Jun Planning J-Doll "Magnificent Mile" Review

This past December, a week or so before Christmas, I was on one of my first outings after being sick for two weeks and decided to pop into my local Tuesday Morning.  When I went to the toy aisle, I noticed a very unique looking doll.  She was labeled "J-Doll" and also marked "JUN Planning", which I instantly recognized as the same company that produces Pullip dolls.

It's funny, I know I've seen pictures and read posts about these dolls, but I didn't remember them when I saw this doll.  All I knew was that she was very pretty and a great price!  So she came home with me...even though it was just before Christmas and technically I shouldn't have been purchasing anything for myself. :}  There were only two of them there, though (both the same doll), so I was worried she might not be there if I waited (stuff goes really fast at my Tuesday Morning).

Oh, and the typical warning here.  I'll be sharing pictures of this doll undressed, and she has a developed figure, so if this offends you, please skip this post.

So here she is!  I will say, I was not too thrilled with her outfit, especially her top.  However, her face appealed to me, and I figured I could find something else for her to wear. ;)

This particular doll is called "Magnificent Mile".  When I was researching these dolls online, I found out that each doll is named after a different street around the world, and they are dressed in popular fashions.  It seems that the fashions try to reflect the style of the area in which the street used is located.

The back of the box.  It was really hard to take good pictures of this box because it was so reflective!

One side

A few box details:

A closer look at the doll...

...and her face.  Her beautiful eyes and detailed lips were what really drew me to her.  I discovered (also during my research) that these dolls have actual glass eyes, which is a first for my collection.

The top of the box opened easily after I cut the tape.

Instructions for putting together the doll stand were on the top.

(Blank on the back).

The inner portion of the box slid right out.

The doll was held in place with various twist ties, tape, and rubbery plastic pieces, but it wasn't too hard to get her out. :)

Her stand came in two pieces:  the metal stand itself...

...and the plastic base.

"J-Doll" is printed on the stand.

The metal piece screwed in to a hole in the base.

Unfortunately, there's no way to screw it in tightly, so the metal portion tends to swivel around.

Here is the doll herself, released from her cardboard prison.  Wow, that is quite the outfit! ;)

Her feet were individually wrapped in plastic (which took a while to get off without ripping her nylons). ;)

Another look at her lovely face.  Her eyes are the most incredible color!

Here's a full-length picture without the foot plastic. :)

She came with a cute orange beanie.

"J-Doll" on the tag.

She also came with a fun little knit purse...which apparently I didn't photograph separately. :}

So here's a look at the whole ensemble.  I can't get over the hilarious fur on the sleeves of the jacket. :}

That shirt does not seem to be held in place by much... :}

Her jacket ties at the waist.

A view from the back...

...and a look at the detail on the sleeve.

Another look from the back.

Her capris are extremely tight (I could barely get her to sit when she was in them).

I don't even know where to begin on these nylons (they go to the knee) and shoes.  I know that somewhere this is considered high fashion, but it sure doesn't do much for me. ;)

Her "top" is a strapless number that looks more like something for the bedroom.  I was pleased to discover that her necklace had Velcro closure.  A lot of the dolls I've purchased in the past with little necklaces don't have the option of removal.

Another look at her capris.

She came with lacy, skimpy, black underwear which I decided not to include a picture of (after having it up for a few days and deciding it was bordering on inappropriate).

Her hair is wigged.  It's a beautiful shade and soft to the touch. ;)

However, because of the way it was attached to the packaging, it is permanently pointing to one side.  I don't exactly mind this.  It just looks like a soft wind is blowing. :)

I was excited when I realized that my J-Doll had a Pullip body, but a bit disappointed when I realized it was the Type 3 body (Type 4 is my favorite).  

A view from the back.

Another disappointment with this doll is that her head only moves back and forth, not up or down.  It also cannot tilt to the side at all.

Her hands are still expressive, but are limited by the wrist hinge.

Still, she does have some fun posability:

I didn't go into a whole lot on her posability because it wasn't that long ago that I reviewed my Pullip Dorothy with the Type 3 body.  If you'd like more information about the Type 3 and how it compares to the Type 4, you can see my previous post HERE. 

I really wanted to get her out of that showy shirt, so I dug around until I found a nice white shirt from a Moxie Girlz.  I also took off her nylon/knee high stockings because they were a little too busy for me. ;)

I think the white looks nice with the orange of the jacket.

I took a little peek at her eyebrows in the middle of the photo shoot.  I'm always curious about doll eyebrows, because often they change the face entirely.  Sometimes, I love a doll until I lift her bangs. :}  Thankfully, this doll had very nice eyebrows. :)

It was really fun playing around with different poses.  "Magnificent Mile" (I really must come up with a name for her...I don't think I want to call her that all the time) has beautiful coloring that translates well on camera. :)  I really cannot stop raving about her eyes, either!

Since the J-Dolls have Pullip bodies, I thought it would be interesting to compare her to my Pippa.  Looking at this picture, it's really amazing to think that these two dolls with such different heads have basically the same body. :}  It shows you just how highly exaggerated the Pullip doll heads are.

After posing MM with Pippa, I thought it might be fun to try Pippa's dress (a Barbie dress) on her.  It gives her a very sophisticated look, don't you think?

The dress was a little big for her, especially in the bust, but because it was a halter dress, I was able to adjust it fairly well.

I finally settled on one of my old Takara Timotei doll dresses from the 80s for her.  I think it gives her a sweet, innocent look that is just perfect for her facial expression. :)

I thought, as always, it would be fun to share a picture of MM with some of my other dolls to give you a better idea of her actual size.  She stands at right around 10 inches tall. 

Here she is with a various assortment of fashion dolls. :)  As you can see, she's on the shorter side of the fashion doll world.

LIV Daniela and MM

Disney Store Anna and MM

After the last picture, I realized I should take one with Anna's boots off to give a more realistic idea of the height difference. :}

Barbie Generation Girl Lara and MM

Takara Timotei and MM 

Licca Chan and MM

80s (or 90s) Stacie and MM

Chelsea and MM

So, my overall thoughts?  I am very pleased with Magnificent Mile overall.  I love her beautiful face and her pretty hair that appears to be good quality.  I wasn't thrilled with her outfit, but that was more a matter of taste than anything else.  

The only real disappointment I had was her body style, and that's only because I've been totally spoiled with my Type 4 Pullip and I know how much better MM's posability could be.  Especially in her wrists and head.  You can express so much in a photo with the hands and head if they are easily posable.  MM's wrists feel clunky in comparison to Pippa's, a LIV doll's, or even my Disney Store fashion dolls.  That being said, I do not regret adding MM to my collection, especially with her beautiful facial features and coloring.  I give her a 4 out of 5 for the posability issue (since as a doll collector that's a huge deal for me), but at $20, I'm quite pleased with my purchase. :)

I was so pleased, in fact, that I used my Christmas money to purchase another J-Doll on Amazon.com.  This time, I was able to find a J-Doll with a Type 4 body.  She was $29.99 (still a great deal).

This gal is "Robson Street", and will be featured in a future review...most likely sometime next week.  (I've still got to get my Batman Taeyang and Via E. Alexis reviews up first!) :)  I'm looking forward to sharing pictures of this girl and how she compares to MM. :)

And stay tuned...the aforementioned posts will be up later this week! :)