Help with choosing a doll? - Update. *exhasperated sigh*

PrincessLyra

Smarter than the average Care Bear
Joined
Jan 24, 2012
Messages
621
Around late July I got interested in Azone dolls. If you don't know what they are, well... I guess the easiest way to put it is they're really cute anime-inspired dolls. They're also kind of expensive, especially on eBay, since they're all limited editions. But on pre-order they're fairly affordable. Fairly.

Anyway, I wanted to buy one of these dolls, but I've hit a major brick wall, because of my awful, awful choosing skills.

These are the dolls I was considering: Cream Anmitsu Yuzuha, and Clock Rabbit Yuta.
Yuzuha measures 25cm (around 10 inches) tall, and Yuta is 21cm (8 inches).

I LOVE Yuzuha's outfit and calm, reassuring expression. I felt an affinity for her as soon as I saw her, and keep thinking she'd be a good confidante, and a good, solid but reasonably sized dolly that I could cuddle. I'm probably going to go through some changes in my life shortly, so it'd be very nice to have a doll/toy like that around.
Yuta I've been eyeing for well over a month now, and think he would make a very cool character, I think because of his naïve expression. I can imagine him doing all sorts of things, climbing shelves, interacting with my ponies and the rest of my toys, getting enthralled by videogames and Disney movies... With his white hair implying something about him that he doesn't even realize.

As you see, the reasons I like each doll are pretty different, and that means I'm pretty much stuck. I'd probably buy both if I could, but that is just not the case atm. Maybe next year I'll be able to cough up the price eBay will be asking for the other, but I can't count too much on that.

So I'd like to ask ya'll's opinions on this matter. Which doll you like the most, which criteria you think is more important, how do you usually deal with these situations ('cuz I'm pretty sure a bunch of you have already gone through something like this ;)), etc., etc.

Any advice will be greatly appreciated (and saved for future reference, haha)!
 
I'd got with the 1st one. Azone dolls are very cute. I have never had one but I have seen one in person a few times. My girl is a Dollmore Lusion Dahlia. I general find the one you lean to the most turns out to be the best one to pick. I hope that helps and good luck with your doll.
 
I would probably go for Yuhuza also, just because the doll's expression is so nice. And you really seem to be drawn to her. Remember, you can always get the next one later down the road, as you said. I have to remind myself of that every time I'm torn between buying something expensive, hah. Good luck. They are both beautiful. Whichever you choose, you can't go wrong.
 
While I can't assuredly say which one is perfect for you, Yuzuha has such a sweet, serene face, she seems to be the most appealing to me. Her clothing is so intricate and well made, too. I really fancy the look of her. If you're wanting her as a companion, I think you'd find her a quite good listener.

Not that Yuta isn't equally cute, in an impish way. He seems the sort to be sporting one of those man sized hammers behind his back, just waiting for the chance to give someone a good whack in the noggin.

Are either of these available on Yahoo Japan auctions? Sometimes you can get great bargains there. I've had some really good dealings there, although I don't buy there anymore (my go-between had a baby and got out of the biz). I hear Japamart is a good as a proxy buyer.
 
They're both so beautiful! I love the striking expressions hey have. Yuta is also very cute. He looks very impish and would be great for photos. However I do prefer Yuzuha. Her expression is so peaceful and sweet. She could make your heart melt! I also think that face would bring a smile if you're having a rough time.
 
Clock Rabbit Yuta, though I dunno what your personal preferences are, and if you chose both you could presumably get one and then come back and get the other?
 
I'm going to put in another vote for Yuzuha, simply because I like her better. Not that Yuta isn't cute also. I'm so helpful :p

When I have to make a tough decision, I flip a coin, because usually during the few seconds that the coin is in the air I find myself hoping for either heads or tails and therefore know what I want.

Good luck with whatever comes your way!
 
