I was introduced to Shunya Yamashita’s art through an artbook from one of the games he did art for, Magna Carta 2. Since then, I’ve come to appreciate his style, he’s primarily known for his women. There’s a whole series of statues and busts based off his style. This one from Yamato, Rei Ayanami, is my favourite to date.
Rei here is from the series, Evangelion. There’s an unofficial garage kit made of Asuka, another Evangelion character, to compliment this piece. I recently found out this statue was originally a garage kit. It featured bandages and a removable top with some odd looking nipples. I can safely say this pre-paint is an improvement upon that, although the kit did have a great looking face. Slightly different than this one, but both are good. The official statues also comes with a surprisingly nice art card, like a mini-print.
Rei is in a provocative pose, but not the outright slutty one you see from some overseas statues. She isn’t bent over and sticking her ass out, like say, the Witchblade figure I’ll be reviewing because I got it on sale for mega cheap. This statue obviously isn’t for everyone, since it does show a fair bit of cleavage, ass, and panties.
The plug-suit is simple but it’s well represented. Shunya’s unique take on it aside, it’s recognizable for what it is. The sculpting is really nice, from the legs, the suit, the gloves, and the face, no real complaints. The paint is very nicely done as well. At worst, they could’ve done a bit more with the piping around her mid-section and a few cleaner lines that can’t be seen unless you’re really close.
4.5/5. Fantastic statue, sexy, but not slutty. Great for Eva fans and great for those that aren’t (myself included).
