Bleeding Edge Princess Ai "Borrowed Threads" Doll by Tokyopop

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Princess Ai is a bit of a weird one, the idea of Courtney Love being into Manga is strange enough to wrap my head around but when I discovered not only did she like Manga she was actually instrumental in the creation of a Manga herself!

To be honest, I don't like Courtney Love, I'm not a fan of her music or acting and I don't follow her career at all, but the discovery that she made a Manga intrigued me no end.

Amazon

I found out about the Manga after I purchased the doll, up until then I knew she had something to do with the dolls (it was mentioned in several listings) but I had no idea what.

 I was originally interested in the Princess Ai dolls because at the time they were released, 2005, I was collecting Bleeding Edge dolls and the Princess Ai dolls were so unlike them it really got my noggin jogging.

For a while the dolls were pretty easy to find and at the time there were so many other things I wanted more so I didn't bother seriously looking into them, as time went by they started to disappear from the market and to be honest I forgot about them, until last year when I saw one for sale on Ebay and decided the time was right to check them out.

Listing Photo

After she arrived and I read the little Manga preview she came with I decided to purchase a copy of the Manga itself so I could get more insight into the design of this doll and Courtney Love's involvement in their creation.

I'll tell you about that in a minute but first I want to talk about the doll herself...

She stands at approximately 12 inches tall.

Her face is very unlike any of the other Bleeding Edge dolls, her head is smaller and her face is thinner and has a "Western look" that is often seen in female Manga and Anime characters.

She has blonde hair, presumably because she is Courtney Love's Manga Mary-Sue. The style is very Asian in it's design.

The doll's body is quite rigid and only articulated by a ball joint at the shoulders and hips just like the other Bleeding Edge dolls I have.

Her legs have the 2 clicks hold posability like Pedigree Sindy, so Azone type posability is not something she possesses, neither is a stand which would have been really useful.

 She does have cute little painted nails though, not that that really makes up for it, but it's a nice touch!

And of course she did come with a little Manga preview, to tempt you to buy it, which I did so I guess that worked.

Her outfit is made up of a pink and red rah-rah skirt, long sleeved top (full of holes) a black bodice over that, tied up with pink cotton.

Black fishnet stockings and a red garter that she wears on left leg above her stocking.

On her feet she is wearing a pair of pink fabric ballet shoes also tied up with pink cotton.

It's an odd mix.

 As for the character's background and the Manga, there isn't a huge amount of info' I can give you on that score, I really don't know much and can't find much out about it either,

Apparently Courtney Love spent some time in Japan and while she was there, fell in love with the people and their culture.

The upside of this was the idea and subsequent creation of Princess Ai - Ai meaning Love in Japanese.

Princess Ai is the story of an alien creature (?) definitely alien to Japan anyway, who finds herself in Japan, not knowing anything about her past or where she is.

The only clue she has to her past is a heart shaped box which is very important to her.

She begins working as a singer in a club and meets a musician who is very similar to Kurt Cobain whom she falls in love with all the while she is trying to discover her past and where she came from.

The Manga was created by Courtney Love, writer D.J. Milky and illustrated by Misaho Kujiradou.

The characters for the Manga were designed by Ai Yazama, who is also a Manga author and artist.

The first volume of the Manga came out in 2004, the second in 2005, the third and final, in 2006, but if you are interested in getting them, I suggest you buy them in one volume as I did.

Look for the Princess Ai Ultimate Edition on Amazon, it contains all three books and also a few little extras that you don't get if you buy them in single volumes.

A few versions of the doll are also available on Amazon at the moment and come up on Ebay from time to time too, one thing to remember if you want the doll is, there are also 8 inch vinyl moulded figures available so make sure you read the description carefully.

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