Howdy! Im Blowfish a german afficiando of figures,manga,anime and anything else that is hailing from the land of the rising sun.
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The 100 € Paperweight : Choun Shiryu
I havent regretted a figure purchase before until the postman dropped off the box that contained Choun Shiryu.As soon as the first reviews of her popped up around the net everybody ran to their retailer and canceled their Preorders.Just one unlucky dude missed those pictures and discovered them after he was charged for the figure: ME
Check out the abominable figure after the Jump!
Back when the prototype of this figure was revealed pretty much everybody was astonished by the fact that this is a tasteful Ikki Tousen Figure and how good she looked for a figure from a third rate manufacturer.She didnt really look like the illustration by Yuji Shiozaki shes based on but she was darn beautiful.Her Kimono and the floral patterns on it looked breathtaking and I couldnt really resist and preordered her besides her steep price of 14490Yen.
The fact that the sculptor Eiji Nakayama also did GSC`s 1/5 Iroha and the 100€ pricetag were a guarantee for me that Beat will deliver good quality besides their reputation.Sadly I was as wrong as I could be and got a figure thats so bad that I seriously considered re-boxing her after I unboxed her
The Original Illustration
I actually dont know where to start since there are so many bad things about her so lets start about the few good things I can say about her.Choun has a nice size of about 29cm and is made of nice heavy PVC thats supported by two metal rods in her legs.This is sadly ALL that speaks for this figure which is a real shame.If i had to compare the quality of this figure with something id say that the craftmanship is compareable to that of a Gashapon.A big 100 € Gashapon >.<
Probably the worst part of her is her hair wich looks absolutely horrible and looks like they just threw strands of hair onto her head.A well composed hairdo shouldnt be composed out of various strands that dont add up as a whole and stick out like a sore thumb.After closer inspection of the hair I even noticed that some parts of the it werent properly painted / the paint rubbed of and showcased white parts inside that silver mess thats supposed to be her hair.I actually highly doubt that they put any effort into her hair at all.This is also reflected in the fact that they didnt properly glue the hair & head together and that theres a gap right behind her right ear.From the back of her head to the front and the very next disaster that is her face.It does look kind of alright when looked from the right angle but as soon as the viewing angle shifts a bit her face looks really distorted.Most figures have a a chocolate side from which they look the best but atleast they dont look fugly when the angle changes a bit….
Her Kimono is supposed to be the highlight of this figure but the figure cant deliver here either.Beat did a very poor job with applying the decals to the kimono and theyre very obvious from miles away.The Kimono is made out of a few plastic pieces and they tried to hide the seamlines in the various folds of the kimono.While this works most of the time there are some spots where its dead obvious.Throw some flaws like dents and paint blotches in the mix and you have her Kimono.
Choun is a traditional girl and goes of course nopan under her kimono like any good japanese girl.While I endorse the fact that shes a proper Yamato Nadeshiko ,I cant endorse the fact that her crotch is the usual barbie genitalia deal and thrown at your face when your looking at her sideways.I would have prefered an option where you dont have to directly look at her non-existent genitalia.
I think you already noticed but I absolutely hate how this figure turned out and its really hard to stomach that Ive spent a 100€ on her plus 19% customs.I dont even take the shiping into account since that would make the little Blowfish cry.
I seriously have no Idea what I am supposed with this figure since I dont really feel like showcasing her and she makes a rather unhandy paperweight.Theres the Option to sell her to somebody else and Ive looked around European Shops and they sell her for around 150-170€.This means that I could theoretically sell her cheaper than that and still get the money spent on her back.But lets be honest who would want to buy her after seeing these pictures?
I didnt feel like going all out with my pictures this time and they are therefore rather crappy.The figure simply demotivated me that much 
God how i hate her hair
Did they even try?
As a matter of fact Beat announced 2 Variations of this figure for later release.One is a Colour Variation and the other is the colour variation with closed eyes and a different front hair piece.I highly doubt that these will be of better quality than this though.
