Utena Tenjo & Anthy Himemiya

35 minutes ago, iPOUT said:

Also, im only a quarter through the manga but which do people recommend more. The manga or the anime?

The anime and manga are very different takes on the story. I recommend both! After the anime, also be sure to watch the film and read the manga for the film as well. I ADORE the movie! Not gonna hold my breath they release those wigs/outfits.

10 hours ago, ragnamuffin said:

Gotta disagree. Azone somehow makes all their dolls look exactly like the characters in the anime/games they’re adapted from. I don’t know if Volks just likes to march to the beat of their own drum or what, but their dolls almost always just look like Volks dolls and not like the actual characters they’re meant to represent. Being the biggest name in the industry, that just strikes me as laziness on their part.

I don't really agree with this, personally. Like I do like Azone, their dolls are cute, but for example the Utena Azone looks like a cheap attempt at Utena. Like, all the ingredients are there, technically, and they lean more into the anime style, but it doesn't look good? The 1/6 Mash from FGO they've recently announced looks good, but also her character design is rounder in the face and thusly IMO more suited to Azone's style. 

Meanwhile I look at the DDs here, and like I said previously the faceups could be better, but I feel like the underlying structure of the actual HEAD is a way stronger base to start with and they feel more like the characters to me than the Azone Utena ever will. Maybe Azone Utena has the exact eyes, but she doesn't look half as good.

Personally, I'm far more concerned with feeling like they captured the essence of the character than if they managed to 3D print a shot of the anime.

1 hour ago, mangaemi said:

Same - if they’re not preorders it’ll be rough…

My recommendation for manga vs anime is hands down the anime. The symbolism and music do so much more for the story and it’s themes. 
 

(also off topic so forgive me but - looks like a Utena figure is also in the works from Volks: 

[pic]

VOLKS IS COMING FOR MY WALLET... My life is OVER...

1 hour ago, iPOUT said:

Also, im only a quarter through the manga but which do people recommend more. The manga or the anime?

The anime is my favorite, but I'm a huge fan of alternate takes on the original story, so I quite like the manga too! The manga also isn't that long so you can read it after you're done with the anime and it's not like, a huuuuge timesink.

Edited February 26, 2022 by CaffeinatedCake

First time posting, long time lurker.

RGU is a series that's very important to me, both creatively and personally, so it's absolutely incredible to see such beautiful interpretations of the two main characters. I'm really looking forward to seeing more photographs of them and information about their future release!

I'd like to second the recommendation of starting with the anime for anyone interested in checking the series out, followed by the manga and then the movie. All of them are incredible experiences! However, just as a heads up for those who are unfamiliar with the work, RGU does deal with heavy subject matter. IMO it's well worth watching and/or reading, but I would suggest looking up a content warning guide (there are several out there, from general lists to episode-by-episode breakdowns) if you're unfamiliar just so you know what you're getting into.

4 hours ago, mangaemi said:

also off topic so forgive me but - looks like a Utena figure is also in the works from Volks

Those figures look very much like the characters, but that helps highlight my earlier point that I think that style of head would not fit a dd. Utena is very tall and thin, and that figure head sculpt fits the body nicely. If you put that head on a DD body it would look too skinny for the body. Anthy’s head on the figure is very broad, which imo is faithful to her art, but would look absurdly large on DD. Some re-scaling had to take place for the DD treatment. 
 

5 hours ago, iPOUT said:

Personally, I really want Anthy because this is the closest a DD has ever really matched my skin tone and that just warms my heart.

I seriously hope this is a new globally available skin tone. It would be a great move on Volks part. Probably wishful thinking on my part though. It’s a long shot, but the proper joints are compelling. Maybe Tawny Icon is just so popular that they realized she needed to be standard. I want to say she’s the color of curry too. XD

5 hours ago, mangaemi said:

(also off topic so forgive me but - looks like a Utena figure is also in the works from Volks: 

Sorry to burst literally everyone's bubble, but these are actually going to be a Garage Kit, meaning you'll need to assemble and fully paint them yourself.  As of now, there's no prepainted version planned.

