Preorder Outlook XX

It’s been a while since I’ve done one of these, and since Wonder Festival is just around the corner, now is a good time to look at some upcoming figures, before the inevitable deluge of Vocaloid, Sonico, and Fate/stay night figures hits us.

October

ER Doctor Mika from the Daydream Collection
Continuing the professional women theme of the Daydream series, the next figure in the line is a rather underdressed physician by the name of Mika. Nurse Miyuu was the first figure in the series and I purchased her, despite some misgivings. Happily, she turned out great. However, this figure is made by Lechery rather than Kaitendoh, which is reason enough to give pause, as I have zero familiarity with their work. More substantively, the sculpt of her waist and shoulders seem misproportioned. On the other hand, she has a pretty face, a nice ass, and Miyuu turned out pretty well. I’m going to think about this one further.

Izumi Shizuno from se.kirara
After months of teasing, Max Factory is finally putting out scale figures of the girls from se.kirara. The second one will be Izumi, noted in her product description as having “the most perfect body on campus.” That’s a debatable point, given the anime community’s myriad conflicting preferences regarding body shape. A more definite characteristic is the peculiarity of Izumi’s sartorial sense, which leads her to show off the lower part of her brassiere. It looks sort of weird but it also looks great. I’ve liked Izumi ever since I saw Fabienne’s review of the Figma, and I’ve been looking forward to this figure for some time.

Katanako from 7th Dragon 2020
It’s great to see of a figure of a character I’ve never heard of. Indeed, I’m not familiar at all with the series that this samurai girl comes from. That confines my assessment to her looks and her presence and she scores highly on both. She reminds me a bit of Mishiro Akatsuki, the old Shuraki girl (you know, I used to like those pictures). She’s got some interesting proportions – notably, her neck is very slender – but swords and schoolgirls are always a solid combination, and so I think Katanako – Swordgirl or Sword Child, I suppose – is going to go on my order list.

Suzumi from the Yasumi-chan Series
I’ve never paid much attention to Kurushima’s products, but this review of one of their figures over at Neath Grim makes me think that perhaps I should. This figure makes me think so as well; when it went up for preorder, I looked through the pictures as I usually do with most large-sized figures and didn’t think it was special at all. Then I saw the castoff’ed pictures and was like, “Oh.” Suzumi is very, very, cute, and I really do want this figure. However, there is a telling lack of detail on the sculpting, particularly in how the backs of her legs look nearly flat. I might change my mind but I think I am going to pass on this one, even though an insistent, clamorous voice in my head is telling me to stop being a pussy and just do it.

November

Pink Goat Daughter from Keumaya
I own a few Keumaya figures already, but I never got the Pink Goat Daughter. It was one of the first figures of theirs that I saw and it was one that I really wanted, but their retail allotments had long been spoken for and I didn’t want to have to resort to eBay or Yahoo Japan. Happily, collectors interested in the figures can now easily pick them up – the ones sculpted by Vispo, anyway. Unhappily, they’re made by BEAT. I don’t like to rigidly stratify manufacturers into quality tiers but BEAT is a company whose products I shy away from. The previews look fine but I have the feeling that they’re using the original model kit rather than the PVC version. I think I’ll wait for BEAT’s first Keumaya figures to hit the market before I make a decision.

Lisa Silverman from Persona 2
Everything old is new again – the big movies of this summer are rebooted Batman and Spider-Man films, the last Halo game was a remake of the first game (I can still scarcely believe it’s already been ten years), Momohime’s coming back, and rather than make Persona 5 on a current-generation platform, Atlus seems content with remaking Personas 2, 3, and 4 on portable consoles. I’ve not played Persona 2 yet – heck, I bought a PSP solely to play Persona 3 Portable and I’ve barely touched it – but I like how Lisa looks. It’s a very simple figure but the black and white color scheme is striking. What I like best, however, are her pale blue eyes – she looks kinda like an Other-reanimated wight from A Song of Ice and Fire (note: it’s amusing how you can tell who has read the books by whether they refer to the whole series as “Game of Thrones”). I think I might get this figure. I might also get MegaHouse’s Yukiko, too, if she’s still in stock, since I think they’d look good together.

