Update 3 July 2012: updated with photos that Ayano-sensei posted on her twitter account :D
Update 28 June 2012: Almost two years after it was announced, first photos of Asami Ryuichi are finally up! What do you think? Here’s more!
The photos posted at the Libre site aren’t very big. A more extensive web gallery of Asami doll will be published in early July 2012.
Updated with photos tweeted by Ayano-sensei :D
The box that houses Asami Ryuichi Doll.
Unboxing. Lots of accessories inside.
Close ups
More close ups. Sensei likes his face huh lol~
I can’t remember if this was sensei’s or photos she retweeted.
Styling his hair for…
Yummy bath robe shot! Yeah the bath robe is one of the accessories/clothes included. Sexy :D
And close up of his watch. The detail looks good!
As this is a doll with a wig, you won’t be able to get him to look like Asami out of the box like most figurines. Yep, you’ll have to style his hair! Instructions page: http://www.b-boy.jp/asami-doll-info/
Generally you need to use water. If you have hair wax for dolls, you can use it too. Owners are advised not to use hot water to style the hair or heat to dry it. Let it dry naturally, in case the heat melts it *_*
Libre provided a form for getting feedback about the doll: https://www.libre-pub.co.jp/asami-doll-form/
Generally speaking, preorder of Asami’s doll has long closed. I guess you got to have lots of faith to order without even seeing the prototype ^^;; especially when he costs a cool thousand bucks at least.
Anyway, much as I find him quite attractive and think Azone did a decent job with making a manly doll, he just doesn’t feel like the uber hot alpha seme Asami in the manga. I’m glad I don’t like him that much to feel the pain of not being able to own him. Yay for my bank.
What do you think?
Update 28 December 2010: Good news. There will be a second round of ordering period for people who want to see the sample of the doll first. The deadline of this round is not finalised yet. I think that is a lot more reasonable :) Can’t wait to see his prototype!
Last update: 19 September 2010:
Yes. Believe it my friends. Asami Ryouichi, Viewfinder’s alpha seme will become a doll at an astonishing price of…
**********99,750 yen!!!**********
But to be frank, it’s actually not THAT astonishing. Considering that this is an Azone International 65 cm doll, the price is actually quite reasonable. Although unfortunate for the most of us.
Title: Asami Ryouichi 65 cm doll (Azone International)
Height: 65cm
Head Material: Soft vinyl
Body: Man body (made by [obitsu] factory)
Inner skeleton: ABS/POM Compound material (plastic)
Outer: Soft vinyl
Set contents: doll, wig, coat, suit, shirt, necktie, vest, pants, belt, socks, shoes, and cigarette
The mangaka, Yamane Ayano-sensei is currently overseeing the production and no actual pictures are available yet.
Price: 99,750 Yen (w/tax)
Preorder period: 28 October 2010 till 11 January 2011
Expected release date: early June 2011
Limited order only available from: b-boy online shop (livret mail order site)
Update: You can also preorder him during Animate Girls’ Festival. More information here (scroll to the bottom)
Official page: http://www.b-boy.jp/asami-doll/
2010 sure is an exciting year for Boys love fans. Asami doll is wonderful news but the price is just… SIGH. cos it’s a 1/3 size doll! I’ll actually be happier and satisfied with a well-made 1/6 sized doll like Real Action Heroes Kirihara Naoto :-\ cos at least the price is a lot more affordable. This Asami doll is seriously what we call exclusive to folks with $$$ OTL.
I’m very curious about the face sculpt cos it’s probably the most important aspect that will either make or break it.
Does anybody own a 65 cm Azone doll? How is the quality like? I’ve seen some of their 1/3 sized Nanoha girls and they do look very pretty and well-made. However, they don’t seem to have any manly looking male dolls. =_=;;; Correct me if I’m wrong.
To get an idea of the doll manufacturers’ products, visit:
1) Azone site
2) Obitsu site
Btw…
Title: Yamane Ayano illustrated [finder no hyouteki] Takaba Akihito Hugging Cushion cover
やまねあやの描き下ろし「ファインダーの標的」高羽秋仁 抱き枕カバー
Price: 8,800 Yen (w/tax)
Libre is selling hugging cushion cover (dakimakura cover) of Akihito from Yamane Ayano’s Viewfinder series! Pathetically small thumbnail but so far that’s the only one I could find… What about Asami? Why can’t we have seme dakimakuras too? Anyway, will update when I have more information.
I think orders can also be placed during this upcoming event in October. More information about Animate Girls Festival here (scroll to the bottom).
