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McFarlane Anime 2 Figures

A while ago McFarlane toys released an action figure series based on the world of anime. All in all it was pretty good with the usual, and expected, amount of detail, with a reasonable amount of posing possibilities to keep people happy. Granted it was somewhat Akira-centric, but it remained a nice set nonetheless. Now we have a second series of anime figures. Again the detail is there, but there is far less in the way of articulation compared to the last series, and it is again somewhat Akira-centric (some Eva, or Ah! My Goddess, or Cowboy Bebop would have been a nice alternative), but those looking for some nice anime figures for display purposes should seriously look into these figures. In this article we shall cover the Clown (Akira), Tenchi Mizaki (Tenchi Muyo!), Akira (Akira), and (Ghost in the Shell). 

The Clown: 

We all know that clowns are the truest form of evil in this world. We've seen It, we know what the score is. Even the creators of Akira know the deep down sinister nature of these allegedly jolly folk, why else would they make an entire biker gang of them for the movie? Now we get an action figure of one of these face-painted foes. This guy is easily the most simplistic looking figure of the entire series. He's got a big, round gut, some striped pants, and white boots. The round mound can't really have much muscle definition so what few

 details he does have come in the form of his tattoe, facial features, and weaponry (some sort of gun and a pipe). His articulation is also very limited. He can bend/twist at his shoulders, neck, hips, and knees, but that's about it so the posing possibilities are quite limited. 
Score: 7/10 

Tenchi Mizaki: 

This guy has quite a few accessories here. Most of it coming in the form of platform related doo-hickies which I suspect are meant to represent a forcefield, but just end up 

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obscuring the view of the figure. Besides these parts Tenchi has an energy sword and a big ol' broadsword to wield. Craftsmanship in this figure is on par with the Ryoko figure from the first series of figures (that's a good thing). Most of the good stuff in that regards comes from his garments which have the fast becoming requisite flappy leather duds. Since he has the stand it's not too hard to stand him up, but his butt seems a bit heavy as the figure has a tendency to want to lean back and can topple. Other than that it's a solid figure. 
Score: 7.5/10 

Akira: 

Again, no posing for you here. It's just the kid (Akira) sitting on a big, odd looking throne. But it's the "What's up with that messed up chair" factor that makes this one interesting. Let's face it, we've all at one time or another dreamed of owning a big chair with our names emblazened in neon lights across the back, like something out of a techno punk future. If you say no you're a liar and you know it! Akira just sits there with a creepy gaze on his face and the chair itself is a mish-mash of junk, be it metal plates (a must in any big, imposing ass-recouperation device), tubes and such. It's a pretty little display piece and will leave you thinking about that fated day when you to can own a giant metal chair with your name on it in big letters. 
Score: 7.8/10 

Major Motomo Kusanagi: 

Well here's an unusual little figure. The thing comes with a stand, but instead of standing it upright from the feet you get these stiff-ish, but still slightly bendy, tubes that fit in the major's back and keep here suspended above her platform. What surprised me about this is that the figure has yet to topple with this fancy, unconventional means of propping up the figure. All I can say is Three Cheers for the Laws of Physics! Articulation is respectable, but nothing fancy, there's movement at the hips, knees, and elbows, but your limited to oddlyy etheral poses. The only other qualm I have with her is that tyou have to fight with the gun to fit it in her hand and there's always the risk of breaking the figure doing this and that's just bad. Detail is above average, but not hugely so. The platform looks pretty neat with the transparencies and such, but the figure is lacking a bit. Sure it looks like Motomo and all, but there is no soul. Despite these short comings it's still an interesting figure, if only for the means by which to stand it up. In the least it surely beats, hands down, just about every Motomo figure to ever come out thus far, save for those resin statues released a few years back, but a fine figure this one is. 
Score: 7.2/10