Figure Review: Pinky Street Sakura! « Riuva : Research Institute for Unicultural Visual Arts

I’ve always liked Fujishima Kousuke’s character designs and Sakura happens to be one of my favourite samurai girls of all time. So when the Pinky Street version of Shinguji Sakura from Sakura Wars was released, I decided to pick it up for the collection. I paid 19 Singapore dollars for it, the original retail price was 1050 yen ($14).

As with all Pinkies, the head is disportionately large with the neck a mere stick. The material used is the really soft PVC so applying any sort of pressure leaves a permanant mark. The heavy headd unbalances the figure so it cannot stand on its own.

The great thing about Pinky St is that everything is interchangeable. If I wanted to, I could give Sakura some streetwear, accessories, make her hold a violin etc provided I have the parts (which I do). Her hairstyle is changeable too, as is the face itself. I’m not sure if the face of Sakura is an original or based off the existing Pinkies. The trademark blush and wide cheeks are there though. Her second body is of her combat uniform, the formal one that looks like old officer wear.

The painting for Pinkies are always about there, nothing spectacular but always clean and simple. Sakura is in her usual pink and red kimono, with her family crest printed all over her top. Her big red hair ribbon is a removeable accessory too. The interchangability makes phototaking a real hassle, because there are just so many possibilities, it’s mindboggling.

Overall, in terms of aesthetics, Sakura is more cute and adorable than beautiful here. I would much prefer a proper 1/8 PVC of her really. But compared to the other character pinkies, Sakura is just average. There are much better ones to buy, such as the Arcueid, Air Gear and possibly Range Murata sets. One thing Sakura has over them is her pose. She’s possibly the first to have a pose, rather than the usual straight standing pose or slight variants.