2. Right-Click then Copy
3. Paste the HTML code into your webpage
Ugh… I generally exected him to look something like this… xD
For a thousand bucks tho, he really is not a good buy, yeah… for that amount of money, you can easily put tugether a gorgeous, much closer (to the general mental image) and much better posing Asami doll yourself… suit cost included (with a definitely Asami-like body, too). And can even pick from several companies, faces and bodies .. not limited.
For example;
http://iplehouse.com/home/shop/list.php?ca_id=503010&nhn1=en
http://iplehouse.com/home/shop/list.php?ca_id=504010&nhn1=en
http://dollsoom.com/eng/data/flash/idealian_body/img/img4.jpg
http://img.iplehouse.com/co_img006/iplehouse/2012/nyid_justin_02.jpg
http://www.simonovi-bgshop.com/img7/1Iplehouse-kukla-Bichun-dop.png
…And this was just one company. :D
Iple links didn’t work but…:
http://iplehouse.com/
And if anyone is interested, it’s the EID, SID and nYid MAN menus.
99.750 yen….. (left me speechless)
@shi-en-ta: yeah… but not a surprise considering his size :D
will they release takaba doll too? (wish) takaba set will be equiped with camera and (ahem) kinky outfit (according to view finder vol 1 )
XDDDD
@shi-en-ta: you never know XDDD
first off, thank you for sharing!!
i think they could’ve done his hair better, then the face would have looked feminine..
@carousel: you’re welcomed! :D Well, if we changed his wig, he’ll look like a totally different person ^^;;
I don’t like the face. Haha. Not one bit. Just look at that pallor.
But when I win the lottery, maybe~
@banoni: In a way I’m relieved cos there is no temptation XD
Is a PVC too much to ask for? They can do for Nitro+Chiral works. T^T
@banoni: maybe they felt that most Japanese viewfinder fans prefer a doll they can play dress up with rather just a figure for display.
Why he looks like Sebastian? Am I reading this wrong?? OMG 65cm means ITS BIG! Its like almost half of me!! O____O and the price is killin MEH. TT*TT but its look good! :D
@Mito: Yeah, he does look a little like Sebby doll also made by Azone ^^;; Looks handsome but he is not Asami orz;;
Every time I see these pictures I think of the Johnny Depp in Dark Shadows. He plays a vampire. I do not think he looks like person in the picture posted by ponytale.
Darn(not exactly what i said ;) ….If I was going to spend over $$1000.00 for a figure or doll, it better look exactly like the character and come with extra stuff!!!
Wow…
@TasukiHoneyBunny: yeah he is quite a handsome and manly doll but is not Asami to me :P
He comes with extra stuff XD like cigarette, etc… yeah $1000 orz;;
By these pics he really doesn’t look like Asami at all. Pony’s definition is perfect, an Azone doll cosplaying Asami… or trying to. If he was an original character you should say he looks good, or less kawaii than the other Azone dolls, but knowing he’s supposed to be Asami, and with that price… it’s a big NO! Even if I got one for free I’d try to sell him even for a more realistic price, I wouldn’t want to see him here, he’d give me nightmares at night. XDDD
@planck-chan: I think Asami will look truer to the original design if he was a Real Action Heroes figure. But I guess we have to be glad that at least Azone tried :P I think there are many fujoshi who liked this Asami doll. I’ll upload more pics that Ayano-sensei posted on her twitter. He does look hot in a bath robe lol~ XD
Ha, I figured this came and went already. I think he looks creepy, and not at all like Asami. I will stick to the Medicom boys for figures like this as I think they they capture the originals better and cost far less.
@prettyvillian: yeah it’s an azone doll sculpt, so I think they have some kind of templates they have to keep to? Maybe the production costs are much higher if they need to sculpt it from scratch. Just a wild guess though.
The medicom toys dolls are usually much truer to the original designs since they are sculpted like usual figures. I prefer this size and price too.
OMG, that is CRAZY PRICE!! o-o
I really don’t think it looks like him much at all. He is really pale as a doll. They should have at least added more color to him. ;;
He kinda reminds me of Sebby here.;
@dandycorsets: my friend’s cousin thought she was showing her Sebastian’s doll too lol.
But maybe they’ll release clearer and better pics in the upcoming gallery and blow us all away. Who knows xD
hmm…not a fan of the face sculpt…..i feel like asami’s dominance didn’t come through at all….
@iced_wine: it’s like a Azone doll cosplaying as Asami ^^;;
he looks good from far away. but up close…
CREEPY!!
@Shirokaze: poor Asami doll xD but let’s wait for the gallery where they’ll publish more photos and see.