Yuzuha, hands down. She's beautiful and adorable. That's the prettiest, sweetest little face I've seen on a doll in a long time. Her expression is so soft, calm and gentle. I can also see her being a fantastic candidate for custom clothing, if you're into that sort of thing. The type of girl who looks good in anything. And you can't go wrong with a brunette, either! Especially with hair that long; you could brush and style it for days. For me, there's no question of who I'd go for between the two. But then, for the last few years I've been drawn to female dolls. Perhaps I'm either regressing back to my childhood or broody for a daughter... :confused:
 
*clears throat* If all else fails, you could clap your hand over your eyes and eenie-meenie-minee-mo-it. :p
 
Thank you so much for your input, guys! :smile:

Hehe, looks like Yuzuha wins by a landslide... After reading what everyone had to say, I thought about it, and came to the conclusion that, indeed, Yuzuha would be the best choice right now.

But fate has conspired against me. :(

See, the website I was planning on ordering her from had her listed as a pre-order being released in August... Until today, September 1st. At first I thought nothing of it, since the website is based on Hong Kong, and thus goods from Japan take longer to get there, especially if they're delayed for whatever reason.
Now, I was fully intent on buying her, but was finding it a bit strange that the delay had, and was lasting so long, and since I wouldn't be able to cancel my order, I decided it would be best to contact customer service to know what's up.
They answered me quickly and promptly (like, 20 minutes after I asked), telling me the item page had been updated with a week-long wait time for the doll. I went to check, and saw that indeed, the wait time had been corrected, but also that they had added 85$ to the price tag. 85$!! That's twice the price I was originally going to have to pay for shipping alone!
Needless to say, I was hugely disappointed, and felt like an idiot for even asking them anything, like if it was my fault this happened. If I had just sucked it up and trusted they'd get the doll, I'd have her on pre-order right now and she'd be with me in two or three weeks! Especially since the website is very trustworthy, and never has let me down before... And I guess that what hurts the most. I was just looking out for myself, after all, I can't feel too bad about that.

So... Since now Yuzuha is more expensive there than eBay... I think I'm going to consider getting Yuta first. I do like him too, so yeah. But I'm not giving up on Yuzuha that easily! I'll try to save up so I can get her for Christmas or my birthday. The only thing that worries me is if eBay runs out of affordable options until then. Still sucks, I wanted to get her as soon as possible...

Sigh... Why is it that whenever I'm finally able to make a tough choice, I'm immediately not able to go through with it afterwards? :mad:
 
Maybe this is just something trying to tell you to wait on Yuzuha after all. Perhaps Yuta has something to offer you that you need right now, even though you might not realise it.

I understand you being upset, 85 extra dollars is quite a leap in price. It would take me aback as well. I do hope later you will buy Yuzuha anyway, as I'm sure she'll make you very happy. Perhaps in delaying her purchase, it just means you'll find her cheaper elsewhere!

Things conspire against us sometimes regardless of our best intentions, but so often in the long run things work out. I hope this is the case. I really want you to have both dolls. I know they'll bring you a lot of joy.
 
It's like my future mother-in-law always says. If it doesn't work out, then it wasn't meant to be! And like I always say, if it is meant to be, then eventually it will happen, when the time is right for it!
 
Okay, I felt like I had to say something about this, and decided to take the chance now that I feel somewhat better. I'll try to make this as short as possible.

WARNING: I DON'T KNOW IF THIS QUALIFIES AS TRIGGER MATERIAL FOR ANYONE.

So I decided I'm not going to get any Azone doll for the time being, and the reason is kind of upsetting/infuriating for me. I decided to search about whether a site called Play-Asia was trustworthy with preorders, and along a bunch of people on a forum saying yes, there's a post from a guy saying he doesn't buy stuff from Japan since the whole Fukushima thing, and a bunch of really dark things. I tried to do some more research, but wasn't able to come to any conclusions, only fueled my fear due to lack of certainty. It made me relapse into anxiety and I've been taking valerian pills since to try and fight it. I've had some success, and am feeling a lot better, but I still have this dark cloud always waiting to rear its head. I was afraid to write this, to give you an idea.
Now, I've been buying things from Japan since 2012, so under normal circumstances this shouldn't phase me. But now I kind of feel I should take a Geiger counter to my Japanese merchandise to check. Not that I know where I'd get one of those anyway.
ACK I hate this. All I wanted was a f***ing doll! A F***ING DOLL! UGH! :mad: And then people wonder why feel I can never get excited for anything...

