Hello MFC and Happy new year to all the collectors out there!
Today I am bringing you all a little review of the 1/8 scale figure of Tomoe Mami produced by Goodsmile Company! This particular rendition of Mami is based on the official character artwork to accompany the Madoka Magica film trilogy.
This line of movie rendition figures have had a rocky history; countless delays with massive gaps between releases. The other two figures in the series released so far are Madoka and Homura, with Sayaka to release early this year and poor Sakura without even a sculpt yet. Back when the movie version of Madoka was released, myself and many other fans decided to wait and collect the movie set of figures rather than the original Madoka Magica figures set released by Goodsmile.
The movie line set of figures have are much more stylized aesthetic to them (as based on the artwork rather than the art featured in the animated series). Featuring different poses and a much more vibrant paint job than the original set of figures released by Goodsmile. While waiting for this set was a great idea at the time, the wait has been long and painful, while the original set came out very quickly to accompany the hype and excitement of the original series.
But through the waiting and delays, Mami has finally been released. How does she shape up with the other figures in the series so far? And was she worth the wait?
Let’s make a contract, go through our transformation sequence and dive into the review to find out!
[WARNING - THIS IS AN IMAGE HEAVY REVIEW]
– BOX –
Lets begin by taking a look at the box. The box design for this figure is absolutely gorgeous. As soon as I layed my eyes on the box it resonates with the classic “Madoka Magica X Shaft “aesthetic to it. The box itself is rather small which is perfect for transportation and low shipping costs. There is a nice big round viewing window on the front which lets you get a good clear view of the figure inside.
The colour scheme is great and really reflects Mami perfectly. All of the gold little beads surrounding the viewing window, the flowers and the colourful circles scattered around the box creates a great atmosphere for the figure! The back and sides of the box display some photos of the figure showing off different angles and details.
– BLISTER –
Upon opening the box you are greeted with the blister. There is one solid Blister which houses 3 parts that make up the figure.
1. The base
2. The figure
3. The weapon
– THE INSTRUCTIONS –
Also at the bottom of the box you will find a small set of instructions! Thankfully this figure is rather simple to put together, but a set of visual instructions is always appreciated in case the box photos do not display certain aspects clearly. There are only two simple steps in putting Mami together;
The first is to attach her to the base while the second is to attach her musket to her hand. We will cover both of these steps as we go.
– THE BASE –
Before we begin the construction process, let’s take a look at the base. The base is a simple small circle styled base with a transparent orange like colour to it. While the base is consistent with the other two Madoka Magica movie line figures –there is still one element that cannot be overlooked and that is the large steel rod.
The hardest thing about capturing the essence of the original artwork in figure form is that poses are really dynamic. Goodsmile, as always, have done an amazing job at re-creating these poses, making it look almost as if Mami is floating on such an extreme angle that would normally be impossible.
The only way to make this possible and stable is with the use of steel rods. Personally I love them, there is nothing more reassuring then seeing rods used rather the plastic pegs to connect a figure together. What I DON’T understand though is why with both Homura and Mami, Goodsmile Company have chosen not to cover up the rod in anyway. The first figure in the movie line, Madoka, the base used for her figure was exactly the same with a steel rod but the rod was covered up with a swirling wind/cloud like effect. This created the illusion Madoka was almost being swept up in this wind or jumping in motion to pull the dynamic pose she was in.
Homura’s steel rod is thankfully rather small so the lack of a cover up part was forgivable. Mami’s however, is literally 4 times the length of that and sticks out like a sore thumb. Using such an obvious steel rod like this just sticking out of the base is the kind of thing used in prototype shots or displays before the figure is released. I don’t see why they couldn’t add some sort of effect part/cover up to the pole, considering how many delays this figure got. To me it just seems really lazy. If they had not of done it to Madoka then it wouldn’t have been a problem, but because they chose to do it to one and not the others just really disappoints me.
– CONSTRUCTION –
With my rant out of the way, lets attach Mami to the base. When attaching Mami to the base there are 2 important things to take note of. The first is to make sure you actually have the base facing the correct position. You want to make sure that Mami’s body is going to be hovering over the middle of the base when attached. While it might seem common sense to have it this way, because the Rod has a square tip, the attachment can be applied in any four faces of the rod, so just be sure to align the base so that it will be directly under her.
