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, it’s the week of figures holding things, including swords, guns, camera, milk bottle and hot pink chainsaws! Also certified Nanoha free ™

Homura Akemi (Puella Magi Madoka Magica)
Gift, April 2013, 7280JPY

Dragonzigg: I really really like this figure. I know there’s been some debate over the face, and it certainly looks nothing at all like an accurate rendition of Homura, but accept it’s an alternative, far more bishoujo take on the character and that’s less of an issue. And everything else is absolutely top notch, the amazing, sweeping hair, the beautiful clothing (note the tiny wrinkles in her leggings where they bend at the knee) and an interesting, unique pose. Hell, even the base is cool! Very tempted by this one.

Jel: I usually like my figures to depict the character as accurately as possible. Gift’s popular re-interpretations of Saber were one of my rare exceptions and I think I have to put Homura on that list. Out of all the Madoka girls Homura has the simplest design, but they still manage to make a gorgeous figure with a strong pose and superb detail where possible. It’s a bit over my usual price limit but I’m going to give this one some serious consideration.

Aqua: Well, this sure is a beautiful rendition of Homura, and a long way from how I’ve usually seen her depicted as of late, stalking Madoka and talking like a Pokémon. This figure brings us back to the mysterious, stoic beauty Homura was at the beginning of Madoka, and this more mature-looking sculpt makes her look like a silent assassin straight out of Gunslinger Girl. I love it when manufacturers take risks with their figures and this is one result worth the experiment. From the gorgeous flowing hair to the stunning attention to detail on her arsenal, this is one figure Homusexual figure collectors should not miss out on. (You’re fired – Zigg)

Timmy: I found Good Smile Companys Madoka line pretty boring. Don’t get me wrong, they are nice figures, but all the paint and sculpting in the world can’t hide a bland pose (not to mention I already have those poses with the petits) so I have held out for someone to release something better. This may very well be it. Great sculpt, paint, and most of all pose, this Homura looks wonderful and I would love to add her to my collection. Its great to see Garage Kits get picked up for figure releases and hopefully Gift decides to release Mami as well.

Lifesong: She looks fantastic, if I were going to get a scaled Homura figure this is the one I would want.

Ia – Aria on the Planetes (Vocaloid)
Aquamarine, March 2013, 7890JPY

Dragonzigg:  I have no idea who this, where she comes from, and I’ve never heard of the figure maker Aquamarine before this. But what I do know is that this is an absolute stunner of a figure. I love the incredible ‘cape’ of hair, the really unique clothing, with the high boots, one stocking and the off the shoulder t-shirt, and I love the pale colour palette contrasted with the strong blacks. Detail looks impeccable as well. A major new player in the figure market?

Jel: New vocaloids clearly mean new figures must be made, so it’s no surprise Ia (based on popular anime songstress Lia. Yes, Ia is a terrible name) is jumping into the market. It is kind of a surprise how nice a figure this is though. Zigg hit most of the highlights but I like the eyes. The paint is incredibly detailed and the blue really jumps with rest of the colors. As a relatively new vocaloid, I do have to wonder if she has enough crazed fans to pay that price tag for her. I’m sure they’re out there.

Aqua:  If you see pretty fanart, yet you don’t know the character being depicted, chances are it’s probably a Vocaloid. There are more of them than there are Gundams by now, and Ia is the latest addition to the ever-growing arsenal of auto-tuned androids. I have always been a fan of Vocaloid’s unique and memorable character designs, but then again, when the design is literally everything the character has going for it, memorable is the least said design should be. Ia’s design looks like a mix of Na-Ga and Tetsuya Nomura and yells “ANIME” at the top of its lungs, but it sure makes for a great figure.

Timmy: Aquamarine? Ia? This is the first I am hearing of both of these things but it appears they have come together to make one hell of a figure. Too bad new companies like to charge quite a bit more for their releases, especially when they know they have made something really nice that people are going to buy regardless.

Lifesong: Wait her name is “La” hah.. Putting that aside the figure itself looks great. I love the attention to detail in her hair.

Nendoroid Petite TYPE-MOON 10th Anniversary Box (Various)
Good Smile Company, February 2013, 4810JPY (for a box with 12 packs)

Dragonzigg: These are cute, and I appreciate that a lot of them have way more dynamic poses than your standard petites. Did we really need three Sabers though (though admittedly Saber Zero’s tiny bike is pretty awesome)? The designs are pretty variable too, ranging from great to meh, though I will concede Phantasmoon looks utterly adorable here. This box contains all 11 individuals seen here, plus a mystery 12th figure.

Jel: Despite GSC’s Fate figure overload, it is nice to see some of Type Moon’s other properties get some attention in this set. Even with the Fate stuff I do like Irisviel and her magic hawk thing and Rin with the coat. The only issue is there’s so many Sabers, I’m sure they could have dug a little deeper in their roster and given some other characters a chance. Overall I think it’s a nice set though.

Aqua: It’s pretty clear by now that Type-Moon figures don’t even need to look good to sell, but hey, I appreciate the effort put into this boxset. Tiny details are what set Nendoroids apart, and the ones in this set are well equipped with all sorts of gizmos, like Nrvnqsr’s snakes at Arcueid’s feet, Ciel’s Executor bazooka or Irisviel’s magic bird. Aside from the gazillion Sabers, this boxset contains characters from all nooks and crannies of the Nasuverse, from Fate/Zero, over Kara No Kyoukai to their latest Witch of The Holy Night. Even “alternative universe” characters like Phantasmoon and Saber Lily are included. Oh, Type-Moon. Congratulations if you understood everything in this post.

