Riuva : Research Institute for Unicultural Visual Arts

Not many people would hear or seen her before, and before her figurine was announced, I was one of those. I have since learnt that she’s a girl who is a “navigator” for the free online Japanese MMORPG, Mabinogi. Not that I would play it though, I still hate MMORPGs. But this girl’s real cute.

It’s not often that I would buy a figurine of a character I do not know but Nao’s overpowering beauty made not getting it causing a lifetime of grief. In fact, it’s so massively popular that GSC immediately announced a second run for it in April 06. Remakes are not at all common, which is actually due to production issues and more importantly, is a ploy to get people to buy straightaway driven by the fear that they would never be able to get it. 

Released in Jan 06 and costing 4000 yen, Nao’s main draw is her beauty. Even my non-anime fan friends couldn’t help looking and commenting that she looks great. Nao’s grey hair (with twin tails, ERI style) and blue eyes go very well with her black floral cheongsam dress, with stockings and black shoes. She does show a bit of thigh. But here’s the special part - the lower half of her dress is made from a very discreetly translucent black plastic. I didn’t notice it’s see-through propeties at first, but it’s quite the unique addition to this figurine. Shine a light on her and you’ll see through it all. Black pantsu… She has street soccer sized footballs for mammary glands though, which some of us may like. Nao’s holding a wooden staff, the type white mages use. It’s an accessory so its removable, but why would you do such a thing? If you happen to have other weapons about 3mm in diameter, she can actually hold them. Imagine a Nao with a double Sai or something. Cool.

Oh yeah she stands at about 20 cm, same height as KOS-MOS. Perfect paintjob, since it’s GSC. The very matte finish suits it perfectly. I like matte finishes as it makes figures look less like pre-assembled toys. As usual, plain base. But the purplish grey stand does go well with Nao. A MUST GET for all figurine collectors. Nao is a true bijin even among the countless anime beauties. 90.

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