Imported Thoughts

Angels: Are they Monsters?

Earlier this year, at Tamashii Features Vol. 3, a new property was unveiled to be in consideration for the S.H. MonsterArts line. The Angels from Rebuild of Evangelion  were displayed, much to a lukewarm reaction from fans. The property of Evangelion has already made an appearance with the main mechs, or Eva Units, in the Robot Spirits (sometimes referred to as Robot Damashii) line.

Current fans of the S.H. MonsterArts line either do not want the Angels or are indifferent to their release. However, there are some that want these "divine" beings included alongside Godzilla and his friends. Ultimately, though, the question stands; should the Angels be released in the S.H. MonsterArts line?

Pros

First, let's define what a monster is. Something rather large and/or grotesque that can destroy something in its path, and that can strike fear into those around it. Every Angel shown in Evangelion falls into this category. All of them are large, and can range from 40 meters to 200 meters in height/length. Quite frankly, that's huge.

Creepy? Check. Scary? Check. Big? Oh yeah.

These big monsters, released and unreleased, need something to show off their scale. The extras shown so far look like they would compliment other releases in a great way. The small ground and aerial units shown so far would be able to mix with other figures and releases, such as the Toho weapons and effects set.

However, it seems like the tanks aren't the only extras to be considered. The Angels can create barriers,  known as AT fields, that look like shields of energy. With these showing no attachment points (as in, no molding on them like Godzilla's beam effect), these can be used for other releases, and they would look sweet in doing so.

JSSDF units and an AT field.

Finally, as mentioned earlier, the Angels would compliment the previously released Eva Units and give them something to fight. Plus, the size of them would allow them to easily sneak into any current S.H. MonsterArts display with almost no problem, plus some of them have cool designs.

An Angel vs an Eva Unit

Cons

Though some designs are cool, some simply don't even look to have any points of realistic articulation. The Angel posted above, for example, would look hideous if hinge joints were added to the tentacles/ribbons. As stated before, because another mention must be made, some do not appear to have any points of articulation. At all.

Would work better as a model....

Also, while some designs look like monsters ready to fight, some look like they're about to tip over and peck at a glass of water.

Okay, maybe not exactly water... Blood?

Finally, they're villains. They don't sell well in Japan, as history indicates from previous releases, and one can make a sound argument not to release something that has shown not to sell well. Furthermore, a better argument would be not to waste resources on a release that will not sell well, compared to using them on a release that would be popular.

Boo. Scary. Evil.

Conclusion

Points for both sides can be made, and the answer could end up being strictly web exclusives, which would alienate some countries. Assuming this isn't the answer that makes most of everyone happy, there needs to be a viable outcome.

At the end of the day, this blogger suggests that some Angels should be made, not all. A good amount of those shown do not look like they would be a prime candidate for an articulated line, and some would just seem as odd releases. However, some could prove valuable to other releases, and some look terrifying enough to be considered a real monster that could rival Godzilla.

In the end, time will determine whether or not the S.H. MonsterArts line will see an impact of epic proportions.