Timmy: An these shall be acquired. They all look great even if some of them are blatantly borrowing Alter’s poses, and name for that matter. (Iro’s note: those are all famous poses from their artwork)

Lifesong: I totally thought this was a reprint of an old set when I first saw it. I guess my mind just doesn’t want more tiny Type-Moon characters.

Ikaruga (Senran Kagura)
Phat Company, February 2013, 5930JPY

Dragonzigg: …Look, this is a very smart figure, in an interesting pose, and I really like the colour scheme. The white and gold, with splashes of black and blue, is distinctive, the hair is great and the sword looks lovely. But would someone please remove those watermelons from under her top?

Jel: I thought Senran Kagura was about ninja school girls? I almost mistook this for something out of the Tales series. That is a good thing, as Tales has some great characer designs. Of course that classy uniform can’t hide her… figure, but I suppose that is part of the deal with this particular series.

Aqua: My inner renaissance sculptor just had a heart attack. Anatomy does not work that way, kids.

Timmy: Spoiler, everyone in Senran Kagura has big boobs and Ikaruga is no different. Phat has done a great job with her and she looks great, even with her absurd chest. I just wish she was the same size as my Asuka so I could display them together without looking silly. That is probably Bandai’s fault for not conforming though. Silly Bandai.

Lifesong: I’m surrounded by lolicons here, someone save me! I think she looks great, I love the design and may well put this on order. She is pretty cheap, my only concern is that I will want to pick up this entire line if I buy this, and I am not sure if I can afford that at the moment.

Kanna Tanigawa (Ano Natsu de Matteru)
Plum, November, 5450JPY

Dragonzigg: Kanna was my favourite character in Ano Natsu and it’s really nice to see her getting some love at last, since we’ve mostly been seeing Ichika take centre stage so far. She’s got a pretty simple design, but Plum appear to have nailed it well, and they’ve managed to dodge the trap figures of short haired characters often fall into where there hair just becomes a big nondescript lump of plastic. The pose stands out as well, though it’s pretty unorthodox, and the camera is a nice touch. My major issue here is the colouring, especially of her skin, which seems excessively pale and slightly too yellow. Hopefully this is either a preproduction or a photography issue, because otherwise she looks really nice.

Jel: I’m going to have to disagree with Zigg on this one, I’m not impressed at all. The pose and camera are nice ideas, but her body, arms and head all look out of proportion. Add in that flat, pale face and she kind of looks like an early Griffon figure. That is not high praise. I do like Kanna as a character though, so I hope we see something better in the future.

Aqua: Gotta love that fake wooden stand. Anyways, aside from the whole thing where she looks like she’s about to die from a nasty combination of jaundice and a baker’s dozen of sprained muscles, this figure looks fairly decent. Despite having not watched AnoNatsu, I am an instant fan of Kanna due to her status as unlucky childhood friend who loses the boy she loves dearly to some ditzy new girl we have covered twice already. Then again, there are so many other, prettier figures you could buy with that money!

Timmy: Ugh, this Kanna just looks wrong to me. Mainly the arms and the face are what are putting me off. Pretty sure there will be better figures of her so save your money.

Lifesong: Not sure if like… from some angles she looks really cute, others all I see is derp.

Beach Queens Haruna (Korean Zombie Desk Car) (Kore wa Zombie desu ka?)
Wave, April 2013, 3100JPY

Dragonzigg: Look, we all know chainsaws are awesome. Especially in pink. But look beyond that and you’ll see a figure that isn’t very good. That face is painfully derpish, and the hair is a nasty, ugly lump of plastic. And then of course there is the obligatory young girl/revealing swimsuit factor. Basically, as much as I love Haruna, no thanks.

Jel: I think having a pink chainsaw makes this the best Beach Queen by default. It is however, still a Beach Queen. PASS

Aqua: I know Kore wa Zombie desu ka? is supposed to be about a zombie, but I’m pretty sure Haruna is not that titular zombie. This figure looks like someone stuck a Nendoroid head on that horribly anorexic Kuroyukihime Beach Queen we had a few weeks ago.

Timmy: Bikini babe with a chainsaw, I am ok with this. That reminds me, are there any Lolipop Chansaw figures out yet?

Lifesong: Chainsaws and bikinis are an awesome combination, there should be more of this.

Yotsuba and Black & White Animals Box (Yotsuba&!)
Kaiyodo, December, 7370JPY (For a pack of 24 boxes)

Dragonzigg:

Jel: These are absolutely adorable. I love the sense of scale, particularly with the larger animals. How could you possibly top a figure of our official unofficial mascot swimming with a killer whale? The only problem I see is you have to pay a hefty sum for a box of 24 when there are apparently only 5 figures. Unless I’m misinterpreting how that works, I could see that being a deterrent for some people interested in these.

Aqua:

Timmy: I have to wonder if what she is drinking there came from that particular cow moments earlier. Oh Yots, you so silly. These are all really quite adorable although the 24 per box where there are only 5 figures thing is a little weird. I guess that is what box splits are for though.

Lifesong: Yotsuba never fails to put a smile on my face, and this is no exception.