Kaede Takagaki (Idolm@ster Cinderella Girls)

I am definitely tempted after seeing owner pictures! But 140k yen on Y!J... I wonder how quickly she will sell out when orders open

I don't think the current Y!J pricing means anything beyond taking advantage of the gotta-have-it-this-instant crowd. Her online sale is a clickwar followed by a preorder clickwar that still has a limit. Based on Luka and even Yuriko recently, I don't feel it will be that hard to get her.

 

Hello everyone! The several pictures already have appeared from the first owners. Whot do you shink about she?) And which of you will buy her and who likes her? It's very interesting to know)))

I still can not decide on buying ... I still think, because there are not a lot of qualitative pictures. But, I think she is very attractive in some angles))) Maybe, Kaede did not like the Japanese and because we see so small amount photos...?(((( I think if I saw her in a live, I could immediately decide on the purchase.)))

She's not for me. What it comes down to really is there are other DDs, other iDOLM@STER DDs, that I like better.

 

I went on earlier in the thread on how I don't feel Volks quite interpreted the character as I preferred, but there's two main things I don't like on this sculpt. The slightly-open mouth style just doesn't appeal to me; it doesn't on Luka and it doesn't here. And I dislike the nose style that's basically just a bump with no bridge really leading up to it, and having a pretty flat face overall as a result.

 

My general taste is I'm most a fan of the more mature-looking sculpts. Hence I really like DDH-07, Takane, Sheryl...

 

She's still pretty. I'd just rather buy Takane/Chihaya/Makoto/Miki/Ranko and others I can't afford lol.

I’ve seen a number of images of Kaede with a slightly open mouth, and Volks has received a fair amount of criticism for their increasingly monotonous run of smiling iM@S faces. I think is good they are trying something new.

 

All the girls listed in the above post are awesome, and I highly recommend Ranko. Her full set is getting very expensive. Get a head, put it on an S bust DDS, and put her in the gothic Miku preorder outfit. She would be the perfect Ranko at a much lower cost.

I’ve seen a number of images of Kaede with a slightly open mouth, and Volks has received a fair amount of criticism for their increasingly monotonous run of smiling iM@S faces. I think is good they are trying something new.

Good point. I also didn't mean to imply that mouth style wasn't appropriate for her. I do like hers better than the one on Luka; this one looks more friendly while Luka looks a bit like she's in the middle of starting to say something lol.

 

All the girls listed in the above post are awesome, and I highly recommend Ranko. Her full set is getting very expensive. Get a head, put it on an S bust DDS, and put her in the gothic Miku preorder outfit. She would be the perfect Ranko at a much lower cost.

Hmm, that's not a bad idea. It's not too hard to find appropriate wigs for her as well. Lullaby Poem has a couple:

http://lullabypoem.weebly.com/store/p99/LPW033.html

http://lullabypoem.weebly.com/store/p123/LPW035_%5BTwintails_ver.%5D.html

 

If anyone is looking for a wig for Kaede, CotinDoll has one:

http://jp.cotindoll.com/shopdetail/000000004685/ddwigs/page1/recommend/

That's Alphond Tan's custom Kaede wearing it in the picture. I have some CotinDoll wigs and the quality is really good.

Yeah, I have seen the LP wigs, and they are prefect for her. I had originally heard that her default wig was terrible, and I was going to buy the LP wig as a replacement. When she arrived it turned out that her default is one of the nicest Volks limited wigs I have, but at some point I will probably get the LP wigs too.

 

I really want some different styles for her, but I want them in her color, and LPs silver is a perfect match.

 

I’d really love some other styles in the right color for my Kaede when she arrives. A short ponytail or an updo would be perfect on her. LP seems to have the right color, but I’ll have to check Cotindoll out.

I love this Kaede look so much, it’s so summer Kaede!

I found this classic lolita Kaede on Twitter

Gods she’s gorgeous.

That twitter has a couple of pictures of the bare head. Interesting that she's got one of the flatter headcaps.

 

I want to see her with a narrower-iris eye design so that a little more white is visible. I think with that change she'll look more like Kaede to me.

