Hana first appeared in front of Ryoutaro searching for her Denliner pass in first episode of Kamen Rider Den-O. Since then, Hana and Ryoutaro, along with four imagines that we all know and love, went back and forth in time to fight against evil imagins and Kai (quite possibly the worst Kamen Rider villain ever). I’m not sure what the original intent was, but Hana was changed to Kohana towards the end of series due to the fact that Yuriko Shiratori (actress portraying Hana) would rather focus on Gravure DVD than to finish what she started. Some time after the debut of SH Figuarts line, Bandai decided to manufacture female model of Figuarts. Hana is the first official female Figuarts to be released to the masses.
Not a bad box. Wine purple and all.
Hana comes with two optional faces and an extra pair of hands. I’m willing to be lenient on accessory issue since, a) this is first and experimental figure when it comes to female Figuarts figures and b) Hana really didn’t do much except slapping around Momotaros.
You can exchange facial expressions by taking apart Hana’s hair and installing different expressions, much like Domon Kashuu SHF.
Hana’s look is based on Girls in Uniform: Kamen Rider wave 1 line. In that case, it’s an interesting and nifty take on Hana. Everything is in proportion and looks pretty cool for what it’s worth. Hana’s skirts, bodice, and shirt have good details, as skirts have imitated engravings on their edge. The shirt itself even has micro bumps here and there to replicate the fabric type. Overall, a solid translation of Girls in Uniform Hana.
The biggest problem comes right off the bat, when trying to Stand Hana up straight. Granted, when you get it right, Hana does stand still decent. But it takes hell of a lot fiddling just to stabilize her. Her ankles are on same type of joint as her wrists, which makes it hard to position the feet right. Ball joint like Domon Kashuu would’ve worked better, but for some reason Bandai made things harder with this revoltech-type joint. It doesn’t help that her feet are small and flat.
Hana still does have good amount of articulations. However, as mentioned above, the ankle joints are also hard to move around, which makes posing a bit of chore. Good news is, the rubber skirt doesn’t hamper the movement as much as I thought it would.
Hana can pull some nice and sometimes funny poses. Such as this:
Let’s see how much of wrestling fan you are. Can you recognize any of these moves?
Hana standing side-to-side with Momotaros. Hana stands at about 5.5 inches.
VERDICT: 3 Momotaro’s bruises out of 5
SH Figuarts Hana is a tough figure to recommend. On one hand, it’s a nice take on Hana in anime version and a good first try on female Figuarts. On the other hand, the stabilizing issue and lack of accessories may make lot of people turn away from it. It doesn’t help that Hana’s unfortunate connection to Yuriko Shiratori and hatred towards Shiratori from most Den-O fans could lowers the appeal more-so. Recommended to hardcore Den-O fans for the most part.
Tags: Hana, Kamen Rider Den-O, SH Figuarts
November 10, 2009 at 8:04 pm |
I actually bought Hana based on your review, so recommendations are good.
What I like about her is that she’s a lot more durable than the Revoltech Frauleins (i.e. parts don’t fall off of her when posing), and the posability as you said is good. And essentially, Hana’s appeal is her character–most of the photos I’ve taken of my Hana figure of late were of her beating the living crap out of my figma Lelouch. :p
December 14, 2009 at 10:26 pm |
You have WAY tooo much fun with those actions DaO. I swear. My SF G.I Joe Chun Li however will take on your Hana and be Victorious!