Another photo of Busou Shinki Angel Arnval.

The old joke directed towards action figure fans was, “You play with dolls!” The old reply to that old joke was, “Action figures! They’re action figures!”

Figures like Angel Arnval don’t quite naturally fit either category. In the plain form seen above, it would clearly seem to be a doll but once equipped with its mecha parts and weapons, it would clearly be an action figure. Which is it? Does it actually matter?

After all, if you studied the history of toys, you’ll know “action figure” was simply a marketing term introduced by Hasbro specifically to make it less awkward for boys to play with their GI Joes. It hasn’t necessarily caught on. The New York Times, for instance, insisted on calling it a “doll.”

Akitaka Mika may have created mecha-enhanced maiden movement in the 1990s with his MS Shoujo but Fumikane Shimada is undeniably the current king of this eccentric style.

His work can be seen in Konami’s Mecha Musume collectible figures, two anime works (Sky Girls and Strike Witches) and the first wave of Konami’s Busou Shinki.

His characters are a little too moe for my liking but I just had to get Angel Arnval’s mecha parts and weapons.