Review II: Kotobukiya DC Comics Bishoujo Wonder Woman (W is also for Wonder Woman)

continued from previous post...

I grew up in the 70s watching TV shows like "The Six Million Dollar Man", "Battlestar Galactica", "CHiPs", "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century", "Land of the Lost" and many others but one of my favorites was Lynda Carter Wonder Woman. Unlike the merchandising efforts these days where you can almost find a figure from a famous / popular TV series or movie, there just wasn't any 1/6th scale Lynda Carter Wonder Woman 12-inch female figure ever made and that is just one of those things I hope to see happen ;p

In the meantime, I think this is one of the next best thing :) As mentioned in the previous post, this is the Kotobukiya DC Comics Bishoujo Wonder Woman statue. Bishōjo (美少女, literally "beautiful young girl", also spelled bishoujo) is a Japanese term used to refer to young and pretty girls, usually below university age. Bishōjo characters are seen in almost all genres of anime and manga, especially in dating sims and visual novels (also known as bishōjo games), and harem anime and manga.

This is famed Japanese illustrator and character designer Shunya Yamashita's take on DC Comics Wonder Woman, done Bishoujo style. And I LIKE it :) I've already shown turnaround views of this Kotobukiya DC Comics Bishoujo Wonder Woman statue in the earlier post so now I thought it'll be nice to zoom in to see the details that make up this fine female figure / statue.

I like everything about this statue, from the proportion of the female form and anatomy to the anime-styled face with the sculpted wavy black hair giving the illusion that it is being blown by the wind. Some people may argue that an Amazon should look more buff and less feminine (like Lucy Lawless as Xena: Warrior Princess) but for me, I prefer my Wonder Woman to be shapelier and more curvy than rough and tough. That's how I remember her from the comics and on television ;p Her strength comes from within, NOT from pumping iron.

I mean, she's a fantasy figure after all. How does one wear what she wears and not have some body part pop out or take a peak when she's in the thick of the action haha Her costume is practically held up by her assets ;p and no one's really complaining about that either. Come to think of it, Lynda Carter did it as Wonder Woman in a live TV show so we'll have to ask her if we ever see her.

Close-up pictures of the Shunya Yamashita designed Bishoujo Wonder Woman head sculpt

Wonder Woman has an incredible Bishoujo-styled face which is framed perfectly by her flowing long black hair and tiara, which serves as a projectile or throwing weapon, returning to her like a boomerang (Its sharpness and mystical nature proved enough to cut even Superman). This is Japanese anime / manga styled female face at its best

There's even one strand of hair rising above the rest on her head and standing up on its own. I'm not too sure if they should have gone with that. It looks a little odd to me. Kind of remind me of the scene in "There's Something About Mary" where Mary (played by Cameron Diaz) decides to use some of the "hair gel" she sees in Ted's (Ben Stiller) hand to hilarious effect.

Here's a lovely side profile close-up picture of the Kotobukiya DC Comics Bishoujo Wonder Woman statue which stands 9 inches tall (23 cm) and is supposed to be in 1/7 scale. What's there not to like ;p

Bishoujo Wonder Woman looks just as good from the back, no BUTs about it (pun intended)

One good side view deserves another, that's what I always say :)

Kotobukiya DC Comics Bishoujo Wonder Woman is certainly well sculpted and shows off her super heroine costume very well. Diana of Themyscira is depicted as a masterful athlete, acrobat, fighter and strategist, trained and experienced in many ancient and modern forms of armed and unarmed combat, including exclusively Amazonian martial arts.

Wonder Woman's body is a mystical creation made from the clay surrounding Themyscira. Through divine means, her disembodied soul was nurtured in and retrieved from the Cavern of Souls. Once the soul was placed into the body, it immediately came to life and was blessed with metahuman abilities by six Olympian deities.

Diana occasionally uses additional weaponry in formal battle, such as ceremonial golden armor with golden wings, war-skirt, chest-plate, and a golden helmet in the shape of an eagle's head. She also possesses a sword forged by Hephaestus that is sharp enough to cut the electrons off an atom.

In the case of this Kotobukiya DC Comics Bishoujo Wonder Woman, her helmet (which is included as an accessory) seems to deviate from the eagle-shaped version...

And she is equipped with a shield and three spears (the spears are loose items too - see previous post)

The other loose item is her Lasso of Truth, or Lariat of Hestia, which is virtually indestructible; the Lasso burns with a magical aura called the Fires of Hestia, forcing anyone within the Lasso's confines to be truthful. Diana wields the lasso with great precision and accuracy and can use it as a whip or noose.

Wonder Woman also has her bulletproof bracelets. These forearm guards have thus far proven indestructible and able to absorb the impact of incoming attacks, allowing Wonder Woman to deflect automatic weapon fire and energy blasts. Diana can also slam the bracelets together to create a wave of concussive force capable of making Superman's ears bleed.