Shiki Ryogi from Kara no Kyokai
One of the rarer and more valuable Good Smile Company figures, Shiki is getting a re-release too. I’ll straight-up say that I don’t know jack about Kara no Kyokai, though if I do review this figure I have no doubt that, as always happens with Type-Moon properties, more than one person will be along to tell me more than I ever wanted to know about its story. Curiously, I don’t remember this figure’s first release at all; I’ve always thought that it looks nice but it made no deeper impression on me. Nevertheless, it is absurdly cheap for a figure, and I do think that she is very pretty, and I think I will order it.

Sister Misa from the Native Creator’s Collection
Native’s newest figure will be Sister Misa, one of the main characters of Raita’s doujinshi series Mahou Shoujo. Typical of Raita’s style, she’s got some odd proportions that are not going to appeal to everyone. Like the 7th Dragon samurai, she’s got a really long and skinny neck, and that bothers me a bit. The rest of her looks great, though. Native has never let me down and I’ve already paid for this figure.

Madoka Kaname from Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica
As one of the few people who hasn’t watched the Madoka anime yet, I’m less enthusiastic about this figure than most. I tell myself that I ought to watch it someday, but I have a pretty good idea of how it goes already and I really do not like the oblate, melon-headed character designs. I’ve ignored all of the Madoka figures for that reason, but this one seems to not have that issue. It looks nice but it’s really expensive, and unless I watch the show and decide I really like the character, I am pretty sure I’m going to pass on this one.

I’ll admit that despite my unfamiliarity with the source material, I’d buy Madoka if she had bigger tits. Or were flashing some buttcheek or something.

Yagyu Gisen from Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls
I own a number of figures from Hyakka Ryouran Samurai Girls, and in my reviews of them I made no secret of my antipathy for the anime. Wondering if my initial reaction was too brash, I watched through it not long ago and wouldn’t you know, it wasn’t that bad. The characters were still unoriginal and poorly plotted but it was a funny show with some genuine heart. I’d even go as far as to say that I liked it, up until the last couple of episodes, which were so monumentally bad that I’ve purged them from my brain (would that I could say the same of Guilty Crown). That brings us to this figure of Yagyu Gisen, a character that I generally liked but thought ought to have been developed differently. She looks fine and she’s from Alter, so it’s not too surprising that I’ve ordered her.

December

Tomo Asama from Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere
Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere figures are finally trickling out – up to this point we haven’t gotten much more than some Beach Queens stuff and a couple of Japan-exclusive Horizons. Tomo is my favorite character in the show and I am thus quite pleased that she’s getting this figure, which shows off the show’s impossibly tight outfits in a magnificent manner. I guess I wouldn’t have minded if she were standing in more of a fighting stance, but beggars can hardly be choosers. If this figure makes its December release date, it might be my favorite figure this year. Note that that opinion is subject to change if I ever take that bikey Saber figure out of its box.

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49 Responses to Preorder Outlook XX

  1. BentoLover says:

    Izumi Shizuno from se.kirara – YES. Though apparently Max Factory have more non-figma scales planned from this series.

    Shiki Ryogi from Kara no Kyokai – A figure from back in the day. It is dirt cheap right now like the original release, but I’m a little hesistant with the quality of the figure. I mean, that price….

    Madoka Kaname from Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica – I seriously considered getting her (from GSC’s online shop for that matter) provided I like the anime. I didn’t, and unfortunately for me at least, that’s an understatement. So passed on her.

    Shiki and Izumi still seem to be pre-orders-open status. While I’d prefer the latter, the rarity and mark-ups demanded by the former before the rerelease does tempt me to her as well… Though if that’s the case Shiki will probably end up as my first unopened figure, bought solely for resale…

    Either way, looking forward to all your reviews.