I havent seen any Reviews of her in the blogosphere yet and it seems im the only unlucky dude that didnt manage to cancel her.If you have a review and feel like sharing your pain comment and ill add ya 
So whats the lesson learned? Never every trust third rate manufacturers and their protos
Pussyfoot Lovers
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It’s not my figure style, but I love kimono’s painting ^^ Nicely picture, congratulation Blowfish
Posted on December 1st, 2009 at 16:04
What a shame indeed, if you look at the basic sculpt and concept imagine how gorgeous it could be if done properly say by a Good Smile Company or Alter.
But the flaws here are just horrid, this figure should have never passed quality control, makes you wonder if Beat even bothered with quality control at all.
Because at that price tag they could have delivered a lot better.
Smithy´s last blog ..Dengeki Panchiranking
Posted on December 1st, 2009 at 16:29
oh man, it looks like its leaning already >.<
hope u can put some parts to good use, like the kimono and sword
YuKi-To´s last blog ..Soya Sauce Chicken
Posted on December 1st, 2009 at 17:35
Ouch, that’s an expensive paperweight :/ I’d like to know why unpopular companies price their work so high. I don’t trust that high of a price in most cases, but I’ve made a couple of blind purchases with unknown manufacturers. This is enough to make me avoid figures by that company though. It’s really a shame that they destroyed an utterly beautiful piece of artwork by representing it with a figure that from a distance might look good but up close is a disaster. Ok I take that back I could still see flaws when I backed up. That barbie crotch looks hideous. Alright alright I’m not going to knock the figure anymore. I’m sorry to hear you got such an expensive regret :/ Hopefully this will be the last of them. It’s never good hearing horror stories from fellow figure collectors.
Posted on December 1st, 2009 at 18:26
Thanks for review.I Just cancelled closed eyes ver.
Posted on December 1st, 2009 at 18:51
Ouch, that sucks dude. I was thinking about getting this figure but I decided not to after seeing some of the sample pictures. Maybe you can display her with her back turned; she doesn’t look quite so bad that way. Technically, I think that using it as a paperweight makes it more useful than most figures XD
I actually got one Beat figure on preorder, I’m not really expecting it to turn out very well.
Tier´s last blog ..Haruhi Suzumiya from The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya (Bunny Music Version)
Posted on December 1st, 2009 at 19:52
The figure did grab my attention when it was announced, but its price kept me away. It’s a shame that, as a final product, its quality doesn’t justify the price. The kimono still looks nice but that’s not enough saving grace…
Fabio´s last blog ..Hyakka Ryouran 4-Panel Comics #7
Posted on December 1st, 2009 at 22:20
Is this figure 1/6?
I think you are the first one to review it
Excelent pics.
phossil´s last blog ..quick Figma Drossel Photoshoot
Posted on December 1st, 2009 at 22:39
We already talked about it very long and clear but again…
this is just bold what Beat sells here!
Feldi´s last blog ..Where´s the Light!?
Posted on December 2nd, 2009 at 07:12
I’love her kimono but I don’t find nice this figure. It’ missed something…
mikiwank´s last blog ..[Web]BeFA 2010 Best Figures Awards : Les nominations
Posted on December 2nd, 2009 at 17:22
see the worst part is even if you do want to sell her, people will find this post and not want to spend that much on her either. It sucks to spend so much money on a figure and it turn out to be really terrible. But hopefully you’ll be able to get rid of her and your money back!
Posted on December 3rd, 2009 at 04:40
Ouch, I have once opened a figure that I hated so much that I almost wanted to box her up right after…. I feel for you man, some of the pictures you have there really show how distorted this figure is….
Wolfheinrich´s last blog ..Adopt a Dollfie Dream Sasara Contest Details
Posted on December 3rd, 2009 at 06:33
Just one of the reason(s) why I don’t buy from third/fourth rate manufacturers anymore.
