Figure Review: Celestia (Shining Wind)

The Shining series of video games has been quite popular for some time now. While not every installment of SEGA's venerable action-RPG series has made its way to the States, the fact that titles are still being released in Japan speaks volumes. Not only that, but Kotobukiya's lineup of figures from the series is quite popular as well. I mean, just look at how many figures they've released over the years.

Primarily that line of figures is from Shining Wind, which was a 2007 title for the PlayStation 2. The latest release from Kotobukiya in this lineup is Celestia, who happens to be the elven queen of Astria - also known as "The Eternal Forest’s Chanting". Her character plays a pivotal role within the story, and it's only fitting that a queen get the royal treatment when it comes to her figure, right?

Sculpted by Shou Kojima, Celestia is made of PVC plastic and measures 1/8th scale. She retails for $59.99 and can be found on Kotobukiya's English store: http://store.kotous.com/shining-wind-celestia-anistatue.html

The Packaging:

As you can tell, Celestia comes in a window box with character artwork from Tony Taka gracing the front and back. Note the cutout of Lassi on the sides of the packaging. This package includes Celestia, Lassi, a book, and a felt stand for all three to sit on.

The Figure:

First off, I just want to mention how strikingly gorgeous this figure is. Kojima-san did one heck of a job on the details and it mirrors Taka-san's drawing in almost every detail. Being an elf queen, you'd expect Celestia to look very regal and this figure achieves just that. I found the pose to be quite appropriate and there is just something peaceful about the way she's sitting. One could almost picture her under a forest canopy reading her book with Lassi close to her.

That's the figure as it's meant to be displayed out of the box, but there are some customizable elements to her. Unfortunately the pose is not one of the things you can change, but her torso separates from her bottom half to all access to her green dress and white skirt. Both can be removed easily and hidden beneath are some white panties, should you prefer to display her that way.

No matter how you choose to display Celestia, she's going to look great on your shelf of figures. Apart from the overall appearance of the figure, some of the details that stand out are the light tattoo on her forehead, the etchings on her outfit, and the tranquil colors that were used in the design. The greens from her dress smoothly transition into the yellows of her top and golden hair. This makes the eyes contrast nicely and stand out even more.

The overall build is quite solid and there were only a couple of chips here and there (one on a strand of Celestia's hair and another on Lassi's right ear). Neither was glaring by any means and overall the quality control department at Kotobukiya gets a big thumbs up! This figure is a major bargain for the asking price and it's definitely one fans of Shining Wind simply must buy!

Maki Rating:


Review material provided by Kotobukiya.