The arrogant, loli-riffic, and self-proclaimed top idol, Iori Minase (水瀬伊織), is one of the latest to be released in MegaHouse’s Brilliant Stage iDOLM@STER line of figures.  If you like flat-chested lolis with long hair, red eyes and a kick-ass (tsundere) attitude, than Iori is the girl for you!  Did I mention she’s loli-riffic?

I kind of wished the figure was more in line with the illustration this Iori figure was based on.  The twists and turns on her body would definitely give the figure more razzle dazzle, making a more interesting figure to set your gaze upon.  The figure appears quite bland right now.

Here’s some videos of Iori in action:

Iori Minase 水瀬伊織 – Watashi wa Idol

I’m wondering why they didn’t release the idols in their Live For You! stage outfits (the one in the video) complete with led lights and all.  It would make for some spectacular figures. ^^

Idolmaster – Shiny Smile

Her smile is as shiny as her outfit…

MegaHouse’s Iori was released in August 2009 and went on sale for ¥6,800 as part of the Brilliant Stage iDOLM@STER S-3 series with Chihaya.

Ryutaro Kaminaga from Nekohouse is in charge of the sculpting for the idols in the S-3 releases.

MegaHouse’s Iori is a lovely figure overall with the usual praises on the paint job and attention to detail.  However, I think they could have done a much better job with her sculpt in terms of capturing her character into the figure.  She lacks the essence of Iori’s character, which I’ll explain further down the review.

The details look fabulous on this 1/7 scaled figure with a paint job that’s equal to the task.

The base, which will finally get some attention in this review, is uniform throughout the Idolmaster series of figures, a really nice touch overall.  I think they should have chose something with a smaller footprint though.

Iori is the daughter of a CEO who is an assicoate of 765 Production’s president; she is a spoiled rich girl who flaunts her family’s wealth without thought.  Iori is very polite and sweet towards people she doesn’t know or doesn’t really care about, especially towards her fans, but she is quick to judge, has a very sharp tongue, and a short temper to other idols and especially the producer.

Iori has a soft side that she shows from time to time as well, making her your typical tsundere character.

Stunning details.  I expected nothing less after five beautiful figures from the series.

This is a very beautiful figure, but as mentioned earlier, this figure lacks character.  More specifically, it lacks the essence of Iori’s character.  When you look at it, you’ll see the cuteness in that winking, blowing a kiss, pose.  But you don’t see a cute Iori winking and blowing a kiss at you.

Yes, that’s Iori’s face winking at you, but that’s not how Iori winks or blows you a kiss.  This is how Iori winks and blows you a kiss.  The use of a curved line over a flat line for the wink makes a world of difference.

Her lips appears too subtle to be associated as blowing a kiss to her fans, she doesn’t look enthusiastic enough to be the Iori that I know.

However, I really liked how they painted her left eye.  Perhaps this would’ve been a better figure if they left both eyes opened, because winking anime girls are really hard to do right; that’s why not that many attempts have been made.

Lovely details on her hair.

The big ribbon makes the top of her head look better than most figures.  Love the antennas sticking out of her forehead. ^^

Multiple strands and layers of hair is a nice change to the usual blobs we see on other figures.  You can just about see her nicely shaped bottom through the hair.

Some of you commented about not liking the shiny outfits in my previous reviews…well, this figure is definitely not your forte.  But can definitely appreciate the craftsmanship and the quality of this figure.

Iori is all blinged up in her golden stage outfit that has more stars than the American flag.  Lovely!!

Pants doesn’t seem to be all that popular among anime babes, I believe she is the first in my collection.  Shiny!!

My guess is, you’ve all noticed that Iori is a flat-chested loli by now, right?

She’s 14 years old with measurements of (B-W-H): 77-54-79.  Chihaya can dig a hole and hide her head in shame forever.

Iori needs boots!!  They look sexier with knee high boots.

To be honest, I bought Iori for the sake of set completion rather than a beautiful figure to be displayed.  Her promo photos looked craptastic, and her pose looked uninspiring.

But, once again, I was stunned at how good this MegaHouse figure looks even if it can’t be compared in the ranks of Miki and Chihaya, it’s a beautiful figure.

And finally, a shot of the base after five reviews.  It’s amazing how much better a simple round base will look with etchings of the iDOLM@STER logo on it.

