Zach's Figure Reviews: Kasumi (Dead or Alive)

Look, everyone! It's the figure that got me into this goddamn expensive hobby in the first place. This is BOME Kasumi figure, available in white (shown), blue, and black. That last one can only be bought online, I guess. For those who care, Kasumi is from the PS2/Xbox/360 series Dead or Alive, a surprisingly robust fighting franchise that employs lots of counters, cheap end bosses, and beautiful women with (often) giant racks. Kasumi is actually one of the smaller-chested females in the series, but this is not a fact that figure sculptors have ever actually acknowledged. I guess I'm okay with that. The series jumped the shark in the last few years and ditched the male characters and the fighting mechanic altogether for three volleyball titles, in which our girls wear itty bitty teenie weenie bikinis and display some very bizarre breast physics.


Funny story about this figure. First, she was cheap: a mere $20. Second, once my wife saw her, she was kind of appalled, complaining that Kasumi's rack was hanging out. Have you seen my other figure reviews? It's clear that objection doesn't stand up to scrutiny. Hell, even my previous figure reviews have been downright tame compared to my upcoming figures. That's not...that doesn't mean I'm into the freaky stuff or anything. No tentacles, porn, or any combination of those two words. I'd also like to mention, again, that Kasumi here was $20. The most expensive figure (really more of a statue) in my collection was nine times that amount. And she was on sale, for God's sake. And no, it's not that Alphamax Mai Shiranui who I mentioned several weeks ago. She's actually significantly more expensive.


Hey, how'd you like to know abut this particular figure? She's really quite detailed. There's a detachable knife sheath on her back, although the knife itself can't be removed. The knife's hilt has some cotton ball things attached to it, which is nice. I guess. She's got thigh-high leggings and shield things on her feet, and similar...um...things on her arms. What's nice is that the wrist and foot shield things are clearly separate elements. Her kimono (or whatever that is) is open and breezy, and secured 'round her waste by a pink band.


I like her stance. That might seem like a wierd thing to say, but it's confident and statuesque. Shoulders back, leg forward, chest...uh...out. Can't say the same for our girl's expression, which is dull and doll-like. I want a girl ready for a fight, not a girl pretending to be ready for a fight. Although, honestly, in the games, Kasumi is not most aggressive character in the game. She's almost apologetic when she wins a fight.


And here we have her breasts. They're big, but not overdone. This may seem like a minor complaint, but it almost feels like they're too big across for their...depth. Does that makes sense? You'd have to see it, I guess. I should make mention of her hair: it's reddish orange and translucent, like Batgirl's hair. I like the effect--the hair glows in good lighting. What's unfortunate is that her paint job is kind of cheap. After almost five years of sitting on a shelf, the kimono (or whatever it is) has several pin-shaped dark marks, especially up by her shoulders. There are also some marks on her thigh, although my friend Scott showed me how to clean off some of these spots by using a watered-down alcohol solution.


Kasumi is standing on a plastic street corner. There is but a single short peg holding her tall, much heavier figure on the ground. Merely tipping the contraption a hair results in Kasumi basically falling off. I've considered gluing her to the peg, but that seems so...you know...final. This shot also shows off those foot shield things and the straps surrounding them. Good detail work here.


Kasumi is about eight inches tall and not hard to find. There are still several white and blue verions in one of the local comic book stores up here (go figure). I've actually considered picking up the blue version, but then I remember that I could probably use the $20 for other things, like...other figures. Or Dragon Quset IX, which I bought over the weekend and have been absolutely loving. That's neither here nor there, though. The BOME Kasumi is a wonderful figure, well worth the entry fee. Kasumi is the only character I have more than one version of (stay tuned), and there are even more I'd like to have. Also, I apologize for the strange lighting in these photos. I've been taking all my figure pictures on my kitchen table, and the ambient light mixes oddly with the kitchen light. I'm going to try something different for my next figure review.