Tomopop Review: Alter's Momohime

2:00 PM on 08.07.2010   |   Colette Bennett

From the very first moment that I played the sidescrolling Wii action platformer Muramasa: The Demon Blade, I was taken with the art, and found myself imagining a figure of the lead female heroine, Momohime, long before one had been announced. A few custom figures of her popped up here and there, but it wasn't until Alter's announcement of an official release back in March that fans of the game found themselves able to look forward to owning her in collectible form.

The wait is finally over as Momohime shipped this month, and we were anxious to get our hands on her here at Tomopop and take her on a photography adventure. Hit the jump to get a better look at this lovely figure in much greater detail.

Normally, I'm kind of impatient with the business of photographing the box. It's my least favorite part of any review, because most of the time, the boxes are nothing to write home about. Well, this one is. Frankly, I am amazed at how gorgeous this one is from every angle. I can't deny that the box gave me the idea of how to shoot Momohime once I got her out of it. Brilliant call on packaging from Alter here.

I mean, the BACK of the box is pretty. Who thinks of these things?

Just ... wow. She is utterly dynamic, from both the front and side profile. The foot fits snugly to the detailed base (which has a great organic look) by way of a peg, which seems firm and well made. I can see how lean would be a concern if you displayed her in a window, so just to be safe I'd avoid displaying her in direct sunlight or high heat conditions, but as is she seems perfectly sturdy in this pose.

Side profile equally as gorgeous as the front: check. This sculpt is literally flawless, and details on the pattern of the kimono are the same. Breathtaking is a good word to describe this figure in person.

Her face is easily one of the most striking faces I've photographed this year. I must have taken five dozen photos of her close up, all slightly different. Never got old.

Here you will see one of two sword/hand options. She comes with an extra kimono sleeve fold and a matched hand, and the sword and the sheath are two separate pieces. So you can display her like so, at the ready to unsheathe the sword, or you can ditch the sheath altogether and just have her holding the sword. These pieces are also fairly easy to change out and should present no issues for you if you just get in the mood to do so one day. The details on the sheath are so great I didn't want to leave it out, but I think it's cool Alter took the time to add this extra little option in there.

I mean, I had to include a shot of this angle, right? Everyone likes panties. Seriously though, it's very tasteful, but still has that touch of sensuality. Still, no one's going to get offended if they get a glimpse of this view.

Then, of course, I had to get some props out and start having fun. And what I realized is that this figure is so utterly flawless, from design to composition to execution, that you can do literally ANYTHING with her and make her look good. Black background? Cool. White background? Lovely. Take her outside? Gorgeous. You name it, you can do it — this figure is a toy photographer's dream when it comes to a static collectible.

I imagined Momohime dashing through a glen of flowers. Originally, I saw them in my mind as cattails or cotton stalks, but then when I thought about the art of Muramasa's universe, I thought of rich, saturated colors like reds and violets. In the end, that's why I shot her among red blossoms.

Momohime is still on sale through HLJ for about US$92, but they do indicate that stock on her is a bit low, so if you want her, I would not wait.This is easily one of the most stunning figures I've had the pleasure of reviewing this year, and I wouldn't hesitate to tell you that she is 100 percent sure to enhance just about anyone's collection.

[Thanks to HLJ for the review sample]