The iDOLM@STER Cinderella Girls - Kanzaki Ranko - Anniversary Princess ver.
Curse you, day-moon… (Good morning!)
Continuing on from last time's look at my top idols from 765 Pro we move on the more recent The iDOLM@STER: Cinderella Girls. This time we will look at the bestest Cinderella Girl, Kanzaki Ranko.
How did you guys like the recent show? Did your favorite girl get enough attention? I enjoyed it over all, glad my favorite girls got their time in the spot light.
I did have some annoyances with a few characters though. Cough, Mio, cough... Triad Primus... I also ended liking a few girls who I previously had no interest in or knew very little about.
Uzuki is a perfect example of that but I will save her for next time. :)
The show was my first proper introduction to the majority of the girls from the Cinderella Girls game. I had developed an interest in some girls, such as Kaede for example, through some rather amusing fan works. I had only read the first few chapters of the New Generations manga but never got far into it.
The dozens of characters didn't help in making it all a big jumbled mess in my head as to who was who. I can only tell so much from fan portrayals and reading the quotes from the game to get a grasp of the different idols.
Ranko though, was a different experience for me. I was aware of her existence, I had seen her card illustrations and various fan art of her, I knew she was a quirky chuunibyou.
It wasn't quite love at first sight though... That is, until saw the figma.
I just couldn't resist how incredible cute her figma was! Ranko's pouting is just so irresistible to me! This had just sealed the deal, I had found my Cinderella.
As I kept learning more about Ranko I started to love all the different aspects of her.
Her bombastic, hammy "Ranko-speak" is just so amusing to me, seeing other character's confused reactions to her statements amuses me to no end. This ended up causing one of my favorite punchline for an episode of the show.
For all her showing off she is still very much a shrinking violet resulting in some rather cute moments such as when kept trying to talk to the producer in the show. Amazing how many words start with "pro"!
I was quite happy with her episode as it showcased all the different bits that I love her.
Elaborate high strung speeches? Checked. Troubled shy and cute Ranko? Yup. Everyone wondering what the heck she was going on about? Of course!
Ending the episode with Rosenburg Engel was just the cherry on top for me.
I was quite saddened that the rest of the show didn't really focus on her at all afterwards apart from a few lines here and there. Doubly annoying as some of the girls got a second episode focusing on them. Why not Ranko dammit! She won the 2nd Cinderella Girls Election for a reason!
Alas, with so many girls I suppose it couldn't be helped.
As a good idol fan I of course went out and bought some merchandise, namely this figure we are taking a look at.
Phat has brought us Kanzaki Ranko - Anniversary Princess ver. This figure also has a fancier and more expensive variant, "Mad Banquet", which includes a more elaborate base.
I opted for the cheaper version as I didn't feel the fancier base was worth the price hike. In retrospect I do find it adds quite a bit of oomph to the overall presentation and regret not buying that version just a tiny bit.
Even so I'm quite happy with my first scaled Ranko figure.
Looking at her energetic pose I can easily imagine Ranko happily expressing herself in her well known manner.
"Heh, heh, heh… a demon is on the loose… (I’ll do my best!)"
I still have no idea if Phat actually stands for "pretty hot and tempting" or not but Ranko sure fits that description! The sculptor, Knead K@Z, has already proven him/herself in that regard with their previous work with Plum's Erio and now here with Ranko.
One of the reasons I like idols is seeing them in their nice stage outfits. These outfits usually tend to be an elaborate affair, Ranko's Gothic Lolita image only serves to take this up to the extreme.
This rendition of Ranko does not disappoint in that regard at all!
Her clothes definitely follow the Gothic Lolita theme, her outfit has all the necessary lace and the bodice hearkens to that style. The bodice which I find emphasizes her bust quite nicely. Hmm... did Ranko always have such a nice bust?
The stockings follow the rose motif that can be seen with the rest of clothes, the glossy finish given them a nice silky look and feel.
I find the choice of head wear quite interesting, she is sporting a tiara, a hat, pearls and ribbons, that is a lot going on there!
Ranko is sporting a nice vibrant smile, happy idols make me happy, I can feel her deep crimson eyes staring into my soul.
The only accessory in my version, the fancy old school microphone in her cross handle looks fairly nice. My only complain is that it only rests against the base rather than using a peg so small bumps send it flying.
If you look quite closely you can see some small imperfections such as with the roses at her waist, practically invisible to the naked eye. Nothing too out of the ordinary for scaled figures though, so not an issue to me.
Phat and Knead K@Z have done an outstanding work with their rendition of Ranko. Together with my previous experience with Phat and now with Ranko I can see myself getting more figures from them in the future.
This figure definitely reinforces my adoration of Ranko, I can see myself getting more. I already snatched one I had my eyes for a long time and I am starting to seriously consider going for something a bit bigger.
Until then though...
May you all be blessed equally, my compatriots! Be wrapped in holy light and enjoy good fortune!