Metal Reversed Cap Pikachu Keychain

As a fan of Pokémon and related things to it, I love getting all sorts of merchandise. One thing I'm a little less keen about is getting duplicate merchandise, and if it did happen, I'd have to figure out what to do with it. That was almost what happened when I got a certain piece of merchandise, again from Sunday's big event. I got it almost without thinking, and I realized after I got it that it bore similarity to one that I'd previously gotten. Fortunately, I checked my records - this blog - and found that it was only similar, not an exact duplicate. All the same, the item also deserves some discussion.

The composition of the item is nearly identical: Pikachu is present wearing a cap, and it is present attached to a chain along with a Poké Ball. The most important detail, however, is that the cap is worn reversed instead of with the visor forward, obscuring most of the design on its front. Yet the design is perhaps easy to deduce; given only two of Ash's caps (Original and Unova) have the same cap design on the front and back as this cap, it is most likely one of either, though given the similarity of this merchandise to the other, it most likely means that the cap is meant to be the Unova cap.

The identical qualities of both items go all the way to the design. The Poké Ball looks much the same way and the metal trim is very much similar. It would be no surprise, then, that the two items were created by the same maker. Another thing that supports this theory is that the packaging is totally the same, even down to the image of Ash in the background, though the only difference is the addition of the Pokémon logo. Because of this, the two items are expected to have the same functions, either as a keychain or as an ornament, though this time I wasn't given a connector to make it the former. It's too impeccable, and it's got to be true.

I'm still pleased to have gotten this particular piece of merchandise. Its uncanny resemblance to the other one I got is not something to be worked up over, but instead something to be impressed about. It's almost like the two are meant to be, one being the front aspect and one being the back aspect. Of course, the key aspect is the Pokémon aspect, something that I didn't ignore when I obtained it. I will still need to be attentive and make sure that I don't get something duplicate when that is definitely not the intent.

One year ago: The Subdued Hometown Themes