A few months ago I wrote a preview for the Senjyogahara Hitagi figure from Kotobukiya when it was announced. I was rather excited for the figure since Hitagi is a fun tsundere-type character. Her unique designs and outlandish behavior make her the star of the Bakemonogatari, in my opinion. Now that some time has passed Hitagi has been released in Japan. How does she stack up?

In case you’re unfamiliar with Bakemonogatari, it’s basically a supernatural show that focuses on a high school student named Koyomi Araragi. At the beginning of the series Koyomi is getting over his affliction after being turned into a vampire. He’s starting to get back into the swing of things when he has a fateful encounter with the abusive Hitagi. After catching her he realizes that she weighs next to nothing. As the story goes Hitagi had a fateful encounter with a crab who stole her weight. The show follows their exploits in supernatural events and really builds a nice relationship between the two.

If you’ve seen the show then you already know that Hitagi always has office supplies at hand and ready for use. Whatever that use may be. Considering she’s wears a skirt and dress shirt, one has to wonder where she manages to store all her Staples products.

Kotobukiya’s take on Hitagi’s character is very authentic to the character. They tried to capture the elements that made her special by giving her a crab claw on her base and a stapler that fits comfortably in her hand. She’s dressed in her school attire, like she is in the show, and she’s positioned in a manner that makes her appear very light on her feet. Her arms are outstretched from her body, her hair looks like it’s floating, and even her outfit gives the sensation that she’s about to touch down after a short stint in the air.

Starting from top to bottom on Hitagi, her hair is one of her most prominent features. The way it wisps around her reminded me quite a bit of another Kotobukiya figure (Houkago Play Kanojo). It’s almost alive and very detailed. Probably the most striking feature of her hair, however, is the color. It’s a multi-toned purple with highlights and shadows worked right in. As you can tell from the pictures supplied in this review it’s quite striking.

The hair does have a slight flaw though. The seam from front to back is rather pronounced and quite noticeable if you’re looking at her from the top. It’s not the biggest deal in the world, and chances are good you’re not going to display the figure so you’re looking at the top of her head anyway.

Hitagi’s face is another powerful element of this figure. Her features as a whole are majestic with an expression of maturity. The eyes in particular received some great attention here and are truly captivating.

Moving down Hitagi, her outfit is appropriately light in tone with highlights and contrasting colors. The pinks match well with the purples, blues, and reds. Her shirt is accented with a pocket with some office supplies protruding from the top. The skirt, which is folding upwards a bit, is equally impressive and again gives the impression that the wind is lifting it somehow. And what’s under the skirt? Panties! Not just any panties though, Kotobukiya brought another level of detail to the figure and ensured that scissors, staplers, and other office supplies were painted onto her skivvies.

Towards the base, Hitagi is wearing some dark leggings and her right foot is screwed into a translucent base. I assure you she’s quite firmly attached to the base and isn’t going anywhere. This does limit options for display, but assures the integrity of the weightless look is kept intact.

On the base there is a slot in the back for the crab claw to be attached to. It’s translucent as well with characters written all over it in red ink. Personally I think the figure displays better without the crab claw, but that’s a matter of preference really. It’s a unique feature that many will like, though it’s kind of an eyesore in my opinion. Other display options include a stapler that fits into her right hand.

Whether you watched Bakemonogatari or not Kotobukiya’s Hitagi figure is a tempting sale. The character is attractive designed here and the figure is assembled with great detail. The colors are perfect, certain design elements really stand out, and ultimately it looks great on display. It’s one of the most whimsical figures I’ve seen in a while and despite the flaws (the hair thing and the fugly crab claw) I’m going with a high recommendation for this one.

Hitagi stands 8 1/2 inches tall (1/8th scale) and is made out of PVC plastic. You can pick her up at:

Hobby Search: $67.81
Play Asia: $74.90

Tags: Figure, Kotobukiya, Review