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Astro Toy with Rob Bricken - Mermaid Rei & Asuka


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ANN_Bamboo
ANN Contributor


Joined: 05 Jan 2002
Posts: 3904
Location: CO
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 2:25 pm Reply with quote
... I actually really want one, now.

The fact that I'm part of the fanbase that continually buys this crap fills me with shame.

Though the one thing that bothers me most about the figures, more than anything else, is that you can still see the shapes of their legs under the mermaid tail. Is that implying that they're just wearing mermaid outfits, and not actually mermaids?
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neocloud9



Joined: 06 Oct 2008
Posts: 1178
Location: Atlanta, GA
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 2:25 pm Reply with quote
It's weird, but I kinda dig the translucent tails...
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evilnekohilda



Joined: 27 Jul 2003
Posts: 166
Location: Wichita, KS
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 2:37 pm Reply with quote
I'm totally not liking these, which is weird since I normally love all the strange renditions of Rei and Asuka... However, I do appreciate them because of the challenge they pose to a confused Krauser lol.

SakechanBD wrote:
Though the one thing that bothers me most about the figures, more than anything else, is that you can still see the shapes of their legs under the mermaid tail. Is that implying that they're just wearing mermaid outfits, and not actually mermaids?


OMG I didn't even notice that o____o How confusingly creepy...
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jared_thorin



Joined: 06 Mar 2006
Posts: 30
Location: Omaha Ne.
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 2:48 pm Reply with quote
Who would want these? OOOHHHH OOOH me me me!!!! It doesn't really matter what they are doing Rei and Asuka are still too cute for words. Smile Yay!
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Takeyo



Joined: 25 Mar 2008
Posts: 736
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 2:52 pm Reply with quote
Quote:
Asuka's hair is spread out slightly to look as if it could be flowing in the currents, although the effect is kind of wasted on Rei, who has the same damn haircut on the surface or 20,000 leagues under the sea, apparently.


Quickly! Someone find a clip of the SNL skit where Kelsey Grammer, as Captain Nemo, tries explaining that 20,000 leagues is a measurement of distance tavelled, not deapth! Very Happy

These things would be alright as some sort of original characters, but as Eva merchandise, it's just sad.
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Aura Ichadora



Joined: 25 Apr 2008
Posts: 2281
Location: In front of my computer
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 2:54 pm Reply with quote
I got to admit, they are pretty and would look cute on a shelf, but I do admit, they are weird. Mermaids? o.O

Now I'll probably see plenty of these at A-Cen next year...and think of this review and laugh. XP
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ArthurFrDent



Joined: 05 Aug 2008
Posts: 466
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 2:58 pm Reply with quote
YES!!! How long until Squid-Rei, I want that too!
animenewsnetwork.com/anime-news-nina/2009-04-29
life? is stranger than fiction. or something...
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LeanGreen



Joined: 10 Jul 2009
Posts: 323
Location: New England
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 3:04 pm Reply with quote
ArthurFrDent wrote:
YES!!! How long until Squid-Rei, I want that too!
animenewsnetwork.com/anime-news-nina/2009-04-29
life? is stranger than fiction. or something...


I immediately thought the same thing. But in all seriousness, I liked the hair colors and translucent effect. The other parts of the figures seem as trashy and unappealing as Rob makes them out to be.
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darcerin



Joined: 22 Apr 2005
Posts: 330
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 3:05 pm Reply with quote
I'm in no way a hardcore Eva fan. In fact, I blew off the whole franchise after the movie spoiler[the one where Shinji is choking Asuka to death at the end] because it was a STUPID ending to the whole series and made no sense on any realistic level.

Ahem, that being said: I want these, and I want these in the worst way possible. I love mermaids, and I love the way these were sculpted.

Rob, stretch your imagination here. Mermaids DO come to the surface from time to time (Disney proved that!), so I would think Rei would want sit on a rock in the sun from time to time, and try to lure poor Link to his death by playing his Ocarina. And sea turtles do surface as well, mainly to lay eggs, but digress...

Asuka could easily be sitting under the water on a rock, so I can see where the fish comes in on that one.

