Dollfie Dream 20th Anniversary Project

On 5/24/2023 at 1:20 AM, BeyondTime said:

It did occur to me that one reason for these releases was to replace deteriorating elements on limited dolls.  The voting might be a way to judge how much interest there is in keeping a character dressed as themselves after the pleather turns to dust. 
 

I really wish they used a better pleather. Every single secondhand pleather item from Volks I've gotten started to crumble into pieces eventually. Or even stopped using pleather and used actual fabric with similar shiny properties like vinylon or waxed cotton. I have some lolita pleather shoes and bags I bought around 2008-15 that are basically intact... I don't get it. A common Volks pleather item barely lasts 5 years. I just don't buy anything with pleather from them anymore. I know it won't last and the price is not friendly at all to begin with.

Edited June 2, 2023 by mukyuu

3 hours ago, Monty said:

Anthy

Ah, forgot about the tone difference there.

 

3 hours ago, Monty said:

don’t know what you mean by ‘limited lottery

What I meant was that perhaps the first batch of 2.0 MDD bodied releases might be some lottery/limited based thing to drum up more attention, like the unitorso DDS's back in the day being a idolmaster and melty speciality before being released as a stand alone part. (and yes, I know about Luka who came on the old DD3 body when the F3 was already released by her release date)

And in this event I also speculated perhaps another batch of D'coord models up for lottery like they did for the webstore anniversary event, or maybe even one-offs.

 

 

Edited June 2, 2023 by finnleo

3 minutes ago, finnleo said:

What I meant was that perhaps the first batch of 2.0 MDD bodied releases might be some lottery/limited based thing to drum up more attention, like the unitorso DDS's back in the day

 

Unitorso wasn't a replacement for anything else, though, and this has been unveiled as a 'new base body' rather than just a new body like when DDP came out. (For DDP, they just called it a new body, debuted it with Iori/Yayoi, waited a bit before adding it to DCoord and then Dream Choice and then finally it got released as a base body, but they never actually called it a base body (ie sold separate) until it actually was one.)

As for DCoords, I think there will definitely be some, and we will possibly see the return of the AfterSchool Akihabara Girls in different skin tones as DCoords again. I wonder if they'll add Ruri this time, or a tan Alna - I remember a tan Moe at one point. (Of course, I've been wondering this whole time every time I look at the 20th anniversary logo with the chibi Moe on it whether there's either going to get some kind of special anniversary edition of her, or a whole new character introduced. Maybe a MDD?)

1 hour ago, Monty said:

Unitorso wasn't a replacement for anything else, though, and this has been unveiled as a 'new base body' rather than just a new body like when DDP came out.

I'm sure they will sell them as base bodies, but it's possible they may be limited in some way at the start. I would be a bit stunned if MDD suddenly became DollPoint only though.

As expected, Moe (and Natsuki) are making a comeback for the anniversary.
TBH I wasn’t a huge fan of her original sculpt (it’s kinda dated)but it was very distinctive, and I can’t help feeling the newer one lacks character? Like Moe’s face was instantly recognisable but this one I might struggle to pick out in a lineup. Since she’s the face of Dollfie Dream, I wish her remake was a bit more unique. But that’s just my opinion (and from only one picture). I think the new Natsuki is really cute though.

Edited June 9, 2023 by Monty

Does it say its a new head though?

To me it looks like they are applying the recent trends of reshaping stuff with paintwork. At least i can see some trace of the small but slightly plump lips the moe/natsuki head has.

1 hour ago, finnleo said:

Does it say its a new head though?

To me it looks like they are applying the recent trends of reshaping stuff with paintwork. At least i can see some trace of the small but slightly plump lips the moe/natsuki head has.

It’s Moe’s mouth that is more distinct to me than her eyes, but looking closer at this it’s hard for me to actually tell the shape because the lighting is done in such a way that it’s difficult to see the shadows from the front-on angle and thus tell if the mouth is similar (hence why I try to hold off on judging dolls from their reveal pics too much, as the studio lit front angles often look very differently the actual doll/other angles), but my immediate reaction was that the head looks extremely different. But I’m curious now. Either way, it’s surprising how different Moe looks to the original whereas Natsuki looks more like herself. 

10 minutes ago, Monty said:

Either way, it’s surprising how different Moe looks to the original whereas Natsuki looks more like herself

Its the power of faceups. Moe and natsuki use the same head. Moe's original paintwork was more round versus natsuki being a bit more angular, and now to me theyve taken Moe more into the direction of Natsuki for some reason. At least now the difference between the two is less than before despite the old dolls having the same sculpt.