    • Tier says:

      Izumi really looks great; I don’t actually have a ton of schoolgirl figures (that aren’t named Kanu Unchou, anyway) so she’ll even be a fairly unique figure in my collection. I’m looking forward to seeing the other se.kirara characters get figures; I think I remember that Native had planned to do figures of the characters in swimsuits or something, which would be a little odd but still welcome.

  2. Asa says:

    I have Shiki already, and she was in fact my first figure, as I recall. She is gorgeous, and it’s nice of GSC to keep her price the same as the original with this re-release. Though it will undoubtedly murder aftermarket sales, I think it’s nice more people can have her because she is great.

    I also ordered Madoka, and have been tempted by Yagyu, though I’m not ordering figures from sources I’ve not seen/read any more and since Hyakka was quite offputting to me I think I have to pass on her.

    Most the others you’ve listed here I’m completely oblivious to, though a couple I was aware of, Katanako’s design just looks kinda weird to me, so I gave her a pass, and Tomo is far too mutant for my collection.

    Wonfes in a few days will undoubtedly reveal a bunch more figures for us anyway.

    • Tier says:

      Bunches more indeed; unless they’re all Vocaloids and Nanoha figures, anyway. Though I’d probably still get some of those Nanoha figures. I wonder where is that 1/4 scale bikini Fate Testarossa figure that Gift promised us?

      Shiki’s pricing indeed does come as a surprise; they could’ve jacked up the price to about 7,500 yen or so and I don’t think anyone would’ve been offended. A figure of that obvious quality at about 5,000 yen makes the buying decision easier, even if I don’t know anything about Kara no Kyokai.

  3. Wieselhead says:

    since my last preorder post I’ve placed no new figure orders, I must be ill XD
    ER Doctor Mika looks cool and sexy I really like that design.

    Izumi has such an odd outfit but it is somehow pretty, if the shirt would have been castoffable I’d ordered her . Shiki Ryogi is super pretty in her dress and she is cheap, but somehow Im not that interested in getting her for myself, maybe I should pick her anyway.

    Sister Misa is just stunning, even though it’s the not so common characterdesign of Raita this figure looks just beautiful and sexy. There is also a optional pantsu as far as I know.
    I would like to have her in my collection another exclusive *damn*.

    Madoka Kaname doesn’t say anything to me, it’s a nice elaborate looking dress. Couldn’t she have an evil smile or a cute face at least? Im quite disappointed, this Yagyu Gisen doesn’t show enough skin and doesn’t look slutty enough at all. In the anime she was a horny evil bitch who gave a boob job to the male lead and now Alter presented this X(
    I hope another company will make a figure of her that looks slutty enough for my taste.

    The big boob girls in Horizon *nosebleed* I picked this show up again recently and liked it a lot, sometimes you shouldn’t drop an anime after two episodes I guess. Tomo Asama has a nice bubble butt, but I like the black white colored dress the most and yeah a standing pose would have been better somehow. Hopefully there will be more figures of this anime. I’d love to see the witches or the petite Suzu ^_^

    Oh no, I hope I didn’t sound too picky this time, in your outlook you had a few figures I considered to get as well, but some smaller details made me pass in the end.
    Hopefully Wonfes will offer a few new surprises.

    • Tier says:

      I ought to rein in my orders; I keep telling myself that I’m going to sell off some figures one of these days. I think I can part with figures like Max Factory’s Miku and transvestite Yoko without feeling too sad.

      Haha, yeah, Gisen is not all that dramatic a figure; Jubei and Senhime weren’t all that dramatic either but she’s probably the least dynamic of them. I would personally not have minded too much if they made a figure of her dressed in that little sackcloth dress she was wearing.

      Yeah, I like Tomo’s black and white outfit better; she stands out more with the pink but I think the black and white design works better, particularly since I like the sleeves. Hopefully they’ll keep making figures of the Horizon characters.