You might want to hide this post when you’re selling…then re-post after she’s sold.
Tommy´s last blog ..MegaHouse Brilliant Stage Taiga Aisaka
Posted on December 3rd, 2009 at 06:59
I hesitated for a long time about buying it to put it next to Kanu dark from daiki. I thought they would look great together.
But i was waiting for a good review on it before taking a decision.
I’m sorry for you that Chou is so disappointing in so many ways. I understand you wasn’t to joyous to take photos.
It’s normal that you want to resell when disappointed, we don’t especially want to expose it.
Or, we put it in a corner where we can’t see it and try to forget it’s there.
Posted on December 3rd, 2009 at 19:49
Ouch. I’m really sorry to hear that this figure was such a major letdown for you. Why on earth would they charge that much for a pvc figure?! I guess it’s a bit of overcompensation on the manufacturer’s part in terms of quality. So, they managed to ruin some really nice artwork AND let the sculptor’s talents go to waste with poor production quality.
As I was scrolling down to look at more pictures, I couldn’t help but let out a laugh at the terrible Barble doll crotch area. It looks weird. I am hoping that you are able to re-sell her, make your money back and get rid of that bitter aftertaste that came with this purchase.
Jem´s last blog ..Assembling a Nendoroid army
Posted on December 4th, 2009 at 06:06
She’s looking ok. I like those colors of the kimono.
But for over 100€ that is too much.
GREW´s last blog ..10.000 Check!
Posted on December 4th, 2009 at 09:45
@Leonia
I totally dig the design but the execution was sadly so bad done that it hurts ^^;;
@Smithy
The wasted potential is a shame indeed.Whenever Alter is re-rekeasing their Choun Shiryu I finally have a worthy figuire of her in my collection.The sad thing about this figure is that it seems that they actually aimed for this kind of quality
@Yuki-to
I know! There are so many bad things about her that it isnt even funny
@Persocom
Figure companies like Beat make me realize how sophisticated second rate Manufacturers like Yamato or Griffon are.They deliver a standard thats worlds above this.This is the first figure I cant honestly say anything good about it.Youll have to be really,really far away to not notice the flaws of this figure.
@Marty
Im glad to be at your service.Theres no need for more casualities from BEAT
@Tier
I wish I would have seen those sample pictures soon enough >.<
I really,really hope your figure by Beat isnt as expensive as this lousy excuse of a figure.Isnt it sad that her BACK is one of the more attractive things about her ? XD
@Fabio
I was really struggling with myself because of her price and sadly I made the wrong decision.Its triue that the Kimono is one of the "attractive " things from her but theres nothing that could save this figure from its flaws
@phossil
Yes,shes 1/6 and shes quite big for a figure of that size.Too bad that her size doesnt change the gact that shes a lousy figure.I think i am the only one to review her since everyone else saw the sample pictures early enough to cancel her XD
I actually dont like my pictures this time.I was so demotivated,,,+
@Feldi
Yeah, I already cried enough on your manly chest XD
@mikiwank
I dont like her either
@dancingqueen
I thought about de-publishing this post for the time Ill sell her but that would be quite nasty wouldnt it?
The worst part about this is that it happened in a time where I need to save as much money as possible
@wolfheinrich
A figure has really bad to make you wanna box her right after unboxing.The sad thing about this is that she looks alot worser in person!
@Tommy
Thats what I get for beeing adventerous ^^
I actually really thought about that option ^^;;;;;
@lyli
Im glad that I prevented your from the same fate as me.There are just so many things wrong about her that it is just sad to see what they have made out of such a nice illustration and I feel sooo ashamed about this figure and wish to never be reminded about her again.
@Jem
This figure is an insult to the customer,Yuji Shiozaki and the sculptor and I honestly think they just needed a financial boost and made a cheap figure at an expenisve price.If I had a little black book they would immediately land in it and die a horribvle death.
