The Kotobukiya Summer Update panel at San Diego Comic Con International 2019 was primarily a celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Bishoujo line of figures based on illustrations by Shunya Yamashita. Featuring Bishoujo line series planner Yuriko Morikawa, the panel was much more focused on the figure maker’s products based on western comics and cartoons than the Japanese IPs they promoted at Anime Expo two weeks ago.
After covering other Bishoujo figures like Poison Ivy Returns, Mary from Shazam!, My Little Pony’s Rarity and Fluttershy, and Dark Phoenix Rebirth, Yuriko Morikawa went into detail about the new Bishoujo Horror figure announced for Comic Con: Beetlejuice, from the 1989 film Beetlejuice.
Still in early stages without a prototype to show, Morikawa went over the illustration by Yamashita-sensei with a fine-toothed comb. She explained the gyaru style inspiration for Bishoujo Beetlejuice as a kind of troublemaker bad girl who loves makeup and a smug, slightly threatening attitude.
Personally, I’ve always enjoyed Kotobukiya’s Bishoujo Horror sub-line. Their interpretations of Freddy Kreuger, Chucky, and Michael Myers are exactly the right combination of sexy and scary I look for in my bishoujos. Gyaru Beetlejuice is a big hit with me and I can’t wait to see the prototype.
Of less interest to me but still technically impressive is the new ARTFX Premier series, 1/10th figures focused on detail, realism, and beauty (in their own words), and particularly taking advantage of new manufacturing techniques that allow extremely high-fidelity painting.
The ARTFX Premier series is so far focused on Marvel characters, with The Avengers forming the existing lineup, and Kotobukiya sneak previewing several X-Men characters at the panel: Colossus, Cyclops, and Wolverine.
But getting back to anime tropes, the panel also showed the newest addition to the Ikemen line of western characters reimagined as anime hotboys: The Joker.
The Ikemen line is a compliment to the Bishoujo line, with the words being Japanese terms for “handsome man” and “beautiful girl” respectively.
I own quite a few Kotobukiya figures, but my struggle this year is to keep myself from buying the entire Bishoujo Horror line. I’ve managed to avoid collecting any so far, but gyaru Beetlejuice is looking way too fine.
