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, we continue riding the wave with another 8 piece week. Also there’s no Nanoha this time, FOR REALZ.

Kanade Tachibana/Tenshi (Angel Beats!)
Good Smile Company, March 2013, 8000JPY (plus proxy fees, Dengeki exclusive)
(Cast-off)

Dragonzigg: I hate everything surrounding this figure. I hate the fact that GSC chose to make her a cast-off, thus sacrificing the detail of the dress and introducing an unsavoury perverse element. I hate the fact that they had the cheek to charge so much for a 1/8 figure. I hate the fact that they then made it an exclusive, driving the price through the roof and making overseas collectors need a proxy. But I cannot hate the figure itself, which is one of the most gorgeous in recent memory. Even given all that bullshit, I find myself tempted.

Jel: Why would you make this an exclusive? Why would you make it castoff? Why would you make it so expensive? That’s just too many questions to answer for one figure. It’s a shame because its a very pretty and it seems just about all those issues could have been avoided. But I suppose I’m not the one running a successful figure making company, so what do I know.

Timmy:  Kanade is really damn pretty, which makes it a shame GSC chose this route for her. I guess they figured everyone already owns the other Kanade and only a few will buy this one or something? I am honestly quite tempted but I am already spending a lot of money on exclusives.

Aqua: D’aww. Kanade may be the only Key character I truly hold close to my heart. The realization that she was just a innocent girl doing her job turned the heroes of Angel Beats! into a bunch of childish bullies and made you wonder just how much of your opinion on someone is tainted by the impression you get of them from others. Kanade was shy, but quirky and sweet, and badass to boot. Voiced by the lovely and talented Kana Hanazawa, she quickly took over the entire show and swooped all those useless SSS characters and their stupid guns off the stage with her awesome Guard Skill powers and cute wings… And now you can take her clothes off and put her on your shelf. Go you.

The Seven Deadly Sins – Leviathan
AMAKUNI, March 2013, 8381JPY (plus proxy fees, Hobby Japan exclusive)
(Cast-off)

Dragonzigg: As you probably know by now I’m not a big fan of NSFW figures, but this thing has a really nice spiky sense of style to it, very punk rock. She’s not ridiculously proportioned either, but is nicely curvy and its always nice to see a figure of an attractive girl who isnt cowering in fear. That gothic base is really nice as well. Surprisingly up on this one.

Jel: STUDDED BELTS, BOOTS WITH BUCKLES, 3/4 SLEEVE BASEBALL T-SHIRTS, PUNK ROCK YEAHHHH!!!! I love the modern look contrasted with a more fantasy oriented concept. Some really cool, original designs in this line overall, but the fact they are not attached to any series or game or whatever dampens my interest. And of course those prices… my condolences go out to Life and Timmy’s bank accounts.

Timmy: I wasn’t all that excited for Leviathan as the original artwork for her had her in a pose I didn’t really care for. That was of course before I saw the sculpt for this, Holy crap did Amakuni did great job interpreting the character. I had Asmodeus preordered out of curiosity but Leviathan has pretty much sold the rest of the line to me and reassured me that the people doing these know what they are doing. I don’t care what I have to pay, this punk rock bitch is going up on my shelf.

Aqua: Lovely. Although I am not entirely sure on what deadly sin she is supposed to represent (Zigg’s note – it’s Envy) – as far as I know, Leviathan is not one of them – I am sure that we need more of this. A badass punk attire and a facial expression that doesn’t shout “Ooh, kiss me now, you sexy beast” for once, this girl knows her stuff. It’s a public secret that I love me some punk and gothic designs, and I can’t wait to see the other sins being personified. Gluttony? Greed? Lust?  (Timmy’s note – Lust has been preorderable for a while.)

Magical Girl Mirakarun (YuruYuri)
Alter, January 2013, 6980JPY

Dragonzigg:  This is a beautiful, expertly crafted figure, as you’d expect from Alter. It’s a shame anything Yuruyuri related sends me toZzZzZZZZZZZZZz……

Jel: MERU~MERUMERUMERUMERUMERUMERU! MERU~MERUMERUwait what? That’s not this one? Ah well, I wouldn’t buy either one of them, but as far as magical girl parody anime within parody anime characters go this looks very well made. The metallic gold on the stars is a nice touch.

