Megahouse's journey through the Pokémon anime series continues with the release of their G.E.M. series Misty (Kasumi) figure! The Cerulean City Gym leader appeared in the very first episode and is currently Ash's longest-running female travel companion, having travelled with Ash over three different regions for a total of five seasons. Also packaged with her are Togepi (Togepy) and Psyduck (Koduck) - two of her most iconic Pokémon that she carried with her on her journey.
Packaging has definitely proved to be one of Megahouse's strong points with these releases, as Misty comes in a very fetching orange box that nicely compliments her hair. Like Ash's packaging it also features bright country backdrops, which gives the overall look a bit more character and sets it apart from the more generic (but still eye-catching) Team Rocket releases. The size of these boxes has also proven to be varied across the line, with Misty's bigger than Ash's but still smaller than either Jessie or James'. The figure is housed inside on your typical clear plastic tray, and will need to be fixed to the display base upon opening. In addition to that Togepi will also need placing into her arms to complete the look.
This figure depicts Misty in her most well-known outfit which she wore throughout her time as a main character on the series. When she eventually returned in various guest appearances, the outfit was slightly modified just as Ash and Brock's were when they began travelling in Hoenn. Done up in a stereotypically cute pose, Misty is another case of Megahouse really upping the detail on these figures when it comes to colours and shading. Like Ash she looks far more vibrant than the Team Rocket figures, not only in terms of clothing colour but also general skin tone as well. She's also another figure completely incapable of standing on her own due to the pose, but when it comes to static figures getting a good pose is undoubtedly more important that having the figure be able to balance without the aid of a base. Misty's head however is attached via a ball joint, so that can be freely moved around into a position that suits your display best.
Like Ash Misty also comes with two Pokémon partners – Togepi seemed like a given as these are anime statues after all, but the inclusion of Psyduck here is a really nice bonus. He might not have been the most useful in battle, but he was undoubtedly the most memorable and prominent of Misty’s water Pokémon. However unlike the Ash statue where both Pokémon were fixed to the figure, both here are loose and can be displayed on their own should you choose to do so. That said, Togepi was designed to sit in Misty’s arms so can’t really stand up on his own anyway. Both figures are made of hard plastic and although are nicely detailed, lack any moving parts. Psyduck (who is posed in his trademark head-holding “headache” look) is perhaps a little too large to properly scale with other Pokémon figurines about this size, but not so much that it wouldn’t look completely out of place should you want to mix them.
Rounding this set off is the personalised white figure base, which features a variety of detailing done up on a bright orange backdrop. This includes the character and Pokémon’s Japanese names, Pokémon sihouttes and Pokéball outlines of various sizes. A small clear-plastic wedge is also sticking out of the centre, with protruding plugholes to keep the figure firmly in place. The base is a little larger than the one that came with Ash due to it needing room for Psyduck as well, but still nowhere near as big as either of the Team Rocket ones.
One look at Misty makes it abundantly clear that Megahouse had saved their best until last. Whereas the other figures in this line have all had their own strengths and flaws, for Misty they seem to have combined those individual strengths - the extra Pokémon figures of Jessie and James along with the improved sculpting and colouring of Ash. The scale/price tag comparison may continue to be a lingering issue because in all honesty these things really are small, but quality such as this makes it much easier to suck it up. And they do look rather brilliant altogether.
And now we patiently wait for Brock and Nurse Joy preorders. From there, who knows where Megahouse could potentially take the line? The Pokémon world is vast and there's a whole lot of nostalgia to be capitalised on.
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