God oO This is expensive. I think not even all my figures together cost me this. If I have all this money I’d probably be swimming in new plushies @w@”
… No, i’d probably never have this sum because I buy everything I see without thinking twice…. XD
@Senkai: lol yeah we will be swimming in Plushies indeed! XD
Yeah I don’t think I can bring myself to spend that money on this doll either.
When ur bank account runs low you’ll think twice lol xD
@ponytale ;; Don’t even talk about the bank account. I’m still looking for someone to buy my soul to pay the friend that used his credict card to get me my Konoe Plushie. Collecting figures and cosplaying are very expensives hobbies çç”
@Senkai: lolol your soul is worth more than that XDD don’t make that deal with Kyuubey! XDD
I think they did quite a good job with Asami! Well, he isn’t as hot as Asami should be though but it was a great job and I like how you can style his hair. That price is…just…yeah, way to expensive. But its okay since I’m not a fan of dolls. More like, I just don’t like dolls at all ^^ They creep me out! lol.
@momo: yeah he is definitely much better than expected considering Azone isn’t that great with making manly dolls (Sebastian was quite disappointing)
He looks very good at certain angles :P but he is not Asami orz;;
uooooggghhhhh I’m so want to have that Asami doooollllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@wendaisuki: If you do get your hands on him, please share the photos XDD
@ponytale – haha, she and my neighbor discovered it together. i came back to my dorm and they were like, hey, how come your porn doesn’t have girls in it?
@iced_wine: HAHAHAHAHAHHAAHAH XDDD Pr0n with no girls inside! I LOVE THAT XDDDD
How did you answer to that? :D
Bet they go o_O if they saw my stash too. I can’t even imagine what my neighbour’s reactions would be if he listened to those BLCDs I have lol~lol
@ponytale – haha, would love to see your neighbor’s faces when they saw the BLCD ~~ must have been hilarious. my freshman year roommate had a pretty interesting reaction when she found my finder series stash :D
SAL has been pretty good for me so far, but i’ve only had a few things shipped via SAL, but since comi-comi only ships EMS, i guess i’ll just live with the better shipping choice :p
@iced_wine: lol~ XD yeah and I’m just glad I got the package back… anyway BL and Yaoi is pretty much underground here so I don’t think most mainstream folks have any idea what its about. pffft X3 what was her reaction?
Yeah I console myself that I get to enjoy whatever I ordered at comicomi way faster than if I shipped with SAL X3
@ponytale – i know!! international shipping from japan is insane!
I haven’t placed the order yet, still checking around for prices. Because the chiral forest chibis are only $92 on yesasia, including shipping, but on comi-comi it’s $70 plus shipping, which when it comes out, is probably going to be more than yesasia, but then again, yesasia’s inventory is unstable…when they say it’ll ship within 30 days, kind of makes me nervous.
what’s your opinion on SAL?
@iced_wine: *nods* although I have to concede that EMS is fast, more reliable and still cheaper than courier services like Fedex/DHL.
Yesasia stock is unstable indeed. They can take ages to get back to you then tell you that they can’t get stock OTL. Chiral forest is sold out everywhere already, so I think comi-comi is a safe bet.
Non-registered SAL is ok and cheapest so far. I’ve only had them deliver wrongly once to my neighbour. The address was correct but my local postman dropped it into the wrong mail box. Actually I think my neighbour didn’t intend to return the package to me cos they actually opened my package *pouts* I don’t know them well but fortunately I ran into one of them one day and the guy decided to return it to me. They probably saw the contents inside: a couple of BLCDs and anime soundtracks and had no interest in them. I’ve been wondering where it went cos usually it takes less than 3 weeks by SAL to reach me. So if you want to save on shipping, you have to take the risk. But in general, out of so many successful deliveries, they’re still good.
As for SAL registered, sometimes depending on the weight and size of the item, EMS can be cheaper instead. No problems with these methods and they’re rather reliable :)
@iced_wine – I have always used EMS for my shipping from Japan. I recommend it but I understand that it is more expensive than others. My packages have been prompt and delivered within a reasonable time frame.
I was told that I should purchase items from Play Asia because they have a good selection.
@ponytale – oh no!! i’m getting three light novels…..T.T
if it’s a chiral forest chibi set and 3 light novels, do you think it’ll be over $30?
@iced_wine: light novels probably okay~ cos they are quite light (literally lol~). I believe with the chibis they shouldn’t be over $30. Have you placed the order yet?
