Banpresto Black Lagoon Revy

Close enough
A bit of change in mood after so much focus on Gunplas as of lately. ^^ Token cutie of the month for this month is this one: Banpresto's prize item figure Revy from "Black Lagoon".


This is the first release version that came out in December last year. A variation of her in glossier paint work was reissued just two months ago - the "Roberta's Appearance Ver.", obviously a complimentary release to match Roberta, which came out in the same prize item series in the same month.

As mentioned in a review for Max Factory's 1/8 scale figurine of Shenhua two years ago, Shenhua is my favorite character from "Black Lagoon" (intro and my review on this anime series: Part 1 and Part 2). That said, I still like many of the other characters from that anime, including Revy of course. As a matter of fact, I suppose it won't be easy for someone to like "Black Lagoon" if there's no love for Revy. As one of the main characters, she's featured in every episode of the anime. ^^; Like her, hate her, you're seeing her all the time when you're watching it. ^^

Cocky, arrogant, cruel, sarcastic, extremely ill-tempered, Revy is pretty much a walking time bomb in the story of "Black Lagoon". Her pistols are tied with her self-control, when they are out from their holsters, she kills everyone who cross her path, just as Rock describes her in one of the earlier episode, "I don't know what broke to make her like this, but I must be broken too if I'm standing here praising her destructiveness".








Some of Revy's "inhumane" part changes after Rock joins her company, especially after the market fight episode when Rock refuses to stand down to her. It's very clear that she has feelings for the Japanese salary man-turned-pirate, especially in the last story act shown in Season 2. Still, Revy remains a crazy female gunslinger in my image about her. ^^ From the first episode of the new OVA, "Roberta's Blood Trail", it seems that she's back to her usual crazy self. ^^

Revy is voiced by Megumi Toyoguchi (豊口めぐみ), who has a low voice pitch that can sound pretty rough at the same time, which is perfect for characters like Revy. ^^ Megumi is also the voice actress for another anime character I like very much - the Meltrandi form of Klan Klein from "Macross Frontier". ^^

I picked up this prize item figure because of its great paint details coupled with a low price tag. It's a great bargain really. The pricing is one thing I don't understand about Banpresto's figure releases. They are tagged as prize items alright, where you can grab them through hobby stores or UFO machines (Japan), but the quality of the work (including their display base and packaging) is pretty much on par with a normal figurine, and yet there's this huge discrepancy between the prices of the two "categories". The best example of this would be those premium figures from Banpresto's Ichiban Kuji series (examples: C.C. and Kallen Stadtfeld from "Code Geass", Sheryl Nome and Ranka Lee from "Macross Frontier"). They are incredibly detailed figures, at 800 Yen each. ^^ It's a "heart wrenching" price, not on the expensive side this time, but low enough to make one cries when the offer is only available in Japan. ^^; When even the Japanese had to queue up in rain to get these prize item set, what scrap of any chance left that any of them would be available to foreigners? ^^;

Luckily, prize item figures from Banpresto outside the Ichiban Kuji series are still available as common commodities in hobby stores and websites. Apart from Revy, I also got myself Humable Model Gundam RX-78-2 and God Gundam Hyper Mode, which are also prize items from Banpresto.





Very simple design on all sides of the box.


"For use as prize in Japan only" ^^


Box open


Content is protected by bubble wrapper.
Very good bonus feature for itchy fingers. ^^


Plastic wrappers for the figures and display base.




Separated into two parts, a bit of assembly is needed for the figure.


A very generic-looking display base for Revy.


Pins on the base match the slots beneath Revy's boots.
A whole bunch of images of this figure: ^^





























Very beautiful details done on this figure I would say. Revy's signature tattoo on her right shoulder and arm is the highlight, and it's very nicely done I would say. All the other details are very accurate to their depiction as seen in the anime as well: from the belt, untied military boots, denim cutoff shorts to the little pirate skulls on the dual pistols she is wielding.

The face expression design doesn't really fit the image of Revy in my opinion. The relaxed little smile shown on this figure is very good, but it makes her seems a bit kindhearted, and the word "kindhearted" is at the bottom of the list of adjectives to describe Revy. ^^; So far, the best depiction of Revy's merciless look on a figurine release would have to be that 1/8 scale version from Jun Planning in my opinion. The one from A-Label with her in a crazy cowgirl outfit is pretty good as well, ^^ but it's in way bigger 1/4 scale.

Comparison with Revoltech Fraulein Mari Illustrious Makinami:




Just a little taller than that Revoltech Fraulein action figure, which is in 1/10 scale, so this prize item figure of Revy won't be of the appropriate size to match 1/8 Shenhua unfortunately. ^^;

Still, a very nice-looking figure this is. Great paint work for all the details. Not the most accurate design for the face to really bring out the mean spirit of Revy, but that's not too much of a bother anyway. ^^ Hopefully I can find Banpresto's prize item figure of Roberta soon, because that's an equally impressive figure of a character I like very much as well from "Black Lagoon".

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Banpresto Black Lagoon Revy