstrayP03 (Zhe):
    The back joint does look quite mechanical, so having it look like those for 00 Gundam etc is not so surprising ^^;

    I can see how things seem amiss without the wings. Maybe it's how WRS has no long coat to go with her long and thin body unlike BRS?

    @ Snark:
    Hey man it has been a while. Although I am not a big fan of the wings themselves, the big scythe is a pretty nice nice accessory for WRS I'd say.

    @ LEon:
    Thank you for the comment. Just looked around on the Internet, and there are quite a few other non-Japanese reviews out there already.

    You are not wrong that WRS is pretty much a character created from one that has boomed from a lot of hype out of a music video in the first place. Essentially extra icing on top of a bandwagon (and a commercialised one too).

    I admit that getting the figma is like guilty pleasure of some sort for me. I can't say I "love" the character in the first place as I am mostly into the character design (not that they have much base in the first place). It is perhaps like, say, one likes a Gundam design before the series is even aired, or . It can be looked down as shallow. Overhyped media can have a rather short lifespan, before getting replaced by another one. As we have discussed this in our email exchanges in the past this has been a concern of some sort, and I can understand even though I am in it at the moment.

    Well, hobby is meant to be enjoyed, but how long it will last is a subjective matter, and it is different from person to person. There is no guarantee that I will still find WRS as attractive as I think right now a year or two from now, but we'd just have to see.

    @ Persocom:
    I am sorry to hear that you have to cancel the order due to financial problems, but real life matters take a higher priority there.

    Hope you will get to get the figma if you still would like to get it. As for the game itself I really won't recommend it, even though localisation has been announced. The game is too short, and WRS seems to appear just for the sake of being in the game and that's it. It's a bit of a pity, but it's expected for such games anyway.

    @ gundamjehutykai:
    To be honest I am quite surprised that you have actually pre-ordered it in the first place given that you have been a big critic against the BRS and its bandwagon in the first place.

    I have very little expectation out of the game itself, and as for a fan oriented game it is mediocre as expected. The length of the game was quite shocking to me, and to think that I have even managed to finish the game before I got the figma itself feels kinda funny. There appears to be a few more "extra missions" along with a "better ending" for 2nd playthrough, but I think I will really take my time on it this time round (should I continue to play the game that is).

    @ Nopy:
    Ah yes some nendoroids have been bundled with games in the past, and I think that the latest one has got to do with ToHeart2.

    It looks like that a lot of people actually like WRS' wings. Maybe it's just me who am not so big into half-mecha half-girls.

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  8. @Q: You're right, I am a stern critic of BRS but at the same time, I don't want to be an ass who dismisses something simply because it's connected to BRS. If done right, a good game or anime could fix a lot of my criticisms of the character and figure line by providing her with some actual character and/or a backstory.

    Except the anime failed so badly, I almost go into a rage just remembering that I watched the accursed thing. And from the sound of things, the game isn't much better. It seems the guys behind BRS are happy to just ride the wave of popularity instead of possibly expanding more on the character and whatever world she is in.

    Remember the Shuraki series of figures? GSC spent extra time and money to provide a backstory of each character to explain their situation, motivation and also how they interact. That really helped me get into the figures. No such luck with BRS. And they're even crapping more designs out of their ass and doing the exact same thing!!! BGS, Strength... I'm looking at you!

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  9. I wasn't sure if you were actually getting this or not ^^; But good to hear about it. I wonder if I really want it though... Did I say she looks like Gundam Unicorn yet? I've managed to get most of my figmas standing. Just need to find the balance point :)

    Too bad the game is short... But I'm still curious about playing it when they get around to translating it here.

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  10. Awesome review mate :D
    I've yet to purchase WRS but personally I welcome these options parts (wings) since they give me more to work with when photographing them. As long as it's not excessive as to cover their entire body like the shinkis, I'm good ;3

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  11. Hi, great review, I have something to ask you, in the top of the box, in the lower left corner, what's print in yours the thing that says "JRPG XXXXX" numbers instead of XXXXX, I don't know if it's like the serial number cause mine says JRPG 00001... made me think that I have the very first one made

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  12. I actually thought the game was pretty fun. The game goes for around 20 hours, actually; it feels like you've cleared the game after you beat WRS/singlove once, but there's a surprisingly large amount of "extra" content, most of which are more fun than the main story playthrough. And rather than length, I like it probably because it feels fresh to me; I don't think I've played an RPG like this. The story is okay, but there are little nods to the player which was kind of amusing.

    I actually split this with a friend of mine; he got the figma, I got the game. It was still a bit expensive (around 90 for me), but it's been a while since I've had fun with a PSP, so I'm glad I brought it.

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  13. @ gundamjehutykai:
    I've got to say that I am impressed by your willingness to go through something you won't enjoy so that you can criticise with reasons to back.

    I remember the Shuraki figure series pretty well. It is a rather unusual but interesting concept to have original figures released along with backstory and settings for them; they even have drama CDs too if I remember correctly, but I don't hear people talk much about them.

    As for BRS media both OVA and the PSP game feel very rushed and incomplete. Now I have just completed the extra missions (save for a few records/achievements), that is still less than 24 hours of gameplay in total. I admittedly like the character design of BRS (much to your disagreement of course), but it appears that these "official" media have made this franchise to become less appreciating to me rather than the other way round, and to boast merchandise sales. Just like BGS and Strength in the OVA, WRS is serving a similar purpose in this game - as if they are appearing just for the sake of it. A bit sad, isn't it? I personally would think that BRS is not so suitable for making big productions like anime etc - afterall trying to make something big out of a mere character design and later on greatly hyped and supported as a music video by Hatsune Miku is a bit over ambitious, not alone how one should have done it in the first place. Perhaps some doujin series could have done a lot better IMHO (but I have not taken the time to really look for them).