The second part goes back to the shape of the rod. I have read a few times from users is that they had a rough time sliding the rod into Mami’s foot. While it is true it will only work on a certain angle, keep in mind the tip is a square, not a circle. And as such the socked in Mami’s foot is a square shape. So when attaching the two together, make sure you have the tip of the rod and the socket lined up perfectly in order for the two to connect. Make sure to apply enough pressure so that the rod connects as far inside as possible, as you want to make sure the connection is as strong and sturdy as possible to not create any leaning issues in the future.
The next step is to attach Mami’s Musket weapon. This is one addition to the figure I am really glad they decided to take. In the original illustration Mami does not have her Musket in her hand, so to keep a common theme with the other figures so far, Goodsmile Company have decided to include her Musket into the pose of the figure. The Musket itself is sculpted really well, I really like how all the swirly detailing is part of the sculpt and “pops out “rather than just painted on. Every little detail has been carefully replicated from the trigger down to the ignition gear that slams down on the side to ignite the gun powder!
Attaching the Musket is the final step and it’s thankfully an easy one. The Musket carefully slides into Mami’s hand with her index finger going over the top part of the trigger frame while her thumb should rest tightly on top of the “bottle neck” section just behind the trigger.
The Musket doesn’t exactly click or lock into any particular part but rather sits gently in her hand, the tightness of the fingers/hand sculpt is enough to keep the gun in place.
–TOMOE MAMI– THE COMPLETED FIGURE-
Here we have the completed figure of Mami! The first thing you will notice before anything is the pose. The angle is the most extreme angle I have ever seen on a figure, it looks like the figure is about to snap and fall down at any moment but the steel rod does an excellent job in keeping her secure ( even if it is obvious and ugly ).
A shot from the front shows off her beautiful flowing skirt/dress. The creases and folds in it create this graceful effect of the material flowing naturally around the breeze as she moves about.
A shot from the opposite side that also demonstrates her crazy angle. The one aspect about this figure you will soon notice is that because it is based on a 2D illustration – the pose is never meant to be seen from any other angle other than the one it was drawn on. While every aspect of the figure is sculpted really well, Mami does not particularly look great other than the angle she is meant to be displayed on. This can be good or bad depending on which way you look at it. The natural response is that you don’t need to see her on any other angle other than the one she is intended to. The downside to this is that it does not give collectors any diversity in choosing an angle to display her. Because of her extreme angle, it might be hard to fit her within an existing collection of other figures – she does however look great with the rest of the Madoka movie figures but we will get to that at the end.
And finally a shot from the back.
Let’s take the time now to take a closer look at different parts of the figure, starting with the upper half. The one big noticeable difference from the movie version to the animated series version is the face. Mami’s eyes are a lot larger and a lot more round. Personally I am a much bigger fan of Mami’s face then the previous animated series version figure as it just seems to capture the Aesthetic and visual style of the series as whole a lot better. One element I have always adored about the Madoka series is the obvious and apparent use of sketchy lines and the eyes are no exception. You can see in the inside of her eyes as well as her blush marks the roughness of the pencil lines – such a great and unique effect! I love it!
Mami has a series yet slightly playful expression which captures her personality perfectly. The sculpting work on the hair is brilliant with her curly signature twin tail hairstyle. While I would of liked perhaps a little more tone and shading applied to the hair, the brightness of the yellow reflects that of the series well.
Next up let’s take a moment to appreciate Mami’s outfit. Mami spouts a beautiful century gothic type outfit – a puffy shoulder shirt, a corset and a gorgeous yellow dress. The sculpting work on the puffy shoulders and dress is amazing, the dress is especially a highlight. The way the creases and folds in the dress really demonstrates beautifully how well this type of dress would flow naturally in the breeze. Large arc motions, almost like waves, it’s mesmerizing to look at! The detailing on the corset is also really great, the belts and buckles have a really solid paint job. The dark brown colours contrast really well with the bold yellow of the dress and Mami’s hair.
