Significant Figures:

Just in time for Halloween, Orchid Seed's 1/6 scale Succubus Silvia PVC found her way to my door, bearing more treats than tricks...
(Adult Content, 18+ Only)

Figure Title: Orchid Seed's 1/6 scale Comic Unreal Vol.2 Succubus Silvia
Character Name: Succubus Silvia (サキュバス・シルヴィア)
Original Character Designer: Nakayohi Mogudan
Sculptor:Yamachichi
Source Material: Comic Unreal Vol.2 (2006)
Scale: 1/6
Height: ≈22cm
Series: Comic Unreal CoverGAL
Base:
-Color:Clear
-Shape:Circular
-Features:Golden "Succubus Silvia" Text
Other: Tentacle Stool Attachment
Necessary Removable Parts n/a
Removable Parts/Accessories: n/a
Castoffability: n/a
Materials: PVC
Packaging: Windowed Box (Illustrated), 2 Plastic Interlocking Molds
Extras/Pack-ins: Backdrop Insert
Release Date: Early October, 2009
Manufacturing/Production: Orchid Seed
Distribution: Orchid Seed
Approximate Retail Price:≈87,00円
Current Availability: Relatively Available
Related PVCs:Orchid Seed's 1/6 scale Feane PVC

Foreword:

Formerly the subject of a figure preview, Silvia has graduated from potential to purchase and I'm quite happy with the transition. Some background on the who's and what's can be seen in the preview but I'll quickly reiterate for anyone who has their hands (or hand) occupied. Succubus Silvia derives from the cover of Comic Unreal, a monthly ero-manga anthology released by publisher Kill Time Communications. Since the anthology's maiden-issue in 2006, famous character designer and intermittent doujinshi author Nakayohi Mogudan has been gracing its facade with originally illustrated bakunyuu females of his trademark voluptuous variety. Actually from the second volume of Comic Unreal (seen above), Silvia's image has been rather well accepted in the past three years: gracing the cover of Unreal a second time (a rarity in the business), being portrayed in original illustrations, and giving way to other diabolical cover-girls under Mogudan's pen. While she hasn't gained the notoriety of some other succubi, Silvia has crossed the dimensional divide with help from sculptor Yamachichi (formerly of circle Heavy Gauge) and the king of mass market ero-figures Orchid Seed.

As mentioned in the preview, Succubus Silvia is the figure successor of Orchid Seed's 1/6 scale Female Swords-Woman Feane PVC released in March of 2008. Interestingly enough, Silvia conceptually predates Feane, who didn't achieve Unreal cover-girl status until April of 2007. But that didn't stop the sword-wielder from becoming the first Comic Unreal and Mogudan-designed PVC release in history. All differences aside, Feane and Silvia have more in common than you'd expect. Well, an original character designer and manufacturer are really the main items that top the list. Orchid Seed has decided to shift gears by recruiting a new, and venerable, sculptor for the second-coming of their Comic Unreal series. And with that, we transition into the review:

Sculpt:

When you ask yourself "Who would be the best sculptor to translate Mogudan's unique and recognizable designs into a figure?", there are only a handful of choices. Top on the list: Yamachichi (translating appropriately as "Mountain Breast"). One of the best craftsman of healthy bishoujo figures, Yamachichi has handled figures from Megahouse's Excellent Model Core Queen's Blade series to Orchid Seed's sultry Chichinoe with unparalleled skill. So when one of the best sculptors of buxom bishoujo figures takes to task molding a character from one of the best designers of bakunyuu, the result is a most profound and godly cohesion of expertise.

Needless to say at this point, Yamachichi did an excellent job preserving and realizing the intricacies of Silvia's design. Mogudan's females aren't exactly "physics friendly" but Silvia displays the believable anatomical balance and complete fidelity to the source material that Feane was missing. Inch for inch, this is what a Mogudan figure is supposed to look like. From the effective weight redistribution through the adjustment of posture that keeps Silvia fairly level (especially with those thunder-thighs) to the proportions of the head to breasts, breasts to hips, hips to thighs: it's all there.

