EmencyBlazer Works

NAME: Misuzu Kamio
SERIES: AIR
SCALE/CREATOR: 1/8, by Toys Planning
RELEASE DATE: November 2005

Little Miss Gao and her dinosaur horde.

First up to the plate is Misuzu Kamio, the childlike heroine of AIR. There are several figurines of her out there of varying quality…Toys Planning doesn’t come to mind when I think “quality”, but this is honestly one of the better Misuzu figures to come along.

PACKAGING: 8/10

Even the box falls victim to AIR’s fixation with the sky.

No major complaints about the packaging. The box is pleasing to look at, and Misuzu’s safely packed away in a nice layer of plastic. It’s a bit boring that they used the exact same image of the figurine on the front and back of the box, but…eh. Not much I can do about that, huh?

I really wish I knew what that stuff said.

SCULPT: 7/10

I really don’t have any major complaints about Misuzu in regards to her sculpt quality. She’s not bad, but she’s also not very impressive. She retains that ridiculous ‘fish-face’ she (and all other characters) sported in AIR, so that might be a bit of a turn off for some collectors.

She gets bonus points for coming with several dinosaur companions. Dinosaurs! Woohoo!

Her hair’s nicely done, with plenty of detail in her fringe, ponytail and ribbon. There’s a noticeable seam line near her fringe, though most figurines tend to have a seam in that particular spot. (It’s like some kind of curse.) She also has what looks like a small injection scar on the top of her head.

I’m not sure if it’s a flaw in my particular sample, but Misuzu also has a nasty crack on the top of her dainty little ribbon. The rest of her clothing is fine, however. The folds on her dress are particularly well done, and they’re one reason I was drawn to the figure in the first place.

PAINT: 6/10

Thanks to my shit photography skills, however, you can’t see the lovely folds in her dress!

The painting is…average. There’s a little bit of shading here and there, but not too much of it. The lines on her school uniform are painted neatly, which is always a good thing (I suppose). My only complaint is her hair color; it’s darker than what I would like. In the anime, her hair was a vivid golden yellow. It looks a bit more like Dijon mustard here.

POSE: 8/10

Rejoice! The undergarments are painted nicely.

Toys Planning figurines tend to lean towards the ecchi side, and Misuzu is no exception. Her pose looks innocent enough, and it certainly does reflect her pure heart. However, if you look at her directly from the front, you’re treated to a lovely shot of her crotch. Veeery subtle, Toys Planning. *wink*

The way her feet are bent seems a bit unnatural. I can’t crouch like that with my feet flat on the ground. Maybe it’s just me?

Hey, look, it’s a base. Misuzu doesn’t need it, but it’s nice to have one. What’s a figurine without a base, yeah?

OVERALL: 7/10

Misuzu’s a nice, average figurine…though for a Toys Planning offering, she’s pretty good. This particular Misuzu has long been discontinued, however, so finding her will be a bit of a challenge.

- G.K. Sil Kamina