Beyond My Collection: Jean Grey Bishoujo Statue by Kotobukiya

     What does Bishoujo mean?  I'm sure that is your first question, since it was mine as well when I first heard it.  Here's the definition:

Bishoujo - (Japanese) beautiful young girl.

Apparently that is all this word means.  It does not refer to a specific genre or set of stories.  Instead it simply seems to be a style directly linked to the various beautiful looking young (under college age) girls that have appeared in Manga/Anime (Japanese animation).

     Kotobukiya, a Japanese company that has both a Marvel and a DC license, got the clever idea to take the female characters from these companies and turn them into Bishoujos.  As of now there is a whole set of these that have been produced (ie Phoenix, Psylocke, Rogue, etc.). I have decided not to collect them though since doing so would take my collecting trajectory in a new direction.  

     The first statue in the Bishoujo line I thought I would feature is the Jean Grey statue that was released in 2011.

 As you can see Koto decided to go with the 90's Jim Lee design for Jean, with a very interesting Black Bird base.  They did a great job of translating the concept art into the final piece, even though there are some differences in the pose.

©MARVEL

They have a very unique approach to the hair on these statues which can be seen here as well.  It's usually very dynamic and gives it that extra anime effect that I'm sure fans of this line love.

©MARVEL

The missiles on the base are certainly another unique characteristic.  I like that they're going in three different directions.  I'm going to assume that the blackbird scene from X2:X-men United might have had some influence over the design.

©MARVEL

     The impression the overall piece gives is one of adorable.  In fact, all the statues in this line have that lasting impression.

     All the good stuff notwithstanding,  there are certainly issues that I have with these statues that will explain why I don't have them in my collection.  The first is the scale.  They are 1/7th scale, whereas most of the statues I collect are in 1/6th scale.  The second issue I have is the fact that if I commit to getting one, I will probably want to get more, and slippery slopes are good to avoid in this hobby.  Finally, display space is an issue.  A whole set of these would require more display space that I just don't have.

     I like that Koto is making these statues though, and I support the collectors that choose to have them.  I think they're clever and appealing, no to mention, at about $60 - $70 a  pop, they're more affordable than the average X-men statues produced.  I am albeit clueless about what these go for on the secondary market.   I'm going to assume that appreciate since they're limited and appealing.  If you're interested in seeing if there are any of these currently listed on the old Bay, you can explore that question via this link:

Ebay Listings of Jean Grey Bishoujo Statue 

     Ultimately, the best judge for the worth of a statue is you.  So tell us:

How do you rate this Jean Grey Bishoujo statue?