  4. nagisa says:

    Hmm Ryougi Shiki: this figure is always on the hype for sooo long to the point that its price plummeted to 25,000 yen before. At least some of us will get her for a reasonable price, but I am not one of those, haha.
    Shizuno Izumi: I like her design I give you that, might considering
    Madoka?: so are you going for the madokamania? I guess the design win over for you but the chest is still not your cup of tea. Might consider her as well, but after Nanoha Second A’s movie, I guess I should hold back for future release. Alter will definitely let this opportunity slip past to them. Combine with great figmas this year, saving is a must this time.
    Tomo: ohh yesss that’s so huge and oversized (and arousing at same time) haha
    Looking forward to your saber photoshoot.
    Oh and Summer wonderfest will be on 29. We will be bombarded with great pics and news for sure so be prepared for anything.

    • Tier says:

      Nah, I think I am passing over Madoka. I’ve only seen the first episode of the show; I liked it a lot, but I haven’t continued on with it. I’ll probably watch through it one of these days, though. Maybe next week, even, since I’m taking some time off of work.

      Wonder Festival will be interesting indeed. It’s always a bit of a shock seeing all the figures get shown off in one day, unlike the other big toy and comic conventions, which seem to last at least two days, and often three.

      • nagisa says:

        So how’s your consensus about the anime so far? No spoilers intended but the anime is somewhat ok, it’s not really that special or unique in someway. As a mahou shoujo fan, it somewhat made a twist, but not so much. In fact, I will still considered Cardcaptor Sakura as one of the best in its genre.
        Wonderfest is the “main figure” convention happened twice a year where major and independent gk makers meet and show off their wares. Maybe from those gk’s we could get a mass released figure (like Nanoha’s Summer Holiday figure for example). Also, they include their so-called event only items which can command high prices on a secondary market. For such a one day event its very significant for all of us, no wonder why its always full and crowded judging from the previous pics of event pre-opening.

        • Tier says:

          Uhh, I’m not too sure, so far, since I’ve only seen the first episode. I remember I really liked the music; there was sort of an Indian or Arabic theme that played near the end that I really enjoyed. I didn’t care much for the character designs but at least the music was very solid.

          I guess summer Wonder Festival is over now; it always seems to go by so fast. There was quite a few good stuff showed off there, and some stuff I wasn’t too interested in, I guess. Probably the most surprising thing to me was the 50 centimeter tall Inori Yuzuriha doll; I didn’t know Azone was making one of those (I had expected Volks to make a Dollfie Dream version of her, though I suppose they still might). Uhh, and the 150 centimeter tall Obitsu doll; a friend showed me a picture of that. It looks pretty spectacular, in more ways than one.

  5. Phi says:

    Despite being a fan of Imageepoch and wanting to get everything related to them, I really can’t see myself picking up that 7th Dragon figure… The figure stays very true to the artwork, but that neck bothers me.

    However, I might put an order in for Lisa Silverman for the very same reasons as you do.

    • Tier says:

      Zombie Lisa! I don’t know what she’s like in the game but I’m guessing she doesn’t look quite so undead.

      Still hoping for a Saber Bride figure; I’d be really tempted by the Figma if I were more of a Figma collector. Someone should also make a PVC figure of Fatima.

  6. Steve Chen says:

    Lol! I managed to convert, albeit even slightly, Tier to liking Samurai Girls. Have to agree with how the anime was developed………too short for the 12 episodes that it seemed rushed Great production values though……….

    The Madoka figure btw, don’t hold your breathe ’cause that gal is the petanko lolli Queen of the Hill.

    On Lisa Silverman, she is indeed a mysterious and haunting beauty, Freeing really did a great sculpt on her………

    Btw, take a look at this fig it it also takes your fancy ………. http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?gcode=FIG-MOE-6243&page=top

    • Tier says:

      Yeah, the presentation was solid. Well, the uncensored version was; my earlier feelings were based on the ink blotted version.

      I was kinda interested in that figure; still am, I think. It is really expensive, though, and there’s something about the slump of her shoulders that bothers me. I really like the themes they’re showing off there, though.

  7. Steve Chen says:

    OCD….my post should have been, “if it takes your fancy…….”

  8. The only figure I have pre-ordered in this list is Yagyu Gisan – I’ve been pretty impressed with the quality and overall presentation of these Hyakka Ryouran figures from Alter, so it was a no brainer to order her. But I’ve always expected her pose to be a little more “cooler” and not so nonchalant.

