1/8 Aladdin - G.E.M. Series (Megahouse)NSFW

As a character, I found Aladdin really intriguing. On the surface he seems like a typical 'shounen-style' hero what with his sense of compassion and his being really hungry all the time. He's also a being sent to the world by a higher power to restore peace and unite the world. I assumed that he would act in a manner befitting such a protagonist. He would be the cool, righteous voice to the morally ambiguous deuteragonist, Ali Baba. Imagine my delight when I found out that wasn't the case at all. 



Despite his starring role in Solomon's plans to redeem mankind, Aladdin isn't afraid to waste his time in brothels, party all night with his friends and get fat when left unattended. He's self-indulgent, perverted and at times, very childish. He shows us that the real key to world peace is remembering that, despite all of our cultural differences, everyone loves a good party. That, my friends, is a messiah I can get behind. 

Aladdin is the adorable protagonist of Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic. The series is very loosely based off of the famed Thousand and One Nights, a collection of Eastern fairy tales. In the Thousand and One Nights, the characters do inexplicably stupid things despite very clear warnings, or inadvertently stumble into someone else’s dark circus of the soul and are disproportionately throttled by the universe as penance for their idiocy and/or bad luck. It’s fabulous reading, actually. In a slight departure from its source material, the characters in Magi are dealt a brutal hand by fate and try to better their lot by employing the use of magic, friendship and more recently, puberty. It’s a fun series to read, actually. There are also Vikings, gladiators, and dungeon-crawling thrown in for the hell of it because if a story is willing to accommodate such things, then what kind of abstemious monster would fail to take advantage of that?

Aladdin’s role in this madness is to restore order by selecting a candidate who will become a ‘king’ and occasionally guide his candidate through mysterious towers called ‘dungeons’ where he will obtain the power to rule over people with the power of the bling-a-rific loot found therein (some of which happen to host the elemental magical fury of djinn). Aladdin and his friends spend their time journeying through exotic lands, forming bonds, engaging in magical battles and playing the politics game in an effort to bring about substantial peace in the Middle East...and force an Eastern superpower to reduce their imperialist presence in the area. So Magi could be seen as a dressed up metaphor for current geopolitical problems or a very clever way to ensure the series lasts forever and ever and ever.

Now that we're all on the same page, let the scrutiny commence! 

Aladdin’s box is woefully average. It is also one of the busiest boxes I’ve ever seen. The whole thing is littered with graphics. The stylized windows, which might have been a nice touch in more restrained hands, only contribute to the chaotic, inelegant mess. The nicest things I can say about his box are that it is relatively small and that it does its job of protecting Aladdin and his flimsy hair. I’m also partial to its vibrant shade of blue.

Aladdin’s base suits him quite well. The transparent blue goes really well with his colouring. Admittedly, it is an unimaginative piece of round plastic but I like that it is embossed with intricate detailing inspired by the aesthetic of the Middle East. It’s no sculpted base, to be sure, but the little show of effort warms my heart.

Aladdin’s dynamic and buoyant pose is the main reason I couldn't pass him up. He’s frozen in the midst of a giddy twirl with a look that says, ‘Are you watching me?’ Really, the only thing Aladdin is missing here is musical accompaniment and a dazzling retinue of shining rukh to encircle him.

Just look at those bright eyes and that big smile. Aladdin is the very picture of childish lightheartedness with nothing held back. In my collection of sneering bastards, this expression of pure joy is refreshingly sweet. His eyes are easily my most favourite thing about this figure. They’re huge and gorgeously painted. His nose is practically a non-existent little button, which I believe is in keeping with the aesthetic of ‘moe’.

Megahouse took a risk by giving Aladdin an open-mouthed smile. It’s too easy for a small slip of a knife to render his adorably exuberant expression into a gaping rictus straight from a nightmare. Luckily, Aladdin pulls it off even if it does seem like he’s sticking his tongue out at some angles. 

Aladdin’s cuteness wasn’t ‘cute’ enough apparently so Megahouse decided to upgrade him to ‘heart-meltingly darling’ by painting tiny little blushes on his cheeks. He’s sweetness in puffy pants.

I’m going to give the sculptor the benefit of the doubt here and say that they were trying to emulate the anime’s stylized aesthetic when they sculpted Aladdin’s proportions. His head is much larger than his body, and his limbs and torso are twig thin. Luckily, Aladdin’s huge head makes this disproportionate composition interesting as opposed to off-putting. This is largely due to Aladdin being a young child. Small, hyperactive children tend to be scrawny, after all. His body parts, when considered separately may seem freakish but the aggregation results in a very youthful figure when considered as a whole. My overall impression of Aladdin’s proportions is that Megahouse clearly aimed to maximize his cuteness and I think they succeeded.

Aladdin’s hair is a strikingly beautiful azure blue. Its colour and motion really grabs my attention. The shading and highlighting of his hair is impeccable as well. It makes the colours really pop.

Aladdin’s hair comes in four pieces: a turban which connects to jewelled bangs, and a plain back hair piece which connects to unadorned bangs. My attempts to mix and match these hair pieces resulted in a hard lesson about playing god. His turban is dutifully rendered and it slots very easily into Aladdin’s head. The jewel on his hair is painted with a really lovely shade of red. I love that it sparkles in the light. It's strange that his jewel appears to have no visible means of support. What’s keeping it on his head like that? Magic, probably.

The figure seems more complete with his turban and hair jewel but his plain hair is actually really nice. Without his turban, he becomes so wonderfully blue and his appearance becomes wilder and more natural. It’s hard to say which one I prefer.

