Cool, descry!  Thanks for the heads-up (and welcome to IRG!)  I like that it's unpainted.  The manga fans who are attached to blonde Utena in a pink uniform can make it so!

satyreyes wrote:

Cool, descry!  Thanks for the heads-up (and welcome to IRG!)  I like that it's unpainted.  The manga fans who are attached to blonde Utena in a pink uniform can make it so!

Thanks satyreyes. It's at a prototype stage now, to see if there's any (good and bad) feedback. It will be fully painted in its anime colour palette. I guess, if you're really hardcore, you can buy a second one, strip off the paint, and make your own version of Utena. Regardless, I'm going to put in a pre-order for this the moment it becomes available, and I hope Rose-Bride Anthy is in the works to accompany this figure. One can dream …

I'm really liking the Utena prototype! Can't wait to see what it looks like painted!

....and you know, I really do hope someone does a repaint, because that would be fabulous!

Oh man, I really want that blue SKU iPhone case. Alas, I have a Galaxy 3. WHY ARE ALL THE COOL CASES FOR THE IPHONE?!

Dat figurine...*drool* I'm glad it's going to be painted. I was seriously considering learning to paint figurines just for this occasion. Although I probably wouldn't be that bad at it...

Hey thanks so much.

We are working on an "attack plan" for shopping... LoL.

There's going to be a new SKU tribute book available at the Winter Comiket, collecting selected works from the recent Original Artwork Exhibition Illustration Contest on pixiv. It'll also have a pretty new cover drawn by Lily Hoshino, best known to us as Penguindrum's character designer.

Check it out here.

Please don't spoil it for others, Aelanie. Just enjoy the pretty.

So many gorgeous pieces...I wonder if we can buy it

Omg! I will actually be there for that! Yay!

Sorry for the late update, y'all, just trust me when I say we all know that life can be exceedingly difficult. 

So!  We last left off that I had purchased this version/reproduction of Juri's locket, as offered by Animate.  My cost, including shipping to the mid-Atlantic US was just shy of $45.  Images are below.  I think anyone interested could find their own images from the show or manga for comparison with this product, so I'll spare you that. 

I'm sure folks just wanted a couple images that weren't stock, not a review, but I can't help myself. 

Here is the package: 
It's not a fancy display box, folks.  It's kind of like when you buy a box of greeting cards.  As you can see in the first photo (upper left-hand corner,) it comes shrink-wrapped. The black portion of the box is cardboard.  The covering is brittle plastic, embossed with gold lettering.  The locket is covered by a plastic bag and secured by elastic straps punched through the light cardboard backboard (which I've tried to press in with my thumb for the picture on the bottom left-hand.  (Me, I liked this.  If it was a show-box, such as something made from sturdy plastic or would, I would have just broke into it like a kid rooting for a prize in suspiciously well put-together cereal box.)



The image card of Juri:
It's a nice picture on just a glossy piece of paper, a little thicker than a magazine page.  The back of the photo is white.  The photo fits into the thin, black cardboard backing by slots cut near its four corners.  Not a collector's item (ymmv on definition of this) but it's a pretty picture for my scrap book.



The locket, itself:
This thing has some weight.  When I first got it free from its bindings, I accidentally dropped it to the hardwood floor, and it landed with a hard metal clink/clunk.  It's gold-painted metal (there's no materials description (the sticker on the back of the box is in Japanese with just a standard warning in English that the package contains parts too small for children.)   

Dimensions:
- If you hold the rose/oval vertically, from end to eyelet, it's approximately 2 inches long.
- If you lie the locket on its smooth, flat backing, there's levels: like from the shallowest part of the bud from the backing to how high the petals protrude, at its highest point, this ranges from ½ centimeter - ½ inch from thinnest to thickest.
- The chain is 18 inches long and thick.  While wearing the piece, it reminded me of the song "Marley and Marley" from A Muppet Christmas Carol.   I've said before that this forum has folks that have enough energy to write well-thought-out/comprehensive theses on the series, but this locket has me thinking about Juri, as in how large her jewel is, how its weight can be like a proverbial stone around the neck.  And with how thick that chain is, what force was needed to break the sucker in a duel.  I'd say she's better off, but Juri was never my strong-point, and this is just supposed to be for photos. 
- There is a photo of Shiori inside.  It's a low-gloss sticker, not going anywhere.
- The dome of the upper half of the locket is pretty deep, also approximately ½ centimeter.  (I'm currently using the locket to store medication, as I don't wear it - long story.  But if you want to put something in there, you'd have the room!)



The one obligatory model shot:
Ladies and gentlemen, if you get this piece and intend to rock it for non-cosplay, I'd like to know your idea of a flattering neckline.  I'd wear it to work, but its size means "statement piece," and the weight is a bit too much when you need to negotiate.



Overall verdict:  This is going to come down to your personal opinion and/or preference.  It's Juri's locket all right.  It's gold in color, as large as you see in the picture of her holding it, which comes on the package, it comes with a picture of Shiori that can never be lost (or replaced, since it's a sticker, there's nothing to hold a picture in, unless you tape it, which would be fine,) and it opens the right way, from bottom to top.  If you buy this locket, the way to open it is to pry at the seam at the very bottom of the oval, anywhere else and you'll crack a nail. 

After lamenting the sell-out and not having $300 for the Signet Fanbase's rendition and scouring Etsy, I'm pleased with what I have.   But would I love this in a more petite version, something I could wear more so every day, even if it's not as true to form (though I'm not entirely sure how large Juri's locket is supposed to be)?   Yep, just would make me more comfortable.  But this version is great for visibility in cosplay and, if you want that statement piece, you got it.

And, if all else fails, I could probably use this thing for protection while walking to my car at night.  It's solid/sturdy enough to go Gogo Yubari on someone.  Satisfied customer!

Not my thing but still very pretty. Thank you for the review, jmie5.

crystalwren wrote:

Not my thing but still very pretty. Thank you for the review, jmie5.

Sure thing, wren!  Your assessment is also how I feel about a lot of merchandise, when I get to see it better.

QueenOfJebri wrote:

Thank you for the review, jmie5! My mother accidentally spilled the beans about getting this for me for Christmas, and oh boy am I more excited than ever to be getting this puppy! The pendant itself DOES look to be on the HUGE side, but I've always been a fan of such things. As for the card, I'll put it next to my Tales of Symphonia greeting card (my two big fandoms, eee~)

I hope you had a great Christmas and the locket was everything you hoped, Queen!

Hey...

My friends and I are here right now.... Staying in shinjuku... We are very tired ATM and going to bed now.

I realllllly want that pixiv book but I don't think I can make it super early.
We are aiming for ten but I have a feeling it will be super busy.

I don't even know how we would meet up... I'll pm you.

Sabrina

Last edited by Rina_Cat (12-28-2013 03:32:00 PM)