Realistic vs. Stylized sculpts - How do you decide?

I myself prefer the more realistic sculpts. However, if I were trying to decide between two dolls, I would look at the following:

1. My other dolls (Do I want this one to stand out or be similar to them?)
2. Are there any other dolls I would want from the same company? Do I like having dolls from one company or multiple?
2. Price
3. Company reputation

 

CRIMSONCAT- i agree with you.... realistic is my favorite, but it really depends on the company and my current dolls..... though right now im tempted to get an iplehouse and i only have CPs and Volks..... she wouldnt fit in at all T_T

 

i like both, i have some very stylized anime esc dolls, (puki ani faces and dollzone are my big 2.) but i also have a soom spinel which is far more realistic i think. i just pic dolls i like. and they vary quiet a lot even for personal tastes. pic which one you like more (or is cheaper maybe if you want it faster.) then get the other one later.

 

Ouch, that's a tough question to ask.

I like both and I have both in my collection (ie Luts Lu-Wen vs Iplehouse Luna Tamer). Although I do enjoy the stylized ones, I do seem to be drawn more towards the realistic ones. What usually makes my decision easier usually is the joint system used by the company.

I'm particular about my joints and I love joints like the ones that Soom, Luts and Volks uses. What I found out I didn't like was the Iplehouse joint system, which is one of the companies that specializes in more realistic styles. As I'm not fond of it, I put off getting another doll by them until I'd researched the joint system more and learned how to use it properly.

I also go with my feelings. If I stay away from pictures of the dolls for a while, whichever one starts dominating my thoughts most would win out for sure. I usually won't judge the cost as much unless its ridiculously out of my price range. Otherwise I'll go with the doll that I am most in love with, style be damned.

So, I guess my best advice to you would be to research the companies well, see if there's anything you may dislike about them, look for owner pictures of both dolls and then go with the one you love the most.

It's how I've ended up with 4 dolls from 4 different companies ^_^.

 

Oh that's easy. It's all about what I want the doll for.
For my OCs I tend to go with realism. I mean to use them to portray some dramatic stories and they need to be humanlike adults.
For my tinies, I own them cause they are cute. Realism doesn't matter for them.

 

I tend to have a character in mind when I'm on the look out for a new doll. Depending on which character it is, I'll usually buy a doll that looks as close to the character as possible. However, sometimes I'm just bowled over by how beautiful a sculpt is, regardless of the style (stylized or realistic), and if it works for a character of mine, I'll get it. For example, Soom Sabik's face fits my OC image of Wolf God Hati, so I went for his realistic style; but for his son, I went with a Dream of Doll DoI Luke which isn't nearly as realistic looking, yet it works for the character it's meant to portray. So it's a combination of the character in question and also my own personal taste and whether a sculpt catches my eye or not.

 

It's all personal preference. I buy bodies for specific characters, however I also really prefer stylized sculpts. This works out fine for me, because the dolls are just stylized versions of the people they represent. One of the things I like about stylized dolls is their versatility -- they can often be made to represent a fairly wide range of ages and look good in lots of different styles.

When I'm considering a sculpt for a particular character often it's the personality (for lack of a better word) that that sculpt exudes that helps me make up my mind. Some just 'feel' right for particular people.

 

I hate deciding things. If I can't decide between two things I love, I try to find a way to have both of them.

 

If you truly love both equally, plan on both, but get the one in greater risk of discontinuation first. (Age of sculpt, trend of their new doll introductions, overall financial condition of company, etc.) If still not enough, then buy the one more likely to get a price increase. (Watch exchange rate of won/yen/whatever vs. dollar.)

If that doesn't help then get the cheaper/more expensive one first, depending on your own knowledge of your saving habits. For example, if you save "slowly" or "painfully", get the more expensive one first so the time gap to the second doll is shorter.

EDIT: I answer with something practical and completely missing the topic. XD

But that's the truth for me deciding between two dolls I love. There are more than enough other important factors that stylistic vs. realistic simply doesn't enter the equation.

