Hello, and welcome to All Your Monies, where The Glorio Blog’s resident toy and figure collecting crew (and Aquagaze) 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, I’m ashamed to say I’m way more excited about the fact GSC announced a Sakura Kinomoto Nendoroid than anything here.

Figma Yuno/Nendoroid Yuno (Hidamari Sketch)
Max Factory/Good Smile Company, May 2013, 2420/2640JPY

Dragonzigg: Oddly enough, I really prefer the figma for this. You’d think Aoki’s trademark super-wideface would work best in Nendoroid style, but in fact I think the huge Nendoroid head removes some of the distinctiveness. The Nendoroid does get the best accessories though, although I’m not a big fan of the blank face to apply decals to – there’s too much potential for a cock-up, and shouldn’t GSC really be doing this for you? The figma is lovely but a real tough sell at that price with basically no extras.

Aqua: 

Jel: I… don’t know how to follow that. Yuno looks cute but each version has it’s weaknesses. The nendoroid has more accessories but it also has the annoying decal faces. It’s nice to have choices but in my experience they’re more trouble than they’re worth. The figma looks great but seems nearly devoid of extras.

Timmy: Pretty much what Jel said. Both are pretty cute and well done but there isn’t a whole lot of subsistence aside from that. They are priced a little lower to reflect that though and fans of the show will still very much eat both of these up. Hell, I am a little tempted myself just because she is pretty damn adorable and her face matches my Madoka collection.

Nendoroid Kirito (Sword Art Online)
Good Smile Company, May 2013, 2640JPY

Dragonzigg: It’s always fantastic to see a male Nendoroid, but Kirito really wasn’t the best subject they could have chosen.  That long coat and swords combo can look extremely badass in the right situation, but the right situation is not a super-deformed big headed figure. It also seems a bit weird to take a character who’s all about fighting and action and turn him into a figure with extremely limited poseability. I’m not exactly bowled over by the extras either. Nice try GSC, but no cigar.

Aqua: They told me to not let my feelings vis-à-vis Sword Art Online and Kirito as a character influence my thoughts on this figure, so… here goes… Uhm… It’s nice to see a male character getting a Nendoroid… and he has a pretty cool coat, I guess. It’s nice that he comes with a lot of swords… because… the show is about swords… Though I have to say the silver lining is a bit shaky in a few places… If I’m allowed to say that. His accessories are kind of random too, but I suppose Kirito doesn’t really need much else than swords. So… yeah… This is a pretty good nendoroid if you… if you… if… you… l… li… like… like K… like Kiri… to… for some reason…

Jel: I always thought Kirito’s outfit looked like it was intentionally designed to be cosplayed at anime conventions. He does look pretty cool in a generic shonen action hero sort of way I suppose, but hey, if you love SAO he’s exactly what would want from a Kirito nendo.

Timmy: Looking pretty good there Kirito. If there is something SAO has been pretty consistently good with its the character designs and Kirito translates well as a Nendo. Its refreshing to not only see a guy from the line for once, but a non school themed nendo to boot. Quite tempted in both him and Asuna.

Nendoroid Stardust Witch Meruru (Oreimo)
Good Smile Company, May 2013, 2640JPY

Dragonzigg: I think sometimes anime fans get so caught up in the medium they forget the meaning of irony. Meruru was meant to be a parody of everything that’s bad about magical girl shows – the ridiculous designs, the inappropriate oversexualisation, the tired ‘love and friendship’ plots. Now that this is a real thing that you can use real money to buy though, the circle is complete. It’s funny, if your sense of humour is as black as mine. If it isn’t you might find it somewhat distressing.  Oh and let’s not forget – purely aesthetically this is a super gross design, which makes sense because, you know, it’s a spoof. Supposedly.

Aqua: Meruru was funny when it was supposed to be a parody of horribly generic and mildly creepy magical girl shows. But because Tsukasa Fushimi likes money, it just had to become an actual thing, didn’t it? If you take pride in having the same taste in anime as TV’s Kirino Kousaka, then by all means, add this one to your collection. If you take pride in your value as an anime fan, scroll on.

