Marmit Monster Heaven Torigorasu Soft Vinyl Figure (Phase I Version)

* * * * * Short version: "Awesome figure and highly recommended!" Long version: Character and Book "Torigorasu" (also known as "Trigorath") is originally the name of a short `picture book' written and drawn by Shuhei Hasegawa in 1978. As Hasegawa-san was born in 1955, this would be one of his earliest published works. If you look around you can find a video of the book on YouTube. The video is about 3 minutes long and the story is rendered in an atmospheric and brooding narrative, with a score that works very well (can't tell when it the video was made, but seems pretty old). Anyway, its well-worth seeking out and can be found with a little effort (unfortunately, Amazon doesn't allow for links to be posted in reviews). A casual first glance at this figure might make one think it was an Ultraman kaiju, but its design definitly incorporates a subtle nod to Godzilla, if anything. This is more apparent once the book's pictures have been viewed; it obviously borrows a frame or two from the first Godzilla movie. The character of Torigoraso appeared in a black and white story written by a still very young man (Hasegawa-san) who grew up on the heels of a post WWII Japan; a country still struggling with the long, painful shadows cast by Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Having seen all the art in the book, I feel that the story (which is not about the war) is a very stark "children's book" about a young boy who struggles to relate to his emotionally distant father, as well as cope with his budding social and sexual yearnings (an element of the Oedipal complex is possibly here). The boy's feelings appear to take the dream-form of a giant monstrous chicken (Torigorasu), which for all I know is an attempt at levity on the author's part. Without the benefit on an English translation, this is the closest I can come to a rough interpretation of the story (hopefully someone reading this can give more details). If you've watched a lot of anime or read a lot of manga, you will definitely have come across the familiar motif of a child whose fears take the form of a giant monster, or whose brightest hopes take the form of a giant defender, be it a mecha or an alien from the Land of Light, etc. For years, kaiju have provided a compelling platform for various 'totems' of the unconscious, and have become stapled representatives of popular culture in Japan. In general, giant monsters acknowledge the capacity of humans to wreak catastrophic harm on themselves - a realization that many post WWII children had to face at an early age. Below is one of the author's brief online bios: About the Author "Shuhei Hasegawa (b. 1955) is an author of picture books and also a musician. A native of Himeji, Hyogo Prefecture, he studied at Musashino Art University in Tokyo, though he did not obtain a degree. He made his writerly debut with Hasegawa-kun kirai ya (Can't Stand Hasegawa), which won the Original Picture Book New Writer Award in 1976. Mienai ehon (The Invisible Picture Book) won the Akaitori Award for Children's Literature in 1990. He won the Robo-no-Ishi Literary Award in 1992 for his two works Ishi to daiyamondo (Stones and Diamonds) and Empitsu dessan Koike-san (Koike-san's Pencil Sketches). His Homuran wo utta koto no nai kimi ni (To You Who've Never Hit a Home Run) won the Japan Picture Book Award in 2007. Hasegawa has worked in a broad range of fields, among them picture books, fiction, criticism, translation, composing music and lyrics, and musical performance. Since 1991 he has lived in Nagasaki, and is currently a visiting professor at the Kyoto University of Art and Design." Fast forward to 2011 and the character of Torigorasu is rendered into vinyl by Marmit as an `event exclusive' for the Shuhei Hasegawa Art Exhibition held at the Museum Hill of Prayer Picture Books in Nagasaki Minamiyamate Japan. The exhibition ran from August 22, 2011 to October 23, 2011. I'd love to know how Marmit wound up doing the figure, though it is certainly not unusual that they were chosen to do so. As far as I know, its the first vinyl interpretation of this character. Figure This figure is a really amazing piece (the pictures can't quite do it justice). The sculpt is faithfully rendered from Hasegawa's illustrations by Marmit's Kazumitsu Akamatsu, and bears the unique style that makes his company's figures loom so large on the vinyl scene. Torigorasu has five points of articulation (legs, arms, head) and the vinyl is a glossy indigo-to-bluish-black, with subtle yet deep metallic blue highlights. The figure is nicely textured all over in thick coat of scale-like feathers. Its claws, feet, and back spikes are all silver. Its beak and tail spikes are a light metallic gold, and its eyes are a darker yellow-gold. The inside of its mouth is a dark red. In its presentation, I think this `birdlike monstrosity' has a convincingly primitive look to it, and bears a lot of that classic old-school, retro stylings that Marmit does so very well. The soles of its feet have Japanese markings but also English imprints of the year 2011, Marmit and Japan. As with anything vinyl these days, there are (besides the event exclusive) various other paint schemes out there but I'd image their numbers to be fairly small, even consisting of some one-offs. I am really pleased with this version though. While `monster birds' won't be for everyone, I can say that I felt the appeal of this figure from first sight. I think the intended retail price on this figure would be about $65 - $75, so shop around if interested. According to a post on TohoKingdom, "Hasegawa-san has a new second planned book based on the return of his his character Trigorath." Thisbook may have come out already but I haven't seen it if it has. In conclusion, this is a great sculpt with an interesting history and lots of facets to it. Looks great on the shelf and is a welcome addition to any vinyl toy connoisseur's collection.