Review: Yo-kai Watch Converting Figures Wave 1- Jibanyan and Komasan

Yo-kai Watch Converting Figures Wave 1
$14.99 from Toys R Us

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Review

I’ve been a Transformers fan since I was old enough to comprehend what they were, so the thought of some transforming Yo-kai toys absolutely appealed to me. Our first set of figures includes Jibanyan and Komasan. Jibanyan has the ability to transform into his “evil” self, Baddinyan. Komasan has the ability to transform into a suit and tie into Businessman Komasan. Each toy includes an (as of right now exclusive, but not marked as such) Yo-kai Medal of that respective character. Each toy retails for $14.99 and were purchased from my local Toys R Us.

Jibanyan is the winner of the bunch in that his transformation is a bit more intuitive and the end result is a bit different than the base figure. As Jibanyan, the toy has a rotating head, and that’s about it. From the front he looks pretty good sans the hinges hanging off the side of his head. From the back, things are a little bit messier. Transformation is relatively simple, splitting the head open, rotating the panels to behind his head, flipping out the pompoudor, rotating the limbs, and popping out a new chest piece. Finally you can attach an included pair of sunglasses onto the figure that unfortunately don’t store anywhere on Jibanyan. Baddinyan is alright, and is probably the best they could do given the circumstances of the figure. Unfortunately the “coat” of Baddinyan isn’t represented well, and bits of Jibanyan’s fur and head panels still show through the figure. It’s good for what it’s worth, but ultimately ends up a bit clunky.

Komasan is the definition of simple. Komasan features a gimmick where moving the horns will rotate his eyes into a new picture. Unfortunately this makes it so that his horns have to be splayed out for one eye, and tucked close together for another, eliminating the ability to have his horns in their normal resting position. Other than that, Komasan looks okay and also features a rotating head. From the back you can see the businessman suit on the backside of the figure, as transformation is just rotating the head 180 degrees so that the businessman suit is facing forward. Inside his knapsack is an ice cream cone with Whisper’s face on it, which is actually kind of cool. It can peg into either hand to give Komasan a little bit of a treat. While neither mode looks bad because of how simple it is, I can see kids getting bored with the simple rotation transformation relatively fast. Regardless, like Jibanyan, it’s a nice piece to have on a shelf.

Both Yo-kai Medals play the normal phrases and tunes we’re used to with Jibanyan and Komasan, but feature a new picture. They are not labeled exclusive, but as of this post, have no other known release.

Both figures look nice on a shelf in their main modes, but ultimately lack at the end. Baddinyan tries its hardest, but like most transforming figures of the non-Transformers variety, the remnants of the other mode hinder the final result. Komasan is too simple to mess up, but unfortunately just seems a little boring at the end of the day. Kids will probably enjoy them, and if you’re a fan of either character, they make nice shelf pieces at the very least. Yo-kai Medal collectors will probably want to pick these up for the Medals, as a secondary release method is currently unknown.

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