For the month of October, my eldest brother went off to the land of the rising sun for a few days to celebrate his birthday. Being a very big fan of Japan's vibrant culture, history, lifestyle and of course, their trademarks in gaming and animation; I could not pass up on the opportunity to ask for exclusive and hard to find collectibles during his trip.
I provided him specific requests and a list of toys that I was eyeing for him to check out along with a hard earned budget that I saved from work. One of these requests was an exclusive toy sold only in real life Pokemon Centers across Japan. Growing up with Pokemon since its very first release on television and the Gameboy Color, it was only fitting that the collectible I would invest in was something handpicked from a childhood love.
A few months back, I read from a reliable source that Bandai SH Figuarts was going to release a new Pokemon toy after the success of Lucario (another Pokemon figure previously released). Following the massive success of Pokemon X and Y for the Nintendo 3DS, the well-known toy company decided on creating the Mega Evolution version of Blaziken -- the final evolution of the Pokemon 'Torchic' which was a special free gift to those who purchased the game early). Mega Evolution was the newest craze on Pokemon upon the release of X and Y that allows fully evolved Pokemon to temporarily "Mega Evolve" and strengthen further with the help of their respective mega stone and mega ring. After given much thought, I included this toy to my top wish list along with the 425 Nendoroid Red Trainer (which will be my next goal in another time) before my brother embarked to Japan.
Mega Blaziken in Pokemon X/Y
The new Pokemon BANDAI SH Figuarts featuring: Mega Blaziken!
My brother described his overall experience in a real life Pokemon Center in Yokohama, Japan with a single word -- CUTE. He said that it was filled with so much Pokemon plush toys, an arcade, and other official Pokemon merchandise to find everyone's liking regardless of their age. He was also overwhelmed with the variety of Poke Balls around the store that he could not decide which one I would like to have. After exploring the store, he stumbled upon the Mega Blaziken toy from Bandai SH Figuarts and immediately took it home for me.
Pokemon Center in Yokohama, Japan
A wild Mega Blaziken appeared on the shelf!
Hours after his arrival in Manila from Japan, I came home from work with 2 new toys laid on my bed -- The Pokemon BANDAI SH Figuarts: Mega Blaziken as requested and a super duper cute plush toy of Totoro from the Studio Ghibli museum! Just seeing them waiting for me really relieved me from my daily dose of stress and instantly, I felt like a kid all over again with an enormous amount of energy and excitement flowing through me.
My brother's pasalubong on my bed! :)
For this review though, I will be more focused on the Mega Blaziken but to let me take a few minutes to give you a brief background on my other newly loved toy - Totoro. My brother has been a very big fan of Mr. Hayao Miyazaki (the heart and soul of Studio Ghibli who recently retired) along with his animated masterpieces like Princess Mononoke, Ponyo, Spirited Away, Howl's Moving Castle, and My Neighbor Totoro to name a few. Since this was my brother's first trip to Japan, it only seemed fitting for him to visit the Studio Ghibli museum especially since Mr. Miyazaki's works was one of my brother's biggest inspirations and role model in 2D animation. Studio Ghibli has also been the pioneer and role model of most, if not all, animated feature films since 1985. Being a kid at heart throughout my years of existence, I have also enjoyed many of Studio Ghibli's works and never got tired of watching them over and over. Other than his remarkably cuteness, Totoro has been one of the most iconic characters from Studio Ghibli. My brother thought that his visit to the museum and getting me my very own Totoro to hug was a great birthday gift for me and sure enough, it really was! :)
My Plush Totoro from the Studio Ghibli Museum! :)
Hello there! :)
Going back to my original review, the Mega Blaziken was well packaged and sealed in an orange and black box with a plastic window view of the toy itself inside. The back side of the box showed the fearless fire/fighting type Pokemon in different poses and stances during battle and on stand by during combat.
Front of the box
Back of the box
As I gently opened the box, I finally got to see the actual toy up close and personal. As expected from the SH Figuarts line, the figure is fully poseable from head, shoulders, arms, legs, torso, knees, and even each finger! The overall quality and material of the toy was amazing and beautifully crafted using only high quality plastic with a matte-like finish except for the flames, which were somewhat transparent and glossy. It was also well packed since I had to pull a few thin plastic strips from its neck, body and even arms while taking him out of the box. This guaranteed me as well that that the toy was really placed in utmost care beginning from the way it was packaged no matter how much it may have shook during its trip back to Manila.
The unboxing!
First look of the Mega Blaziken in action!
side view
Mega Blaziken came with no replacable body parts however, it is not needed since the vibrance and well-designed details of the toy already captures the full on character, look and attitude of the Pokemon. The arms were also equipped with built in flame rods just like how it is in the actual video game, making it really cool and a true added aesthetic no matter what pose you make it do. The toy as well came with a shiny collector's platform in the shape and design of a Poke ball.
A closer look at Mega Blaziken and his flaming arms!
Overall, it is another great toy masterpiece as expected from the respectful brand BANDAI since it definitely captures the actual Pokemon found in the series and the video game. With several amazing and cool ways to pose Mega Blaziken, this truly makes a great conversational piece among Pokemon fans as it also introduces the wonders of the new Mega Evolution! No doubt, I highly recommend this toy to be part of any Pokemon lover's collection.
If you want one, you could grab Mega Blaziken in any official Pokemon Centers in Japan (click here for the list of stores should you visit the country) for about 4,860 Japanese Yen or you may also check your local specialty toy stores in malls nearest you (though prices might vary should you get it outside the official store). I would like to personally thank my brother, Miguel, for taking the time out to get me these fantastic toys during his trip!
Thanks for reading my review! Stay connected for more toy reviews, event coverages and announcements. :)
