I had never heard of Shining Tears or Shining Wind, so I was pretty unfamiliar with who Blanc Neige was but when I saw Happy Soda's review for the Max Factory bikini version, I immediately knew I had to get her into my collection. Unfortunately, I was never able to track her down, and at the time I was pretty new to the world of PVC figures, so I didn't really know any reliable retailers to go to. I had found this awesome comic and figure store in San Francisico on Geary St which has a huge selection and inititially was the only place I bought figures from. They no longer had her in stock, so she never made it to my shelves. Dissappointed, yes. But, my interest peeked after seeing some of the other character designs for Shining Tears the video game illustrated by Tony, and so I introduced myself to the world of Shing Tears and Shining Wind. Never played the game, but I watched the anime, and fell in love with Kureha...which, at the same time, as my luck would have it, Max factory was producing a beautiful figure dedicated to her, so I was totally juiced. Anyway, then I saw Toys Workz's review for Kotobukiya's latest installment and I had to track her down. By then I had made it my mission on my days off of work to venture out in search of new stores. My personality is pretty impatient, especially when I'm awating a package in the mail, so I prefer to buy figures at a store...unless its a new release from Japan and the figure rocks my socks off, you know what I mean? So, after a few weeks of hunting I finally found her at this little whole-in-the-wall store in pretty run down part of Oakland. I was so excited, and she definitely lived up to my anticipation.
What I find most intriguing about this rendition of Blanc Neige is her disposition. She is so fluid, and seems so fragile. From her somber expression to her flowing hair and cape, Blanc Neige is an absolute treasure.
She's a bit revealed in this adaptation, but I find that the sculptor accurately created what Tony Taka had illustrated. There is a difference in design though: in the artwork Neige is holding the center of her cape and squeezing her "assets" together rather that simply covering them with her arm, but I like the sculptor's take b/c it reveals a nice little jewel-adornment. Unlike most soft and flowing capes I've seen, Neige's reminds me of crumpled paper that somehow is smooth and fluid. I'm not too keen on the crumpled-paper style, and from the back it is most noticable, but I would have to say that it is unique and interesting to the eye.
I especially like her boots, and the level of detail is damn cool. I also really like her base; she's position on this blue ice-crystal with a clear base underneath.
Her left arm holding a corner of her cape is concealing a nice, tiny and frilly piece of lingerie underwear. Looking straight on at the figure you might wonder 
if she even bothered to put any on, but from a side and aerial angle you can notice the dainty piece, which from behind reveals more booty than you might expect.
Blanc Neige has a nice pair of eyes ^^
Summary:This Kotobukiya rendition of Blanc Neige is absolutely beautiful and stands out as a treasure in my collection of figures. Her facial expression and body position is inspiring, and nearly forces her audience to want to inquire how she is feeling. Its ironic, most figures I see with red eyes almost automatically seem menacing, even if their disposition conveys another emotion, but Blanc Neige does not fall victim to that norm; she seems fragile and solemn. The level of detail and quality that this figure possesses is wonderful. If you are a fan of the Shining Tears franchise or just a fan of beautiful figures, I would certainly reccomend this figure to be added to your collection. I really enjoy figures that inspire emotion, and Blanc Neige definitely has that affect.
Figure: Blanc Neige
Series: Shining Tears
Manufacturer: Kotobukiya
Illustration: Tony Taka
Sculptor: Houjun Otoyama
Scale: 1/8 Pre-Painted PVC
Release Date: September 9, 2007