As for preference, since the manga and anime were basically produced at the same time, it's hard to pick one over the other for me.  I love the movie for its use of more adult themes and reliance on aesthetic imagery over dialogue, but I cherish the anime a lot, even if it has a lot of filler content.  I would suggest reading the manga first (since it's only five volumes, you can knock it out quick!), then watching the anime, and then wrapping it up with the movie, which makes no sense but makes slightly more sense if you've already consumed the Utena story in another format.  The movie will make you never look a carwash the same way again.  Each version of Utena is basically an alternate universe retelling of the same story, and it's so worth it to experience them all.

There's also the movie manga, but it's rather hard to find, as the single volume is at least $50 to pick up, otherwise it's included in the 2017 box set edition manga, but that sells for $150+ secondhand.

5 hours ago, OccultBeast said:

Sorry to burst literally everyone's bubble, but these are actually going to be a Garage Kit, meaning you'll need to assemble and fully paint them yourself.  As of now, there's no prepainted version planned.

As for preference, since the manga and anime were basically produced at the same time, it's hard to pick one over the other for me.  I love the movie for its use of more adult themes and reliance on aesthetic imagery over dialogue, but I cherish the anime a lot, even if it has a lot of filler content.  I would suggest reading the manga first (since it's only five volumes, you can knock it out quick!), then watching the anime, and then wrapping it up with the movie, which makes no sense but makes slightly more sense if you've already consumed the Utena story in another format.  The movie will make you never look a carwash the same way again.  Each version of Utena is basically an alternate universe retelling of the same story, and it's so worth it to experience them all.

There's also the movie manga, but it's rather hard to find, as the single volume is at least $50 to pick up, otherwise it's included in the 2017 box set edition manga, but that sells for $150+ secondhand.

I might have to learn how to paint a garage kit now...

Also, I would argue that there's no real filler in Utena. Like, there's some nonsense episodes, sure, but stuff like Nanami's Egg for example is a metaphor and has some interesting character writing on Touga. Honestly, the fact that even the most bonkers episodes flesh out the story in SOME meaningful way is one of my favorite things about this show LMAO. The curry episode? EXCELLENT bit of foreshadowing. But! I will say no more, for fear of spoiling any newcomers!

5 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

Those figures look very much like the characters, but that helps highlight my earlier point that I think that style of head would not fit a dd. Utena is very tall and thin, and that figure head sculpt fits the body nicely. If you put that head on a DD body it would look too skinny for the body. Anthy’s head on the figure is very broad, which imo is faithful to her art, but would look absurdly large on DD. Some re-scaling had to take place for the DD treatment. 

Yes!! This puts a bunch of vague thoughts of mine into words!!

23 minutes ago, CaffeinatedCake said:

I might have to learn how to paint a garage kit now...

Eyes take a lot of practice, but unless their is superfine detailing, everything else can be airbrushed. 

2 hours ago, CaffeinatedCake said:

Also, I would argue that there's no real filler in Utena. Like, there's some nonsense episodes, sure, but stuff like Nanami's Egg for example is a metaphor and has some interesting character writing on Touga. Honestly, the fact that even the most bonkers episodes flesh out the story in SOME meaningful way is one of my favorite things about this show LMAO. The curry episode? EXCELLENT bit of foreshadowing. But! I will say no more, for fear of spoiling any newcomers!

Y'know actually, that's absolutely fair!  My view on the anime having 'filler' honestly probably stems from the fact that I've watched it countless times at this point, and there are always things I'm looking forward to more than others.  Those 'filler' episodes also help the anime to not be so serious the whole way through.

I can't help but wonder which Chu-Chu design they're going to give us (because they had better give him with Himemiya!)...  Cute tiny-cheeked anime Chu-Chu?  Precious fat-red-cheeked manga art Chu-Chu?  Buff super-fluffy little manga monkey Chu-Chu?  I don't know if I could pick a favourite, or be disappointed with any of them, either.

