Summer Time Rendering may go down as one of the best animes of 2022 and this Ushio Kofune figure helps highlight that success.

Unboxing / Assembly / Review

Figure Review

Ushio Kofune Summer Time Render info

Otaku Sinh’s collection

I bought it here!

Price

$89.99 (Figure) – $13.5 (Black Friday Discount) + $5 (Shipping) = $81.49

Timeline

Paid on Sat 11/25/2022
Shipped on Mon 11/28/2022
Arrived on Tues 12/03/2022

Lunar Toy Store

Lunar Toy Store is an anime figure store located out of Queens, New York. One of their biggest attractions is their $5 flat rate shipping within the continental US. For many of their pre-orders, they give out certain discounts if you pay early. Unlike Right Stuf Anime, Big Bad Toy Store and Good Smile US, you have to pay upfront. Many of the higher priced scales from FREEing, Aniplex and others are offered at premium prices compared to some other US retail based anime figure sites. One of the other downsides is that they are typically one of the last stores to get certain figures in-stock.

Ultimately, their competitive advantage is their low shipping rate and their competitive prices for their low to mid tier figures.

Shipping

Out of all of my experiences with receiving packages, I’ve had my worst experiences come from Lunar Toy Store. Packages end up arriving kind of beat up and squished in the corners at times. As an anime collector, it is paramount that the quality of the figures AND the quality of the figure box is preserved.

On the inside of the shipping box, there is only one thin layer of paper wrap and that is concerning. Because Figurarts ZERO comes with its own branded brown box, the figure box still maintained its pristine condition.

Figuarts ZERO Figure Box

Compared to other companies that make bigger scale figures, Figuarts ZERO boxes are typically of similar or higher quality. With a glossy touch to their box and fun design of cutouts that go along with the theme of the show and character; it definitely feels and looks like you are receiving something special.

Assembly

This figure is “unarticulated,” meaning their are no parts that you need to put together. Instead of a manual, it comes with a display card. (See “Pictures” section)

Aesthetics

Design

Summer Time Rendering is an anime that doesn’t have super elaborate special effects that the characters display in the show, so to make a figure with cool effects from the Figuarts ZERO line, you have to be “thinking outside the box.” First of all, Ushio Kofune is a great choice to use and having her be in the water is one of the most important aspects to the character and the show in general. Water is a common effect many figure companies use to make a mold out of, so it makes a ton of sense from the maker’s perspective.

If you’ve seen my reviews before, you know that I am not a fan of upside down poses from the characters, but ones that float is another dynamic that creates one of the most satisfying looking figures, when done right. I think Ushio’s pose, the face and the hair creates something more elaborate looking than what we are really seeing. That’s a testament to the figure’s incredible design.

With just the water mold of the special effects and Ushio herself, they added very significant items from the anime that help round out this figure. Without these items of the book, nail gun, shell necklace, phone and the watch, the figure would have looked like it would be missing something. These items provide depth to the figure and help round the overall look.

Complaints?

When it comes to Figuarts ZERO, there is a certain kind of quality you can expect from their figures. It’s all about the sum of the parts, rather than the parts themselves. From a painting perspective, it’s going to be messy in some areas. From a sculpting and mold perspective, there are going to be some rough areas that need to be smoothed out. Overall, it’s just not going to be as clean of a figure compared to scale figures above the $100 price point and beyond.

Errors

Pictures

Last Thoughts

If it wasn’t for Demon Slayer, Summer Time Rendering would be my top anime of 2022. I was ecstatic to find out that some anime figure companies did end up making figures from the show. There are a couple of Good Smile Company scales that are set to be released in the future as well. However, Figuarts ZERO is a great figure line to look into. With their more elaborate design and affordable price range, it’s hard not to at least take a peak at what they have to offer. What they have to offer for the retail price point of $89.99 seems to be appropriate.

If you are a fan of the anime, how can you not like what this figure presents? Ushio is one of the main characters and most importantly one of the main bright spots in the show. From the water, the hair, the swimsuit and all the little items that are significant to the series, this figure provides many aspects to the anime that I love. If you can get over the quality of the paint and roughness of some of the parts of the figure, I think this figure is a fine choice to collect. For under $100, you’re not going to find something as unique as Figuarts ZERO’s Ushio Kofune figure.