I realize the whole idea is stupid, I mean, especially for EVA, of all things (unless they're planning to put this little idea into a future movie for some reason...) but for $40-50 I'd hope that this is a decently made sculpt. Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch did something for their characters like this several years ago. While they're cheaper in price, they look about the same quality as these guys - and truth be told, the EVA ones look better in terms of detail, so I'm seriously tempted to get them. Smile

Did I just argue on behalf of toy statues? I think I did...! 0.o
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JaxsonJaguar



Joined: 12 Apr 2005
Posts: 19
Location: Northern California
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 3:05 pm Reply with quote
Let's not forget about Octopus Asuka.
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KrisEllieOphi



Joined: 02 Apr 2007
Posts: 111
Location: Texas
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 3:36 pm Reply with quote
Actually, seeing as how they're Japanese girls (...sort of; Rei isn't really...anything, and Asuka is actually German, but the series takes place in Japan!), the geisha figures would make some sense.

Even dressed as soldiers it would kind of make sense, since NERV is basically a branch of the military.

But I definitely agree that mermaids make no sense what-so-ever.
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Cloe
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Joined: 18 Feb 2004
Posts: 2728
Location: Los Angeles, CA
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 4:00 pm Reply with quote
Astro Toy wrote:
Who would ever want these things?

...

*slowly raises hand*

I... I want them. The Rei one, at least, for my "ironic" Rei figure collection. These toys are apparently for the sick, disturbed people like me, who can't resist Rei figures of any kind.
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gordok



Joined: 12 Jul 2009
Posts: 22
Location: San Diego, CA
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 4:24 pm Reply with quote
For those interested: In addition to the figures shown in the article, there were earlier versions wherein the tail, hair, etc. were not translucent.

The earlier versions seem to have been produced by two different manufacturers; I bought the ones I thought looked better. Also, I have not seen them "on the shelves" for about a year; and from what I saw at Anime Expo 2009, only two pairs of the "translucent" figures were left. [Of course, you could always travel to Japan if you wanted to find more . . .Twisted Evil; or, you could check online.]

As for who would actually want these . . . my reasons are that I am both a mermaid fan and [for lack of a better description] a (sometimes) Eva figure fan. Hence, these were a happy overlapping of interests. Very Happy

More broadly, I am courious how/why "mermaids" happened to get on the list of modifications to the Eva gals. As Mr. Bricken suggests, there are so many other possible modifications. The only ideas I can come up with is that: (A) Rei artwork is often associated with water and the liquid used in the Eva plugs; and/or (B) the general popularity of mermaids from Mermaid Melody Pichi Pichi Pitch at the time these figures were probably designed.

Meanwhile--At this past Anime Expo, I talked to the writer of Anime News Nina about Squid-Rei and Octopus Ausuka, seeing if she had Mermaid Rei and Ausuka had been her inspiration. Apparently not (by her account)! She was just looking for an idea that humorously exagerated the other known modifications to the Eva gals.

[Edit 1] Oh--at least one more mermaid figure I might have liked to have seen was Misato--because she's older. Wink But, it seems the figure makers are concentrating on the younger set; and I suppose it would have been difficult to design a bikini top that covered her scar. Rolling Eyes


Last edited by gordok on Sun Jul 12, 2009 4:46 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Big Hed



Joined: 04 May 2006
Posts: 1607
Location: Melbourne, Australia
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 4:32 pm Reply with quote
SakechanBD wrote:
Though the one thing that bothers me most about the figures, more than anything else, is that you can still see the shapes of their legs under the mermaid tail. Is that implying that they're just wearing mermaid outfits, and not actually mermaids?


Oh yeah...Maybe the sculpts were initially for Rei and Asuka in swimsuits, but, Sega had them converted to mermaids? Razz
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wandering-dreamer



Joined: 21 Jan 2008
Posts: 1733
PostPosted: Sun Jul 12, 2009 5:04 pm Reply with quote
Big Hed wrote:
SakechanBD wrote:
Though the one thing that bothers me most about the figures, more than anything else, is that you can still see the shapes of their legs under the mermaid tail. Is that implying that they're just wearing mermaid outfits, and not actually mermaids?


Oh yeah...Maybe the sculpts were initially for Rei and Asuka in swimsuits, but, Sega had them converted to mermaids? Razz

So glad I wasn't seeing things there, the tail muscles did look a lot like leg muscles, reusing old molds?
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