From centerpiece figures to simple, yet charming ones, girls in swimsuits, bunny outfits, and lingerie too! Those wearing breathtaking traditional clothing and those we never thought we’d see again. Girls with bendable arms and legs to girls who look like they don’t want you look at them, let alone touch them, and girls who are content with wearing nothing at all. There’s a figure for all, specifically a pretty girl figure for all. Join us as we count down our favorite bishoujo figures of 2019!
Before we begin, let’s be clear which figures are eligible for inclusion.
Eligibility
- 1. Figures we covered from January 1st, 2019 to December 31st, 2019
- 2. Future Grails only, figures in 'Another Chance' (re-releases) are not eligible
- 3. Variants of already released figures are OK
- 4. R-18 figures are OK
- 5. Posable figures are OK
Honorable Mentions
Who to mention was its own difficult task and although they didn't make it onto our list, the following made a strong claim for a spot.
Kurumi topped our list for favorite kimono figures. She deserves a mention here for being a near perfect representation of Tsunako's art with her cute expression and for her balanced coloring including the detail of her kimono.
Zhen Ji's beautiful and realistic facial features aren't common in anime figures nor is the level of detail put into her paintwork. The coral tones in her dress and light blue waves are appealing as they remind one of the ocean.
Good Smile's outing here is perhaps the quintessential Kato Megumi figure. Her outfit's pastel coloring is soft and matches the flowers while having her leap off the canvas is inventive as it is aesthetically appealing.
Phat's coloring and realistic representation of material is consistently of some of the best we've seen. Their Cow Girl from "GOBLIN SLAYER!" illustrates that assertion with her form-fitting overalls that leave you amazed by the detail of the creases and texture.
And with that, let's move on to our top 10 favorite figures of 2019!
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10th
Jeanne d'Arc & Mordred TYPE-MOON Racing ver.
We're starting strong with the TYPE-MOON Racing duo of Jeanne d'Arc & Mordred by plusone and STRONGER. Jeanne's smiling face and Mordred's hand that's reaching out are two of the best highlights.
Another highlight is how their bodies entwine with Jeanne's knee going between Mordred's legs, as Mordred's arm reaches around her waist. The texture of their red and black PVC outfits are realistic in the way it reflects the light off the creases while playing nicely against their matte skin and hair.
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9th
Little Mermaid by Myethos
Entering our list at ninth position is "-Another- Little Mermaid” by Myethos from their "-Another- Fairy Tale" series of figures. Assuming the tragic tone of the original story, she’s an amazing feat of sculpting creativity that uses the water to spiral around her like a cocoon to replicate the underwater theme while still having her remain visible.
One of the highlights are the rich blues of her tail that match her blue eyes and drifting blonde hair. Having fish casually swim beside her is another highlight and enhances the underwater impression but it also increases the lonely feeling that she conveys.
You can feel the dejection in her eyes as she’s ready to plunge the crimson dagger in her heart and end everything.
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8th
Sheryl Nome Gorgeous Ver.
Series
Macross Series (マクロス)Scale
1/7 Scale
Taking eighth spot on our list is “Sheryl Nome Gorgeous Ver.” from ALTER and MegaHouse’s “ALPHA×OMEGA” collaborative brand. She was additionally the last figure we covered in 2019. Using the word “gorgeous” as her subtitle seems overconfident, even though they based her on the cover of the song by the same name. Instead of over confident, it’s a spot on asserttion as is Hanabataka to Bishoujo’s “Arizono Suzune the final perfect:ver.Noir”.
Sheryl’s eye-catching from the moment you look at her, but she has a breathtaking level detail no matter where you look. Possibly the biggest highlights are her hooded blue eyes with shifting gaze and the inner sculpting of her mouth. Another is how her strawberry blonde hair gradually changes into her veil. Her inner thigh’s indentation deserves a mention too.
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7th
IRON SAGA Teresa by RIBOSE
The mercenary, Teresa, from IRON SAGA takes seventh place with her cold gaze and became an instant favorite when her pre-orders opened at the end of September.
In our written impression of her, we focused on highlights such as her smooth and lightly rounded face and her glossy thigh-high boots. Additionally, her white dress and loosely worn jacket provides a mixture of feminine and nonchalant air.
Even though she is the debut figure from the newly formed Chinese manufacturer RIBOSE, Myethos served as the sculptor and captured her appearance from the original illustration including the effect the wind has on her hair and clothing.