Timmy:  I am not a big enough YuruYuri fan to buy Mirakarun but I have to commend Alter for doing a great job on her, as expected. She is pretty cute and I have no doubt fans of the show will eat this one up.

Aqua: Now you can buy a fictional underaged girl in a tiny miniskirt who is a fictional character in a series about fictional underaged girls in tiny miniskirts. What’s up next? Sensei and Ninomiya-kun nendoroids? Anyways, Mirakurun looks like the most generic magical girl ever, but that is kind of the point. Of course, what could have been a glorious send-up of the most creepily exploited anime genre around (which it sorta was in the first season) has just been turned into a way of squeezing more money out of YuruYuri. At least the sculpt is nice. But seriously, do we ever feature something on here that doesn’t have a nice sculpt?

ARTFX Dark Magician (Yu-Gi-Oh!)
Kotobukiya, January 2013, 6180JPY

Dragonzigg: There’s been some controversy over the use of the manga colour scheme here but really I kinda like it – it makes Dark Magician look way more creepy and awesome than his TV look. Kotobukiya has really done the series proud with the ARTFX range and this thing is no exception.

Jel: I never watched much Yu-Gi-Oh! but I’ve seen enough to know this is awesome. Pair him up with the too hot for kids TV Dark Magician Girl and you’re good to go.

Timmy: I know nothing about this guy but I do know fans of the show are royally pissed off he isn’t purple with flesh-tone skin, which is a real shame since I think he looks great. Kotobukiya will probably release an exclusive alternate color anyways so I am sure everyone will be happy soon enough.

Aqua: I never understood why they changed this guy’s colour palette halfway the show without any real explanation. Oh well. This dude is super special awesome and he has a better design than 90% of the actual characters in Yu-Gi-Oh! I ain’t complaining.

Medaka Kurokami (Medaka Box)
Max Factory, January 2013, 5780JPY

Dragonzigg: Max Factory always deliver a smart, well painted and BOOBS well sculpted figure and Medaka here is BOOBS no exception. The removable armbands are BOOBS a nice touch although I’m not so sure about BOOBS those  glossy stockings – the effect works fine on black but BOOBS looks a little cheap on those garish blue and yellow socks. I’m also just not BOOBS a big fan of the character in general really.

Titties.

Jel: You know what? I’m not ashamed to say I liked Medaka Box and I really like this figure. They absolutely nailed the character, the pose and her expression give off the perfect amount of confidence. The detail work in her hair, the fan, and the armbands is impressive, although I’ve never liked the whole glossy thigh-high stocking thing. If she wasn’t completely falling out of her top I would buy this, and honestly at that price I still might think about it.

Timmy:  Max Factory has done a great job recreating her in figure form and I love almost everything about this figure, everything but the breasts actually. I have come to terms with Medaka’s boobs a long time ago but I am not quite sure I want to add that ludicrous bust to my shelf. A real tempting price though means this one will be in the back of my mind for a while. I guess time will tell if she ends up distributing those armbands amongst my collection or not.

Aqua: Those breasts. How does she keep them stuffed in there like that? That can’t be healthy. Are her nipples on the underside or something?

Rio:BONE Canti (FLCL)
Sentinel, November, 4400JPY

Dragonzigg: Sentinel have rapidly carved out a niche as produccers of incredibly high quality mecha figures and this fella looks to be no exception. Though I’m a little more partial to blue Canti it’s great that they’ve produced both versions and the detailing is just incredible as usual. Hoping to see more FLCL stuff soon.

Jel: I am really hoping the most recent shots are just previews because I’m a little disappointed with the flat paint. Photos as recent as the last WonFes look a little more glossy, even metallic. I am pleased to see the price considerably lower than the original blue Canti, but it is still a bit high for a poseable figure. With my complaints and concerns aside, FLCL is a classic and one of my favorite anime of all time. I would love to own this and I’m definitely thinking about putting my order in.

Timmy:  Just shut up and buy this you two.