There are so many laughable things about this figure and theyre even worse in person
@Grew
You think shes looking ok? o.0
Let me guess youre a very,very kind guy? XD
Blowfish´s last blog ..The 100 € Paperweight : Choun Shiryu
Posted on December 4th, 2009 at 20:11
I was adventurous some time ago…that didn’t go too well.
Tommy´s last blog ..MegaHouse Brilliant Stage Taiga Aisaka
Posted on December 5th, 2009 at 08:05
Her face is… not my type. Her hair is also really awkwardly and poorly situated. However, I think her kimono is amazing though. That’s not enough for me to get her though. Good review and photos. ^ ^
Yi´s last blog ..Amakute Hoshikute Torokeru Chuu – Sono Hanabira 7 Release Date
Posted on December 5th, 2009 at 09:41
@ Blowfish:
Not really. But I like the colours of her kimono
GREW´s last blog ..Your Music Gear
Posted on December 5th, 2009 at 21:27
Wow, with that kind of price tag, this is one crappy figure. (Sorry for being rude) They really should have done it better – The hair, notably. Nothing hurts more then paying for something way disappointing. I feel your pain, blowfish. T.T
enrius´s last blog ..Testing
Posted on December 9th, 2009 at 13:24
I wanted her and now i will just say one thing : DO NOT WANT !
Well i do think she’s not that bad , well i’ve seen worse .
I knew Beat is not the best compagny and they can’t realise complexe figures . They’re fine with normal figures but when the colors and clothing are more complex , they fail …
I think the worse is her face , now i understand why they’re making a closed eyes version
Hope you’ll be able to love her in time or maybe sell her :/
James´s last blog ..Ichiban Kuji Lala Satalin Deviluke 1/6 (Banpresto) review
Posted on December 10th, 2009 at 09:24
Ouch. But you know, selling her off is gonna be pretty difficult with a review like this^^; Good luck off-loading her though.
aprilius20´s last blog ..Confessions of an alleged Gothic Lolita
Posted on December 12th, 2009 at 06:02
Ouch. I feel for you. Spending that much on a figurine isn’t an issue, but spending that much on a crappy quality figurine really hurts.
My china figurine collector friends always say that don’t believe the official photos released by the company. I still remember that time when i got my Good Smile Shiki, i was so so so disappointed as her kimono is kinda different from the official, but your case is much more worse than my Shiki, at least she is still quite good.
Chappy´s last blog ..Loots and Eugene 883 Competition
Posted on December 12th, 2009 at 19:36
At first glance I thought it’d be ok. It’s only until I see the seam lines and the strange proportions and the leaning a bit later…
Sorry to hear that you have to spend so much to get something that ends up rather disappointing. Well, at least the kimono’s art looks good, but that’s not gonna help bringing back the balance…
Q´s last blog ..Hong Kong: Collective Photos
Posted on December 18th, 2009 at 00:23
Thank you so much for this entry and photos. I had preordered this figure months prior but after seeing this entry looks like I may want to cancel the order with the vendor. Unfortunately they have already charged my card but I will ask at least if I could use the funds toward a purchase for a different figure. Wow.. what a bummer. I was so looking forward to this one. Either the manufacturer’s photos are misleading or the mass produced sculpts dont nearly do the original prototype justice. This reminds me of another figure by the same sculptor, Enterbrain’s Ivy Valentine from Soul Calibur III. The promo photos looked so much more different than the actual product particularly the face. The final product felt less detailed.. almost as you say an “oversized gashapon”. Beat is planning to release a completely different Choun Shiryu figure next year (around March 2010). Preview samples look promising:
http://reggiocomics.blogspot.com/2009/12/ikki-tousen-choun-shiryu-by-comic-gum.html
But after seeing this I’m beginning to have my doubts… sigh.
Posted on December 19th, 2009 at 06:51
Well basically that figure is great …. on paper. The pose, the kimono, the sword are all ingredients i love to see in a figure.
