Hello, and welcome to All Your Monies, where The Glorio Blog’s resident toy and figure collecting crew will run down the last week’s new preorders, turning a loving or scathing eye over what’s been put out for you to spend your hard earned cash on. This week, work has taken us down to just four, but we’re still excited to celebrate the return of a legend.

Momohime (Muramasa: The Demon Blade)
Alter, November, 6220JPY (Re-issue)

Dragonzigg: Alter make the best figures. This is one of the best and most beautiful figures Alter have ever made. What more needs to be said?

Jel: Another pretty re-issue of a character I have no attachment to. If I were to buy a 6000+ yen figure on looks alone though, this would be near the top of the list.

Timmy: Oh man. Momohime is literally the first figure I ever bought two years ago and to this day is still one of my favorites. She is a beauty and it’s nice to see Alter if giving people a second chance to get her. You won’t have any regret adding this one to your collection.

Aquagaze: You have eyes, right? Do you really need me to tell you that this figure is absolutely gorgeous? Use those eyes of yours to notice the detail on her kimono, the texture of her leg armor or the beauty of her hair. So, if you really have no eyes, this beauty is still a lust to all senses.

Marisa Kirasame (Touhou Project)
Max Factory, November, 2800JPY (GSC Online Store Exclusive) 

Dragonzigg: I am not down with the cool kids on the Touhous so all I will say is that this is a smart, good looking figure, I like that grinning face and it’s good this is getting a slightly less exclusive reissue.

Jel: Hot on the heels of the Reimu re-release, I can finally get a hold of both Touhou leading ladies. All Touhou figmas and nendos have been in-store exclusives to this point, and I’ve seen some reselling in the $80-100 range. It’s cool GSC is working around that and at least offering the re-releases in their online shop. So grab one while you can, it’s probably a good investment.

Timmy: Some pretty kick ass faces, and I love the fact she can be posed riding her broom. Marisa is pretty great and considering how high she was going in the aftermarket its nice of GSC to give her a wider release.

Aquagaze: Man, it sure is Touhou around here.

Nendoroid Madoka Kyouno (Lagrange: The Flower of Rinne)
Good Smile Company, November, 2620JPY

Dragonzigg: I love that crazy face but otherwise this is GSC on cruise control. Cute, charming, but hardly essential.

Jel: Kinda on the fence with Madoka. I would have paid another 500-800 yen for GSC to go the extra step and make her battle uniform the alternate body. She never wears her school uniform in the show, they even say that very specifically in the first episode. The tie-in with the Vox egg-plane is cool, but be warned the egg plane kits are real deal models that require assembly and painting. I don’t think I’m going to bite on that, but I love Madoka as a character enough I may still grab the nendo.

Timmy: While I am loving the Madoka’s faces and hair here I find it bizarre for GSC to put her in an outfit she never really wears in the show. Her battle suit or even some Jersey pants would have been better and I would hope she at least has that signature swimsuit underneath her skirt. The Vox kit tie in is pretty neat but it would be a bit of work to assemble. Personally, as much as I love Madoka, I am passing on this unless I spot her on sale or something.

Aquagaze: Excuse me, missy… Are you giving me the finger? I don’t know my Lagrange, but I like this little sport’s attitude. Nendoroids usually look ready to give you a hug, but the only hug you’ll be getting from this little miss is a German suplex to the balls.

Ichika Takatsuki (Ano Natsu de Matteru)
Evolution Toy, November, 10600JPY

Dragonzigg: Bleugh. Where to start here? The horrible dead eyes? The hair that looks like melted bubblegum? The appallingly sculpted skirt? And while I’m not necessarily opposed to cast off figures, they necessitate compromises in the clothing sculpt, and Ichika seems like an odd choice for such a feature. That ridiculous price tag is just the final insult.

Jel: Wow there is just so much wrong here. Aside from being hideous, why would you make a cast-off of a character from such an innocent show? And if you have to make a cast-off, why would you put her in horribly unsexy white hard plastic underwear? AND HOW ARE THEY CHARGING SO MUCH FOR THIS? Is it cold cast or resin or something? (Zigg’s note – nope, regular PVC) These are just going to end up in a landfill somewhere with all the overpriced Taki Corporation Kanu figures that didn’t sell.

Timmy: Goddamn, This Ichika really is not a terrible figure or anything but do they really need to charge that much for her? The cast off option is more then a bit bizarre here, epically for an innocent character in an innocent pose. They must have had to pay through the teeth to get the rights to do this or something. If you are that desperate go pick up a Beach Queens figure of her and save some money for when one of the big companies sells something similar at 2/3rds the price.

Aquagaze: Whoa. Those are some really ginormous b-… bifocals. Seriously, what is wrong with these things? Did she take a peek into a pot of boiling water and forgot to wipe her glasses afterwards? Anyways, pretty decent sculpt, if not for the silly blur glasses. Wait, scratch that. It’s a cast-off? How PURGE WITH HOLY FLAME and spend your money on something less… pathetic. Like the Linkin Park nendos. Even those are less sad than a cast-off figure.

Lisa Silverman (Persona 2: Innocent Sin)
FREEing, November, 6600JPY

Dragonzigg: It’s really cool to see the older Persona games getting some love, but while Lisa may be a fan favourite, she’s not flamboyant or distinctive enough, nor is that uniform visually interesting enough, to give this figure much oomph. It needed a cool pose or gimmick to set it apart as well. Price seems a little on the steep side too.

Jel: Hmm, maybe I should give Persona 2 another shot… I’m guessing it’s based on Soejima’s art and not the original, that piques my interest even further.

Timmy: Don’t really know much about Lisa or have played Persona 2 but this looks to be a nice figure nonetheless.

Aquagaze: … There’s a Persona 2?

Hitagi and Mayoi Ueda Vers. (Bakemonogatari)
QuesQ, November, 3560JPY each

Dragonzigg: If there’s one thing the anime figure world lacks it’s figures with a more stylised, artistic bent so I’m absolutely delighted to see these two appear. While I’ve not seen Bakemonogatari I know the designs well enough to be seriously impressed by the way these two have been transformed, and that jagged, slightly disturbing style is a real treat. More like this please.

Jel: Awesome figures based on awesome art from one of my favorite anime endings ever. They may look a little creepy, but at least they’re not Nadeko creepy. I will probably grab Hitagi, although I hope they release the entire cast.

Timmy: I don’t seem to be drooling over these as much as the other guys here but I will admit they are pretty cool and its nice to see something different come out every once in a while.

Aquagaze: Absolutely. Gorgeous. I adore Hajime Ueda’s style and its beautiful to see these two actually existing. The matte finish, the blocky sculpt, those deliciously creepy eyes — even I can see this is absolute quality. This is what figures are for.