Selvaria Bles – Senjou no Valkyria: Gallian Chronicles (Vertex) – Review

Today we’re taking a quick look at Selvaria Bles by Vertex. Selvaria comes from the popular SRPG series Valkyria Chronicles (known as Senjou no Valkyria in Japan), which launched on the PS3 and has since found success with several sequels and a number of spin-offs across multiple platforms. Funnily enough, I’ve never really played too much of the games (I’ve never even finished one), although I’m a big fan of the original’s gameplay. Regardless, Selvaria is probably the most recognisable character from the series.

If you happen to be familiar with the series, you might that well known illustrator Honjou Raita (a.k.a. RAITA) is the series’ character designer, and provides a lot of official illustrations for the games. He’s known for his distinct style, centred around long, slender limbs and rotund curves. I’m personally a big fan of his art, but it’s not for everyone. Raita’s style is certainly evident here in this figure, which features impressively lithe legs and a prominent bust.

Vertex has delivered on the figure’s quality. The sculpt is excellent, and does a wonderful job capturing Raita’s art style. Because of her size and the intricacy of her design, she certainly stands out among other figures. There are some small issues here or there, although these are usually in discrete or common locations, such as where the hair tucks behind the ear. These are minor flaws and don’t detract from the figure at all. I find her hair especially impressive, with a lot of details that add shape and volume.

The paint work is of a similarly high quality, with attractive uses of different finishes and shading that helps her black and gold colour scheme to impress. Her legs definitely catch the eye with the glossy black and gold details of her boots and tights. There are unfortunately some areas where the gold detailing strays outside of the lines, so to speak, but these are quite minor, once again, and don’t really take anything away from the figure. Her face is especially attractive, thanks to her sharp gaze and the subtle lipstick. The emblem on her collar is neatly printed, too.

Selvaria also features a cast offable skirt (not pictured here), allowing you to get a look at her underwear. Removing the skirt is simple – you simply pull the figure apart at the waist, slide the skirt off, and pop her torso back into place. If only taking your clothes off was this easy in real life!

To be honest though, I’m not really a fan – the contrast between the rest of her uniform and her white panties just looks a little goofy. Furthermore, her hair blocks a lot of her rear, so to really get a good look at her rump, you have to leave her torso disconnected from her body, which is obviously less than appealing (unless you’re into that, I guess). That’s also the reason I didn’t bother to take photos this time – taking a photo of her disembodied backside just seemed a bit tasteless. It’s a feature I’m unlikely to use, but I suppose the option is nice, and will surely have its fans.

As well as the cast offable skirt, I’m not a huge fan of her base stand, which is a burgundy colour with golden text and detailing. While the regal colour scheme is conceptually appropriate, I find it actually looks a bit cheap and tacky. I would rather have seen a plain black or translucent stand – but then, I have simple tastes. It isn’t a big deal, either way. Her sword also sticks out a bit, which might get in the way on more packed shelves, but isn’t too much of a problem otherwise (it’s also removable, should it bother you).

All in all, I like this figure a lot, and I’m very glad to own her. Selvaria currently makes an excellent centre-piece on one of my shelves, thanks to her height and attractive sculpting and paintwork. She really is a pleasure to look at, and for one of my favourite character designs – by one of my favourite artists – I can’t really ask for much more than that.