 

Edit: Those twitter pics show me something I've also noticed about Luka. I like the look much better from lower angles where you can see the teeth; from above or when the doll is looking down and the teeth aren't visible I think this open mouth design is much less attractive.

I think you may have hit the nail on the head. Different eyes may give her a more mature look. I suspect her eyes may reflect Starlight Stage.

More(?) info on how to obtain her at the After Event is up:

https://www.volks.co.jp/cinderella_girls/en/

The After Event takes place on September 8th, and is a clickwar for in-stock followed by a limited preorder clickwar and is the same as Matoi.

 

In addition, Volks USA will be having a lottery for her at the same time, September 1st - 10th. So the entering one and entering the other upon losing looks like is no longer an option. Here's the limited info so far:

https://mailchi.mp/volksusa/htdsendai2_082018?e=6f94b61517

Yeah, I have seen the LP wigs, and they are prefect for her. I had originally heard that her default wig was terrible, and I was going to buy the LP wig as a replacement. When she arrived it turned out that her default is one of the nicest Volks limited wigs I have, but at some point I will probably get the LP wigs too.

I would be vary of Lullaby Poem's quality. I've had six wigs from them and only one of them didn't have obvious quality issues. The rest needed *a lot* of reshaping with a hairdryer and wig wax to make them look decent (and one I returned because they sent it in the wrong size). I've got two reviews about LP wigs on my blog, if you'd like to see what kind of quality issues their wigs can have: first part & second part.

 

I want to see her with a narrower-iris eye design so that a little more white is visible. I think with that change she'll look more like Kaede to me.

The iris width was the biggest thing that bothered me about Kaede, so I made an edit of her with narrower irises back when the first Volks news photos surfaced:

 

 

She would also benefit from more paint to the corners of her mouth to make her smile (just like Luka), so I edited her mouth a bit as well. And added a few lashes too. xD

 

Kaede is my most favourite iM@S girl and I was super excited about her DD and I did like her (after I'd done my edit) and I still think that she looks pretty from the front... but when that one blog with a report about DD Fes was linked here and it contained a photo of her profile - yikes. She looks unusually flat for a DD, although luckily her cheeks still have some shape... but her nose and mouth area looks really off in profile. ;__;

 

Lately with a lot of new DDs, they have these noses that dip really low and their mouths are low so that they don't have much chin - it makes their faces look really long somehow. I'm not a fan of this trend. ;__; Kaede's nose is also slightly too low, but it didn't bother me too much... until I saw her profile. I really hope that this trend won't become permanent. I mean, I understand wanting to try new things but what I always loved about DDs was that they had propotionate faces and the sculptor took bone structure and muscle definition into consideration so the faces looked nice from all angles (and especially profile, for example Sheryl Nome has one of the most beautiful profiles) and not just directly from the front. :C Sorry for venting, I was just so excited waiting for Kaede because she's my favourite, so I'm a little disappointed... but then again, I suppose it's my own fault for setting too many expectations for her.

Kaede is my most favourite iM@S girl and I was super excited about her DD and I did like her (after I'd done my edit) and I still think that she looks pretty from the front... but when that one blog with a report about DD Fes was linked here and it contained a photo of her profile - yikes. She looks unusually flat for a DD, although luckily her cheeks still have some shape... but her nose and mouth area looks really off in profile. ;__;

 

Lately with a lot of new DDs, they have these noses that dip really low and their mouths are low so that they don't have much chin - it makes their faces look really long somehow. I'm not a fan of this trend. ;__; Kaede's nose is also slightly too low, but it didn't bother me too much... until I saw her profile. I really hope that this trend won't become permanent. I mean, I understand wanting to try new things but what I always loved about DDs was that they had propotionate faces and the sculptor took bone structure and muscle definition into consideration so the faces looked nice from all angles (and especially profile, for example Sheryl Nome has one of the most beautiful profiles) and not just directly from the front. :C Sorry for venting, I was just so excited waiting for Kaede because she's my favourite, so I'm a little disappointed... but then again, I suppose it's my own fault for setting too many expectations for her.

 

Hmm I'm not a fan of flatter face sculpts but I find that side profile intriguing. Maybe it's that tiny little part in her lips, so the (slightly) flatter profile doesn't bother me that much.