    @ Lightning Sabre:
    Despite the fact that I am happy with the figma itself, having to get it at such premium price is highly unrecommended. *Sigh* I wish they are not so much of a pain to acquire in the first place. -_-

    WRS looks like Unicorn Gundam?! You surely haven't told me that before! After seeing that WRS can stand by herself (as seen in this review), I've give mine a try, and despite the high heels of her it's possible indeed; just need a bit of patience and find the balance point ^^;

    The game is really too short for it to have replay value. Despite the mixed reviews it's still green lights for NISA to license it. It's only a matter of time before we'll get to see it in English and see more feedback from more overseas fans and gamers (I wonder whether the opinions will be different to the current ones) :o

    @ lycorisoradiata:
    Hey thanks for dropping by and spending the time to comment! ^^

    So you really are going to get WRS? The wings do give extra options for one to pose with and to take pictures with as you've said. It's not easy for me to explain what I don't like about mecha musumes, but I think it's sometimes how the mechanical parts become actual part of a person's body (rather than an add-on) is not exactly my cup of tea.

    My photography skills probably look rather mediocre to you as I am very casual in photography, and use whatever I have in household for the setup (i.e. pillow cover or even a towel over the monitor). Hopefully I will get to work more on it for my next review or photoshoot! :o

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  14. @ Anonymous:
    The JRPG 00001 is printed on all White Premium Boxes afaik; it appears to be a catalog number of some sort. It's definitely not the first game out of the JPRG series of Imageepoch, with 最後の約束の物語 being the first of the series, so I am not sure why it is labelled "00001" there.

    @ L:
    Thanks for dropping a comment here regarding on the game! I have just finished completing all of the extra missions (about 23 hours of gameplay in total so far), save for a few records such as the no damage clear for the bike mini-games. As you've said the extra missions are more for a laugh with increased difficulty, but are still very doable.

    The game is far from fabulous IMHO, but I'm yet far from wanting me to throw down the PSP, which is a good thing since I have very little expectation out of it (or maybe that I have had enough of that from playing the Ace Combat series on the PS2 and PSP in the recent months). It is a pretty fast paced and simple game to learn, though towards the end one tends to use a combo of skills to finish enemies off.

    But it's good to know that you like the game a lot and that it's a good purchase for you. I personally think that the game has potential, though more could have been expanded. I get the box set mostly for the figma, and kinda hoped that she would make much more appearance than I have expected. Nevertheless she does appear to be elegant and graceful throughout her brief appearance. Oh well.

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  15. @Q:

    The boxset was a bit expensive, even with the figma. Oh well. I did find it weird for WRS to have the pearl texture on parts of it, though; it kind of reminds me of huke's art, though without the rough particle appearance. I think the main gripe I have with it is the huge head, but several other figma figures have that problem, don't they?

    And yeah, I think the ease of picking up the game along with other slight differences makes the game fulfilling enough. And you should finish the bike races! I thought seeing MZMA/red guy walk at the same speed as the bike was kind of funny.

    Ace Combat! On that topic, are you looking forward to the new one that's coming out? They're changing the setting to a fictional earth, and now they're using more real planes. I'm optimistic cautious.

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  16. Q: You pretty much read my mind on the BRS. We just happen to be on the opposing sides of the popularity thing.

    I also feel that all these extra characters exist for the sake of existing and plugging a few more figures without any real planning and they're just trying to extend the line far further than it really should be. And I bet when the game gets released in the west, the gaming press will ridicule it, as will a number of people familiar with the characters but it will all be drowned out by the ridiculous vocal noise from the BRS fanbase. It's just how things go.

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  17. @ L:
    A *bit* expensive? I'd say it's premium!

    Huge head has been a thing associated with ACG (anime, comic, game) characters, though WRS' head may seem to stand out a bit compared to her black counterpart due to her large twin tails and her small waist (with no clothes to cover it). I think she already doesn't stand out that much compared to, say, Haruhi or Shana from the same line, not least to say those from Lucky Star... :P

    The pearl coating is a bit unexpected, but I welcome it as it brings out a little more variety against her white opaque clothings such as the legggings as well as the pale skin.

    I'd really take my time on trying to complete the remaining records on this game, and move my focus on other games for now. As for the motorbike minigame, it's actually pretty hard for me to do as I really suck at timing x_x

    Speaking of Ace Combat, Assault Horizon will be the 2nd game to be set in the real world, with Joint Assault being the first one to do so. Having the game set in the real world does give one a feeling of restrictions here and there, which makes me feel a little cautious too. As long as Markov isn't as broken as Sulejmani in the game then that will be one big relief for me there. I'm still not sure whether I like the new Close Range Assault system at the moment to be honest; we shall see once the game is out.

    @ gundamjehutykai:
    I do share some of the thoughts with you there; there are a lot of things that seem rather there just for the sake of it or to boost sales for the franchise. But it's the guilty pleasure that took me in at the end of the day. Bit like eating a packet of crisps know that it's bad for you but somehow you just like it.

    We already have mixed reviews for the game in Japan and those elsewhere who have the hands on the Japanese version of the game already. The West won't differ too much to be honest, and as the game leaves a bit of a sour aftertaste for me too you can prepare a sledgehammer for it when you manage to get your hands on it.

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