Gintama Kagura and Kamui
This is a figurine review of Kagura and Kamui 1/8 scale. I am going to review two Kagura figures and a Kamui figure. All of them are by Megahouse.
Just a short introduction of the characters. Kamui and Kagura are Umibouzu + Kouka’s children. They are of Yato clan, basically meaning they have super human strength and reflex with a mild weakness to direct sunlight. They are also known to have very light skin color and tend to carry an umbrella to protect themselves from sun.
At the start of Gintama, Kagura is 14. Her elder brother, Kamui (18), appears much later.
Her personality in the series is somewhat dynamic. In the very early part of the series, she can be seen as a naive and innocent as she is used by a gang as a weapon. However, once she joins up with Gintoki, she gradually becomes a copy of him, becoming sarcastic, lazy, and witty as well as picking up Gintoki’s habit of picking nose.
Yeah…, a heroine picking her nose…. Gintama might be the only mainstream anime where its heroine does that.
With a straight face even.
An interesting factor with Kagura is that, because she is only 14, she has generally escaped from being oversexualized by figurine companies. She is also not an object for any form of sexuality within the manga as well as anime also. I feel that this is a good thing because Japan has a strong tendency to worship the feminine form, no matter the age.
However, in the Gintama movie, as well as in alternative universe settings, Kagura appears as 16ish and is a smoking hot woman. Figurine companies picked that one up for sure.
Anyway, default Kagura wears a simple red china dress and holds an umbrella. As she is only 14, the female features are not really present.
Here is a shot of Kagura (16) version which is featured in an alternative universe setting within Gintama series. This version is stark contrast to the default Kagura.
Basically, you are looking at a smoking hot woman. I remind you again that she is supposed to be 16.
The 16 version is a horrible figure however. Her skirt can be taken off but it has NOT been varnished, leaving paint residue on her skin. A sad fact is that the figure cost me 180 CAD some years ago. This isn’t a cheap figure, and they didn’t even bother to apply a protective coat. Sigh.
FYI, that is not canon Kagura. The real grownup Kagura seen from the series is less glamorous although still smoking hot.
As for Kamui, there isn’t much to talk about simply because it is a guy. Megahouse has made two Kamui figures. The other one is Kaumi kicking which I avoided in fear of figure balance.
I say the face seems a bit off. Yeah, he looks off. The box also has his cape. I’ve had this figure for about 4 years now, and his fingers are losing its grip on the umbrella.
His hand can no longer grab it tightly anymore which is why you see the umbrella dangling on his hand in one of the pictures. The same issue is present with Kagura figure as well. However, due to how her umbrella is positioned, the issue is far less problematic since it rests on her shoulder for support.
Now, for his cape and optional faces.
Sadanaru figure is actually a piggy bank. There is no official figurine for the dog as far as I am aware.
There is another issue with default Kagura figure. Her red Chinese dress is starting to leak oil. Now, oil leakage is an issue I’ve had with very old figures. Tales of Abyss coin-grade figures I own have this issue. But they are 20 years old and were very cheap. The Kagura figure is neither cheap nor old. It’s only 5 or so years old.
Since I am seeing issues with both version of Kagura, I am inclined to believe that Megahouse has chosen to cheap out on those figures. Basically, the price tags they asked for the figures are not justified.
I’ve seen and own some brilliantly crafted figures. These are not among them for certain. High price tags with mediocre quality is what they are.
I also do not like the tendency of more skin exposure = higher price tag. Look at price tags of swimsuit figures. They are expensive while being easier to craft and paint. That means only one thing. The companies know that sex sells ultimately. I suppose I can’t just blame companies for that because they are simply meeting the demand.
Buyers and sellers are equally guilty, I suppose.