Despite my earlier adulation, Aladdin’s hair is far from perfect. Lurking in his vibrant locks are some nasty seam lines, particularly on the sides of his head. There are also a few clunky clumps of hair. If you look really closely, you’ll notice that there are some paint issues in the form of flecking on some of his bangs. 

His braid is very fragile and I can imagine that attempting to fix something so bottom-heavy and airborne would be very frustrating so I have to be careful when slotting it into the back of Aladdin’s head and when moving the figure. Aladdin’s braid is also odd looking and I wish Megahouse could have made it look less plastic and more like actual hair. Also, there is an unnatural break where the braid ends and the tuft of hair begins and no attempt was made to hide the seam. Despite its flaws, I love Aladdin’s hair. It’s vibrant, eye-catching and it really pulls the whole figure together.

Hair just doesn't do whatever the hell this is doing.

I’m a sucker for vibrancy and pleasing colour palettes. There is something about his pinkish skin, his bright Capri blue vest and the golden flute that creates a really pleasing combination. It’s reminiscent of a desert landscape. Aladdin’s vest is wonderfully buoyant with the wrinkles and creases placed exactly where they should be. It does have quite a few seam lines however. They’re not intolerable unless you look very closely though I have to say that marring such a gorgeous vest is heart-breaking. 

Aladdin’s flute is stunning. They used a very conspicuous shade of gold which really catches the light. The minute details are carefully and faithfully sculpted. 

Fans of the series will probably note the absence of the magic circle that was inscribed on his flute at the beginning of the series. After a certain event, the circle disappears so rather than being a mistake on the part of the sculptor, it may indicate that this Aladdin is from a point in the series after that incident took place. While the lack of the magic circle doesn't lessen my affection for the flute, I would have preferred if they had included it, if only for the sake of having another lovely detail to ogle over. 

Aladdin’s staff is beautiful. It almost looks like it's made of actual wood. The texture and colouration are wonderfully rustic.

Aladdin’s hands were clearly neglected in terms of sculpting and painting. His left hand has his fingers splayed, which is fine, but it means that I can clearly see how severe the webbing is between his those little digits. Just get a load of that wonky thumb. It makes his fingers appear stubbier. His right hand is an absolute mess. Luckily, his staff diverts my attention away but when viewed up close, it looks like it was made of dirty Plasticine with each finger monstrously thicker than those on his left hand.

Aladdin's feet look minuscule when contrasted with his substantial pant legs but those tiny little bare feet are scrumptious. His feet and toenails were diligently and neatly sculpted.

Aladdin’s pants are ridiculous and adorable. It’s like he’s wearing a big cloud on his legs. Unfortunately these also have some seams but they’re small and thankfully situated on the back where I don’t have to see them. His sash has a dramatic, yet subtle swish to it. The knot is odd in that it doesn't look like it’s attached to the rest of the sash but I will once again concede that it does look like the source material.

Aladdin’s sash is also completely loose. It is not attached in any way to Aladdin and merely hangs there, staying in place thanks to gravity and Aladdin’s puffy pants. There is an odd surprise waiting for the depraved among us who decide to lift his sash and gaze at what lies there (like me). You may have noticed how low both his pants and sash ride. Well, there's a reason for that.

I have no idea why Megahouse thought I’d want to see a ten year old's bare ass but lo and behold, they gave me that option anyway.

Thanks?

Now, is this photo blurry because, A: I had to use my one of my hands to hold up the sash while taking the photo with the other, or is it B: because I smeared a little Vaseline on my lens to create an appropriately ‘porn-ier’ mood?

Answer C: My camera has more shame than I do.

What conclusions can I draw here? Well, other than the fact that Solomon’s proxy doesn’t wear underwear for some reason, and coupled with the knowledge that this isn’t even the first underage character figure from whom a touch of unannounced and unexpected nudity awaited those who purchased them from this figure company, I’ve concluded that they need to do better background checks over at Megahouse. A little hint to whoever is in charge of hiring over there, maybe it’s time to have a little talk with the guy at the office who greets your kids with his hand down his pants. Oh and in case you were wondering, I did take pictures of Aladdin’s exposed Adonis lines as well.

And with this review, Pokethemerch finds itself on some unique government lists.

Aladdin isn’t a technically flawless or complex figure but despite the drawbacks, I think he’s absolutely darling. In terms of quality, he is exactly what I’ve come to expect from Megahouse which is to say that I am neither disappointed nor utterly blown away by this figure. Nevertheless, his cute face, lively pose and bright colours allow him to make his presence known on any shelf. He turned out to be a solid purchase and I’m genuinely glad I didn’t pass on him. 

Aladdin is easily one of my most photogenic figures. I don’t know whether it is due to his pose, his colouration or a combination of both but it was a remarkably easy shoot.

Breakdown:

Box	5/10	Why so busy?
Base	7/10	An unremarkable base but it gets points for effort and suitability.
Pose	10/10	The dunes are alive with the sound of muuuusicccc~
Sculpt	7.5/10	Thought was put into this sculpt and I think it met its goal but what is the story behind those hands? And goddamn, there are so many seam lines.
Paint	8/10	Yes, there are specks and roughness but look at those glorious colours.
Overall	8.5/10	♪Genuflect, show some respect, down on one knee!♪

Manufacturer: Megahouse
Price: ¥6070
Purchased from: AmiAmi

Did you really think I could end this without referencing that movie at least once?
Ash