Spinning around to the back we can see a few more extra details. The ribbon on the back of the corset is super pretty, I love how it has those crippled edges running all the way along the edges of the ribbon – beautiful sculpting detail. Another nice piece of detail is the way the dress flows around Mami’s hand as she almost “ holds down “ the dress from flying any higher – really natural posing there. From here you can also see one of Mami’s golden flower hair clips to.
On the other side we get a good look at her cap and that gorgeous soul gem hair clip! The jewel is a real nice honey orange/yellow colour that I kind of wish the rest of Mami’s design incorporated a little more. One thing I didn’t really notice about Mami’s design till now was how incredible tiny her body frame is despite her well-endowed chest. It was always apparent how busty Mami was compared to the other characters but I never noticed her tiny frame till now. The corset and gothic fashion really create this sense of elegance that compliments her body shape really well!
Moving down we can take a look at Mami’s amazing boots! The dark brown boots against the purple stockings/socks is an amazing contrast and really brings the whole design together beautifully. I have always loved her boots and they have been perfectly recreated in this figure. The paint job around the boots are pretty solid except for a little part on the white outlines around the top of the boot – hopefully not a common a problem, just seems to be a little error on the one side – thankfully it’s on the side that isn’t displayed in her natural display position!
And because I am sure someone will ask – a quick fan service shot showing some pantsu. Mami’s panties are white and tightly hug her bottom in just the right places – super cute!
– CONCLUSION –
Mami has been an exceptionally long wait compared to the other Magical girls from the movie series line of figures, and while Goodsmile have captured every aspect of the illustration and more so, I still feel like there is something missing.
I think Mami is a nice addition to the movie line of figures, but honestly I do not think she holds up well as a “ stand alone “ figure and instead looks better as part of a crew. Because her dynamic pose and incredible lean, it makes it hard to display within an existing collection and while ill only be displaying her with the other girls – I know there are many collectors who would buy Mami and simply Mami alone.
Looking at her subjectively she is a nice figure – the sculpting work on her is great with some really nice attention to details. Such as the beautiful flowing dress, the corset, hair and even the musket! The paint job is pretty standard all round and does a brilliant job in capturing the tones and colours of the Madoka series. Some aspects could use some more shading and tone work, such as the hair, but such finer detailing could take away from the aesthetic of the Madoka Magica series.
The inclusion of the Musket is a great addition to the characters pose, this creates a stronger presence and atmosphere for the figure in capturing the characters personality and style.
While all of these elements look great, because of the extreme pose there does seem to be a great sense of “empty space “around and under the figure.
This goes back to the base debate; while I 100% agree with the use of a steel rod to support Mami I just cannot understand why they would decide to leave the rod so visible. The first figure in the line of movie figures, Madoka, covered up her support rod with a nice cloud/wind effect. I think including something like this to the figure would of not only made the base 10 times better, but also would of gotten rid of some of that empty space underneath the figure.
I think a lot of this comes down to context –in context with the original illustration and the rest of the magical girls – the pose and positioning of the figure makes sense.
But for someone who might have no idea about the series and simply see’s the figure as is – I do not think it is an appealing figure.
That being said I am happy with how she turned out – she matches the original illustration and GSC even added the Musket which absolutely only adds to the figure rather than take away from its original source. If the base was fixed up and had a bit more flare, then it would have been fantastic. But that being said – once she is with her Magical girl squad, a lot of these go unnoticed.
– THE COLLECTION –
Before we wrap up, let’s take a look at how all the currently released Magical girls look together based on the character artwork for the films:
Personally I think they look amazing together – with all of their dynamic poses combined together it creates such a dynamic and fun set of figures to have displayed together. Each character has such a strong colour scheme that perfectly reflects them and each of those colours are beautifully contrasted and highlighted next to another magical girl. While I am not sure on Mami’s current placement within the set, I think I will place her more or less to the right but possibly raised up at the same height as Homura but next to Madoka.
If you have the other two figures in this set then highly recommend getting Mami to fit with the others. If you don’t own the others and are looking for the best Mami to add to your collection, I hope this review will help you in aiding your decision.
I hope you have enjoyed this review and found it helpful! If you have any questions or would like to request any photos of different aspects I didn’t capture; I’ll do my best to help out! If anyone has any requests on ANY of the items I own I would be more than happy to review them also :)
Thank you so much for your time,
Take care
- Ry
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