DIMIC

And it’s past time for the third in the Venus on the Beach series. I don’t know for sure if this one is the third since the limited edition of another came before this one but the regular came after this one… Confused? At least I am…
Anyway, being the third or the fourth doesn’t matter as long as she’s nice right? And she is! Just continue on this post to read all about Hitomi from the Dead or Alive Xtreme 2: Venus on the Beach line!

So, the third one released was actually the limited edition of Tina Armstrong but since the regular was released after this one, I thought to review this one before Tina. Released about four years ago, back in June 2008, this figure is getting really hard to find even on Ebay.  And if found, it’s ridiculously expensive. That goes for the regular at least since the exclusive is practically impossible to find. What am I saying… It’s absolutely impossible to find!

Now here’s some basic information about Hitomi herself, found on the DoA Wiki page:

Hitomi is a high school student with a black-belt in karate from the Dead or Alive series, who debuted in Dead or Alive 3, replacing Ein as the regular karate martial artist in the character roster.
Hitomi has been practicing the art of karate under her father’s tutelage since she was a child, and enters the Dead or Alive Tournaments either to prove her skills or to see Ein, a dear friend of hers.

Also got a fun fact from there that I knew about but never really thought much about:

Hitomi was the first cover girl to replace Kasumi – with the release of Dead or Alive 3, the advertisements were noticeably more focused on Hitomi rather than Kasumi.

Funny that.

Anyhow, this review isn’t about the character itself but about the figure so lets go. Just like the previous girls that I reviewed (Ayane and Lei Fang), this figure has the same flaw as them; the removeable pieces have a hard time fitting right. Nothing that some sun or a hairdryer can’t fix but still. It’s annoying. It also show the same strange decision that Kotobukyia had with the other girls namely an odd choice for clothing. What I mean about that is that the bikini’s from both the regular and the exclusive edition belong to Ayane but her regular outfits are from herself. And it also brings me to the fact that I absolutely don’t like the bikini they chose for her. It looks more like lingerie then swimming wear. Also the regular outfit is far from appealing. Granted, she doesn’t wear a lot of revealing outfits in the game but they could have made some better choices then these “Crux” (outfit) or the “Gremlin” (bikini). Like her “Cealum” outfit and her “Aries” bikini for example, both her outfits and not belonging to another girl and a lot more interesting then these. So far, thanks to the outfits, this figure is one of my least favorites.

But what the outfits do wrong, the base does right. They took a inflatable orca whale like kids use in swimming pools as base for this figure and the details are amazing. The plastic, just like Lei Fang’s tube, actually looks real with all those seams and folds. Only minor issue what I have with it are it’s proportions… When thinking about it, it just doesn’t feel right but when just looking at it, it’s okay. Yeah, I’m in a bit of a weird mood…
Oh, and did I mention that you can re-position the base a bit? As you can see on the pictures (gallery 25, 26 & 27) you can change the angle a bit of the orca which can be extremely handy when you want to put her on a lower or higher shelf and still make her look good.

Apart from the clothing I don’t like and the base that I do like, the figure sculpt itself is great. There aren’t any problems and the pain application is spot on. I also really like the fact that her belly isn’t unrealistically flat and that her breast, although big, look just right. Even though I don’t like the outfits, they are well made and have quite some details. The bikini has all those little bows that really make it pop out some more and it also has all those imprints which elevates it from “boring” to “more interesting”.

The box has been designed to fit the rest of the line which is a huge plus for me. Not that I display the boxes, haven’t have enough space as is, but it makes the figures feel more unified, more like a whole. So it’s a plus.

Conclusion
Absolutely not my favorite in the line, the outfits kind of ruined that for me, but still a very nice figure. The base is awesome and the sculpt and paint application are very nice which is still a huge plus. Only minor annoyance is the fact that that darn skirt and shirt closes with so much difficulty… But it’s nothing that a good hairdryer can’t fix. For completing the line, she’s a must even though Kotobukiya hasn’t finished the line yet…

Keep watching DIMIC if you’re interested in the others of this line!

Pictures:

Item reviewed: Dead or Alive Xtreme 2 – Venus on the Beach: Hitomi
Type: PVC
Manufacturer: Kotobukiya
Variations: there’s a Tecmo Webshop exclusive (other outfits: “Impets” (bikini) and “Delphinus”)
Rarity: It’s kind of hard to find and if found, expensive. This goes for both the exclusive as the regular although the exclusive is almost impossible to find…