But yeah her hairs are truly awful. I like the patterns on the kimono thou.
Bwa the more i look at her and the more i think that’s a complete mess. That could had turn into a magnificent piece.
Too bad it cost you so much
Katsura-chan´s last blog ..Kana ~ Little Sister
Posted on December 19th, 2009 at 23:05
I never liked Ikkitousen figures and that one make that fact even more solid. Just bought the Orchid Seed Gothic Lolita ones. I have a good idea for you: decapitate her and find a better head for her (like those Resinya heads, 1/6 heads are perfect for such a big body). The kimono is too nice to become a simple paperweight.
Posted on December 20th, 2009 at 14:15
Well it looks like I too will also be getting an expensive paper weight this holiday season… USD$150 paper weight or roughly 105€ to be more precise. Apparently if I wanted to cancel my preorder, my vendor would have to charge me 20% of the cost this late into preordering. I’m surprised it’s nearly January and they still havent recieved the shipment yet. Rather than losing money, I just decided to keep my preorder. Hopefully in time I’ll come to appreciate this figure. The kimono at least does look nice. I guess I’ll just place her somewhere in the corner so I will only see that one pose from the back that’s been shown in all their advertisements. A damn shame. My first Ikkitousen figure and possibly my last.
Anyhow I can look forward to the other figures I preordered which are on the way or will ship soon.
Ritona Yoko “Real Image” version from Gurren Lagann:
http://myfigurecollection.net/figure/7900_ritona_yoko
Seems Max Factory has been taking their time with this one with the many delays but well worth it. The final production is looking real good just like the prototype.
BUT… I guess this figure will more than make up for any others…
1/4 Kos-Mos (Gathering version) prepainted
http://www.e2046.com/product.php?products_id=10444
It’s on its way!
Posted on December 24th, 2009 at 06:08
@Tommy
Hey lets look at it this way…We took a hit for the team and are basically heroes for doing so ^^
@Yi
Thanks for the praise but i didnt really like how my pictures turned out but this could be due to my bias towards this figure.Its true that the kimono is the best part of her but still….I could cry XD
@Grew
Yeah,thats the best part about her!
@enrius
Theres no need to apologize since this is indeed one crappy figure.The worst thing about this is tht I really saved up for this figure and that makes this even more disappointing.Thanks for your condolences XD
@James
I am quite stunned that youre having a few good words for her since youre usually soooo picky.Lets just say the worst thing about her is her head including hair.
Maybe therell come a day when ill accept and love this figure XD
@Aprilius
I know,I know but my goody twoe shoes nature wants me to warn people of this figure even if that means taking an even stronger hit.
@Chappy
Yes,it does! Ive spend some big money on other figures aswell but they all turned out to be of great quality.What happened here is very disappointing though.
Yeah,you should never trust promotional pictures but they should atleast indicate what the figure will look like.The difference between the promo and the real figure is like day and night this time though.
Id trade in for youre Shiki any day ^^
@Q
Its ususally the other way around and you start to like a figure the longer you look at it but here its the other way around.Its hard to give smaller manufacturers a chance when theres so many lemons among them.
@Skytoast
First off sorry for the Ultra Late Reply.
As far as I am concerened Beat is absolutely Off-Beat for me.I cant trust this manufacturer anymore no matter how awesome a figure looks.Maybe some reviews across the blogosphere may change my heart some day but as it looks now it wont.
I didnt know that Beats Ivy was rather crappy aswell maybe it would have prevented me from this piece of junk.I highly doubt that Beats other Choun will turn out nice anyway.Its prolly the same game…Great Proto – Crappy Result.
Its a real bummer that you werent able to cncel your preorder.I would have done the same in your case.Id rather spend the money on the figure instead of letting 20% going to waste.I am really thrilled to see how your particular Choun turned out and hey maybe youll love her.
Could you tell me what you think when you got her?
