• Products

by Arcee on 03.16.11

A few months ago, I posted an article about certain video game, anime and comic book merchandise, specifically character statues, that I love to order from Japan because of the level of detail and craftsmanship that they put into their products. One of my favorite companies that simply excel at producing this type of merchandise is Kotobukiya. I have seen their products around trade shows and online retailers for years now and they were one of the first companies that I ever bought a statue from. It may be a little out of the price range most fans would be willing to spend for licensed merchandise, but you definitely get your money’s worth when you purchase from them.

And while they excel at producing statues of all kinds through their vast property licensing agreements, no line that they have has been more eye-catchingly beautiful than their comic book character Bishoujo line. Not even DC’s Ame-Comi line looks better than these anime-stylized statues depicting some of comic’s most beautiful female characters.

Beginning in July of 2009 through an agreement with Marvel Comics, Kotobukiya released the first of their Marvel line with a Black Widow statue. From there, the company has produced nearly 10 statues based on Marvel women. The Scarlet Witch, Emma Frost, Psylocke, Ms Marvel and others, including a couple of variants, have all received this beautiful stylized treatment for collector’s to enjoy. Recently, Kotobukiya announced that they were releasing a Jean Grey Bishoujo and an Invisible Woman Bishoujo statue that will be available for purchase in July.

Of course, not wanting to be left out since sales of the Bishoujo statues are selling in amazing numbers, DC Comics entered into a licensing agreement with Kotobukiya to produce statues based on some of DC’s characters. Starting in December of 2010, the DC line began with the release of the Batgirl Bishoujo statue. Since then, the company has released a Catwoman Bishoujo statue, a Supergirl Bishoujo statue and recently announced that in July they would be releasing a Wonder Woman Bishoujo statue from that line. And they are just as beautiful as the Marvel line of statues are.

As a fan, I am not just limited to the comic book inspired Bishoujo lines that Kotobukiya produces, but they certainly are the biggest draw for me. And now with the recent announcement of the Ghostbusters Lucy Bishoujo figure due out for sale sometime this summer.

Each statue can cost a collector anywhere from $50 to $60 online or at conventions, but as I said before, this is money well spent if you love quality licensed merchandise. I have a few of these statues at home and they are an eye catching draw for most comic book fans who have seen them. So if you are interested in collecting statues, I highly recommend you start off buying from Kotobukiya. Quality products with great aesthetic appeal, they are the best at what they do. You can visit their official North American website or their online store to see what other products they have available or for pre-ordering.