I agree that it looks like a different sculpt, especially around the mouth. I don't have a Moe/Natsuki, but I do have a Nanami and their mouths are similar. The mouth was a bit closer to the nose at least for sure. I would also agree that they've kept Natsuki's signature sharp eyes, but Moe's signature droopy eyes have been changed.

I'm not necessarily complaining per se, because older sculpts do have a certain yesteryear vibe to them, but I do think they were easier to tell apart. You can always recognize an 02, 03, 04 head no matter the faceup. But I have started to lose track in recent years with the newest Dream Choice heads and some of the limited heads too. Like, I might or might not recognize them in a default faceup but once you change that I'll have no idea unless you tell me. Some new sculpts are still distinctive and easy to recognize, but not all of them.

Moe and Natsuki in the new twitter photo are the same sculpt for sure, but that is not the same sculpt that used to be Moe/Natsuki.

It's probably easier to see the differences when you put the new and old side by side:



Old sculpt has a much longer jaw, more pronounced lower lip, sharper nose and the mouth and nose are close to each other, and not too far from the level of her eyes.
New sculpt has a shorter, more rounded jaw, lower lip isn't as strong, nose is smaller & more rounded and eyes are much higher up on her face in relation to her nose & mouth. Her eyes are also more apart from each other and they're slightly narrower, perhaps a bit taller too.

It's definitely not just a new face paint, it has to be a completely new sculpt.

While she looks very different from old Moe, she's cute and she has a similar look to Kizuna Ai, so she could work for a custom project of mine and I'd get a cute outfit that I could actually use for my dolls, too, so I approve of this release in that sense. xD But it's a bit sad that they're kinda going to this sameface look for all new DDs and I'm a bit miffed about the change in facial propotions to be honest. Well, old!Moe's eyes, nose and mouth are a bit too squished together, but the new one's features are a bit too far apart from each other... something between these two styles would be perfect, pretty much. xD

For those curious heres my arrival photoset of my moe v2 from five years ago for comparison. In my oppinnion it has dynamic features (for the lack of a better explanation) that change depending on the viewing/photo angle, but thats just me.

We'll know for sure when the spec list is given, personally im undecided because of the shape of the upper outer corners of the eyes but that could well be because of the difference in paintwork, especially the artificial eye shaping that i loathe.

New Moe having less round/droopy eyes reminds me moreso of the type of character design/art style thats more popular these days vs old Moe reminding me moreso of older trends when droopy puppy eyes were the default. I mean makes sense given the timing of the releases but yea thats my thoughts. I can give picture examples if anyones confused by what I mean.

I don’t like Moe or Natsuki’s old sculpts but the new ones feel pretty boring/not memorable. Natsuki looks cuter to me than Moe atm but maybe I’ll change my mind after seeing more pictures. I feel like Volks photos don’t capture the charm of their doll’s sculpts that well versus owner photos.

1 hour ago, finnleo said:

For those curious heres my arrival photoset of my moe v2 from five years ago for comparison. In my opinion it has dynamic features (for the lack of a better explanation) that change depending on the viewing/photo angle, but thats just me.

I can totally believe that! The original sculptor for Moe/Natsuki is listed Kosuke Kitahara. Many of his sculpts also share stylistic elements, but many of them look quite unique. A few of his molds other than M/N that I personally find interesting are Excellen, Mari Makanami, Rise, Kos-Mos, Alna, Nanami, and Alisa. Apologies if I missed anyone’s favorite! 
 

I wonder if there are less artists as sculptors these days? I notice, if it is listed, that Serika Misaki does most DD now? Does anyone know? 
 

Jadepixel has an awesome data sheet if anyone wants to look up info: 

It’s invaluable! Thank you so much for making it! I use it often.😍 

18 hours ago, mizya said:

It's probably easier to see the differences when you put the new and old side by side:

I put them in photoshop and rotated the images a bit. I think it is the same sculpt, but the tilt of the head is de-emphasizing the chin.

The placement of the blush on the cheeks and the newer style of eye makeup is making things look different, but the shape of the eye socket seems the same, and I think the chin is the same even though it does look pointier in the older photo.

To be sure we'll need to see the sculpt number.

I'm leaning towards the same sculpt.  

Here are my V1 Natsuki and Tansuki.  I'm really feeling like it's the same sculpt.  New eyes, though, and of course updated face-ups.  Maybe it's just the lighting, but Natsuki's wig doesn't look as red on the new version.  

