As you can see, this set consists of a lion, elephant, bear, crab, snake, and whale. These are candy toys and can usually be found in supermarkets or even convenience stores for ¥100 (about $1).
Each toy transforms from the kanji that represents the animal into a small figure. I find the concept alone pretty clever and it's a fun way to help remember some simple characters. The color variants for each figure are displayed along the lefthand side of the packaging. The colors have changed from series to series. This one has blue, red, black, or gold. Note that the color of the toy is not displayed on the box so while the toys aren't blind boxed there is still an element of chance and collectibility with them.
Each box contains a sticker sheet, the toy (in kanji form), and a small piece of gum. I've found the flavor of the gum lasts about as long as it takes to apply the stickers.
The transformation and sticker application instructions are printed in black and white on the interior of the box. This is common practice with candy toys. One corner of the packaging is perforated to make unfolding it easier.
I don't want to go into detail regarding every step of the transformations, but I thought I'd illustrate how the process generally breaks down. After disassembling the kanji into smaller sections, you often have to pull pieces apart to reveal the hidden connector pieces inside. These in turn snap into holes or socket joints on other parts of the figure. This allows for quite a few points of articulation for each figure, which is pretty cool given their size. The heads of each figure are usually hidden within one section and are flipped out.
So first off, we have a lion (獅,しし, shishi). Based off the pictures from the packaging, I didn't think I'd like this one, but it's actually pretty nice. I still think the mane is a bit large, but it gives him a cool, almost anime inspired look.
Though I'm not a fan of stickers, I think these toys definitely benefit from having them. I still worry that the wrap around pieces will peel off, but so far they've held pretty nicely, even on my older figures.
The proportions on this one are particularly strange due to what they had to work with for the back legs.
I appreciate the inclusion of the tail here. It was a tiny detail that they probably could have left out without me noticing, but it's neat that it's there.
I really like the elephant (象, ぞう, zou). I enjoy how his face and ears are visible in the kanji and enjoy all the mobility present in the figure.
The ears are placed in a socket joint, allowing you to move them around in a wide range of poses. I think it gives it some character. The trunk also has a limited amount of mobility.
Here's a look behind the ears at the main body. I think the front legs are a bit awkward and there's no tail to speak of, but overall it comes off looking a bit better than the lion.
The bear (熊,くま, kuma) naturally holds a special place in my heart as I lived in Kumamoto (熊本) but the figure has a problem in that it is very skinny. I suppose after seeing Kumamon everywhere I just expect a bit more heft in my bears.
This figure is my favorite to pose though because of the range of the arms. I also really enjoy how the element for feet in the kanji become the actual feet of the figure.
Crab (蟹, かに, kani) is actually a fairly complex kanji and this figure in particular has some really cool mechanics with its transformation. The ball joints for the legs fold out in pairs on either side of the body and the claws open and close.
The legs are pretty close together and the claws are attached to the front pair, so it's a little tricky moving everything around at first. Still, the figure lends itself well to posing once you get used to it.
What has two claws and is awesome? This crab!
Next up is the snake (蛇, へび, hebi). He's probably got the simplest transformation of any in this series. As a result, I find him the most middling, though I do appreciate that he's balanced enough to stand on his own in the pose above.
The pieces that make the hood for the figure were really hard to get into the socket joints on the side. These things aren't made with the greatest plastic and I'm always worried I'm going to break something when met with too much resistance.
All the cool sticker apps for this one are on his back so I can't decide which way it would display better.
Last is the whale (鯨, くじら, kujira), which I got in gold. The golden whale is robotic for some reason, which is awesome!
There isn't too much to talk about this figure. He doesn't really move much, but he doesn't need to. He can open and close his mouth though, which is really fun to play with. I like the overall construction of the thing. It's probably my favorite of this series.
Here's a closeup of the tail, which is formed from unfolding the top section of the fish element in the kanji. I really like that part of the transformation.
As I said, this is the third series of kanji transformers. There's a fourth series that I'm still trying to track down as well as a "G" series that I'm currently collecting and will probably discuss soon. These toys are some of my favorites because they are fun, educational, and affordable on any budget. Keep an eye out for them the next time your in Japan.
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