Thursday, October 17, 2013

Play Arts Kai Serah Farron Part 1

A sister appears

As mentioned in the previous posting when Play Arts Kai Lightning was introduced, it's time for another action figure related to Lightning to make an appearance in this double feature review series. ^^


Released three months after Lightning, this is her younger sister, Serah Farron from the same game. Like Lightning (Claire Farron), Serah appears in "Final Fantasy XIII" and "Final Fantasy XIII-2", but in the latter where the character designs of these two Play Arts Kai figures are based off, she is the main protagonist instead of Lightning. ^^



As with Lightning, I have no idea about Serah's background before getting this figure. ^^; I only realized her family tie with Lightning after reading up about their story prior to the previous posting. ^^ Oddly, I recall the reasons that prompted me to get this figure to be exactly the same as those for Lightning: the beauty of the face sculpt, large overall size of the figure, and intricate details. ^^ In a way, it's a testament to what I said about separating the character story from their action figure design the previous posting. If a figure has good features and attractive design points, its background isn't too important for me to consider when making the purchase decision. ^^ In the case of Lightning and Serah Farron, their stories and sister relationship weren't among the reasons I picked them up in the first place. Instead, it was their individual figure attractions that seemed more important to me, and I still feel the same today when I'm already aware of the characters' backgrounds. ^^

Again, like Lightning, since I don't play the game, I have no way to comment on Serah's characteristic traits and adventures in the game. However, I do know that her voice performer is Minako Kotobuki (寿美菜子), who voices Tsumugi Kotobuki in "K-On!" and Blue Rose in "Tiger & Bunny", among the animations she was involved in that I've watched. ^^


The logo of "Final Fantasy XIII-2", character name and emblem of Play Arts Kai are shown on the front cover.


Two Velcro patches help to secure the front cover to the windowed front face of the box.


The hard cover allows the package to be opened like a book.


The figure and all the accessories can be seen clearly through the front window.


Pure textual introduction of the character behind the front cover.










Closeups on the content through the front window.



Very simple design style for the sides, top and bottom of the box.





A few images of the figure on the back of the box.


Comparison of Serah Farron's box to that of Lightning.



Minor design differences between the box side patterns.




While the two are about the same in terms of their sizes, Lightning seems larger, and her package feels a bit heftier as well due to her armor design. ^^


Box open.


Front view of the box content.


Package content with the clear plastic cover taken off.













Closeups on the details.


Rear view of the box content.







Closeups on the details.


The plastic tray has such tight grip on the figure and her option parts that she doesn't move a bit when the tray is flipped upside down. ^^ Falling out of it is a non-risk. XD


A teal cloudy sky is the backdrop design for Serah it seems. ^^


The large character of "Kai" at the bottom of the backdrop.


An instruction sheet is included to show how the option hand and weapons should be attached onto the figure.



A straight out-of-box display of Play Arts Kai Serah Farron.

Back to Lightning with the introduction of her option parts and more images of the figure next. ^^

1 comment:

DF said...

Nice loot,
First impression... paintjob & detail looks great, although,
1. The shoulder looks a bit weird.
2. Only one faceplate ?
3. Only one pair of extra hand ?