Constantly stripped and coerced into performance, the unwilling cosplay idol Asahina Mikuru always harbours an air of anxiety, which is compounded by Haruhi’s ravenous dedication to the random provision of fanservice.And so to my first acquisition in the FREEing line, the bashful red bunny herself.
To be frank, Mikuru looks damn uncomfortable, like she has just toppled over backwards and landed on her behind. Her face is a portrait of worry, her pose almost ungainly with her legs splayed out in front of her. It is by the ingenuity of Haruhi’s styling choices that Mikuru’s natural talent shines out. As a bunny girl Mikuru’s curvy body is poured into the tiny garment, her form melting into a slick red bodice with *real* fishnet stockings.This is where the scale of these models works so well in their favour as the detailing, materials and production values give the set such an air of indulgence and excellence. The moulding is cast in such a way as to give the illusion of a pliable PVC garment, the paint finished to glossy lustre that stands apart from the smooth china finish of her skin. The natural reflections that dance across the bodice reverberate across the composition of the piece, bringing out the twinkling sparkle painted into her startled eyes.
With the 1/4 sculpt FREEing takes the method of PVC production a whole new level, one that operates on a whole new plane of compositional aesthetics and balance. In smaller sculpts, fine detail, delicacy and finishing tend to be paramount to their overall success and appeal, yet at 1/4 the modeller must convey the beauty of the character using . The FREEing girls are surprisingly weighty, their size leaves little option for flowing tendrils of hair or long, fragile fingers and yet, the Bunnies possess surprising delicacy. Working with anime character designs coupled with a simple one piece outfit, FREEing’s Haruhi works are a triumph, which celebrate both the appeal of the characters and the erotic couture of the bunny girl.They are on the controversial outskirts of miniatures, approaching a proximity to life size dolls with the addition of cloth apparel and articulated heads. This may be too close for comfort for some but it is, I assure you, very much their loss.
