Hello, and welcome to All Your Monies, where The Glorio Blog’s resident toy and figure collecting crew (and Iro) 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 time we have six same faces

figma Osomatsu/Karamatsu/Choromatsu/Ichimatsu/Jyushimatsu/Todomatsu (Osomatsu-san)
Max Factory, October, ¥3,612

Zigg: Look, I get that the schtick of the Matsuno clan is they’re all pretty much the same but releasing the same figma six times with no differences except for a few facial expressions isn’t just lazy, it’s nastily exploitative. On top of that, I get the suits are their ‘classic’ look but in this show they’re much more associated with their coloured hoodies and it would have added a nice bit of variety and a genuine reason to collect them all. The lack of accessories also stings really hard, especially since there are so many great jokes that could be set up. Where’s Jyushi with his baseball bat or Choromatsu and a tissue box? Disappointingly bad.

Jel: Full disclosure: as much as I talk about figures here, I haven’t actually bought one in a long time. So the fact that I had every intention of buying this Jyushimatsu figma means I was really, really excited for it. Now I’m just extremely disappointed. I know figmas these days don’t come with much in accessories, but no accessories at all seems extreme. How can you possibly justify selling a Karamatsu figure without sunglasses??? Then on top of that we only get one alternate face per brother? Granted they get credit for recreating the Totty Face, but with all the incredible reactions in this show I expected more. To top it off, they color the little highlight in their hair with each of their image color which is a pointless detail and I hate it. Ultimately it seems like they are pushing you to buy the entire set, which seems unreasonable to me, but given the show’s massive popularity I’m sure plenty of people will do it. Guess I will wait for the nendoroids now.

Aqua: What do you mean, they could have just released one figma with six different faces? Oh, you sweet summer child…

Revy (Black Lagoon)
New Line, July, ¥16,800

Zigg: It’s great to see Revy as a figure again, especially in a slightly more relaxed, friendly look as opposed to her usual psycho action style. I’m not sure about that background – I get it’s meant to be a torpedo but it’s still a little…suggestive given the way it’s abruply sliced off. I guess that suits the character though? This is also a polystone statue, which I’m very much against since it’s heavier (causing hugely increased shipping costs) and way more fragile than standard PVC. However, it’s normally also much more expensive and this at least seems within a sane price range so marks for that.

Jel: I’m always a fan of seeing classic characters get new figures and this looks really cool. Revy herself looks great, although I’m sure Freud would have a field day with that missile/torpedo thing in the background. Surely I’m not the only one that noticed that, right? About the only negative is this is a polystone figure which jacks up the price, but other than that I’m cool with it.

Aqua: Even when she’s chilling out, violence is never too far from Revy. While it’s an oddly relaxed pose for a character who spends 90% of her screen time fighting (and the other 10% boozing), I do quite like it. Plus, the sheer amount of detail on this figure is amazing, ranging from the — frankly quite unnecessary — relief on Revy’s tattoo to the realistic stains on … whatever that thing behind her is supposed to be. A certain recommendation for all those people who wish for the good old days when anime was about sexy chicks with guns in stead of about, err, prepubescent girls with guns.

Zuiho (Kantai Collection)
Phat Company, September, ¥16,800

Zigg: I…I actually like this? Shocking I know, but it’s a reminder that when they can keep it in their pants the Kancolle designers are capable of some imaginative stuff. The tied up pants are cool, the pose is interesting without being anatomically improbable and the overall paint job is really rather excellent. I’m especially a fan of the swirling blue waves on the base, which give off a lovely glow. It’s unfortunate then that the designers decided to include the Zero fighter planes, which are an uncomfortable reminder of how misguided this venture is at its base.

Jel: This is pretty cool in principle, particularly the water base and the sense of motion in the pose. The blue water contrast with her red and white outfit is very striking as well. I hate to say it though, I find the tiny airplanes with their very noticeable stands to be distracting, a bit more than usual. I also can’t get over the general KanColle fatigue we have from seeing dozens of other similar figures, but at least this is one of the better ones.

Aqua: I have to grant KanColle one thing, at the very least it is occasionally creative in ways few other moe anthropomorphism franchises are. Aircraft carriers as archers shooting out fighter planes like arrows? Pretty cool idea! Unfortunately, that creativity doesn’t extend to the characters themselves, as Zuiho here looks rather similar to her fellow aircraft girls. Figure-wise, however, there’s not a lot to complain about, with an action-packed pose, cool base and sufficient eye for detail and composition. If you somehow like this ship girl more than any other ship girl, be my guest, but I stopped trying to tell them apart about a dozen figures ago..

Edna (Tales of Zestiria)
Alter, September, ¥12,800

Zigg: This is one of the best figures I’ve seen in this feature for quite a long time. There’s so many things I like about it – the lovely soft yellow/brown palette, the modest yet cute outfit, the gigantic boots – that it’s difficult to know what to highlight. Plus, there’s Alter’s typical incredible level of quality to gawk over. Check out the adorable hanging figure, or the clasps on the boots. Still the benchmark for a reason.

Jel: I’m way behind on my Tales knowledge so I don’t know who this is, but it sure is a great looking figure. I’m loving the warm color palette, and that is an incredible amount of attitude coming from a sitting pose. I wish I had something to say more insightful than “as expected of Alter” but when you look at the awesome details like the boots and the flower on her thigh, that is some classic Alter quality.

Aqua: Tales of Zestria was a bit of a disappointment, yet you won’t hear me complaining about this little lady and her endless cavalcade of terrible puns and snide remarks. I love Edna’s design, and this figure does an absolutely excellent job at conveying both her immaculate fashion sense and permanently grumpy personality, from the little Normin plushie dangling from her umbrella — mind you, she doesn’t particularly care about Normin at all — to those oversized cowboy boots. The well-crafted base is a nice shout-out to her powers, bringing just a bit of magic into this otherwise quite elegant little statue. You should probably get it. Loser.

Julius Will Kresnik (Tales of Xillia 2)
Alter, September, ¥11,800

Zigg: Not quite as striking as Edna but still an exemplary example of Alter’s craftsmanship and a reminder that they’re still the company to beat for male figures. The little subtle details like the movement of the coat do a great deal to add a little life to the figure, and the paint on those pinstripes is so sharp you could cut yourself on it.

Jen: Take everything I said in the last paragraph and replace boots with “wingtip shoes” and flower on thigh with “pinstripe pants”.

Aqua: Oh hey, a character from a Tales game that’s actually good! I usually prefer my figures a bit more expressive and kinetic, though in this case, the dramatic walking pose work, capturing the coolness of the character and highlighting just how snazzy of a dresser he is. Paired with his faithful younger brother, Julius will look great on any fujoshi’s Tales fan’s shelf.

Silica (Sword Art Online)
Broccoli, July, ¥11,800

Zigg: This is surprisingly OK? Like, the pose is neat, the swimsuit is actuall vaguely modest and appropriate and having the cool dragon thing is nice. It’s cute! But still not the kind of thing I’d really be into.

Jel: I don’t think this girl has been eating well. Get her some fruit. And a cheeseburger.

Aqua: This is one of these ‘at least’ figures, isn’t it? At least she looks like she’s having fun? At least she’s wearing a swimsuit a child her age would realistically wear? At least they’ve tried out a unique pose and given her some cute accessoires? But yeah, no ‘at least’ is gonna prevent Silica here from looking like she’s suffers from jaundice. Or just broke her leg.