After attending my first con, I noticed the huge amount of cool-looking Bleach merchandise. So I decided to take a break from my usual seinen anime fare and watch Bleach. And now it's taken over my life! In the past few months, it's been the only thing I've watched! So imagine my delight when I saw that a new figure of the series' protagonist, Ichigo Kurosaki, was being released. Up until now, Ichigo figures have been crappy, small, overpriced, lacking detail, or just plain ugly. And Ichigo is none of those. Besides the Play Arts Kai Ichigo, I think this is the best Ichigo to date.

The photos improve, by the way. IF PHOTOS AREN'T WORKING, LOOK HERE-

http://s1222.photobucket.com/albums/dd488/BeckyHolly/Megahouse%20Ichigo%20Kurosaki/

But first-
Company-Megahouse
Line-G.E.M. Series
Scale-1/8

Let's start off with the box-It's an average size box for the GEM line.



I couldn't really get a good photo of it, but you get the idea.



There is a window at the front with an angled cutout. This is a welcome change from boring square windows. The top and sides of the box have cross-shaped windows. The back has pictures of the figure. That's it. The box inlay is red, with black flames, which is pretty bitchin'.

Now, onto the man himself!



As you can see, the sculpt is the best part of this figure. There are lovely details in the fabric and hair. The flow of his coattails and hakama looks brilliant. Ichigo must be standing in a whirlwind breeze 'cos his outfit is swirling in different directions!



That face! So angst-ridden and handsome *sigh*

This is one of the best faces I've seen for Ichigo. The previous Megahouse figure had a...kinda angry, angular face, and I much prefer this one. His skin looks soft, and he has that trademark frown without looking pissed. His hair is very good too, considering how difficult it is to make 3D. Kudos to the sculptor for making it look natural. I would have liked more shading on the hair, but in the anime he doesn't exactly have a lot of definition in his hair so I can forgive that.

But there is a problem-HAIR SEAMS. A lot of them.



I was pretty disappointed by this. Couldn't they have sanded it more? But the main hair seam is mostly hidden, so that's something.



I really love the details on the belt and bandages. The prototype photos had more shading on the bandages, though. But they look clean and white this way.

The tatters of his Bankai coat look really cool! They look pretty natural as they flow in the wind. Although thin, the edges feel pretty sturdy.



Nice hakama... (That yellow is pollen by the way, it went everywhere while I was taking the photos)



He sure looks good from behind.



Of course, Ichigo is incomplete in Bankai form without Zangetsu. The sword is made of fragile plastic and looks as though it could break. So be careful.



My, what a large weapon you have...



Close up of his sandals and the base. The straps of his sandals could do with some cleaner paint lines, but you only really notice when you zoom in like this.



If you look at this, you'll notice Ichigo's been into the fake tan. Yep, his skin is really orange!



This is Megahouse, so of course you can do this-



You can look right up his hakama leg! Aw, come on, you were thinking it too! This just shows the attention to detail this figure has.

Here he is next to Megahouse's Kaworu Nagisa from the same GEM line for comparison.



That was my first attempt at a figure photoshoot and review. Hopefully it was satisfactory! I took more photos, but I didn't want to bore anyone by going on too much. Not all the images re-sized properly, which was a real pain in the arse. I'm surprised I got this far, actually. (More photos available on PhotoBucket)

I would definitely recommend this figure, Megahouse is a great company. This figure has an awesome sculpt, so good in fact that I can overlook the slightly disappointing-prototype-to-finished-work paint job. I love my Ichigo he's one of the favourites in my collection. Buy him now. Or you could just get the Play Arts version, you cheapskates.

Megahouse, make a Grimmjow now. I demand it.