For edgy manga fans of the late 80s and early 90s, little was cooler than the heavy metal-tinged fantasy Bastard!! Many loyal fans of the series have hung on for over 20 years now as the manga still trickles out, and merchandise is quickly snapped up. Orchid Seed understands these needs and has brought us a fantastic version of half-dark elf Thunder Empress Arshes Nei who has her curves in all the right places, thanks to veteran sculptor Ishiyama Satoshi.
In my personal collection I have amassed several Bastard!! pieces over time and I have to say, this is the most detailed and appealing version of Arshes Nei I’ve ever seen. Definitely blows the old B-club kit out of the water. Even comparing her directly to an earlier Ishiyama Satoshi Bastard work in Kai Han from Griffon, there’s just no contest. Orchid Seed always brings quality figures and should hold on to Ishiyama-san for as long as they possibly can, because his sculpts are just getting better and better. And better. Ok, I think you get the point.
Orchid Seed is never a stranger to fan desires and has made several parts on Arshes removable including the cape, belt and yes even the shirt. Finally, a figure you won’t be afraid to display in your cubicle at work!
This isn’t the first version of Arshes, there was a dark-skinned version that is more true to the manga color scheme released last year that I am totally bummed I missed. Which one do you prefer?
I love Orchid Seed for not being afraid to release figures of women with more realistic curves. Of course they’re still exaggerated, but it’s nice to see a girl with hips in the endless parade of anorexic 12 year old anime girl figures.
They’re even giving us a bit of break on the price. Clocking in at 25 cm, this fantastically detailed figure will only set you back 9,800 yen, which is pretty reasonable considering the price inflation of all PVCs lately. Arshes Nei -Lightning Emperor of Darkness- is due out in February 2013.
You can preorder this version of Arshes on Hobby Search or Hobby Link Japan.
The older dark skinned version is discontinued and can only be found on places like Yahoo Auctions or Amazon at inflated prices. Here’s hoping for a re-release!