As for your other 2 figures….I am very,very sure that they please you to your hearts content.MaxFactory usually delivers great quality and I doubt that it will be different in this case.
Whats even more staounding is that you ordered the !/4 Kos-Mos.The Gathering Paintjob and quality is always breath taking and im 100% sure that youll be satisfied despite the horrendous price tag
@Katsura-chan
Haha everybodies having the same reaction!
They start off relatively neutral and the longer they look at this figure the more they realize what a piece of junk I bought XD
The wasted potential is a real big shame and Im still not over this
@Tyrkhael
I wouldnt judge the whole Ikki Tousen Figure line on this particular release since its the cream of the crap.Seriously its the worst figure I own!
There are many crappy Ikki Tousen Figures out there but there are some really astounding pieces aswell.
I hope youll be happy woith your preorders!
As for the Head Off technique. Im too much of a scaredy cat for that ^^;;;
Posted on December 25th, 2009 at 16:55
huh? you already got this choun shiryu figure when the fact release date is sometime next year? the pictures you posted are from your choun shiryu. i was staring at the largest pictures. i could not see major problem other than some tiny problem on the hair. am i missing something?
Posted on December 27th, 2009 at 17:17
@Blowfish
Ask the true Choun to help you. She is surelly cold blooded to head off her figure. I just got unhappy with Ikki Tousen figures because there are soooo many Kanu Unchu figures, but my favorite girl is Ryofu Housen, and there are few high quality figures of her.
Posted on December 29th, 2009 at 14:32
*Hugs poor little Blowfish before he cries*
I think her face looks ok, her kimono looks ok at some places, and yes, her hair is awful.
Honestly though, in the previews, I thought her kimono looked awesome, but it looked like a “One good thing figure, everything else is average”, which is ok, for a $60 figure, not a $140 one.
Good thing it was too costly for most people to get her, but sad for those who did.
Guy´s last blog ..Loli (Puppy) in a Box!
Posted on January 4th, 2010 at 00:32
@bonbin
This is the original Release of the Choun Shiryu figure and the one you are talking about is a colour variation.Thats why I already own this figure.
Her Hair is without a doubt the worst part of her but there are many little things that add up to make this one disappointing figure.I dont know how experienced you are with PVC Figures but this is really low level quality.
Try to compare the with some of the best figures from Alter or GSC for half the price and youll see what I mean
@Tyrkhael
The Figure releases of Ikki Tousen are indeed rather disappointing.I am really happy that Alter will release a nice qualirty Kakoen Bunwa figure this year.The Ikki Tousen License is rather easy to get compared to other franchises and thats why the market is flooded with shitty ikki tousen figures.I couldnt name a Good Ryofou Hosen figure.
@Guy
Its true that I mostly bought her for her Kimono but I would have been perfectly happy with the outcome if it would have sticked to the promo pictures.I kinda regret that I am more adventurous than other figure owners who only buy from Alter/GSC and MF
Posted on January 8th, 2010 at 17:20
Sigh, I feel sorry for you. It seems fine at first then after a couple photos, I could say this figure is rubbish for this price. Make me wanna hit the painter in the face with my golf club.
RyoBase´s last blog ..The journal of 2009
Posted on January 9th, 2010 at 20:49
Luckily I never considered her, ikki tousen isn’t really my thing. I feel terrible for those out there that sacrificed other pre-orders only to get something that disappointed them. My biggest let down was my Sanji by First Class. It is (to date) the worst figure I’ve ever ordered. Although luckily for me someone wanted to buy him because there are so few figures of him out there.
lovelyduckie´s last blog ..1/6 Asuka and Rei Figures (Kotobukiya)
Posted on January 13th, 2010 at 17:14
I think it looks great. Good purchase. I think I getting a hot temperature
just looking at her. Oh baby!
Posted on February 3rd, 2010 at 08:28
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Posted on February 22nd, 2010 at 21:19
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