Hello everyone, today I'm going to unbox and share with you Kotobukiya's "MY LITTLE PONY Bishoujo" series - Hatsune Miku ╳ My Little Pony.
In Taiwan, "MY LITTLE PONY" is translated as "Rainbow Pony" (彩虹小馬). It's a children's animation released by Hasbro.
I believe most people, like me, may not have watched the animation but have more or less seen the characters from the show.
In Japan, where everything can be 'moe-fied' (娘化, personified as cute girls), Kotobukiya and Hasbro collaborated to launch the "MY LITTLE PONY Bishoujo" series.
As the name suggests, it anthropomorphizes all the My Little Ponies, turning each pony into a beautiful girl.
That's not all; we're already accustomed to Japan 'moe-fying' many things.
This series surprisingly collaborated with Hatsune Miku, giving birth to the "Future Pony" (未來小馬).
Illustrated by the esteemed Shunya Yamashita, it presents a uniquely charming piece.
Although Hatsune Miku is often jokingly referred to as just software, one cannot deny her popularity and market appeal.
Otherwise, these two works, which originally had no intersection, would not have thought to collaborate on a joint product.
FB Page - Black Polar Bear Loves Unboxing (Main Interaction Page)
Bahamut Home (Full Graphic Unboxing)
Instagram (Unboxing Photo Sharing)
Twitter (Partial Unboxing Photos + Bonus Photos)
Flickr (Unboxing Photo Album)
Photos below
The box's color scheme echoes the design of the product itself.
The side features the original illustration, and compared to the actual item, the fidelity is quite high.
The contents are quite simple:
Hatsune Miku and pony figures, one base each, and one microphone.
Figure rotation
Personally, I feel Hatsune Miku's gaze is angled too far upwards, differing from the official illustration's perspective.
This makes it look a bit odd when viewed from the front.
Pony rotation
Many elements of Hatsune Miku are incorporated, such as twin tails, a tie, and '01'.
The hair color scheme also matches Hatsune Miku's.
Detailing
The face has no angle issues; Shunya Yamashita-sensei's highly recognizable style is quite easy to distinguish.
However, the paint application on the hair and headphones has a slightly rough feel, which is a minor drawback.
The costume style is basically similar to the V2 official outfit, but~
Many intricate details have been omitted, making the overall appearance too plain, giving the impression that the outfit isn't quite finished.
The gradient at the ends of the twin tails is quite beautiful.
Fortunately, the keyboard elements and small blue dots on the boots are still present.
And this is one of the few times (or perhaps the first time) I've seen Hatsune Miku wearing safety shorts.
Perhaps it's due to the collaboration with a children's property like My Little Pony, leading to a slight adjustment in modesty.
The base is richly colored, but it differs from the translucent design seen in the official images, which is a bit of a shame.
Additionally, the peg isn't very deep, and considering the figure's center of gravity, it's safer to have something for the main body to lean against when displayed.
The pony itself has no discernible flaws.
A small scene resembling a musical staff or ribbon has been added to the base to enhance its richness.
That's generally it for the contents.
The overall quality level is satisfactory, but there's a lack of intricate details.
I quite like Shunya Yamashita-sensei's style, though that's a subjective point.
The theme, however, is quite fresh, and I estimate this rare collaboration between the two parties might be a one-off.
Finally, I also brought out another Hatsune Miku figure, also illustrated by Shunya Yamashita-sensei, which I unboxed previously, for a joint photoshoot.
However, after photographing them together, it seems to highlight some of the shortcomings of this particular piece~XD