    I was initially interested in Sister Misa as well from the illustration, but the figure came out weird looking – you’re right in that the odd proportions would turn some people off. lol I also wasn’t a fan of her facial expression.

    Skpping out on Madoka, for some reason that figure doesn’t capture my interest, though I do admit she’s very well done by GSC. I think this is the first time I’m not jumping on the “OMG INSTABUY bandwagon”.

    It’ll be interesting to see what WonFes will have to offer soon… =)

    • Tier says:

      She does look kinda like she’s striking a pose for a photograph or something. I guess the old Jubei figure does too, but Jubei’s the sort of person who would do that while Gisen doesn’t seem to be the sort of person who’d pander to the camera.

      Yeah, I can often be swayed by popular opinion, which is why I own the two Black Rock Shooter figures. I think I’ll feel okay passing on Madoka though, unless I watch the show and decide that I really like her after all.

  9. No Love for Kimi or Futayo from Horizon? *sadface*

    I’m still on the fence about Tomo but she is rather alluring…
    Totally passed on Madoka though. She’s pretty small and her price is really high (that skirt holding her up must be made of some really expensive material) but it didn’t really click with me. Neither did Saber on bike. It’s one of those things where they look really cool until they get put on general release and then you realise that everybody is getting one and then the appeal disappears.

    • Tier says:

      I have tons of love for Kimi and Futayo! And Horizon, Nate, Masazumi, and pretty much the entire cast. It’s one of the few shows where I don’t hate anyone. Usually there’s at least one character in an anime (or JRPG) that I really loathe.

      Yeah, sometimes knowing everyone is getting a figure kinda lowers its collecting appeal. I usually don’t get too bothered with figures like I do with other things (like, if lots of people suddenly start liking a music artist that I’ve been listening to for a while) but I can understand the feeling.

  10. Halbred says:

    Sister Misa is awfully tempting, despite her bizarre proportions.

    I wouldn’t call the Halo Anniversary game a remake so much as a “reskin,” because that’s what it was. They applied better textures to the original game’s low-polygon character models. Kind of a cop-out, when you think about it, and they just carried over the multiplayer from Reach. I felt like it would’ve been a better downloadable title ($20?) than a retail game ($40, but still). There are rumors swirling now that Halo 2 will be getting a similar HD treatment–that could be pretty cool, since Halo 2 looks worlds better than Halo 1 on its own.

    • Tier says:

      Ah, well that’s unfortunate, since I really liked the first Halo game and I was thinking of picking up the 10th Anniversary version. I probably ought to first buy Halo Reach, though, since I haven’t done so yet. I haven’t played through ODST either, even though I have it sitting on the stack of 360 games. I’m not really looking forward to the next console generation since I know I’m not going to ever play through these games if I don’t finish them in time.

  11. TomTheCat says:

    Sorry for the off-topic, but your first link (with Doctor Mika) doesn’t work. Or is it just my PC that doesn’t like it?

  12. Devastator001 says:

    For me am Gunning for Sister Misa and Madoka with the Skytube Inya and Ignis of the ENdless winter for pre-orders. XD.

    I decided to pass Tomo Asama after noticing the weird way they arranged he back (almost “L” gah it hurts just looking at it)

    • Tier says:

      All good figures. I must admit that the Muv-Luv Alternative Total Eclipse characters are not exactly what I expected them to be, except for Yui. I’m still looking forward to Santa Cryska and the two bikini Inia figures, though.

      Her back does have a pretty strong arch to it; I think it looks pretty sexy, though I can see how it’d also be disturbing, too (kinda like this NSFW animated gif I came across a week or so ago).

