Giant Chiteidako Zoromederu by AnrakuAnsaku

Here's another AnrakuAnsaku! Meet Giant Chiteidako Zoromederu, or Dako as we American guys seem to call him.

The name Dako, seen at the end of the word Chiteidako, has something to do with octopus, and you can see that in this figure. And like the Gogamejiras, on www.anrakuansaku.com you can find Flash movies of Dako up to no good as many giant monsters like to do.

In these movies, you can see Dako flying around on what appears to be helicopter-like spinning feet, and his tentacles constantly flail about. Also, Dako seems to be able to light up his eyes like flashlights and even shoot what are possibly electrified beams from them. He destroys buildings and airplanes and lives under the sea as any great monster should.

Due to the yellow/red color scheme of this particular Dako, I first saw it called the Mustard/Ketchup Dako, but my favorite one is the Hogan Dako. If you know a little about Hulk Hogan, you may remember at a certain point in virtually every Hulk Hogan wrestling match, he would look beaten and then at the last moment would "hulk up" and make a comeback. It's funny because when Hogan would hulk up, he would begin the process by staring up at his opponent with wide, round eyes and wildly exhaling through pursed lips and blown up cheeks... pretty close to the face of this toy!

And again, you can see the artwork for Dako on this print to the right of the Gogamejiras:

Header //4.75 out of 5//:
This header is more like the Goga header than the Mescalgon header was. I've said it before about these, but I really like the homemade "zine" feel they have to them. I like this one a lot. The front of the header features artwork similar to what would appear in one of the website's Flash movies... Dako rising from the sea. I actually wish my Dako was painted to look like this particular artwork. The back of the header is darker. Dako appears here with much more text that I don't understand in a cool, shadowy image composed of basically 1 color (2 if you just count the creepy yellow eyes.

Sculpt //4 out of 5//:
As far as moving parts go, the Dako also is simpler in its design. There is a seam at the waist, and this one also has one at the neck although, because of the tentacles, you can't really turn the head. I would like some movement in the tentacles as well.

The body shape reflects the aquatic nature of the character well looking almost spongy. The texture, as on the other Anraku pieces I have written about, is fantastic and very detailed - with tiny additions like suckers on the tentacles. The oversized head while looking like an octopus, has an almost humorous human-like face that seems to say oooooo!

Judging by the flash movies, the lower part of the body should be turned as I have it below (in the rear shot), but there are 2 feet that would allow you to logically rotate the lower half and give the figure what would be sort of a webbed apron as opposed to the cape that it does now.

The vinyl is nice and heavy with a nice glossy finish, and the figure is well balanced.

Paint //3.5 out of 5//:
This is a decent paint job, but not as impressive as other Anraku pieces out there. It's pretty simple overall with host of the application being spray red over yellow vinyl. There is a dark brown spray on the feet that is a nice touch, as well as hand applied black eyes and blue mouth.

Technically there is nothing really wrong with the paint, but I just don't find it all that exciting.

Coolness //4.5 out of 5//:
I will always think Anraku toys are cool and make a big toy statement. The bright color of this guy will draw the eye on a shelf as will the facial expression and raised tentacles.

Value //2 out of 5//:
Picked this one up secondhand again, which is going to put some hurtin on the bank. At retail, Anraku pieces are definitely worth the cost!

Overall //4.25 out of 5//:

Positives: Bright, large, nice texture, Hulk Hogan similarities, reversable lower body

Negatives: Pricey, limited poseability

Another homerun by AnrakuAnsaku. If only I could get on "the list."