 

I know what you mean about the nose! I thought it was just my imagination, because I kept feeling like my DDH-14 had a lower nose than my Asuna

I would be vary of Lullaby Poem's quality. I've had six wigs from them and only one of them didn't have obvious quality issues. The rest needed *a lot* of reshaping with a hairdryer and wig wax to make them look decent (and one I returned because they sent it in the wrong size). I've got two reviews about LP wigs on my blog, if you'd like to see what kind of quality issues their wigs can have: first part & second part.

Oh, thanks for that. I like your site and have used it for info before but either I haven't read those articles or I forgot it was about their wigs. I had read they were mostly ok and I have just one, the lemon yellow LPW027:

http://lullabypoem.weebly.com/store/p138/LPW027_%5BLimited%3A_Lemon%5D.html

I've just done a little test fit as I still don't have an assembled doll, but I didn't notice issues with this one. But it's also a simpler style that would be less likely to have some of the issues you had. I don't think it has any bald spots though because I really hate those and would probably have noticed.

 

I want to see her with a narrower-iris eye design so that a little more white is visible. I think with that change she'll look more like Kaede to me.

The iris width was the biggest thing that bothered me about Kaede, so I made an edit of her with narrower irises back when the first Volks news photos surfaced:

 

 

She would also benefit from more paint to the corners of her mouth to make her smile (just like Luka), so I edited her mouth a bit as well. And added a few lashes too. xD

Thanks; as I expected that does improve her.

 

Kaede is my most favourite iM@S girl and I was super excited about her DD and I did like her (after I'd done my edit) and I still think that she looks pretty from the front... but when that one blog with a report about DD Fes was linked here and it contained a photo of her profile - yikes. She looks unusually flat for a DD, although luckily her cheeks still have some shape... but her nose and mouth area looks really off in profile. ;__;

 

Lately with a lot of new DDs, they have these noses that dip really low and their mouths are low so that they don't have much chin - it makes their faces look really long somehow. I'm not a fan of this trend. ;__; Kaede's nose is also slightly too low, but it didn't bother me too much... until I saw her profile. I really hope that this trend won't become permanent. I mean, I understand wanting to try new things but what I always loved about DDs was that they had propotionate faces and the sculptor took bone structure and muscle definition into consideration so the faces looked nice from all angles (and especially profile, for example Sheryl Nome has one of the most beautiful profiles) and not just directly from the front. :C Sorry for venting, I was just so excited waiting for Kaede because she's my favourite, so I'm a little disappointed... but then again, I suppose it's my own fault for setting too many expectations for her.

I hadn't specfically noticed that the noses or mouths were actually lower, but because the nose has basically no bridge it certainly looks that way. There's certainly different aspects to flatness; I think the one that bothers me most is when the nose has no bridge like that, especially if the eyes are pretty widely spaced, you have this big flat plain between the eyes and nose. I have a DDH-07 laying here on the desk in front of me and the bridge of the nose clearly extends at least about halfway up the eyes. Heads like Sheryl Nome with more distinct noses have that or more. I dislike the "straight line from nose to chin" in profile as well but it doesn't bother me quite as much as the above, because that flat area between the eyes and above the nose affects the appearance even from the front.

 

I guess I am just really really picky because as opposed to that particular flatness, I've found I dislike DDH-09 because it goes so far in the opposite direction with the sculpting around the eyes and eyebrows where it has almost a "furrowed brow" kind of look. I used to like that sculpt until I finally saw pictures lighted such that I could see that aspect of it.

 

I too am concerned this is a style that's going to be on a lot of the dolls going forward as Karin and Yuriko are somewhat like this too. However, Matoi is not so it doesn't look like it's going to be all dolls.

 

I don't think you're venting; I appreciate your comments. I always feel like you have some extra insight or an artist's eye for these types of things or can put them in words in ways I can't.

I would be vary of Lullaby Poem's quality. I've had six wigs from them and only one of them didn't have obvious quality issues. The rest needed *a lot* of reshaping with a hairdryer and wig wax to make them look decent (and one I returned because they sent it in the wrong size).

