Mayoi Hachikuji Bakemonogatari - Figures
The Monogatari franchise began as a series of light novels that were written by Nisio Isin and illustrated by Vofan. The first volume of the series, Bakemonogatari was a collection of shorter stories that were first published in Kodansha’s Mephisto magazine in 2005 and 2006, then later compiled into a single book in late 2006. In Summer 2009, the anime adaptation of Bakemonogatari produced by studio Shaft aired on television, introducing it to an entirely new audience. It’s uniquely verbose dialogue and unusual method of storytelling allowed it to become a cult hit among viewers, creating a demand for collectible merchandise. One such form of merchandise is figures of the various characters that appear in the series, one such character being Mayoi Hachikuji. Out of the several different figures of the character, some of the most popular include the “Bakemonogatari Mayoi Hachikuji: Repainted Ver. 1/8 Scale Figure (Re-run)”, the “Nisio Isin Daijiten EXQ Figure: Osuwari Mayoi”, and the “Mayoi Hachikuji Nendoroid”.
Bakemonogatari Mayoi Hachikuji: Repainted Ver. 1/8 Scale Figure (Re-run)
This scale figure from Kotobukiya recreates Mayoi’s design from the anime adaptation of Bakemonogatari and adds as much detail as possible. She is posed standing on one leg as she merrily glances ahead of her. Her outfit is based on a Japanese elementary school uniform and consists of a white shirt and a navy skirt that is attached with matching suspender straps that go over her shoulders. Mayoi also wears a pair of pink shoes and a pair of green ribbons that are used to tie her twin-tails. Of course, her pink backpack is also faithfully recreated and seems to be full enough to burst at any moment.
- Product Name: Bakemonogatari Mayoi Hachikuji: Repainted Ver. 1/8 Scale Figure (Re-run)
- Series: Bakemonogatari
- Manufacturer: Kotobukiya
- Sculptor: Koei Natsunaga
- Specifications: Painted, non-articulated, 1/8 scale figure with base
- Height (Approx.): 175 mm
Nisio Isin Daijiten EXQ Figure: Osuwari Mayoi Figure
Unlike the previous figure, this rendition of Mayoi takes inspiration from her light novel design than her anime counterpart. Furthermore, this figure is one of several figures in Banpresto’s Osuwari EXQ figures, with “osuwari” being a phrase that means “sit!” in Japanese. Like the phrase implies, this figure has Mayoi sitting down with her legs in front of her. Rather than her classic school uniform, this version of Mayoi wears a blue dress with a white polka dot pattern on it.
- Product Name: Nisio Isin Daijiten EXQ Figure: Osuwari Mayoi
- Product Line: EXQ
- Manufacturer: Banpresto
- Specifications: Painted, non-articulated, non-scale figure
- Height (approx.): 12 cm
Mayoi Hachikuji Nendoroid Figure
This Nendoroid figure takes Mayoi’s already adorable design and gives an even cuter chibi-style twist. Her head is much larger than normal, while the rest of her body is made smaller and pudgier. Although many things about Mayoi’s design is made smaller, this figure still has plenty of detail crafted into it, like the pleats folded into her skirt and the bandage on her knee. Like many other Nendoroid figures, this item also includes extra parts for added customization. Such parts include facial expression plates, her signature backpack, and a stand.
- Product Name: Mayoi Hachikuji Nendoroid Figure
- Manufacturer: Good Smile Company
- Specifications: Painted, articulated, non-scale figure with extra parts and base
- Height (approx.): 100 mm
About Mayoi Hachikuji
Mayoi Hachikuji is a lost elementary school-aged girl spirit that the protagonist, Koyomi Araragi finds one day. The following passage is a brief overview of her character.
Background
Mayoi grew up in a house where her mother and father shared a bitter relationship, eventually resulting in their divorce while Mayoi was still incredibly young. After the divorce, Mayoi lived with her father, who kept Mayoi from seeing her mother as much as possible. This resulted in Mayoi forgetting much about her mother, including what she looked like. At some point, Mayoi decided to find her mother herself. This attempt ended in tragedy, however, as she ended up in a car accident that resulted in her death. Since the Monogatari series deals with the supernatural, Mayoi did not simply die but rather became a ghost.
Personality
Since Mayoi died at a young age, her personality is largely that of a child's. She generally has a child-like cheerfulness and curiosity and is quite hesitant to trust strangers. She is also very prone to messing up people’s names, especially when it comes to Koyomi’s. Mayoi also has moments where she acts much more mature than an eleven-year-old child should, as she offers advice to Koyomi when he has issues that go well beyond the scope of a normal child.
Other Important Bakemonogatari Characters
As a lost ghost that ran from her home, the number of characters that can actually interact with Mayoi is generally limited to people who are also running from home. As such, Mayoi only truly interacts with two characters at first: the protagonist Koyomi and Tsubasa Hanekawa.
Koyomi Araragi
Koyomi Araragi is the central protagonist for most of the Monogatari series. He is a high school student that was turned into a vampire by a wounded Kiss-Shot Acerola-Orion Heart-Under-Blade (who later became known as Shinobu Oshino). Through many trial battles, Koyomi regains most of his humanity, though is still technically a vampire hybrid. Due to his unique situation, Koyomi often finds himself encountering many supernatural beings as time goes on, with one such entity being the lost ghost, Mayoi.
Tsubasa Hanekawa
Tsubasa Hanekawa is the class representative of Koyomi’s class and is one of the few characters he regularly speaks with from school. She is also widely known for her incredible wisdom, which often becomes a great resource to Koyomi when he cannot come up with the solution to his problems himself. Her estranged familial relationships cause her to not desire to return home around the same time Koyomi encounters Mayoi, which allows her to see the young ghost as well.
Links
Bakemonogatari Mayoi Hachikuji: Repainted Ver. 1/8 Scale Figure (Re-run
Nisio Isin Daijiten EXQ Figure: Osuwari Mayoi
Mayoi Hachikuji Nendoroid
Bakemonogatari Label
Mayoi Hachikuji Label