 

I've been in that position before -- stuck between a realistic sculpt and a stylized sculpt. I used to be all about the realistic dolls, but lately I've come to really appreciate the stylized ones, so I really didn't know what to do until I realized the stylized sculpt really resonated with the character I had in mind. The realistic sculpt, while beautiful and I may still want one someday, just didn't "speak" to that character in the same way.

Put pictures of the two dolls next to each other and see which one you find yourself looking at more! Eventually, you'll realize one of them just appeals to you that tiny bit extra, and that'll be the one. ^__^

 

I lean more towards the stylized sculpts, but not too heavily stylized. That's why I'm primarily a LUTS person.

 

It's pretty easy if it's a decision between realistic and stylized for me since I simply do not like realistic dolls and thus have no need to buy them.

You would be best to decide what you want to do with your dolls. Are you looking for something specific, like a definite character. If you are, sometimes one sculpt is a better choice than the other.

 

It's funny for me, as when I first started this hobby a few years back, I was always drawn to more stylized looking sculpts, and had laid out plans to buy quite a number of dolls that are all more stylized to fit one of my particular story lines. However, over the past year or so, I've seen myself looking longingly at many of the lovely, yet more realistic sculpts that had previously not been of interest to me in particular, but, as the aesthetics of my current gang would be a far cry from realistic, I would have nowhere to fit them within the group I have now.

But, being that I'm not one to either restrain nor limit myself when it comes to what makes me happy, I decided to resolve to having two, totally separate, dolly families. I will have my collection of stylized dolls that will pertain to one of my stories, and, in the future, I will be collecting a group of more realistic dolls for a totally different story of mine, where neither group intersects with the other.

So, really, I don't have to choose, and can still have the best of both worlds!
I hope this rant will be helpful to you, whatever you choose! ^^

 

I do enjoy many anime style dolls, but for my own collection I go for the more realistic type. I don't really like oversized heads or unnatural proportions - accept sometimes those modellesque long legs but in some limitations of nature. I also don't like horribly anorectic dolls, Iplehouse pretty much satisfies the standards of my aesthetics, especially their dreamy beef cake of a male body. It's also important to me that all the dolls in my ABJD collection are proportionately in the same scale and of course match in style too.

Maybe the most important factor for me is to find mature enough for their size. The dolls I have now are MSD: child and 59cm SD: teen, so the larger dolls really need to look adult. Unfortunitely most ABJDs looks way too young for the characters I have in mind. Iplehouse Tedros look adult enough, but most dolls look less than 30.

 

I'm drawn to the more realistic sculpts. With the exception of Dream of Doll, there's hardly any stylized sculpts that appeal to me.

 

For me, it depends on the character. For a very feminine looking boy or a smaller/thin character or even a flat chested female, I'd do something like an RS boy body. For female bodies...and characters, I don't really like the large and overly large chests. A real woman would have so many back issues with most of those things! Sadly, most boy bodies are the them girlish boy figures...I have trouble finding a manly male body. Sorry, not all men grow to have that sort of figure!

Then the fantasy bodies, oh, I wish there were more! I love satyrs, fauns, demons taurs and elves! At some point I may designate a room for my BJD's... -is not addicted...-

I guess long story short, I love both kinds. If ever there was a BJD naga, I'd have to have one!

 

Maybe it's just me being a Libra, but I like a balance. I was originally going for stylized dolls, never felt anything towards the very realistic dolls. In fact, I was insistent on getting a DOD Shall, until I saw Spica (LUTS, I believe he was). He was so beautiful and I realized I had to have a sculpt like his (like had to, almost cried when I saw how beautiful he was) and woe, he was limited. Crushed, I headed over to Iplehouse and I fell in love with Tania. to me she has just enough of that stylized feel and just enough realism to be perfect for me. I don't like very childish dolls, so I'm getting her with a more mature body mold (she'll actually have breasts). I already love my Tania. I don't even know which character she's going to be, if she's even going to be one of my characters, but she's mine. I try not to force myself into loving one type of doll or the other. I'm sort of open to all of them now, and I figure the ones that want me will tell me so, metaphorically speaking. :P

 

I have to add: if there were a BJD naga, I'd probably sell my first born for it! XD