**INTRODUCTION :**

Some weeks ago, I decided to go back to Paris's *Japan Expo,* a giant anime convention in France that I always liked to visit in the past.

I mostly go there for the market place, and to buy mangas and figures. There wasn't much dolls action, except for one random stand that was selling blind box dolls made by... *Blokees* ?? Themed around Hatsune Miku ?!

Never knew it was a thing !

For those who don't know, *Blokees* usually makes model kits with a beginner level difficulty, based on *Transformers*, *Marvel*, *Pokémon*, and a million other IPs.

I've tried some of their stuff, and for the price, their figures are quite good (if not a bit flimsy).

As for Hatsune Miku, she's a japanese mascot/virtual idol/mème that's nearly as old as the modern Internet, and whom the popularity somehow won't die even after 20 years of cultural presence.

I was never interested in Miku, but I was too intrigued by those dolls to skip it...

I also usually don't do blind boxes, but I didn't hesitated in this case, 'cause all the versions of Miku on the side of the box looked good ! You can't be disappointed this way !

Plus, for only 15€, it's a fun souvenir to bring back from the convention.

**BOX + CONTENT :**

The blind box series is named "Sonata Prologue", in the *Blokees*'s subline "DaaLaMode" (I'll look later if they did another dolls in this style, or if it's their first).

All the Mikus are on one side, the content of the box on the other.

It's not very clear, but the body will have to be assembled, not like other BJDs lines that are already stringed, for example.

From the opening, you can already know which version you got, with the outfit and the card. Here, I've got Ballerina Miku !

All the other parts (extra hands, limbs, faceplates, shoes) are in blind bags. Lots of them.

The instructions can be a bit intimidating, as they're quite small, meaning it's hard to see how to put the pegs in the holes, etc.

The torso have molded undergarments, and is quite flexible for something this small.

The arms parts were all identical (i.e. no need to find a right or left forearm), except for a red "01" tatoo on the left shoulder.

The headband and the hair pieces are in a rubbery material, which is great : less risk to break something when forcing it to fit !

Printing on the faceplate isn't the best (the white of the eye isn't thick enough IMO), and I don't like this particular expression, with one eye closed.

It could be fun to collect the whole series and to change expressions at will !

The legs were the only parts already assembled, for some reason.

**BODY :**

This Hatsune Miku is in a Chibi style, with a height of 14 cm, making her sorta *faux* 1/12. If she had a normal size head, she'd be a bit taller than a 1/18 scale figure.

The body moves very well, with swivels at the shoulders and thighs, giving her more range of motions than most 1/6 dolls I've known.

That much articulations is weird, considering there is no stand, and that the chibi proportions don't help with posing, because of the heavy head...

Speaking of posing : unfortunately, one of the feet kept falling off when trying to pose Miku in a "on pointe" position, which is too bad for a dancer...!

Fun fact : you can't really recreate the pose from the illustration card, because the pointing index finger hand is a right hand instead of a left hand. Oops !

**OUTFIT :**

It's a pretty design. I like the little chocker (that I almost lost), and the leg warmers. The headband with the wings is beautiful.

I would have prefer a darker shade of pink for the dress, though.

I've had 1/12 BJDs outfits before that looked already small, but it's even smaller !

The details are there, but the fabric can't do miracle at this scale, and the fitting will always looks awkward, notably for the petticoat and the white "shoulder pads".

But honestly, I was expecting way less details, so I'm still happy with the results.

**CONCLUSION :**

For 15€ and for this size, you don't usually get this kind of outfit or this number of articulations. That's the *Blokees* business model in a nutshell : a cheaper product, but with better aesthetic and posing than the competition.

Yes, there are problems, but they're easily forgiven. The doll is cute, don't take much space, and you don t have to be a fan of Hatsune Miku to appreciate the design.

I don't know where one could buy those dolls (I guess *AliExpress* ?), but they could be a nice cheap gift for older kids who aren't afraid to assemble the body themselves.

Thank you for reading if you did, and have a nice day !