Pre-Order Utaha Kasumigaoka Now!
Welcome to the Solaris Blog! ヾ( ʚ̴̶̷ .̫ ʚ̴̶̷ )ﾉ”
On the hill of fateful encounters, who do you expect to meet? Your feisty childhood friend? The gentle classmate you never noticed until now?
(´ ⌣`ʃƪ)♥
Or maybe your elegant and highly accomplished senpai?
(ꉺ⍸ꉺ)
Today we’re taking the queen of metacommentary, Utaha Kasumigaoka, on a date! Or, more accurately, she’s taking us, because there’s no way I’m asking her out. I can feel her judging my writing skills from here.
(´A｀)
If you’ve never heard of or watched the series “SaeKano: How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend”, here’s a quick intro to this bombshell of a character: Utaha Kasumigaoka is a bright and beautiful high schooler who also moonlights as a writer. Her novel, “Metronome in Love” sold over 500,000 copies! It was her excellence in writing that made her kouhai, Tomoya Aki, invite her as the scenario writer for his dating sim. She works side by side with him and his other two friends, Eriri Spencer Sawamura (releasing late June 2022) and Megumi Kato (available now) whom I have written about previously.
The anime series is a super fun meta commentary on the whole dating sim/harem genre! And dropping all the caustic, self-aware jabs on both the makers and the fans of the genre, is the dour and vindictive Utaha Kasumigaoka. She doesn’t mince words in her attacks! And as a fan, I feel both offended and charmed at the same time.
(＠_＠)
Figure maker Phat Company turns the main, I mean, mean tease of SaeKano into a romantic heroine waiting for her protagonist to join her for a date.
(◕‿◕✿)
Out of all of her figures announced and released so far, I think this is my favorite! Because of her sensual and fairly uninhibited nature, her sultry side is more often portrayed. Take, for example, this 1/8 scale in kimono by Aniplex:
She’s dressed like the tayu of Yoshiwara! Absolutely stunning, but still playing on her sensuality (this kimono figure of Utaha Kasumigaoka is available now at our store, if you’re interested). Aaaaand of course, there is an adorable nendo of her too!
(≧∀≦)
Amidst all the figures, there are only a couple that portray her in a more delicate light, such as in this 1/7 scale of maid Kasumigaoka by Aniplex and this SPM Figure by SEGA (both currently available in our store!).
Personally, I find the maid outfit is quite unique because of a certain…whimsy it has. Maybe it’s the Alice in Wonderland vibes I’m getting from the color palette. But don’t you think she’d fit in perfectly at a Mad Hatter’s tea party?
／(˃ᆺ˂)＼
Following SEGA, Phat Company takes the idea of a sun hat and runs with it. Which is awesome, because it really complements her look. It also gives her a certain elegance, and brings out her mature self, placing her above the other heroines in the series…at least in my opinion.
Utaha-senpai holds the hat down to stop it from being taken by the rising wind. But, oh no, now she can’t hold her dress down! That smile, however, reassures you that it’s not a problem.
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
The tips of her hair fade in a lavender gradient all the way to white, almost blending in with her dress. This is the most dramatic gradient I’ve seen applied to her hair in both 2D and 3D and I love it.
The white fabric of her dress is so sheer that you can see the designs through when the light hits it just right. From all angles, Utaha etches an unforgettable scene in your mind. If this were a dating sim, this is the part where you see the heart behind the thorns. Maybe this is the night you fall in love! Choose your path wisely…
(´♡ᴗ♡`)
Utaha Kasumigaoka is scheduled to be released in September 2023, so if your heart has long been set on the sharp and elegant Utaha Kasumigaoka, pre-order today!
But if you’re the type who can’t make up their mind and wish for a happy ending with ALL the heroines (Uzui approves ٩(◕‿◕｡)۶), take a look at our stock of other SaeKano figures! From blushing maids to poolside belles, the cast of How to Raise a Boring Girlfriend is sure to make you fall in love with them!
We hope you enjoyed this one!
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