While it’s true that most Japanese anime somehow manages to involve school girls, it’s not what you think. Really. Okay, maybe a little.

Fruits Basket is one of those shows (and corresponding manga) about a young school girl (Tohru Honda) who’s an outsider, never quite fitting in. She ends up working for a family, the Sohma’s, who are definitely outsiders themselves. Each of the Sohma’s are possessed by the animals of the Chinese Zodiac, along with one extra – the cat. The theme of this show is the loneliness and pain when you’re not part of the crowd, a universal condition certainly but one that’s all the more poignant in Japan, where the population is so dense. And before you write me complaining that I just made a rude comment on the intelligence of the Japanese, I meant dense as in ‘crowded’.

Southern Island, in concert with Funanimation, is producing a series of small statues based on the license. The first release is Kyo Sohma in two paint schemes, both reviewed here today. They also have plans to release Tohru Honda (the main character), Shigure Sohma, and Yuki Sohma. These will retail for about $40 each, and all available now.

Kyo Sohma – Fruits Basket

Kyo is possessed by the spirit of the cat. This was the one animal not included in the Chinese Zodiac, and he blames the rat, who has possesed Yuki. As you might imagine, that makes Kyo and Yuki enemies, and makes for interesting family holidays.

The regular version of Kyo is a limited edition of 2000. The repaint is intended as an FYE store exclusive, and is liimited to 3000. I think this is the first time I’ve seen an exclusive with a higher run than the regular release.

Packaging – ***
I like my statue and bust boxes to have windows, so you can check out the actual product before you buy it. Thankfully, that’s what you get here, even if the window isn’t huge. The graphics on the box are attractive, with some basic stats on Kyo on the back. There’s no mention of the edition size or the actual statue’s number on the box though, so you’ll be playing a crap shoot if the numbering is important to you.

Each figure also comes with a free Fruits Basket playing card from the folks at Score.

Sculpting – ***1/2
They’ve done a pretty nice job capturing the anime appearance of Kyo, with a slight build and reverse Bart Simpson hair style. Small details like the wrist band are nicely sculpted, as our the pockets on the pants and even the shoelaces. While the anime style tends to be fairly minimalistic when it comes to detail, these statues capture a reasonable amount. One of my favorite touches on the sculpt is the hair, which is so thick in front as to appear like a separate piece, but which flows into the overall head sculpt in back to be almost smooth with the neck.

The cat is a tad off, at least to my eye. This is the cat spirit of Kyo of course, but the proportions seem a bit different than the cartoon. I’ve only seen a couple episodes though, and it’s been awhile, so I may be misjudging. Still, it’s off enough to detract slightly for me.

The bases are plain with no sculpt details at all. This plain appearance works fine considering the license, and lends a nice visual consistency to the entire set.

The biggest surprise will be the size, since these statues are fairly small at just 5.5 inches tall for just the figure sans base. Even with the small size, the body and head proportions are well done.

Paint – ***1/2
The majority of the paint work mirrors the quality of the sculpt, with the right amount of small detail work for the anime style. Broad colors, like the pants or jacket, are consistent and even, and the cuts between colors are generally sharp and clean.

Just like with the sculpt, the cat is a bit wonky for me. The eyes are smaller than I expected, although the details on the ears and eyes are extremely clean.

The difference between the FYE exclusive and the regular edition is purely paint. In the photos, the darker colors are the standard, while the lighter colors are the regular edition.

Design – ***
Both the human Kyo and the cat are done in relatively relaxed poses, although the fisted left hand of Kyo tends to imply he’s not a happy camper. While the basic designs work fine, they lack that extra oompf of personality that would have put them over the top.

Value – **
These are relatively small statues, and have a fair large edition size combined. At $40 to $50, you’re going to feel a bit underwhelmed by the size, but I suspect serious Fruits Basket fans will overlook the cost.

Things to Watch Out For –
Not much. The quality is quite good on the paint, and what you see in the photos is likely to be what you see when you open your box.

Overall – ***
These are very nice statues, and some of the nicest licensed product I’ve seen for the show so far. However, at $40 – $50 you’re paying a pretty good premium, even at the low production run of just 2000 of the regular and 3000 of the FYE exclusive.

Where to Buy –
Southern Island still has them for sale, but I believe they are already sold out through them. Entertainment Earth has them listed on pre-order, but are charging $50 each.

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