Simple and elegant would be the best way to describe this recently released figure by Kotobukiya. Emi Kizaki is a character from Kurogane no Linebarrels. This figure is the first one to be released from Kurogane no Linebarrels amd there will be others coming along in the future, however, I am not planning to get the others ^^.

One thing that I really like from this figure is her natural/dynamic pose and expression. It looks like as if a gust of wind blows gently from the side. Her black shirt + skirt just makes her even more attractive in addition to holding a sword.

As for sculpt and painting, I only noticed very minor imperfections and it may be just a manufacture defect in my case since it is impossible to manufacture every figure exactly the same. Overall, Kotobukiya did an awesome job on this one and really live up to my expectation.

Figure Details

Manufacturer : Kotobukiya

Scale : 1/8

Series : Kurogane no Linebarrels

Character : Emi Kizaki

Released Date : October 2008

Related posts:

1. Kurogane no Linebarrels (鉄のラインバレル)
2. Kurogane no Linebarrels is out
3. Caren Hortensia 1/8 PVC by Kotobukiya

Emi Kizaki is reporting for duty early this evening from Hobby Search and she is expected to be available for photo shoot soon ^^. Meanwhile, Blanc Neige gets all jealous because Emi gets all the attention today ^^;;.

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1. Blanc Neige 1/8 PVC by Kotobukiya
2. A Little Teaser
3. Kurogane no Linebarrels (鉄のラインバレル)

Image via Anime Paper

I found an unknown figure that captivated my eyes in Danny’s Chara Hobby coverage …. oh wait … actually any figures with a sword makes me falling in love with them ^^;; instantly. Later , I found out that she is Emi Kizaki from Kurogane no Linebarrels (鉄のラインバレル), an upcoming fall anime. It will be aired on October ^^.

Image via Anime Paper

Anime Details

When I watched the trailer , the character design reminded me a lot of Gundam Seed and Gundam Seed Destiny and I found out that they were designed by the same person, Hisashi Hirai . Same goes with the mecha design, I knew I saw similar designs before and Tsutome Suzuki, who was involved in ZOE and Big-O,  did the mecha design,hence, it explains the similarity.

The animation quality will most likely be top-notch since it’s Gonzo after all but as most other Gonzo’s titles the mecha is computer-generated. I am not sure about you guys but I prefer everything is hand-drawn; I guess I still like the old way of doing it.  

Seiyuu wise, they got some well known seiyuus in particular, Jun Fukuyama (Lulu in Code Geass) and Mamiko Noto (Kotomi from Clannad) so voice acting quality should be high ^^. I couldn’t find who sings the opening song (If anyone knows, do tell ^^) but the ending song is sung by Maaya Sakomoto, a well known seiyuu and singer. I love most of her songs related to anime series.

Since it’s produced by Gonzo, hopefully it does not follow the usual Gonzo ‘Train Wreck’ Ending trend. This anime is going to be either you love it or you hate it just because it’s produced by Gonzo and there is no middle road or decent in my opinion. For those who have watched EVA or love EVA, you might want to stay away from this anime because I get the feel that it’s an EVA rip off just solely based from watching the trailer and reading the manga. I know I may be wrong but it’s just too EVA-like.

Story

Kurogane no Linebarrels is about a boy named Kōichi Hayase who was a crybaby, weak-looking and a loser basically ,however, one day, he got involved into some kind of accidents which totally changes his life and makes him to become a Factor and can control Linebarrels (A giant robot). 

The manga is available at onemanga.com so go read it if you are interested ^^. First impression I got from reading first 2 volumes of Linebarrels is that it is too EVA / Rahxephon looking ie. a rip off of EVA/Rahxephon. Despite of being one of the main character, Emi Kizaki has a minimal appearance in the manga. I am not sure if it’s going to be the case with the anime version but I sure hope she gets more screening time. She engages with the enemies as a Factor at the end of chapter 19 of the manga so during previous chapters, she just appears once in a while and acts more like a supporting character.

image via onemanga.com

Kouichi, the main character, is very interesting I must say since I haven’t seen any characters like Kouichi in anime that I watched before so having someone definitely adds more flavours to the series. He won’t hesitate to pick a fight with anyone and thinks highly of himself (give you the feeling of wanting to punch his face sometimes), although, once in a while, he gets beaten to pulp ^^. In addition, his remark of ‘Ally of Justice’ is a similar trait to Shirou Emiya from Fate/Stay Night series. They both want to be a hero to save others.

image via onemanga.com

It surely didn’t take me long to consider getting the figure or not. A girl with a sword was enough to convince me to get it ^^ so I preordered her at Hobby Search. She reminds me a lot of Lenalee from D.grayman with her black clothing but instead of having ‘Dark Boots’, she uses a sword but the weird thing is that I haven’t seen her holding a sword so far in the manga ^^;;. You can also preorder her at the following stores:

• Kid Nemo
• Play Asia
• Hobby Link Japan

Image via Danny Choo

Figure Details

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