Tsukimiya Ayu

Kanon is the winter tale of memories as fragile as delicate slithers of ice, of dreams escaping into the chill like a misty shuddering of warm breath. It is the hazy reminiscence of a forgotten past, of lost childhood and of old magic swept along on the bitter icy wind.
The young heroine Tsukimiya Ayu is brought perfectly to life in this melancholy sculpt by Max Factory, a piece that dances in the light of a cold winter morning as enchantingly as the first flakes of falling snow. It’s little wonder that this figure disappeared off the market as promptly as it did after her release in winter 2007 ^_^.
The subtlety of Ayu’s innocent charm recalls every moment of her part in bittersweet tale. Her hands, nestled snugly within a pair of mittens, are clasped to her breast as she waits expectantly for an old friend to return to her. When the angelic wings are unfurled, she commands an ethereal elegance that makes Ayu’s entire being shine with intense beauty. Marked by fragility and tragedy the wings bring new life to Ayu with enchanting luminescence.
I was lucky with these shots, it was a frosty morning and seemed absolutely perfect for framing Ayu amongst the snowdrops and on the pedestal of the frozen birdbath. She’s a lucky figure all together, one that happened to come back into stock miraculously after being discontinued. The anime series itself was one that took a while to get into. Fearing a sappy saga that would be unbearably saccharine I watched with reservation … and then found myself helplessly caught up in the momentum and mystery, sniffling into a pillow as the story took me to places I hadn’t expected it to.Max Factory’s Ayu is for me the definitive image of Kanon, evoking a swirling play of emotions.