Jel: The fact that this thing exists is pretty funny in a meta sort of way, especially with the clever display stand doubling as an accessory. I wouldn’t buy the thing personally but it’s probably worth it for the Moeception factor. Also, thanks guys, this will now be stuck in my head the rest of the day.

Timmy: Hah, now this iteresting. Not only have they dropped a suprise Meruru on us but they also threw in a base to recreate a figure from the show. Very clever, GSC. I have no doubt Oremo fans are already clamoring over this and while it isn’t really my cup of tea but I love the idea none the less. Actually a little surprised Meruru doesn’t already exist as an actual anime yet.

Figma Dead Master TV Animation ver. (Black Rock Shooter)
Max Factory, May 2013, 2880JPY

Dragonzigg: This thing looks incredible, but there’s simply too much going on here – too many frills, too many ruffles and too much crazy design. I love the amazing scythe, the clawed hands are incredible and the veil works much better here than it did on the Nendoroid. But the whole thing looks messy and overblown, and could probably have done with some severe toning down. Having said that, there’s still a part of me which thinks this is amazing, so call me indecisive.

Aqua: There should be a rule that forbids figmas being announced from characters that already got a nendoroid a few weeks earlier. While the sycthe and the claws look gorgeous  Dead Master’s bridal veil looks even more ridiculous than ever before. Just like the figma Black Gold Saw, Dead Master also suffers a bit from her new design. While the anime version of the character adds some colour to the mix, this rather waif-ish version of the character doesn’t come up to scratch with the more visceral original by huke. And with said design already having two absolutely gorgeous statics and a pretty decent figma out, why would you take this bride home?

Jel: Much like the nendo, not feeling great about DM’s TV look. I appreciate what they were going for with the veil but it just doesn’t work. That is one REALLY cool looking scythe though, and if you’ve opted for the TV versions of BRS then you shouldn’t feel too bad picking this one up.

Timmy: I actually really like this. The scythe, claws, dress, face. They all look great. While I do admit she is a little cluttered I think that just makes her more removed from the original and increases her appeal. While I have avoided BRS for the most part if I would be collecting it I would be very much considering this.

Akari Akaza (YuruYuri)
Alphamax, June 2013, 5560JPY

Dragonzigg: It’s a smart design, well painted and sculpted, even if the pose is kind of generic. There’s some nice detail too, like the seams on the swimsuit or the multi-stranded hair. Subject matter is not my cup of tea naturally, but hey, if you’re into this it’s cute and Alphamax look to be carving out a nice niche here. Totally unoffensive.

Aqua: Hey you! Are you for some insane reason interested in buying this boringly sculpted figure of a twelve-year-old in a swimsuit? Check that price tag! Indeed! It’s not a Beach Queen! For this price, you could actually get an awesome figure! Enjoy your purchase!

Jel: YAAAAWN. I’m surprised she’s not invisible.

Timmy: Eh, While Alphamax does make some really nice swimsuit figures and that applies to Akari here, I can’t say I am feeling this one. She looks nice and all but maybe I am just Akari’d out.

Joey Wheeler (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters)
Kotobukiya, April 2013, 5430JPY

Dragonzigg: For somebody who I always thought had a super-boring character design, Kotobukiya have done a great job jazzing up Joey for this release, with an exciting pose and some cool detailing. Yes, it’s sort of weird they decided to go all glossy with the paint, but the detailing here is still excellent.  Check out the paint on the shoes, the cloth wrinkles in the trousers and the billowing jacket, and the way the sculptor has brilliant captured Joey’s super dumb hair.  This Yu-Gi-Oh! line has been one of the surprise highlights of the year – they’ve all been beautifully made and generally excellent. Marik next please!

Aqua: … Wait, I thought only Yami wore leather in Yu-Gi-Oh!? Are you telling me the standard school uniform is made out of leather? What else could that possibly be? Latex? Spandex? Anyways, I always love seeing a classic hero getting a figure. Many of my buddies considered Joey their favourite character, because unlike Yugi, he wasn’t anything supernatural like an Egyptian pharaoh, teen genius or girl who likes card games, but just a cool dude like you and me! Oh, and he didn’t have to cheat to win his duels either. And he had cooler cards. Time Wizard, hell yeah! Oh, nostalgia.