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6th
G.E.M. Series C.C. Pilot Suit ver.
Maker
MegaHouse (メガハウス)Scale
Non-scale
From Code Geass is MegaHouse’s “C.C. Pilot Suit ver.” She has a relatively simple pose as she leans over the stone pillar, but her knowing gaze as she rests her chin on her hand bewitched us for a large part of the year and continues to do so.
A case could be made that she’s a fan service figure due to her lack of pants. And in her pants’ absence, her well rounded milky posterior is displayed and so are her leggings that’s pulled taught by her golden suspenders.
Pre-orders opened for a number of C.C. figures this past year, but none exhibit the mature atmosphere felt here and for that reason, she takes sixth spot on our list of favorite figures of 2019!
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5th
Lancer/Ereshkigal by Aniplex
Hitting the half-way mark is Aniplex’s "Lancer/Ereshkigal" from Fate/Grand Order. Her massive yellow lightening bolt with the opaque center that becomes translucent around the edges stands taller than her. The gold accenting of Ereshkigal’s black outfit and her cape’s prominent red lining convey a regal look that’s worthy of the queen of the Underworld.
While great highlights in their own right, these things boost her confident expression as she stands with her hand on her hip and kicks forward. Another highlight of Ereshkigal is how good her black nail polish looks against her right arm’s bare skin and her clothed left arm whose hand rests on her waist.
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4th
Velvet Crowe by ALTER
Next on our list is ALTER’s Velvet Crowe from Tales of Bersaria. Velvet’s unsmiling face with hooded citrine eyes and long billowing black hair are immediate highlights of her sculpt.
Starting by the top of her head, ALTER detailed seemingly every strand of her hair, especially where it flares out in middle and shows its volume to where it tapers near the cloth she used to tie it and again flares out at the end.
The coloring used for her skin and clothing are also nice and so is the stylized shading for her tattered black robe. You may also replace her bandaged hand with her giant daemon claw that she uses to absorb enemies, giving her a different but still intense atmosphere.
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3rd
Judith
Iron Saga’s Judith by Myethos enters our list at third with a charming scowl and a piercing crimson glare. The position of her arms show off her delicate and angled wrists as she holds her cane.
Elevating the illustration of motion is the cut-off spiral staircase and her garnet ribbon that flows in response to her hastily coming down the stairs. Judith’s long sculpted legs and defined ankles serve as additional highlights. Her white stockings stand in beautiful contrast to her predominantly black two-tone high heels and suspenders.
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2nd
HK416 Star Cocoon Ver.
HobbyMax’s HK416 Star Cocoon comes in a relative sleeper and so close in being our #1 for 2019. As with Myethos' "Zhen Ji Peony Pavilion Ver.", HK416’s elegance cannot be overstated as she slinks down the stairs with the edge of her deep violet dress in hand. The white lower part of her dress subdues the violet center and back the dress, while bringing out its detail in a way that would not have been possible with another color.
Another highlight is how her platinum hair is parted and tied. Instead of focusing on an extravagant hairstyle, the effort in the paintwork and flow of her hair in response to her movement shows and complements her bright yellow-green eyes.
It’s appreciated that even though she’s a part of a set, you may display her by herself. You also have the option to display her with her German-made HK416 assault rifle. What’s even more amazing is that she showed up in January and still garners a high spot.
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1st
Scáthach Bunny that Pierces with Death Ver.
Ranking our favorite figures wasn’t an easy task last year, and it wasn’t easy this year. It probably won’t be easy next year either. ALTER, however mesmerized us with Scáthach the moment they opened her pre-orders and she immediately set the bar in terms of attention to detail and paintwork for every figure that followed.
She oozes a mature charm that’s distilled and may as well flow from the bottle she’s holding. The way she parts her legs with a light sway of her hips whispers confidence that only an adult can possess. Her silky smooth bunny outfit matches her frame as it draws attention to her hips and pelvis with its high-cut and purple rose that dots her waist. A little further up, her bunny suit extenuates her bosom with a light cupping seam that both displays and supports her breasts. This reinforces the idea that they designed the outfit with her body in mind.
Her gaze is soft and so is her smile, one could say that she’s nearly approachable; maybe that’s the case when she’s not wielding her long spear. While Scáthach may have pierced with death in our list of favorite “Bunny Girls”, it’s now when she pierces with dominance. She stands at the top of our list for all of these things and is recognized as the very best figure we’ve seen this past year!