Aqua: Dude. It’s friggin’ Canti. Even your grandpa would think this to be an awesome gift.

Fate T. Harlaown Swimsuit ver. (Magical Record Lyrical Nanoha Force)
Alphamax, February 2013, 6030JPY

Dragonzigg: Alphamax’s Nanoha showed up here last week and was a very pleasant surprise, and they’re continuing that trend with Fate. As before the highlightt is that superb, sweeping hair. The ribbons are a really nice touch that add a little flair to what would otherwise be a pretty standard swimsuit getup, although that stomach and hips combo looks a little overly-exaggerated.

Jel: Nice…….. ribbons.

Timmy: Just like Nanoha, Fate’s faded hair really stands out to me.  That along with a nice unique swimsuit makes frilly Fate one pretty lady. I love what Alphamax is doing with these and while I don’t have any plans to buy them myself I certainly can’t fault anyone who does.

Aqua: Did Nanoha dye her hair?

Beach Queens Lan (Rinne no Lagrange)
Wave, March 2013, 3100JPY

Dragonzigg: I’ve been told that the ‘woof’ pose is a series in-joke but here it just looks utterly creep-tastic and serves to make the already pretty borderline Beach Queen look decidedly NSFW. One thing I do like though – the colour co-ordination between her hair, her swimsuit and the ring is a nice touch and lends a cohesive look to the figure. But yeah, you already know if you like Beach Queens or not.

Jel: I understand what they were trying to do but this looks kinda terrible even by Beach Queens standards. Other than her “woof” motion there’s nothing going on here. I could see the pose being a little unsettling if you didn’t know the joke behind it, but I’m assuming you wouldn’t be buying this unless you were a diehard Lagrange fan anyway.

Timmy:  Woof! I think Wave actually did a pretty nice job on Lan here but being a fan of the show, knowing the context, and the fact that swimsuit isn’t all that much more offensive then that one-piece-space-suit-outfit-thing that she usually wears is probably earning some points from me. Hell, I think she’s cute. Excuse me while I go get a gun to put to my head.

Aqua: Who is this and why does she look like she’s being forced to act like a dog for a guy who is currently in the progress of sexually defiling her?

Fate Testarossa Zenshin Zenrei ver. (Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha THE MOVIE 1st)
Kotobukiya, January 2013, 7020JPY

Dragonzigg: I like this a lot less than the equivalent Nanoha we featured last week. Fate’s pose looks awkward and given her, er, brief attire the clothing damage becomes a lot more gratuitous in this context. Bardiche is kind of dull in basic pole arm form and it doesn’t help that Alter produced an all time classic when they took on loli Fate a few years back. Save your pennies for that instead.

Jel: Did we just swap out Nanoha for Fate this week? (Zigg’s note- yup) Ah well, this is a pretty dynamic fighting pose but I’m not sure how comfortable you might feel having an elementary school girl with ripped clothing on your shelf. Also, shouldn’t there be more to her magic scythe thing or am I just not understanding how that works?

Timmy: Like I said last week I am loving these damaged versions Kotobukiya is putting out and Fate was a nice surprise for me this week. From the front she looks great with the torn glove and side. The way the materal is slightly raised in a from her skin to make it look like she is wearing, you know, clothes looks great and I love all the other tiny details that are put in to this.  From the back… Yeaahh, totally showing off her butt but hey, that isn’t the focus of this figure. At least I hope not anyways. Maybe I am just starved for something different when it comes to figures from the show but I find myself loving these two and would love to display them beating the crap out of each other on my shelf. Sadly that price is a bit too high for me to justify another set of Nanoha and Fate but I will no doubt be watching these two in the crazy jungle that is the aftermarket.

Aqua: My God. You can start a museum with nothing but Nanoha figures in it by now. “Could you direct me to the swimsuit hall, sir?” “No touching!” There are so many of these things around you can pretty much count them as a separate, distinct style of sculpting already. Classicism, Kubism, Modernism, Nanoha-ism, etc. In 200 years, our great-great-grand children will be studying this at school. Add another thousand years and aliens will dig these up and think humans actually looked like this. We were tiny and died at the age of 18.