Cute Aika “Chocoholic nightmare” version…

The EX CUTE series are line of dolls released by AZONE International. What should be pointed out first is that these are not at all like the normal AZONE dolls you may already be familiar with. For instance, their unique facial features, (less odd-looking / chubby you could say.) The designers, PureNeemo, of the EX CUTE line have this distinct quality of producing the correct face design and fashion wear that immediately strikes a chord with collectors.

Personally I was never a fan of the normal AZONE dolls or any doll for that matter. Anime figures were the only merchandise I really cared about. But as time passed, I began to grow tired of the same generic products being made available online and in stores. Don’t get me wrong though, I still enjoy purchasing figures of my favourite character every now and then. But I needed something new, something fresh. So I began doing some quick research online and ended up with a growing interest in the world of custom dolls…

Now I don’t think I’ll go as far as the “super dollfie” hobby — not yet anyway. But I did feel the need to own at least one doll and not have to be ashamed of it. So I decided to start off with something rather simple; as I wasn’t yet too sure about doll-collecting. It was then that I discovered the EX CUTE series. These dolls are quite lovely to say the least. I mean it’s almost like a hybrid between figure and doll. For example, they have articulated joints and loose fiber hair like regular dolls, however, they don’t have as many joints. What else I love about them is how anime-like their appearance are. Basically it’s like this… Take all the aspects of having a cute anime figurine, and add to that, flexibility and the art/beauty of styling their clothes and hair; all with the freedom of changing their poses and body type.

In the end, all that was needed left was to pick out which one of the EX CUTE girls I would actually like to call my own — at an average price of almost $100 USD, it was something I needed to be absolutely sure of. It was then that I began to grow fond of one particular femme beauty; Aika. There was the “wicked style” version of her. The “wicked style plus” — which was just a red leather skirt and collar as opposed to black. There was also two special versions of Aika, (Strawberry and Blueberry Nightmare), where one had pink hair and the other blue. There was also a Princess Aika model available. But in the end I went with my first choice, and picked the Chocoholic Nightmare Aika — can’t resist the gosurori style; as it is my one weakness.

So, after browsing a few online stores, I come to notice that a lot of the EX CUTE dolls have been long discontinued. Ah so where do I turn to? Non-other than Yahoo Auction Japan — lucky enough to have found a brand new one, and at a pretty reasonable price I might add.

After a few weeks, the package finally arrived at my doorstep, and I was quite content with what was waiting for me inside.

As soon as she was out the box, I immediately wanted her to look exactly like she did in the picture online. So the first thing I had to do was, tie these annoying bunny hair bands on her hair — a rather challenging task for some reason. Not only that but her hair had a few “split ends” which had to be straighten by the use of my fingertips. Guess I’ll need to buy a special brush for her as well, geez.

Then came the part of pulling up her fishnet stockings. That wasn’t easy either, as I was trying my best to not leave any slack below. The right leg was on real tight and secure, while the left was rather loose and flimsy looking — especially near her foot. I thought maybe by putting on her heels it wouldn’t show as much.

Oh the heels is probably the one major complaint I have. I mean, look at how cheap it appears with the black styrofoam platform and ugly velcro straps. Still, it’s an accessory that can easily be replaced with something more sturdy if I look hard enough online. No biggie.

Overall I can say that I’m very much satisfied with PureNeemo’s “Chocoholic nightmare” Aika doll. If you’re interested in seeing more photos, you can find them here. You may also check out some other pictures below — provided by tief_im2156. (I really have to get that other flexible body type to make her do the Neko-nyan dance as well :P)