I'll try to swing the full doll, but I at least need Natsuki's new outfit.  

I personally think mizya’s side by side comparison makes it all the more clear it’s a new sculpt…

I wonder if they’ll have the old and new side by side as a special display for DDFes?

9 hours ago, Monty said:

I personally think mizya’s side by side comparison makes it all the more clear it’s a new sculpt...

I agree, the bridge of the nose is longer on the new one, which pushes both the nose and mouth further down from the eyes. I don't think that can be explained by the tilt of the head.

mm, well.. decided to dig up my Mo just for science, since in my oppinnion the head is not only dependant on angle, but also how you light it, so tried to make a bit more of an oranges to oranges comparison:

Obvious photographer excuse, no ambient light apart from the main two light sources placed to the left and right, and the right light in my setup might have needed to be a notch brighter to match perfectly, since the volks photo's for the refresh dolls is lit to a degree that in my oppinnion you lose detail in the heads:

Quirks of my Moe, the faceup is sunburned so that the blush is gone from the cheecks, and the pink lip-gloss is also mostly gone, but it sort of works bringing it to a neutral comparison.

Moe as Moe:

Moe as Natsuki - Because assuming they still share the same head: (dont mind the bed-hair...)

Sort of amusing that the natsuki angle is more similar to me for some reason, especially the flowing jaw line...

But in anycase, we'll know when the spec sheet comes out, but just to show that the original head can be peculiar in terms of angle and light, hence the undecisiveness.

Projects 8-12 have been added to the main site.

8. MDD 2.0 f3
9. DCoords with Dream Choice exclusive heads set to appear in most other Volks stores rather than just Akiba/Yokohama (no mention of online though)
10. Anniversary group photos at volks stores nationwide 
11. Moe/Natsuki new version release
12. Twitter campaign (on the actual birthday on the 10th of August you can tweet a DD photo and receive a special post card at Dolpa)

Some are more interesting than others of course, but there’s still 8 projects left.

48 minutes ago, Monty said:

10. Anniversary group photos at volks stores nationwide 

It's tucked inside the post, but there are a few outfits associated with that. Not sure if they were just added, or if they are new.

Details on the MDD 2.0 base body sales are there too, it's Dolpa sales and pre-order for now.

2 minutes ago, BeyondTime said:

Details on the MDD 2.0 base body sales are there too, it's Dolpa sales and pre-order for now.

I wonder if they’re going to use up the old body via Dream Choice before they add it, or if there will end up a brief period where you can choose. I did find it surprising they were only discontinued as base bodies and not in DCoord or Dream Choice.

On 6/12/2023 at 5:10 PM, Monty said:

I did find it surprising they were only discontinued as base bodies and not in DCoord or Dream Choice.

Maybe they couldn't deplete the stock for those offerings before they had a suitable stock of replacement dolls on the new body. I mean they can run out of base bodies for a bit and it's just business as usual, but if they run out of stock for Dream Choice they have to shut down the service, or stop selling D'Coords in store for a bit. 
 

Edit: I should have said, they'd have to stop offering MDDs in Dream Choice or as D'Coords until they had enough of the new bodies. 

According to the Volks News pages for them, 20th anni Moe/Natsuki is indeed a new head called ‘Moe/Natsuki 20th Anniversary Version’. They’re also 60,000 each without tax.

well, it being a different head has me feeling mixed things. (at least I wasnt wrong about the outer-upper corners of the eyes...)

I would have understood the eyeliner design better if it had been the old head, that they wanted to refresh.

But now they have a new head, with the obvious gap between the eye hole and eyeliner paintwork, that they could have made smaller by shaping the eye holes to suit since both models paintwork seem to have overlaps in the inner shape.

But again, how much do I want to brood over a design trend that I just dont understand at all.

a bit of a random thing I noticed by accident in the roadplan for the festivities in the Gatcha reneval T-shirts, specificly the full print Moe thing...

"Illustration by Tony" ... Tony, as in Tony Taka? aka T2 Artworks Tony Taka? ... if thats the case, thats actually a bit of an event by itself (besides the old Shining collab dolls).

EDIT:

quick check, and Tony's twitter account has interestingly enough retweeted the volks announcement for Moe and Natsuki refresh. So I wonder if the refresh concept is based on a tony illustration now.

a speculation that makes me even more annoyed about the eyes now.

Edited June 28, 2023 by finnleo