  13. Kusano says:

    That Madoka is known as Kami Madoka aka GODOKA. A mahou shoujo who transcends time and space! I like the series but I’m not a Madoka fan either. I’m more of a fan of Homura, her BBF. 😀

    None of the Horizon figures interest me either. WHERE’S MY KIMI-NEE? D:

    • Tier says:

      Indeed! It’s sorta funny, I’ve been trying to avoid spoilers about the series, although I had gotten a pretty good idea of how it went. Then GSC confirms my suspicions with the first sentence of Madoka’s product description. Oh well,

      I would really like a figure of Kimi as well, Or Bel Fiore whatever name she is going by these days. Preferably in a pose where she can hang onto a metal pole.

  14. Cantan says:

    Must admit that I was expecting you to include the new 1/7 Yukihime (Shining Blade) – I know that you have have complained about Tony’s work before, but I thought there would be enough there to pique your interest – clearly not.

    I did buy both versions of the Goat Daughter (black and pink) from a chinese reseller a couple of years ago – unauthorised copies but sufficiently good for me to suspect that they came from the original production line. I’m sure that that must upset a few people but the first worthwhile thing the European Parliament has done, imo, was to throw out the stupid ACTA copyright treaty. Imagine the BEAT version will probably provide (glued on) underwear – probably too explicit for the mainstream otherwise.

    There are a few figures on your list that I am vaguely interested in but am trying to scale back on my preorders (seem to say that a lot)… spent a fair amount on a new pc this month (and am still trying to work out what car I want) and then had a nasty shock when E2046’s bill for Selvaria arrived… thought I’d have at least another couple of months before she would be ready (and I’m not too happy about the bright red colour scheme on her gun either!)

    I need a better paying job… and a few months without figures!

    • Tier says:

      I must admit I do not remember which Yukihime that is; they’re all kind of melding together in my mind. Hell, I’ve got a figure of Yukihime sitting in her box here, the Kotobukiya one with her in a thong. It’s a nice figure but I haven’t taken it out of its box and it has been sitting on the stack for over a year.

      The preview shots of the BEAT figures show them to be fully castoff-able – if those are really the BEAT figures and not the older model kits, which I am not entirely convinced of. Mainly though, what makes me think that way is that the figures look pretty decent and I am not very confident that BEAT can make a figure that good.

      Don’t we all! I need to cut down on the number of big-ass dolls I buy … I want that Girlfriend doll. Which sounds all kinds of wrong.

  15. Aaron says:

    I like the majority of these figures in this Preorder Outlook, but will not buy any of them even though there are a few I really like.

    Doctor Mika looks good, but I have to agree with you about her odd body proportions. I think this may be a trick of the angle she is standing at and will look different better is she is turned a little bit.

    I like the design of Izumi and I have a thing for that style of hair ribbon / hair band on anime girls so this figure piqued my interest, but since I know nothing about the anime I won’t get her. I never noticed the bra thing though which I think is sexy. Add garters and I think I may have to pick this up from a bargain bin if it gets there.

    Katanako was a figure I thought about ordering even though I know nothing about her or what she is from. I like the pose and the red stockings, but I could not get past her cyborg (or is it armor) arm. It just doesn’t fit her in my opinion. And now that you have talked about her neck, it looks way too long.

    I don’t really care for Suzumi or Pink Goat, but I do like how Suzumi’s underwear is being pulled down. I should look at more pictures though since you say she is cute. PInk Goat’s sharp face and funny colored nipples are really off-putting to me.

    I also like Lisa, Shiki and Tomo Asamai. All of these figures look great. I really like how they did Lisa’s hair and like Shiki’s simple look. I absolutely love Tomo’s ass and how skintight her suit is. I hope her ass looks as good from the back as it does from the side. I won’t order any of these, but I think they would be good ones for a collection.

    Sister Misa is one of the few Native figures that doesn’t do anything for me. I think it is a great sculpt and design, but I am not a fan of the pose. Her face kind of reminds me of Maetel from Galaxy Express 999 (or possibly even Queen Emeraldas), which I like. I hope she gets a little more genital definition than what Native has been putting out though.

    Yagyu looks just as good as all of the other Hyakka Ryouran Samurai girls from Alter. You can see in the promo pictures just how much detail the place in their figures. Her gloves look amazing as does the sword. I wish she had a slightly more interesting pose or face though.