Edited February 27, 2022 by OccultBeast

20 hours ago, OccultBeast said:

Y'know actually, that's absolutely fair!  My view on the anime having 'filler' honestly probably stems from the fact that I've watched it countless times at this point, and there are always things I'm looking forward to more than others.  Those 'filler' episodes also help the anime to not be so serious the whole way through.

I can't help but wonder which Chu-Chu design they're going to give us (because they had better give him with Himemiya!)...  Cute tiny-cheeked anime Chu-Chu?  Precious fat-red-cheeked manga art Chu-Chu?  Buff super-fluffy little manga monkey Chu-Chu?  I don't know if I could pick a favourite, or be disappointed with any of them, either.

OH YES I can agree with this. I have my favorites too...

Chuchu is SO IMPORTANT... Volks please reveal Chuchu. 

Some scans available here confirm that Himemiya is indeed Tawny skin and includes a little Chu-Chu plush!  I'm gathering that they'll be lottery though, but hopefully someone else who can read Japanese can confirm anything about their release from the scans.

Utena - DD Flesh - 71,500¥ (with tax)
Himemiya - DDS Tawny - 73,700¥ (with tax)

hmm... a lil hard to tell, but it looks like Volks is making Utena's "butt ruffle" pleated thing as a whole white mini-dress to go under her jacket?

ChuChu looks goofy and i love him!
 

32 minutes ago, OccultBeast said:

Some scans available here confirm that Himemiya is indeed Tawny skin and includes a little Chu-Chu plush!  I'm gathering that they'll be lottery though, but hopefully someone else who can read Japanese can confirm anything about their release from the scans.

Utena - DD Flesh - 71,500¥ (with tax)
Himemiya - DDS Tawny - 73,700¥ (with tax)

Okay, I love Chuchu and also think he looks ridiculous 😂 since everything is to scale - if he’s part of Anthy’s set I would have liked to see a smaller scale vinyl figure - this Chuchu is far too big to float in a teacup ☕️ or fall in love with a frog 🐸 

2 hours ago, OccultBeast said:

Some scans available here confirm that Himemiya is indeed Tawny skin and includes a little Chu-Chu plush!  I'm gathering that they'll be lottery though, but hopefully someone else who can read Japanese can confirm anything about their release from the scans.

Utena - DD Flesh - 71,500¥ (with tax)
Himemiya - DDS Tawny - 73,700¥ (with tax)

Thank you for this! Was trying to figure out prices for these ; w ;
and how they'd be distributed.. if it is lottery I'd much rather leave it up to luck than me
not clicking enough or typing fast enough OTL
I've done it in the past for other events and items I wanted, but I dislike doing so.

Their prices are also under 80,000 yen each which is SO nice!
I didn't want to pay 1,800usd or so and THEN on top of that shipping etc.

I like the way they made Utena's skirt a white dress, the dress itself is pretty cute!
 

Edited February 28, 2022 by Hazukami
add something

2 hours ago, OccultBeast said:

Some scans available here confirm that Himemiya is indeed Tawny skin and includes a little Chu-Chu plush!  I'm gathering that they'll be lottery though, but hopefully someone else who can read Japanese can confirm anything about their release from the scans.

Utena - DD Flesh - 71,500¥ (with tax)
Himemiya - DDS Tawny - 73,700¥ (with tax)

Thank you for the link to the scans. I'm glad Anthy is under 80,000 yen. 😄

Also, thank you to everyone who gave me watch and read order recommendations. I started watching the dub on YouTube and I can definitely see why so many of you guys said to watch the anime first. The music and aesthetic and so good. ^_^

EDIT: After seeing the scans, Utena definitely looks like Luka Megurine with a more determined/focused expression.

Edited February 28, 2022 by iPOUT

Interesting, I did actually expect them to make the ruffles as a separate piece as part of making it so that you could have her with either her transformation outfit or her everyday outfit — but i also thought they would make the other decorations on the top be removable, for the same reason, and it doesn’t seem like they are except the top of the epaulettes. So you can’t quite display her in her everyday uniform (unless that stuff *can* come off and it just isn’t indicated in the photos). Hmm.

