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Welcome to the Solaris Blog! ヾ( ʚ̴̶̷ .̫ ʚ̴̶̷ )ﾉ”
Some days you want drama, action or emotional collapse. Other days, you just want to shut your brain off and watch two girls eat rice and let your inner fat kid enjoy the most sacred ritual on Earth. You never know what the future holds, but one universal constant is the joy of eating some good food.

Created by Atto, Hibi wa Sugiredo Meshi Umashi’s (Food for the soul) anime adaptation was the perfect slice-of-life story with emotional warmth, subtle humor, and a deep appreciation for the healing power of shared meals. Atto is an accomplished author who is also responsible for Non Non Biyori. HibiMeshi has a similar feel and is not about cooking mastery or gourmet ambition, it’s about how food becomes a language for connection, comfort and emotional growth.

The series follows a group of college students, notably Mako Kawai and Tsutsuji Higa, as they navigate friendship, young adult life and go on adventures to discover tasty new foods. Fans love the series for its relatable themes and slow, melancholy pacing, but every scene is rich with emotional subtext. Kotobukiya is working on scale figures for the two and they are the perfect company to do it.
Mako is introverted and reserved, often overwhelmed by social situations. She has a hobby of cooking and is often curious about the food she finds around her, although her curiosity is often thwarted by her nature. Joining a food research club at school is the perfect way to crack open her shell, even if it's somewhat forced.

Tsutsuji, on the other hand, is a small, energy drink consuming agent of chaos. She’s the kind of friend who barges into your life, signs you up for something without asking and somehow makes everything work out in the end. Their dynamic is part of the heart of the series with plenty of hilarious and heartwarming moments.

As a slice-of-life show, it's not fancy or overly theatrical, positioning Kotobukiya to be the best company for figures of the series. Kotobukiya always does a great job with capturing the heart of a character and giving collectors a good, standard representation. Nothing flashy and that's exactly what makes these great figures.

FuRyu has recently released a noodle stopper prize figure for Mako. Compared to the Kotobukiya one, she looks like a different person. In person, the coloring looks much better than the promotional image. However, the hair is too purple, eyes too red and clothing a few too color shades off. If the coloring had been more on point, it would have been a great prize fig. Kotobukiya keeps it simple and nails the look.

The coloring by Kotobukiya is fantastic and correct. Mako’s brunette hair has nice shading, good detail and looks realistic. Her hair clips also add a splash of color without being loud. Her expression is cute, upbeat and maintains a bit of her introverted nature. No big, wide open smile. Just quiet, satisfied enjoyment.

The sculpt is all around looking good with a nice sense of movement. Caught mid pan flip, Mako is embracing her love for cooking. There is good texturing on the food to make it look decent and her clothing has nice detail with wrinkles and pleats.

The seams for her figure connections blend in with the seams on her clothing and combined with the pose, stay almost completely hidden. Her outfit is comfy and this would fit in naturally with other slice-of-life figures like the Yurucamp girls.

Tsutsuji on the other hand has a different vibe. Her pose is a bit simpler and her smile is much more smug. Like Mako, her figure contains an image to her character, an energy drink.

The coloring and shading is also on point for Tsutsuji. The can has a bit of sheen and looks metallic. Her jacket has a distinct look and different texture compared to Mako’s sweater.

Tsutsuji’s color palette is a bit repetitive but the yellow accents around the edges of her jacket and pockets, along with the green laces and hair accessory provide just enough visual difference. Again it's not loud, just a subtle touch which Kotobukiya executes with skill.

They both have similar bases, attributing the character to HibiMeshi with colors that match each one's visual.

In the show, Mako and Tsutsuji’s club have three more members which make up the core cast. Hopefully Kotobukiya will bring us figures for the rest too.

I would have liked Mako and Tsutsuji to have poses that mesh a little better and have them be a set but it still works. In their current form they can be displayed together, alone or added to a collection of comfy figures. Tsutsuji is set to release in May 2026 with Mako following shortly after in June!
Who is your favorite slice-of-life character?
Thank you for reading!
Hope you enjoyed.