Regarding the breasts (arguably the crux of Mogudan's design), they differ considerably from those featured in the original illustration. Or at least they appear to at face value. Two-dimensional Silvia's breasts appear more conservatively rounded whereas Yamachichi's approximation, from certain perspectives, depicts them as more angular. I'm resisting the inclination to call this a complete inaccuracy based on further analysis of the illustration.

The foundation for Yamachichi's portrayal of Silvia's breasts in such a way can be seen in the Unreal cover. Her left breast (most immediately, her left nipple) extends past her clothing in a fashion suggesting an overall shape closer to that of Yamachichi's sculpt, moving away from a perfect sphere to a more natural mammary shape. This is heightened by the obvious constriction of the breasts caused by Silvia's form-fitting one-piece, present in the figure and alluded to in the illustration. While Silvia's breasts may not be exactly as portrayed on Unreal's cover, they nonetheless capture Mogudan's general style and affinity for bakunyuu.

While Yamachichi's sculpt is fairly air-tight, there are a few inconsistencies (Silvia's right lock of hair falling on her lap instead of behind her thigh, the positioning of her tail etc.). But none that would do to negatively effect the sculpt's overall status as a masterful presentation of Mogudan design flair. It would be unyielding and borderline delusion to assert a sculptor must maintain complete adherence to an original illustration. A responsible translation across the dimensional gap is always the best foot forward and Silvia's sculpt achieves this through and through.

While Yamachichi may have overlooked or outright altered some details (most notably the two that were already mentioned), he does better to capture the little tidbits that went unchanged, highlighting them in a subtle but appreciable way. For instance, Silvia's bat brooch, the creases in her thigh-highs, the skeletal structure of her bat wings, the small runes on the belt-like article around her hips and rib cage, the buckles of her garter belt found under her thighs, the detailed notches on the bottoms of her shoes, and many more. Silvia is definitely a figure to be explored.

Production:

Orchid Seed's production is fairly hit or miss, or in some cases a luke-warm homogeny of the two. Thankfully, things went well with Silvia. There are no overbearing or conspicuous errors of any fashion. For the life of me, I couldn't find any bleeding or inadequacies of paint. Closer inspection revealed a couple splotches of dried adhesive and at least one or two anomalies that occurred during either casting or painting (probably the latter). Aside from the minor causalities, there's a single mold line running the length of Silvia's left buttocks, though its presence becomes null when she's properly displayed on her tentacle base. Though there are minuscule deficiencies (if they can really be called that) most are probably on a figure-to-figure basis and the result of painful scrutiny; none of which should detract your eye or wallet away from Silvia.

In the painting and coloration department, everyone graduates with honors. A rather drawn-out color-palette marked by warm reds and dark purples was decided for final production, designating Silvia with a uniform coloration containing minor variation in shadow and hue. Some other color-palettes were explored in e2046's Silvia recast but I much prefer Orchid Seed's take on the succubus queen: its very reminiscent of a subdued autumn (again tying into her release date's proximity to Halloween). There is some wonderful color gradation seen on the slopes and valleys of Silvia's hair as well as her stockings or thigh-highs. I would have liked to see more facial detail though, perhaps some blush (as seen in the original illustration) or unobtrusive line work to really draw out some features and make her face a tad more lively (Yes, I understand she's a demon and not "alive" blah blah blah, get over it).

Some of the same shading and gradation visible on Silvia's sculpt can also be seen on her tentacle base attachment. Really belonging more under the Sculpt category, the base attachment serves its purpose and not much else. It's imaginative (not to mention suggestive) and lets Silvia rest on a demonic stool instead of trying to defy gravity and sit on her hair as she appears to on the cover of Comic Unreal. There's a groove on the bottom of Silvia's left foot which is fitted to a prong protruding out of the tentacle base. This mechanism serves as the primary means of attaching her to the tentacle stool but has the tendency of failing, making Silvia a bit wobbly if she's not firmly connected.

At A Glance: