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 pre-orders, turning a loving or scathing eye over what’s been put out for you to spend your hard earned cash on. This week, Glorio bloggers always say ‘Get this shit away from me’!

Hitagi Senjougahara (Nisemonogatari)
Kotobukiya, January 2014, 7730JPY

Zigg: I don’t get some of the more overt weird sexual imagery this figure is sporting, but it’s Monogatari so what the heck. It’s nice to see one of the girls from that show in something other than the (admittedly striking) school uniform and this definitely captures the sadistic attraction of Senjougahara. Kudo to Kotobukiya for going the extra mile with replaceable hair and arm parts too.

Jel: I loved this at WonFes and I love it even more now that it’s painted. The sculpt looks great as expected, but I’m particularly surprised by the number of available extra parts. Now you can cut out the handcuffs and limit your awkward inquiries to explaining what that drink is for! The tradeoff of course are some pretty ugly seams, but I suppose having the option for short hair is worth it.

Aqua: Senjougahara is one of the very few anime characters who could be described as iconic, so a little more variation in her figure lineup certainly does not hurt. Kotobukiya presents a stunning static, with a meticulously crafted facial expression that perfectly encapsulates Hitagi’s ambivalent personality. It is the highlight of an overall well-made figure, yet as is the case at an increasingly more worrying rate, the disturbing sexual imagery and fetish appeal make this figure a tough sell for those not particularly obsessed with the thought of getting abused by cartoon girls.

Iro:  Is that water, or a soda, or what? I won’t claim to know anything about Bakemonogatari, but this is a nice-looking figure.

Nendoroid Mikasa Ackerman (Attack on Titan)
Good Smile Company, January 2014, 3230JPY

Zigg: Very impressive. A great replication of the design with some really cool accessories, like those ace bloody blades. I continue to get behind GSC’s attempt to diversify the Nendo range.

Jel: For “action” characters I definitely favor figmas over nendoroids, so I’m kind of missing the appeal of a Mikasa nendo. The Colossal Titan kind of has that amazing goofy vibe to it, but Mikasa just isn’t doing anything for me. It’s also might be a bit disappointment when she’s not standing with GSC’s awesome not for sale village display. Nevertheless, if you need a Mikasa nendo this delivers the goods.

Aqua: Good Smile has been putting the very best of their efforts in their Attack on Titan line, which proves to be a good decision given the show’s immense popularity. The clever design of their Colossal Titan nendoroid already provided some of the lightheartedness that the show desperately lacks, and Mikasa continues this trend, despite being one of the most serious nendos I have ever seen. Like the Colossal Titan, she comes with a bunch of nice expressions and accessories, allowing you to recreate iconic scenes from the show, up to and including some blades with actual blood on them. With a highly detailed, badass craft, Mikasa seems to indicate Good Smile has moved beyond focusing solely on the “cute”. Nendoroids are great, affordable collector’s items for those with a particular affinity for a certain show, and this one proves that more serious shows survive the translation just as well.

Iro:  Gotta go where the money is, and Attack on Titan sure brings in the rabid fans.

figma Amy (Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet)
Max Factory, January 2014, 3870JPY

Zigg: I really, really like this. It’s a great capture of Amy’s look, and MF have been able to get her slightly awkward clothing down perfectly. The expressions are excellent and though the glider bumps the price significantly it’s such a neat bonus it’s difficult to begrudge that. My biggest niggle though is those white cheek spots, clearly an attempt too recreate the show’s ‘shiny skin’ style. They look super dumb and I desperately hope the production version drops them.

Jel: A lot of figmas have seemed light on accessories lately so I’m glad to see Amy does not disappoint. Who doesn’t want an elaborate figma-sized backpack glider? It’s helps too that Amy’s design is pretty unique, detailed, and adorable and I love the contrast of her teal bag and orange outfit. If I cared about Gargantia more I’d probably pick it up.

Aqua: Some of Gargantia‘s female character designs took the show’s tropical aesthetic a bit too far for my tastes, but Amy’s adorable getup certainly makes for ace figure material. Nevertheless, I think Max Factory’s attempts to keep the show’s notorious “permanent blushing” intact was a rather ill-advised decision, resulting in some pretty jarring white spots on her cheeks. As established before, joints and bare skin don’t exactly blend too well, but at this point we know this is the price we have to pay. The sweet glider, bag and flying squirrel are wonderful additions and Amy’s design is unique enough to warrant a place on your shelf.

Iro:  I honestly thought the figure had a pimple for a moment, but turns out it’s just the perma-blush from the show. That arm joint looks pretty bad, too.

Saber Pajama ver. (Fate/Zero)
Wing, December, 6780JPY

Zigg: This is nice and has some really cool touches, like the floating mane of hair. I do like the pale yellow too, it’s a neat, underused colour. The thing is…why? This barely looks like Saber either – she looks about half the age actual Saber is and there’s nothing here to mark her out as King of Knights. Would be more palatable at maybe a thousand yen less.

Jel: This figure makes me feel nothing. Aside from looking 10 years too young to be Saber, it’s a pretty decent sculpt. It’s just so… boring. Why would you make her pajamas the same color as her hair? Are you trying to visually lull us to sleep? Was that the plan all along and that’s why she’s wearing pajamas and this figure is actually brilliant? OK I’ll stop now, moving on.

Aqua: Wing can be happy there are no other famous anime characters with blonde hair and an antenna, because otherwise no one would have recognized this as Saber. If anything, she looks like a blonde Ilya. Stripping Saber of her trademark armour rather glaringly defies the character’s chivalrous and all-business personality, let alone her right to get as many figures as she does. The figure itself certainly is no abomination, although I think her head looks strangely out of proportion with the rest of her body. The colour scheme, shy pose and neatly crafted frills make this figure into a decent buy, but its existence continues to baffle me.

Iro:  Why? First of all, Saber never wore pajamas in Fate/Zero. The one time she did wear pajamas onscreen in Realta Nua, they weren’t those pajamas! And why does she look eight years old? What identifies this as Saber? What does this have to do with anything?

Haruka Kotoura School Swimsuit Apron ver. (Kotoura-san)
Griffon, October, 7140JPY

Zigg: Jel loved Kotoura-san so this is here mostly to troll him. Enjoy a sweet, beautiful show turned into a piece of cheap fanservice, complete with Griffon face.

Jel: NOOO WHY NOOO. Kotoura-san had a billion imaginary iterations of Haruka and not only do I not think this was one of them, they all would have been better than this. Add on the fact they didn’t even do a good job with it (GRIFFON FACE!!!) and the slim likelihood we’ll ever see another figure from the series and this just makes me sad. I guess I’ll just wait for the nendoroid and pretend this doesn’t exist.

Aqua: Wasn’t Koutura-san a serious show about a girl with psychic powers getting bullied? Oh wait, I forgot, this is the anime industry. My bad.

Iro:  I never really “got” school swimsuits and I still don’t.

Gurren Lagann Complete Model edition (Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann)
Studio Halfeye, January 2014, 53,700JPY

Zigg: This is a very impressive version of Gurren Lagann, and one that achieves the holy grail of all Gurren Lagann figures – i.e. it actually transforms properly. Still, not sure what’s up with that truly wacko price. If you really need a great Gurren Langann, there are way more reasonably priced options out there.

Jel: This figure is the figure that will bust through your wallet. Probably looks about as good as an actually transforming Gurren Lagann could look, but that price makes it totally inaccessible.

Aqua: Don’t believe in yourself. Believe in the me who says you really shouldn’t blow four hundred dollars on a Gurren Lagann figure when there are so much cheaper ones available. That is the way of the real man.

Iro: I like how it comes with a Gurren and a Lagann. Still not worth $550.

Asuna ‘New Wives Always Say Yes’ ver. (Sword Art Online)
Chara-ani, November, 7450JPY

Zigg:

Jel: Nothing classier than placing a pillow on your crotch that says “yes”. Ironically Asuna herself looks pretty well made, but considering there are a million of her figures in the pipeline this should be an easy pass.

Aqua: Congratulations, Sword Art Online, not only have you spawned one of the most despicably objectifying figures in recent history from the cesspools you call home, you have also managed to fabricate a fantastically disturbing apology for rape. “New Wives Always Say ‘Yes'”, huh? I wonder if the judge is going to buy that.

Iro: I think this is based off a Nyantype poster or something. No matter the source, it’s pretty skeevy. I wonder how many more Asuna figures will pop up?