Tony’s full-scale yawaraka Elaine is for fans with ample cash and deep devotion.
It always presents a bit of a linguistic quandary when a life-size recreation of an anime character goes on sale. When they’re less than full-scale, we’d usually call them a “figure,” but once a figure is as big as a person, doesn’t it seem more appropriate to call it a “statue” instead?
But here’s something else to consider: do you still call it a “statue” of it’s soft to the touch?
That’s the question indirectly posed by the just-announced Elaine Yawaraka Maid Version, yawaraka being an emphatically emotional evolution of the Japanese word yawarakai, or “soft.”
▼ You might recall our previous discussion of yawaraka in relation to video game developer Koei Tecmo’s Yawaraka Engine graphics upgrade for Dead or Alive 5, whose cast of characters shares certain physical characteristics with Elaine.
If Elaine looks from familiar, but you’re having trouble putting your finger on exactly where you’ve seen her, it might be because she’s an original character created by illustrator Tony Taka, known within the industry as simply “Tony.” Though Tony’s primary claim to mainstream fame is as a character designer for Sega’s Shining franchise of fantasy RPGs, Eline hails from Elf Complex, a work which appears as part of the artist’s self-published Tony Magazine doujinshi.
As helpfuly demonstrated by the politely gloved hand in the above photo, aside from Elaine’s head, the figure’s exposed skin areas are covered in a soft, pliant material. What’s more, the designers boast that the degree of softness varies depending on the specific part of the body.
The design is an upgraded version of a previously 1:7-scale figure of Elaine, with the life-size one standing 180 centimeters (5 feet, 10.9 inches) tall. That’s well above the average height for women in Japan, but that makes sense seeing as how Elaine is an elf, a fantasy race known for their leggy proportions.
Though it’s not mentioned specifically in the product description, there’s also some seriously impressive craftsmanship on display in the character’s hair, which seems to be being playfully tossed by the wind that always seems to be accompanying elves wherever they go.
▼ Also not mentioned is whether or not you need to adorn the part of your home you’re giving to Elaine with flowers, but it couldn’t hurt.
But the million-yen question is how much the Elaine Yawaraka Maid Version will cost, right? Well, actually, that’s the 4.378-million yen question, as it’s priced at 4,378,000 yen (US$33,420).
All units will be built to order, and orders can be placed here through the Abema Mart online store. Shipping isn’t scheduled until June of 2024, which is admittedly a long way off, but if you’re willing to spend that amount of money on a piece of anime merch this unique, it’s probably a safe bet that you’re a pretty dedicated fan of the character.
Source: Abema Mart via Otakomu
Images: Abema Mart
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