Pinky Street Rei & Asuka

Cutie cosplay figures, these tempting little bonbons feature the sweetest Eva makeover. As always with Evangelion merchandise, there are irrepressible elements in the combination of the incongruously cute and the bizarre producing products that are kawaii and kitchy in the extreme. In place of the regular range of everyday accessories commonly sported by Pinkys are little shito Lilith and Gaghiel, skewered like candied apples on custom cutlery - a minuture prog knife and the Lance of Longinus. Pinkys are a superb variation on chibi couture, featuring a distinctive restyling of character shorthand with their heavy feet and shiny bubble headed faces. In these incarnations, Asuka is wide mouthed and mischievous whilst Rei appears typically docile and vacant. These Gainax goodies, which were produced to celebrate Eva’s 10th anniversary, make a tasty place of any fan’s crowded shelf space ^_^

Rei & Asuka Grimrock Mix Edition

2004 saw the release another popular Wonderfest spin on the Eva duo, PVCed by Kaiyodo. These yummy curiosities have pure kook appeal in their swimsuit style plugsuits, Rei is depicted as a cold-eyed kitty with embryo Adam chained in tow, encircling her ankle. Asuka is suitably cast as a monkey (which doubles as reference to the series and recalling her childhood plush toy). Her violent, arrogant nature is finished in this design with a miniature Lilith, skewered on the progressive knife that she holds at her side.
These figures have the design genius that makes me so fond of Grimrock (and makes me wish for a pair of my own Evangelion thigh-highs!)

Wonder Fest Rei & Asuka

Next up is an offering from Kaiyodo of Evangelion from the Yoshizaki Mine machine. The release was specially designed for the 2006 Wonder Festival in Japan (they turn up every now and again on eBay which was how, to my joy, I discovered them).

Far smaller than the average figure, these miniatures possess the saccharine sweetness of the finest petit fours, uncharacteristically genki with bouncy plumpness more akin to the characters of Gakuen Utopia Manabi Straight than Eva.

Despite their size they are beautifully detailed and finished offering cheery respite from Anno’s drama of angst. Rei has the cutest little boobies, forming like sweet miniture manjus on her purun pose while Asuka’s hair curves charmingly up to a pair of buttons that replace her contact clips.