"That felt good, didn't it?" is what this crazy street fighter is gonna ask you after she just kicked the living hell out of your back. That kind of sadistic attitude, pair with a sexy outfit, and the fact that she can take on Cammy White and Chun Li together makes her an awesome addition to the Street Fighter lore back at SFIV. She's gained quite a following and it's only right that Kotobukiya released a #Bishoujo of her. Another beauty that has been in my collection for some years now so it's time to revisit her with another "2.0" review! Let's check out Bishoujo Juri Han in all her glory!
Another Bishoujo statue that I don't have the box handy for a review. No matter. Let's talk about Juri Han. Again, she's a fairly recent addition to the Street Fighter cast, all things considered. Juri was kind of an interesting addition to the roster--not because she's that she has a sex appeal and seductive pull kind of gal, but she's also a villainess that's not just lumped in with Shadaloo but instead she's a member of the organization called S.I.N. Not trying to get into it as much but said group is meant to be another "evil" powerhouse empire that took over after Shadaloo was supposedly taken down, (finally!) or at least severely weakened. They're not for Shadaloo so Juri's appearance in the story does put her against both Bison and his crew, Interpol, Delta Red, and of course, whoever stands by Ryu's side. What's even more enjoyable about her is that she's got her own motives outside of S.I.N's interest, which, again, puts another grey area in her introduction. Personality-wise, she reminds me of Harley Quinn, a bit more amped up on the evil side and in my opinion, more capable. She's Korean, got the Tae-Kwon-Do style with her, and she's pretty darn flashy and wants to get the attention while she fights. Juri loves hurting her enemies in ways that are sadistic and causes the most agony. She's got this enhancement on her left eye called the "Feng Shui Engine", which makes her even more powerful and dangerous than she already is.
Her character design is something I also like. Starting with her hair style, they gave her a unique trend that reminds me of Chun Li's own buns. She wears a weird chest guard that has spider-like motif on the back and for the most part, she's bare midriff. She wears gloves and elbow pads to even out the skin exposure, then she wears baggy karate-gi pants that more or less resemble chaps--with open crotch and rear. She wears tights underneath so no, she's not naked. All in all, I like this design and Kotobukiya clearly pulls it off.
As always, Kotobukiya does not short cut any of the sculpted details that would be expected. Bishoujo Juri gets the attention in detail with every piece of her clothing article intricately sculpted giving depth and a organic feel to it. The wrinkles on her pants are all there that really implies that its baggy. Her lithe body is well proportioned and the clothing does seem like its straining on her, especially her 'chest guard', which are 'pressing' on her well shaped breasts.
The way the clothing sticks out as if it's really a separate piece from the actual body is something I highly appreciate. I understand that this is Kotobukiya's way of just making their Bishoujo line appealing and it's part of their 'norm', but I am also a collector who sees too much painted on clothing article. Or maybe I think of Marvel Legends too much, a toy line I love and hate. Pitchforks are coming for me mentioning a Hasbro mainstream retail store to a higher end import statue. BUT, again, it's amazingly done.
And what is nice sculpting if it's not complemented by nearly perfect paint job, right? Paint details on Juri is pretty much standard excellence. The choice of colors are rich and exactly what I need to represent Juri Han in her PVC statue form. I don't have any quality issue and all around, she is cleanly painted. Very pleased with the end result and always have been.
If there is one downside to this magnificent Bishoujo is that she doesn't come with a lot of display options. For her stand, she comes with a character illustration of the statue or one can just have a SFIV logo. I prefer the one with the character. I say downfall because I was really trying to look for one. All in all, whatever display option for her base doesn't change the dynamic of the statue very much if at all.
If I remember correctly, Juri won my statue of the year whenever she came to my possession. How can she not? She's well done. As an already sexualized character, putting her in the Bishoujo line is a no-brainer and it honestly works pretty damn well. If one can find her for a good price, I highly recommend her. Great pose, nicely done sculpting, paint is standard Kotobukiya job, what more can one ask? Well, that's about it for now!
Until Next Time!