Edited March 1, 2022 by ebil

46 minutes ago, ebil said:

Interesting, I did actually expect them to make the ruffles as a separate piece as part of making it so that you could have her with either her transformation outfit or her everyday outfit — but i also thought they would make the other decorations on the top be removable, for the same reason, and it doesn’t seem like they are except the top of the epaulettes. So you can’t quite display her in her everyday uniform (unless that stuff *can* come off and it just isn’t indicated in the photos). Hmm.

This reminded me that I was also surprised that there wasn't a school uniform for Himemiya, which also would have made total sense if Utena's accessories were removable.  I guess they figured some of the parts of Utena's outfit were too small to remove easily/safely?  I still wish they had a school uniform for Himemiya, though, because I really love her in that style.

7 hours ago, OccultBeast said:

 I'm gathering that they'll be lottery though, but hopefully someone else who can read Japanese can confirm anything about their release from the scans.

The text at the bottom of the page with the pic of Anthy holding the (surprisingly large?!) Chuchu says that the detailed sales method will be available on the Dolpa47 website, although I don’t think that’s up yet. Once it is it should mention how the after event sales will work.

Absolutely in awe of their accesseories and  doll forms in general (not a fan of their face ups though) 

 

credit: Twitter

 if anyone found full scans of volks news 95 please please post it 

Not the full scans, but here are more in better quality.

Just realised you can't see the remaining pictures without an account, so I'll link them directly:

More shots of Anthy

Details for both

 

I don't care for the franchise but the tawny skin does look amazing! I'll definitely try to bring her home if the order method allows it. They both have the M bust btw!

Edited March 1, 2022 by Collie

What date and time are they being released? Does anyone know?

1 hour ago, Luden333 said:

What date and time are they being released? Does anyone know?

As @Monty said above, we only know that the sales details will be available on the Dolpa47 website once it's available, but it's not up yet.

22 minutes ago, OccultBeast said:

As @Monty said above, we only know that the sales details will be available on the Dolpa47 website once it's available, but it's not up yet.

At the moment they don’t even have the vendor / exhibitor sign up posted, so I’d expect we’re a ways out. @Monty usually has a pretty good feel for when the events are expected to be held. 
 

The Frozen pre-order starts on the 17th of April, so I would expect that the Dolpa will be within a few weeks of that date. If it’s only an online pre-order event, then it’s possible Frozen will happen prior to the Dolpa, so the Dolpa could be in May. Like I said, Monty will have a pretty good idea roughly when that Dolpa will usually be scheduled.

CRIES THEY LOOK SO GOOD... I'm so excited... I feel like I need to watch Utena again like, right now.

42 minutes ago, CaffeinatedCake said:

CRIES THEY LOOK SO GOOD... I'm so excited... I feel like I need to watch Utena again like, right now.

Watch with them after they arrive. That’s what I did with Lina Inverse. 

Of course now DD Lina thinks she’s a total badass, and on top of that she keeps stealing the choicest bits of food off my plate…

8 hours ago, BeyondTime said:

At the moment they don’t even have the vendor / exhibitor sign up posted, so I’d expect we’re a ways out. @Monty usually has a pretty good feel for when the events are expected to be held. 
 

The Frozen pre-order starts on the 17th of April, so I would expect that the Dolpa will be within a few weeks of that date. If it’s only an online pre-order event, then it’s possible Frozen will happen prior to the Dolpa, so the Dolpa could be in May. Like I said, Monty will have a pretty good idea roughly when that Dolpa will usually be scheduled.

Dolpa is also on the 17th of April - the online preorder for the Frozen girls is actually the day after that, but it is possible to PO them at the venue too.
After Event is usually 2 weeks later -but- we don’t know if the Utena and Anthy will be part of it - usually I would assume they are but the last DD release was literally the day after Dolpa. So… either mid or late April, or early May, is when you can expect to try for Utena and Anthy online.

The Dolpa 47 site should hopefully be up very soon now that Volks News is out.

EDIT: it’s up now but the info on the DDs/SDs dolls and their sales methods is still coming soon.

https://dollfie.volks.co.jp/event/dolpa47/

 

Edited March 3, 2022 by Monty