My S.H. Figuarts Bemular from the Netflix anime series arrived last week. I had a few days to take photos and play with it, and then the whole Coronavirus thing started to get serious, so I was focused on that. But now, my weekend has come and I can get back to thinking about this figure. It's really good. Great articulation, nice details and paint, and good accessories make it a winner. Let's dive in.
As you may or may not know, Bemular shares his name with the very 1st monster that Ultraman fought in the debut episode of the sixties series. However, the similarities end there. This Bemular is an alien being in an armor-like suit. He somewhat resembles Alien Borg from Ultraseven and Alien Groza from Ultraman Mebius. His sleek design is quite nice, from the armored plates on his arms and legs, to his blue eyes and light on his chest. His feet end in narrow stumps, which is different than most other character designs.
The one drawback of his feet is that they make it a challenge to stand the figure on its own. It can be done (as you can see in the photos above), but it will take some effort. Luckily, he comes with a stand that helps. The stand comes in 5 pieces, which are the base, the arm that has a hinge in the middle, and the connector with 2 seperate "fingers" that peg into holes so they can grasp the figure. I will say that the fingers can pop off the holes when moving, so be sure to hold them at the base when closing them around the figure's waist. These are the only two issues in an otherwise great release.
Bemular's articulation is quite fantastic, utilizing a lot of options to get him into some great poses. The knees and elbows are double jointed, though the elbows have less range due to the sculpt that impedes it a bit. The shoulders are on a longer ball joint that can click forward and down a lot, giving you a good amount of range. And they can also hinge up at the sides to get his arms in a perfect T pose. The first set of pads on his shoulders are a separate piece that plug into a joint, so they can tilt inward and out a bit to keep from getting in the way. Upper torso and waist can move side to side and offer a bit of an ab crunch. The plate on his chest can also be removed as it's a separate piece that plugs into the torso. The thighs can drop down for more range with high kicks forward and backward, though the armor does impede them from spreading too far. He has a cut where his "ankles" are that's on a hinge that can move forward and backward a little and turn in a full circle. And finally, his neck can tilt down and his head plugs into the neck and can be pulled up to help with turning it left and right. The head can also be pulled completely off. All of these joints and hinges combine to make Bemular quite poseable. And nothing easily pops off, which is awesome.
His accessories include the stand and 5 pairs of hands (open, flat, relaxed, fists, and blasting energy beams), plus an extra right hand that holds an energy ball. The effect parts are a translucent orange, and the energy ball has a nice, swirling design. They both look really sweet. All the hands are fairly easy to swap, plugging onto ball joints on the wrists. I don't recall any other weapons he may have had, but what they've included is very good.
Bemular is in scale with the other releases from the Netflix series, so he's bigger than the average Figuarts, about the same height as the Ultraseven suit, taller than the Ultraman suit. He's more in scale with NECA figures and some of the Marvel Legends.
S.H. Figuarts Bemular is a worthy figure. Their line from the Netflix anime is improving with each release, sporting improved articulation and smarter engineering to make this guy a standout. He is pricier than other figures, but he is worth it. So pick him up while you can.
And with that in mind, who knows how this Coronavirus issue will play out. With more businesses shutting down daily, we may see a long dry spell in figures being released, as factories and stores may close or slow down. We'll just have to wait it out. I'm not buying any more toys for the time being. Who knows, things may improve in the next few weeks or months. Until then, take care of yourselves and let's hope for a good outcome. Peace out, toy collectors.
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