First Look: Nendoroid Kinomoto Sakura
9:56 AM
I know that's a different song, but sorry, that's my favorite in the series. Anyway, today's figure shoot was all about nostalgia. I remember watching her on NHK, and though I don't understand Japanese at all, I just kept on watching! I was so thrilled when GSC announced that she'll be having a Nendoroid so I patiently waited until I could secure a pre-order and finally get her!
Say hello to last year's most awaited Nendoroid, Kinomoto Sakura! To those who didn't know her (are there any?), Sakura-chan is the main character in the Card Captor Sakura series which was first aired in NHK in 1998. I was still in high school then and I look forward to going home just to watch her. Years later, the series was shown here on our local channel and yet I still get to watch it again hahaha XD I just couldn't get enough of this anime back then.
I was super excited when I got her from Wrenhobbi Toy Store and the moment I saw her, I already knew the theme of her photoshoot! To prepare for the shoot I searched for branches everywhere and made paper cutouts of petals and pasted them all together to create a Sakura branch.
These paper cutouts were then turned into....
Lovely blossoms! Isn't it lovely? I made a bunch of these branches until I could finally form a miniature tree like this!
Obviously, Sakura-chan will enjoy being surrounded by lovely cherry blossoms! :)
Out of Sakura-chan's many costumes, she's most recognizable in this pink dress which only appeared in the first opening song of the series. She never fought in this costume though, but it's still as adorable as ever.
Sakura-chan comes with a hand holding a mini Clow Card which looks so cute, I wish she has a mini Clow Book too. :D
I encountered issues with this Nendoroid more than anything else. Her lower sitting torso is too loose, it keeps on falling while I position her sitting on her Clow Wand. This was a known issue and one of my friends said that GSC is already aware of this, saying it there was an error in the production. It's such a hassle if you ask me, I couldn't count how many retakes it took for me to shoot one angle, because her skirt + wand keeps falling off. My solution, BLUTACK.
It doesn't stain the paint, doesn't do damage on the figure and it doesn't leave any residues so I used it to hold her upper and lower bodies together. I placed a small amount on Sakura-chan's back.
The peg on her skirt for the Clow Wand is kinda loose as well, so I used it also here to hold the wand in place.
.It took only a quick blutack fix, now Sakura-chan is ready to catch Clow Cards again! :D
BATTLE MODE
FLY CARD, LEND ME YOUR POWER!
The mini Clow Card that comes with Sakura-chan is the Fly Card, which is the first card she captured on the series. I've rewatched some of the episodes to recreate her battle scenes in Nendoroid form! :)
..or actually, the scene where she releases a Clow Card.
The key that holds the power of darkness, reveal your true form to me.
I, Sakura, command you under our contract...
...RELEASE!!!
To those who wish to recreate the same scene, I suggest that you use a glass table and a warm lamp underneath to make the Clow Reed Circle glow. However, you may want to consider removing this thin plastic sheet:
I noticed that it greatly affects the cast of light on the figure, which you can see on this image here. I made a comparison:
The left photo still has the plastic sheet on the magic circle, while the other doesnt. Though it may look like a faint reflected light on the figure, I still choose to remove it as it looks more natural and closer to what we see in the series. :)
Now, after all that fighting and capturing wild Clow Cards, it's time for a snack!
It's Takoyaki Time for Kero-chan!
"Here, Sakura-chan, you can have this Takoyaki, and I'll finish the rest on the plate"
Also, another thing I noticed on Sakura-chan's parts are these three ribbons:
When I first saw them on the package, I was like, WHY? Then I later found out their use as I go along with her photoshoot.
The first ribbon was the normal one that you can use anytime.
The second one, which has a slight cut on the side, can be used when Sakura-chan is holding something on her right hand, while it's in front of her chest.
The last one, which cuts slightly on both ends, is used when both of Sakura-chan's arms are on her chest. You can use this on poses like, she's riding her Fly Wand, capturing/releasing cards, etc.
Overall, Sakura-chan is definitely something you must have in your Nendoroid collection! She's pretty much part of everyone's childhood and having her can let you relive those precious memories of watching the show, and that's why I'm super duper happy when I got her. There are two things I wish next though, a Sakura-chan uniform version (with rollerblades) and Nendoroid Shaoran! I hope GSC reads this and grant everyone's request of having Shaoran into Nendoroid form too! If this happens, I'm gonna have my first anime couple!
Thanks for viewing my blog and I hope you like this set~ See you on my next post!
Love,
Pinkcheeks
Hi, I'm Pinkcheeks - I'm passionate about toy photography and this blog is where I want to show how much I love this wonderful hobby!
4 comments
On a funny note I have to admit that I haven't watched CCS as kid, but around three years ago ;D
ReplyDeleteI nevertheless loved this anime, together with the Movies they created a wonderful conclusive story.
Oh "I am a dreamer" is also my favorite song in there, "Groovy" is also great.
The Nendo looks very sweet and adorable, she has great faces, her excited face is my favorite.
The not so well fitting torso is a bit unfortunate, but "bubble gum" works wonders.
I like your Sakura branches a lot, was probably a lot of work.
I actually thought that I ordered this Nendoroid, but somehow it turned out that I didn't WTF!?
Thanks for sharing these cute pictures with and of Sakura.
Hello there Fabienne! Oh yeah, that opening song on the 2nd season just grew on me even if the series ended already. Not to mention it's by Maaya Sakamoto (one of my favorites), I kinda like the lyrics as well.
DeleteI wasn't aware I could use this blutack trick here though, I bring it a lot when I'm travelling with Mayoi so it really came in handy for this shoot. Also, I'm glad you like my work of art hahahaha! I was only feeling crafty that time LOL XD.
Thanks for dropping by my friend! Maybe you could try getting her best friend, Tomoyo instead? XD She comes with a video camera!
Amazing work as always! I'm just in awe with how much work you put into make the sakura trees
ReplyDeleteHello there! I'm happy you like how it turned out! I think I'm gonna use it again in my next photoshoot! ^_^
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