 

I have a few of their wigs and didn't see any quality issues. I'm not a wig expert though. XD

 

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On her cards Kaede's nose is really tiny, and very low on her face. I think the volks sculpt would look very odd if they did her nose the way she is drawn.

 

I also like her more serious look, although she does have a nice smile in much of her character art. I think a big issue I have with the Volks scuple, as much as I like her, is that she just doesn't look mature enough. She looks like she's in her late teens as opposed to her mid twenties.

 

Still getting her though, she's a beautiful doll and I love the character.

I also like her more serious look, although she does have a nice smile in much of her character art. I think a big issue I have with the Volks scuple, as much as I like her, is that she just doesn't look mature enough. She looks like she's in her late teens as opposed to her mid twenties.

That's true, and you know what's extra odd about that? I think Volks interpreted many of the other girls to actually look a bit older or more mature than they do in the source material, like Ranko for instance. In general they have gone with slightly smaller eye designs and more minimal makeup compared to at least some of the source material, and they kind of did the opposite with Kaede.

 

That's why she really isn't quite what I expected because they seem to have gone with a different set of design decisions compared to the other Idolmaster dolls.

Pictures of Volks displays with Kaede from Dolpa: http://blog.livedoor.jp/teaoevo/archives/1898048.html

As with Matoi, More information is up now. First, this page still states it's in-stock dolls plus a limited preorder for both in-store and online:

https://www.volks.co.jp/htd_sendai2/afterevent_en/

 

This page shows it to be lottery:

https://www.volks.co.jp/sp_d_028_newdollfie_en/?version=en

 

So it's not a clickwar, but with it being preorder presumably it would be a lottery with a lot of winners?

 

Edit: Note that the dates are September 8-9, while the Volks USA lottery is September 1-10 so they overlap. Here's the USA info page:

https://volksusastore.com/webstores/event/index.php?dispatch=pages.view&page_id=78

That also mentions Paypal is still usable there.

Found an instagram with some pics of Kaede:

https://www.instagram.com/yamatokotonoha/

Here Kaede with different eyes/wig https://mobile.twitter.com/tskgrzk/status/1035518204582350849

Here Kaede with different eyes/wig https://mobile.twitter.com/tskgrzk/status/1035518204582350849

Interesting...I guess it's how the wig hugs her face so much but it makes her eyes look really far apart, and makes her somewhat reminiscent of Towa to me.

 

It also shows she can be a guy with a different faceup, heh.

I just noticed this, but she is ¥95,000 to ¥110,000 on Yahoo! Japan. It's looking like she's another who will be in Takane's price range.

I just noticed this, but she is ¥95,000 to ¥110,000 on Yahoo! Japan. It's looking like she's another who will be in Takane's price range.

Volks Japan lottery hasn't even started yet but I guess this is for those who can't wait or don't want to gamble on winning.

 

That price seems about where most of the popular Idolmaster DDs end up (unless they're higher); Anastasia is 100K on Mandarake like Chihaya and some others, even with her being a preorder doll and thus presumably not as rare.

My proxy snagged her for me at Akihabara.

 

Apparently they have a very large stack of them, so I hope there are enough that lots of people here get her in the lottery.

 

Still waiting to see if he can get the outfit, but if not I can probably grab it on the web event without trouble.

I'm getting a 'failed' every time I try to enter my CC info... anyone else having issues? I've paid with this CC before with no issues.

hmmm I thought the volks international website for Kaede was a click war/pre-orders...? It's apparently a lottery now? Whats going on here?

hmmm I thought the volks international website for Kaede was a click war/pre-orders...? It's apparently a lottery now? Whats going on here?

If you read back here the last few pages, that's how it appeared. I posted the original info from Volks which clearly sounded like a limited number of dolls in stock followed by a limited preorder done as a click war; then when the final info was put up a week or so ago it became lottery.

 

I suspect it's going to be another lottery with a high percentage of winners though as they've been recently.

 

I'm getting a 'failed' every time I try to enter my CC info... anyone else having issues? I've paid with this CC before with no issues.

I don't know about for the lottery here as I didn't enter, but I just bought a few items on the Volks International webstore and the card there worked as it always has.