Chihaya Kisaragi was released with Iori as part of MegaHouse’s Brilliant Stage Idolm@ster S-3 series.

Hope you enjoyed another Idolmaster review. ^^

I haven’t noticed anyone else on my blogroll with a review of Iori yet.  Please let me know if have one.

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Chihaya Kisaragi (如月千早) is the latest idol to be released in MegaHouse’s Brilliant Stage iDOLM@STER series of figures.  This blue haired, flat-chested vocalist is amongst the most popular idol in the iDOLM@STER franchise, so it’s logical that she receives the figure treatment before some of the other girls.

I say it’s logical because MegaHouse is releasing the idols in the order of their popularity, so by the time you have six or seven idols in your collection you will be more inclined to complete the set than if you only had one or two.

I knew I was going for the whole set when they were announced, having my favourites come first makes it easier because I won’t be dreading over a Ritsuko purchase. ^^;;

The original artwork that MegaHouse’s Chihaya is based on looks gorgeous.  I kind of wished the sculpt for this figure was closer to the artwork; most notably the details on her bangs and the sharpness of her face.

Here’s some videos of Chihaya in action:

Chihaya Kisaragi 如月千早 – Arcadia MAD

Lovely fan made video of Chihaya’s personal song.  She have one of the best singing voice in the game, with the other being Azusa.

Chihaya Kisaragi 如月千早 – Relations

Unlike the other girls’ solos, I can listen to Chihaya’s songs for hours.

MegaHouse’s Chihaya was released in August 2009 and went on sale for ¥6,800.

Ryutaro Kaminaga from Nekohouse is in charge of the sculpting for the idols in MegaHouse’s Brilliant Stage iDOLM@STER S-3 releases.  They do some lovely illustrations from various series’ as well.

MegaHouse’s Chihaya is surprisingly pleasing to look at.  Her pose doesn’t have the flare and intensity of Miki and Haruka, yet her figure looks awesome in the sense that “YES, THIS IS CHIHAYA!!”  This is what Chihaya is all about.  Nekohouse did wonders in capturing the essence of her character into the figure.

Her sculpt looks gorgeous with a beautiful paint job to match, and the attention to detail is everything befitting of her 1/7 scale.

The base, which I haven’t shown a detailed photo of in four reviews (^^”), is uniform throughout the iDOLM@STER series of figures, a really nice touch in my opinion.

MegaHouse is arguably the best in making the, otherwise boring, round base work for their figures.  The solution is simple: make it clear and add some etchings on it.  But GoodSmile still makes the most awesome bases for their figures.

The base isn’t boring to look at anymore because you actually have something to look at when gazing on it, yet the details are subtle so it doesn’t distract your eyes from the figure.  I just wish they weren’t as big as they are.

Cool and serious, Chihaya has the greatest enthusiasm and natural talent towards music out of all of the girls, believing that if she were no longer able to sing, she would rather die.  She also prefers to be referred to as a “vocalist” rather than an “idol”, shunning the non-singing aspects of being an idol.

Stunning details.  I expected nothing less from MegaHouse.

The fact that she actually looks “game accurate” lands her more points in the sculpting department.

I’m really happy that they’re not using a black lining on their mouth anymore.  I wonder why they used the black lining in the first place.

I hope everyone likes the orange background.  Personally, I think orange is an ugly colour, but it works well with this figure. ^^

Lovely details on her hair.  Multiple strands/layers is a nice change to the usual blobs you get with other figures.  They could’ve done more with the top of her head though, it looks quite plain right now.

Amazing details on her stage outfit.  I love the blue and white colour scheme with sparkles on the blue only.

Yummy thighs and leg garter.

Pettanko working it’s magic on me. ^^;  In case you haven’t noticed, Chihaya has the smallest bust out of all the idols with (B-W-H): 72-55-78.  Yes…even smaller than the 12 year old Futami twins.

The level of detail on these Brilliant Stage Idolm@ster figures never fails to impress.

Chihaya pantsu. ^^

Chihaya fans won’t be disappointed with this figure by MegaHouse, she looks magnificent in her blue and white stage outfit.

The idols look lovely as individuals, they look stunning as a group.

foo-bar-baz is the only other person I know collecting this set.  Anyone else collecting them?

I haven’t noticed anyone else on my blogroll with a review of Chihaya yet.  Please let me know if have one.

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