I once bought 3 copies of Slyph comic magazine for the sake of getting those cute chibi Hiro-C straps but I didn’t know those comic magazines were so darn thick and heavy OTL;;; I almost did a back flip when I saw the shipping cost (T~T) cos I could buy another 5… no wait let me check the price, 10!!! of those magazines if I was in Japan.
@ponytale – that’s pretty lucky, getting two kinds in two boxes, from what i could understand between all the websites selling the chiral forest figures, white shirt akiras outnumber blue shirt akiras.
any idea what comi comi charges for international shipping? apparently they don’t give the shipping cost until you complete the order T.T
@iced_wine: yeah :3 I was really lucky but I bought each box at different times (cos I didn’t have budget for 2 boxes at one go). So probably that’s why I got the 2nd batch of striped shirts X3 I got the white shirt in my 1st order. Striped shirt is supposed to be the rarer one.
Comi-comi ships only by EMS. Depending on what you buy, you can only estimate by guessing the weight of the item cos you’ll only know when you ship. Smaller items like BLCDs and BL games are ok but if you ship books… OMG OTL;;; it’ll will be scary… because books are darn heavy and the shipping cost by EMS will be a killer. Happened to me before ( T-T)
@ponytale – Oh my god, that’s so evil!! I’m thinking about getting the togainu no chi chibis, chiral forest chibis, and hakuoki chibis. But I guess I could live with getting one shirt version of akira if it means i’m guaranteed the sitting shiki figure…although, i would much more prefer the white shirt akira, he just look so much more ravish-ble…..
@iced_wine: Yeah… that’s why they’re called “trading figures” you buy and trade with friends for the ones you don’t have :X
Mmm you can be rest assured if you buy the Togainu chibis and Hakuouki chibis in a box. They are completed sets ^^
Chiral Forest will definitely nab you Military Shiki so no worries there. I bought 2 boxes and completed my sets! (Lucky to have one type of Y-shirt Akira in each box XDD)
Lol~ yeah XD white shirt is his “official” look *glomps* As for the striped shirt… it has a different appeal… it’s Akira in PJs and sleepy mode XDD
hey, this is kind of a random question, but when you buy a factory sealed box of trading figures (like the togainu no chi ones), is it guaranteed that you’ll get all possible types?
@iced_wine: not necessarily so. However if the manufacturer announces officially that one box will let you the complete collection, for example Kotobukiya’s Togainu no Chi and Lamento one-coins, then you definitely will get the full set… But most of the time, they don’t. For example the recent Chiral Forest chibis, Kotobukiya announced that one box will only get one type of Y-shirt Akira, although there are two designs to collect.
Although it doesn’t guarantee that you’ll get all the characters, buying one box gives you a higher chance of completing the set, like the Prop Plus Petit Kuroshitsuji Vol. 2, Nendoroid Petite (Death Note), Final Fantasy Trading Arts, etc. Which trading figures series are you looking at?
thanks a lot~~that cleared up a lot of things for me :D
hey, just discovered your blog. i recently got into anime figures :D
i’m thinking about buying the asami doll (absolutely LOVE the finder series~~~~~), but i’ve never ordered figures from the b-boy website (i don’t read japanese). would you happen to know how to order?
@iced_wine: XD Thanks for dropping by! Orders for Asami hasn’t opened yet. But watch out for it on 28 October.
Mmm, if you can’t read Japanese, I suggest getting a middleman service to buy it for you :O but they usually charge an extra commission for their services. You can try http://tokyobuyers.blogspot.com/ and http://tokyohunter.blogspot.com/ I think their rates are quite reasonable. However, I believe there are probably more shopping services out there which may be cheaper. Do let me know if you find them lol~ XD
One other reason is that b-boy web store doesn’t ship internationally, so you need a Japanese address to ship to if you register at their site. You can try forwarding services such as tenso.com to give you a Japanese address to ship to. After the item is shipped to tenso, they’ll then charge another fee to ship the item to you. Also, you’ll need a credit card to order at b-boy web store too.
Hope this helps! :D
Wow. A figure doll? I’m not much into figure dolls (because they scare the crap out of me) but I’d like to see the the outcome. As much as I love Asami, that price, is ridiculous. LOL, its not worth it to me, but it is probably worth it to die hard fans and people who have $$$ to burn :D
@momo: I think they can look very beautiful (creepy some would say lol~) The price is reasonable for a doll this size if you’re a doll collector to begin with :3 It’s unlikely I’ll get him too. Can’t justify spending that amount to my brain OTL If his final result looks absolutely gorgeous? I’ll just drool from a distance sigh…
WHOAH a figure doll for Asami!? I have been totally out of news! D:
@hirochan: I’m eager to see what the final product will look like!
