D-Arts Persona 4 Izangai Figure

Here we are! Bringing it back to figures, and specifically video game figures.  Now, Persona 4 has long been a favorite game for me.  With the anime coming out, it is finally gain in popularity. This means many people get some of the dream figures they always wanted. Lechau (the one who would be my partner in crime if we chose to drop normal lives and rob banks instead) was the one who introduced me to this series of games. I can't thank Lechau enough.  In one of our discussions about the characters (and game, plot, etc, etc, etc...)  I clearly remember saying how Izanagi would make an amazing figure, and how I would pay crazy amounts of money for an awesome Kanji figure. 

Well cap my social links, because both are too happen, and especially with the first.  Izangai is kinda like Aegis, in the way that we are seeing a flood of figures of him.  So here is the only Izanagi I need:  D-arts Persona 4 Izanagi Figure:

Fresh out of the box and he is wonderful.  Imposing and classy.  I still have a soft spot for bad asses with good hearts.  Izanagi is all hero despite his "Gang Leader" look about him.  Also this is the box he comes in.  It's easy to spot and follows the game scheme to a T.  The TV window, box art, and the side open panels are nice touches.  This box is a nice size, and isn't larger than it needs to be, making it easy to store.

Izanagi is fully posable, and comes with three sets of hands (holding weapon hands, relaxed, and outstreched).  The are easy to change out, and just pop on and off.  They aren't as tight as chogokin Aegis parts but they work well.  I will say the joints are easy to manipulate, but sometimes the dip or don't stay.  So posing Izanagi with his weapon can be tricky.

Here are some side and back shots.  The last shot looks like he is getting hit, and it also shows off his joints in the legs, arms, straps, and the stand.  If you are interested in collecting posing figures, D-arts Izanagi is the way to go.

Izanagi also comes with effect parts.  The first adds onto the sword for the swing attack, but it is heavy and can really pull down the arms when it is on the sword.  If you balance it right it can be higher, so it's not that bad.  The other is the blue fire (from when Izanagi was first summoned) in a curved shape that sits on the base.  Both look wonderful in the light. With enough shine and transparency to be realistic.  I also really love how they are molded so no pegs are needed on the sword or the base.  Plus you can interchange them onto other figures and bases.

Speaking of bases, basically Izanagi has the same base (size and shape) as the chogokin Aegis.  This was a nice surprise.  They look really good next to each other, and they are from different makers! Just to show how large these bases are in comparison to their size, I put Plex Zoro next to them.  Basically his hexagon is the same size, even though he towers over them. Zoro looks good with his base on fire, too.

Some battle shots just for fun.  Pretend this is that new Persona Vista Game coming out, I guess.  I'm so happy I can display these two together. So my final thoughts?

Despite some posing issues (minor though) This is really a wonderfully sculpted, painted, and displayable figure.  Izanagi is really easy to buy, and available at most figure shipping stores (amiami, hobbylinkjapan, etc.) as well as online shops and conventions.  Be warned though, some places are really jacking up his price, so hunt around before you place your order!

Chogokin Aegis

As I may have hinted in an older post, I have a thing for demons, monsters, and androids. While I will never see the Tima I long for, another android stole my heart: Aegis from Persona 3.  I know she has had many releases in figure and plush form, but I missed all of them.  I was holding out for a figma Aegis (aka saving up the money) when Chogokin came out with their own version. I figured it would be even more out of my price range.  Then something odd happened.  After seeing reviews and images from other people, I went ahead and took advantage of the amiami sale and got an Aegis of my own.  So how does she stand up to my longing desires?

I have to admit, I love this box and package set.  It saves a lot of space while taking care of all the TINY parts.  Since this is my first Chogokin, I have no idea if all the boxes are this size or if they adjust depending of the character.  I heard this is a smaller box for them usually. Let's break her out!

First impressions: Cold! (probably from shipping in December) the die cast metal parts were cold to the touch, and then she has this really nice weight to her.  Something about an android figure actually being metal is so appealing to me.  I can't explain it, nor recreate it in the photos.  No wonder people prefer their robot/android figures from Chogokin. 

I love how they handled the white parts of her body, they are smooth without having a slick sheen. The gold parts are eye catching in the way I always pictured Aegis. Plus they payed close attention to the joints and how they were designed for the android.  I love this detail of her; with these joints the range of positions for the arms and legs are incredible.  They also included a nub stopper so she could be posed without the massive base, so I tried that out first.  It works very well.  But since they included such an impressive base I want to use it for the display.  The nub will only come into play if I pose her for scenes later on.

Another reason why I went with this aegis over other versions, was her face and hair.  This version of aegis has a more spot on face and hair color/style compared to the figma. This is however my own personal opinion.  I just loved how much the face and the hair matched the artwork of aegis rather than in game versions.  Here is how to switch the faces out.  I love this way because the hair has no seam lines and all the parts match up perfectly.  I guess Chogokin know how to machine a machine.  I love her angry fight face so that the one I settle with for these pictures:

Here is the basically saucer sized base.  I do believe it has to be this big because of the sheer weight of aegis.

I should mention how tight all of the parts are.  Sometimes you really have to push or pull to make things fit, twist, or turn.  Once they do however, they are really solid.  Sometimes I can feel figma or revoltech joints kinda slip, but with these parts that's never the case.  The hands in particular have this sickly POP sound when you put them on or take them off.  This isn't a complaint though, I actually really like this feeling.  Everything is so study that I don't have fears of parts breaking.  I've just never felt that in a figure before.

Her body joint twists and turn with ease, and her neck has a lot of motion as well.  One can see this in the shot where she is looking kind of behind her rifle arm.  You can also see her shoulder metal joints can open up and slide over the gold rims of her shoulders. Giving her arms the same kind of insane range.


The Rifle happens to be my favorite accessory, so I choose to leave it on her for display.  I really love the rocket punch arm as well, but they set that thing on a hair trigger.  Just posing her today with it I managed to fire it at my house plant, my lamp, and once at my face 0_- *  So I will leave the safer bullet hand and rifle for now. 

Speaking of hands, Aegis comes with four sets, I switched them up quite a bit for the shots for everyone to see.  It helps to recreate a lot of the motions Aegis would have in battle, and you sure can with how much air she can get off of the base.  She really is a treat for anyone who love the robot girl destined to fight shadows.

She really went above my expectations.  It's worth the amiami.com sale if you don't have an aegis and want one (I saved 40% from the normal price, which I forget at the moment).  I know Chogokin also came out with a heavy armor set for her from the fes version of the game.  It's expensive and while it would be nice, too expensive for myself (like 30$ for the armor and extra pieces). I'd rather have a Chogokin Metis 0.0;

So in the end I have nothing but praise for Chogokin Aegis, and recommend hitting up amiami.com for purchasing your own.  I'm gonna go pose Aegis some more, nerd awaaay~