By far, the best looking Tomioka figure out!

Unboxing / Assembly / Review

Tomioka Giyu info

I bought it here

Otaku Sinh’s collection

Figure Review

• Paid on Thur 06/02/2022
• Paid for Shipping on Tues 06/07/2022
• Shipped on Tues 06/07/2022
• Picked up at local post office on 03/17/2022

¥17990 (Aniplex 1/8 Scale Tomioka Giyu) + ¥7500 (FedEx Shipping to the US) = ¥25,490 = $196.80

Buying Off of Hobby-Genki

Check out my other blog post on the Armorplus figure for a more in-depth look into buying from Hobby-Genki and the issues I ran into.

About late summer of 2021, I decided to get into this hobby of collecting anime figures and was scoping out Demon Slayer figures. At any point anyone ever decides to get into collecting, you’ll realize that you missed out on some very important releases and pre-orders. This Aniplex Giyu figure was one that was all sold out of pre-orders everywhere. Looking to get my hands on this figure I signed up for various email notifications regarding a restock. On June 2nd of 2022, I received an email and quickly ordered what looks to be the last one left in-stock!

Another Small Issue

One little issue I did run into is that they quoted me only EMS, so I decided to send it to my “private warehouse” and ask for other shipping quotes. They quoted my 7300 yen for FedEx shipping, which I accepted. The one small issue is that they actually charged me 7500 yen. Seeing that it’s so close in price and maybe shipping price changed or was just misquoted? I asked for an explanation but didn’t receive an answer..

Shipment

On the last order, I was fairly impressed with how well they packaged the figure in the box. The shipping box came dented, but the actual figure box itself came as pristine as can be. The Aniplex Giyu figure came in just a little bigger sized box with the figure box in a bubble wrap. I worry that if this shipment came with the same dent as the last shipment, this figure box might not be looking too well. However, it came with no dents, so no complaints from the reality of the outcome here.

Overall, Hobby-Genki is still a legitimate and reliable trusted place to buy figures from. You’ll find positive reviews on Reddit and they are MFC partners. Besides the minor issues from the last order and this one, I still recommend buying from them. At the end of the day, the figures are legitimate and arrived safely.

Box

Assembly

Assembling this figure was quite easy just like most other scale figures. For this figure, just make sure to put on the added base part last to avoid bumping into it as you are putting on the figure body and the sword. Adding the sword into his hand was a fairly simple process, just make sure you don’t slip up and keep a tight grip as you are pushing in the sword. Other than those 2 key tips, assembling this figure is a simple process.

Aesthetics

Design & Pose

When it comes to the design of this figure, I’m pretty impressed with how it looks in person. Honestly, how are you going to make some splish -splash water effects look cool? The answer lies in the white color in the waves. It gives the look a little more oomph to it’s look, making the figure come more alive. It’s a lot easier to make flames on Rengoku look cool because it’s ya know, flames. So, to do something dynamic with a water technique, seems to me to be the more impressive feat. The show’s beautiful artwork comes out great in the form of this figure.

Pay Attention to this About the Design

I was worried about this figure because the Giyu figure himself is not centered in the middle of the figure. With his katana in his right hand, the water effects extends out more leaving the figure at an odd proportion. Maybe they could have made the water effects on the figure’s left side extend out further? His kimono is pretty darn close to the waves of the base on the left side of his body. Although, that last part is more cautionary to the handling than anything. It’s something that people might have issues with, but it still looks pretty aesthetically pleasing.

One other thing to note is the figure itself is kind of facing downwards. When you display him, think about putting him a little higher up so you can enjoy the pose at its best angle. Overall, the design is still pretty good. I think this is the best version of him currently out. 

Painting & Sculpting

I’m actually pretty darn ecstatic with how well the figure looks and the paint job. The face looks really accurate to the character and might be the best sculpted face I’ve seen of him besides maybe the Megahouse GEM one? One thing you’ll ask yourself with these scale figures is if there is any obvious scuffs, molds and blatant paint errors on the figure? For me, I had to look for them. It just turns out that the paint job could have been better.

Painting Errors

When it comes to painting errors, it’s always in the most obvious parts of the figure and that’s the intricate design of the figure. His kimono with the kind of checkered pattern, you’ll see some paint bleeding over to other parts of the design. It’s a lot harder to pick it up with the naked eye, but with a decent phone camera, you’ll definitely notice it. Also, on the belt and button part of his party, the painting can look slightly messy. Although, it’s barely noticeable to the naked eye.

Ultimately, when it comes to painting errors for my personal determination if it is acceptable or not, just depends on how poorly it effects my viewing experience in the display case. Since that is my main metric, those small little details from the painting are way too minor and not significant enough for me to notice. When it comes to the quality of the paint, I think it’s still in that acceptable to good range. 

Aniplex 1/8 Scale Giyu vs Everyone Else

When you look at Giyu as a character, there are many qualities to like. Sometimes, it can be hard to find an anime figure that translates the best qualities of the character. When it comes to picking figure poses, this is where it can be difficult to find one that stands out. If you prefer special effects on your figure, there’s only really 2 top choices and that’s this Aniplex Scale and the Figuarts ZERO one. If you just want a high quality figure without the allure of cool water effects, the Megahouse G.E.M and Kotobukiya ARTFX-J are top choices in that category. If you care about action figures, Aniplex does have the BUZZmod line and I think Megahouse’s Figma line is planning on releasing their version soon. I added the PUP below for comparison because it actually looks pretty good, especially the face. There is a large selection of other prize figures to choose from as well.

So, what makes a figure like this Aniplex Scale better than Figuarts ZERO figures? The size and overall quality of the paint & sculpting. This figure is 1/8 scale compared to about a 1/12 scale of Figuarts Zero. The paint and sculpting is generally a lot cleaner. What makes this Aniplex figure better than Kotobukiya’s is it’s more dynamic design, which is highlighted by the water effects. All in all, if you asked me which one I like the most, it’s 100% the Aniplex 1/8 Scale.

Pictures

Last Thoughts

Do I recommend this figure? Yes!! This is by far my favorite design of this character. There’s so many other cheaper and less fantastical designs of him out there. I like dynamic poses with cool elaborate bases. Add in the accurate sculpting of the figure and especially the face—this is a must get if you are a fan of the character. On eBay, I’ve seen him sold for about $200, which is about what I got for this figure. Watch out for restock at stores like Tokyo Otaku Mode and RightStufAnime if you are in the US. Other than another restock at Hobby-Genki, it’s most likely you’ll have to buy this figure on the reseller market. Currently, he’s at a great value!

Preview