@ponytale: I’ve already made my host put down my blog since I’m not able to update it.XD I wasn’t paying anything for it but that thought that I’m inconveniencing an online friend (who pays for the whole domain) just bugs me.XD So there~ No more blog again for me.XD
@banoni: icic… aww~ it’s a pity tho… :-\
65cm alpha seme Asami doll… O.O OMG. ME WANTSSSS!!!
1000bucks!? FML.
Isn’t 8000yen for a cushion cover kinda steep? Sweat drops. They really know how to milk the fans dry!
@gen: After shipping and handling PLUS customs tax (at that price, there’s no way it’ll go through untaxed), so we’re looking at the 2000 bucks range. But knowing how these items rise in value, you might be able to sell him for a good buck if you look at it from an investment POV ^^;;; but need that kind of cash in order to own him first.
Anyway, 8,000 yen for a cushion cover is generally common too. Most covers retail from 10k yen but they’re usually double-sided. This one seems to be only one-sided :-\ I think that previously released limited edition bedsheet with Asami and Feilong seems to be more worth it if we compare it this way. Can’t remember how much that one cost.
OMG I want to see Asami doll too,like Luvi said I never see Azone male doll before,look Akihito cushion cover so attract enough to me >< I think I like the posture more than Hakuoki,I talk with my friend why they design Hijikata,souji just straight standing,look forward for more information.
@ToyaAndYukito: Yeah, those official Hakuouki hugging pillow covers are boring when you compare with Akihito’s! At least Yamane sensei did a new illustration for Akihito in a sexy, sexy pose!
Ah, you should get a BJD if you have the money to spare though. They’re really good for pictures. o:
…I hope they don’t mess up on the nose. orz
@Luvi: Yea, those Azone pointy noses *_* it’ll be terrible if Asami looked like any of those. x_x I can buy a DSLR with that kind of money and I’ve been lusting for one for quite some time OTL. I’ll see if I can withstand the temptation when prototypes of the doll comes out.
The price is just about okay if you’re a BJD collector according to my friends.T_T But I’m a PVC collector!! I wish they could have just made an RAH or something.. even a statue will do.T_T Yamane-sensei~ You’re so cruel. *sigh* I WON’T be able to buy this in any way.. but I’m definitely thinking of getting the Akihito pillow case.
More info on these goodies here: http://www.b-boy.jp/hotnews/agf2010/goods.html
@planck-chan and banoni: Yep I’ve seen Akihito’s dakimakura… I sneaked a small update on the other page about Animate girl’s event where Libre is participating as well X3
@planck-chan: Totally agrees! But be prepared to pay for the sky and the outer space if 1/1 size of Asami happens lol~ XDD
Yeah, I don’t remember seeing any manly Azone dolls before. However other BJD makers like SOOM (Korean) and Volks Japan have some of the most smexy male teen/adult-sized dolls in the market… but Azone? Not a single one. OTL;;; They almost exclusively make girls with huge eyes like Nanoha!
@Luvi: I’m very worried too. *_* if it turned out to be a success, then he will probably be Azone’s first smexy male doll ever produced. Yeah, I know the price is reasonable for BJD collectors but unfortunately for many of us, we are PVC collectors like what banoni said OTL. Very very curious about his final face-sculpt tho…
@banoni: Yeah, sensei is very cruel indeed (T~T) I think they really want to make it a lot more exclusive and not mass market. I’m like you a PVC collector too but the price is reasonable if you’re a BJD collector. I don’t want to buy any or it’ll be the start to more bank breaking experiences in the future. OTL
Btw, is your blog down? The page isn’t loading and I couldn’t access it since last week.
AZONE?! DDDD: I’m… suddenly kinda of scared of how the doll will turn out. As a BJD collector myself, I know how difficult it is to make dolls look manly and attractive at the same time. And uh. I have never really seen any male dolls from Azone that are sexy enough to make me want to buy them. orz
The price is quite reasonable for a 1/3 doll though, considering he will be coming as a set with wig, clothes, eyes, faceup and stuff. o:
Gonna have to wait for pictures before I make any decisions to buy him. x_x
This is absolutely INSANE!!! For this price better do a 1/1 with all details ** ahan hmm cof **
It makes us a lil worried, cos Asami is our supreme sex god, the perfect prototype of a male (and seme) for fans, and if he end up looking like an uke?? XDDDDDDDDDD
Hey, someone posted a pic of Takaba for a pillow case on Yamane Ayano comm on LJ, have u seen? Pure smexy! Put the doll over that pillow and let your imagination fly! hahahahaha