Haro

Product Information/Specifications

Introduction

Haro is no doubt a very popular character in the Gundam series.  You might even say it's like a mascot.  Bandai decided to release a 1/4 electric Haro for Gundam fans.  It sold pretty well that Bandai decided to re-release it in, I believe, four different colours.  It was again release, but in pink with the voice from Gundam Seed instead.

I got my Haro as a Christmas present from my sister.  Originally, I was looking for the sky blue one.  But I couldn't find one since it was sold out.  The one my sister gave me is green without a box or manual.  Nevertheless, it's a thoughtful present.  My sister has a Haro as well, but her's is yellow.

Some of the pictures aren't clear & good.  If I have time, I'll redo the bad ones & repost them.

The Review

Haro from different sides

Haro is an interactive toy that you play with.  It also functions as an alarm clock.  The way you play or "treat" it will affect its personality.  It's kind of like a Tamagotchi.  Haro uses the original Japanese voice, & possibly phrases, from Mobile Suit Gundam.  It requires two AAA batteries to operate.  You need a Philips screwdriver to open the battery cover.

Haro's base

You need this base for Haro to stay still.  Also, you need it to allow it to rock properly.  When its leg pop out, the base isn't needed.  Only the green Haros has a black base.  The other coloured Haros uses clear coloured bases that matches their colour.

Tips to play with Haro

To play with Haro, you must set the time first.  To do that, you press the three buttons behind it.  The buttons are A, B, & C.  Since it speaks Japanese, it can be difficult to program if you have no Japanese knowledge.  If you have a Haro & have problems programming it, here's a guideline to help you out.  This applies to all the different kinds of Haros that Bandai released in the market.

• When you start Haro for the first time by placing the batteries in, it will ask you for the day setting (AM or PM). Since it doesn't run on a 24 time format, it goes by the 12 hour system.  However, instead of AM or PM, it goes by "morning" or "day" I believe.  The A button will get you the "morning" mode (12AM - 11:59AM) & the B button gives you "day" mode (12PM - 11:59PM).  I don't have Japanese background myself, but this is how it works.  After selecting, press the C button to confirm.

• Next, Haro asks for the hour.  Pressing the A button will made the hour go up by one.  The B button does nothing here.  By default, the time is set at one.  If you don't push A, it stays as one.  If you push A just once, it will still be at one until you push again.  Press C when you are done

• Haro then asks for the minutes.  The A button sets the first digit of the minutes (eg. 10, 20, 30, etc).  By default, it's set at double zero if you don't push A or push A just once.  It will increase by one.  When you hit A five times, it goes back to zero.  The B button sets the second digit of the minutes.  By default, this is set at zero if you don't push B or push B just once.  It goes from zero to nine.  Press C when you finish selecting both digits for the minutes.

• After pressing C, Haro will tell the time & start rock, flap its ears, & flash its eye lights.  From there, it's turned on.  To turn it off, press & hold the power button near its head.  It will tell you the time. After it tells you the time, its left eye will light up for one second & disappears.  The toy is turned off at this point & you can release the button.  To turn it back on, press & hold the power button.  It will tell the time & start making some noise & rock.  You can release the power button at this point.

The above guide is based on my personal experience & makes Haro function properly.  Pressing the C button will change the time as well.  The small pinhole button is the reset switch.  I think it doesn't do a full reset.  It only resets Haro's personality & the time remains as is I think.

To set the alarm function, press the A button & follow the same procedures as if you were setting the time.  When the alarm goes off, Haro will play a melody as it rocks & flaps its ears.  It's really loud.  I can hear it from the first floor of my house & my room is on the second floor.  To stop it, press the power button.  I believe Haro will keep going for one minute if it's left untouched.  There were times where it only played once which I don't understand why.

Haro responds by movements.  It responds by touching it or creating sound vibrations.  Talking to it won't work unless you shout at it & create powerful vibrations.

Haro goes through, I believe, four stages.  In the first stage, Haro starts as a ball.  He doesn't start with his ears open like in the pics above.  Those ears were opened by the alarm feature.  The next stage occurs when Haro opens its ear & flaps them when it talks.  The third stage is where Haro starts playing one of three melodies.  This determines what personality you gave your Haro.  I only heard two of them so far.  The fourth stage is where its arms pop out.  The legs come in the final stage.  I've never reached the third stage yet.  It's mainly because my batteries die out & Haro is really an energy eating machine!  I use those NiMH batteries & it really drains it. 

I heard people say that you are suppose to pull the arms & legs out yourself.  It is possible to pull them yourself, but I'm concern that you may damage the gears inside if its joints aren't really meant to be pulled out.  Plus, the ears will hit the arms when Haro responds.  Personally, I think the joints are suppose to come out by themselves.  But it seems to be true since I tried pulling the legs & it was very easy & smooth.  I never pull them out before.  However, the hands have to be adjusted manually.

Haro's personality depends on how much attention you give it.  The more you give, the happy it will be.  Be aware that it goes to "sleep" at a certain time.  I think it was either 8 or 9pm.  Disturbing it while its asleep can affect its mood.  I don't believe it has its own time to wake up.  However, for safety, wake it up the next day.  One time, I think I had an unhappy Haro.  It was screaming most of the time.  Which now leads to the voice.

The voice can be a bit annoying at times.  This can be a problem for people who never heard the original voice actress or didn't like the voice initially.  When it screams, the sound quality gets a bit fuzzy.  Other than that, it's fine.  The volume of Haro can be a bit of a problem.  It's really loud.  It scares me at times when it starts moving by itself.  Too bad there isn't a volume control switch to lower it.

Overall Conclusion

Haro was targeted towards the 30 year old range male market.  This is the age group that watched the original Gundam series.  Anyhow, Haro was an unique product back in its time when it was released.  It can get old pretty quickly since it's basically a virtual pet type of toy.  I only use my Haro as an alarm clock now, but I don't use it unless I need it to wake me up.

On a scale of ten, Haro gets a seven.  It is a funny to play with once in awhile, but it's not a good product.  It drains batteries so fast & the voice can get annoying at times, especially when you want to lower the volume down, but you can't.

Photos were taken using Sony DSC-F828 digital still camera.

Last updated on February 27, 2008