Hope I don't ruin anyone's day with this... :(
 
@PrincessLio thats really interesting to read. I have never even thought that radiation could be a consideration when purchasing toys from Japan. Is it possible that toys can hold radiation, I don't know alot about that, but since you mention is, I am certainly wondering. We are currently waiting for some Bento Boxes from Japan and since they also will have food in them you have certainly perked my interest.
I'm glad to hear you are feeling better. I wonder how we can find out more.
 
@PrincessLio thats really interesting to read. I have never even thought that radiation could be a consideration when purchasing toys from Japan. Is it possible that toys can hold radiation, I don't know alot about that, but since you mention is, I am certainly wondering. We are currently waiting for some Bento Boxes from Japan and since they also will have food in them you have certainly perked my interest.
I'm glad to hear you are feeling better. I wonder how we can find out more.
That's just the thing. It's nigh impossible to know if it should even be a concern from the Internet. Most topics on the subject have 15-20 people saying it's totally safe, and one or two not only saying no, but being downright nasty to everyone else, calling them stupid or accusing them of trusting "the government" too much.
It's funny you should mention bento boxes, that's one of the things I ordered, along with a pair of chopsticks. The box has gone unused, actually, but I have used the chopsticks multiple times over since last year, to no ill effect that I can discern. I just don't know.
I should probably have kept quiet about this. I'm getting palpitations again. :( Again, so sorry for ever bringing this up.
 
Don't worry, PrincessLio! your items are most likely I was told by a friend who works at a shipping yard in Taleyama that all items shipped from foreign countries are checked through machines looking for all sorts of contamination before they're packed into cargo containers and allowed to leave port. I know he said radiation is one thing they check for. And things go through checks again once they hit their destination country. Radiation is something every country looks for, in case someone is trying to smuggle in radioactive materials for bomb making. With every one on high alert for terrorism, I'm sure they are very careful.

Your items should be safe! Besides, the items would have to be in the affected Fukushima area to warrant concern, and while Japan is small compared to some nations, it consists of so many islands, the chances of the items coming from anywhere remotely near the damaged plant are quite small.
 
I agree with bunny, there is next to no chance that you'll get irradiated products from Japan. For one, the likelihood of items being produced in factories near Fukushima is extremely low; I'm pretty sure that if there were any factories there to begin with, they would have been shut down due to contamination. The Japanese also wouldn't even ship irradiated goods within their own country, so I'm extremely doubtful that you'll find anything irradiated coming overseas. Even if something did try to cross the border, it would be discovered and contained/disposed of by customs before it even got on the plane or freighter.

Most topics on the subject have 15-20 people saying it's totally safe, and one or two not only saying no, but being downright nasty to everyone else, calling them stupid or accusing them of trusting "the government" too much.


That should already be enough to tell you that you're worrying too much. Don't ever listen to trolls, especially not the redneck ones.
 
OMG YOU GUYS!

Thank you, thank you SO MUCH, you have NO IDEA how much better I feel after reading your replies! Thanks Bunbun, Lady! I don't even know how to properly thank you! Wish I could hug you in real life! I love you guys!!! *virtual hugs*

When all is said and done, though, I think I'm still going to put off buying an Azone doll for a while. I'm going to wait for a preorder that I'm 100% sure I like to come along to save some cash (I'll be saving around $40, to give you an idea). In the meantime, I think I'll try to get into other, cheaper fashion doll lines. Monster High, Ever After High... Equestria Girls... :D I've been wanting to do that for a while now, and this seems like as good a time as any other.

Thanks again for all your help! Love you! :ponylove:
 
Back
Top