    And finally Godoka (a character and anime I have no knowledge about). I wanted to buy her. I think the sculpt is amazing and she looks great. I like the paint scheme and how the inside of her dress has that cool star pattern. I even like how her dress is the part that is elevating her. Why didn’t I order her though? She costs way too much for a 1/8 scale figure. I know she is intricate, but I have seen some pretty amazing detail on figures by Alter and GSC for almost half the price. She isn’t that much larger than the Alter Strike Witches. I may get her when she is released and her price likely (hopefully) drops, but not yet. I am still waiting for pictures of her chest (so a picture 90 degrees to the left) and of her underwear. I just want to know if she went with star pattern or dress pink.

    I always like your splash images for these outlooks. I always try to look for at least a couple of them.

    • Tier says:

      I have the sense if I were to get the ER Doctor, I’d turn her so that her back view were on display. I’m hoping that she won’t sell out by the time Akibahobby or Moeyo get a sample review up; I want to see more pictures of her. Lechery didn’t provide nearly enough pictures.

      Ah, well, Izumi comes not from an anime, but from a visual novel. A pornographic visual novel. A freeware pornographic visual novel, no less. Very cute scenes though I wonder why Izumi looks like a combat miko in a number of them.

      I had not noticed Katanako’s asymmetrical limbs but the thing that bothers me about her (besides the length of her neck) is her color scheme; it reminds me a lot of Kotobukiya’s Kagura, whose color scheme I also did not care for.

      Yeah, Misa’s sharp features are a throwback to those shows. I like her pose in the context of her obviously distraught expression, but I generally prefer figures that are standing up. It looks like Native is going to make a figure of her counterpart from the doujinshi; I’m curious to see what that will look like.

      Madoka is pretty expensive and that was definitely a deterrent. Then I saw how expensive Amiami’s 1/8 scale Houki figure is. I think I will be skipping both.

      I ought to give credits for those pictures in the header … the Madoka one is by Lolita Channel and the Samurai (actually from the original 7th Dragon) in the lower-right is from Fumihiro or Yoru no Benkyoukai, whose doujinshi I am a big fan of. The other images are from official art or, in the case of Yagyu Gisen, a screencap from the anime.

      • Aaron says:

        Freeware graphic novel huh? Where does one find these things?

        • Tier says:

          Uhh, that is a good question. As I recall, to download the game you needed to sign up for an account on Niconico, and this was when signing up was a bit of a convoluted process (I think they’ve since put in English language features so it’s a lot easier now). The download page used to be here; I don’t see any download, though, so I’m guessing they took it offline and I am not sure where it is available now.

          However, if you are interested in playing a freeware VN, I would recommend Katawa Shoujo. It’s in English, the characters and plot are interesting, but it stays close enough to the common VN tropes so that it will appeal to anime fans. The characters are, uhh, a bit different than typical anime girls, though.

  16. TomTheCat says:

    Just seen on myfigurecollection that Suzumi comes in two variants, one with white dress and bra, the other with yellow dress and bra. Panties are white on both variants.

    • Tier says:

      She does! I’d go for the white one if I got one of them. Although I’d remove her dress right away so I guess it wouldn’t matter a whole lot.

  17. Damn it, I can’t stand Izumi’s shirt. I can’t STAND it. It looks like a hot mess, which is a shame since I like the rest of her. Maybe if she was wearing a bikini (or nothing at all) I’d consider getting her. But that current outfit? Total killer for me.

    I’ve got Shiki on pre-order as well. That was one where I pre-ordered her for her first release but cancelled due to financial issues…and boy did I regret it after she was going for $200-$400 not too long after release. There are no words for how happy I am that she’s getting a re-release!

    And Misae from Mahou Shoujo…this is one I was initially on the fence about since I try to avoid obviously naughty figures, but I just liked her simple design and body sculpt too much to pass. Those breasts, seriously. Wow. I also like the ashamed look on her face. The super long lance is also a plus!

    • Tier says:

      I had to go to Urbandictionary to discover the meaning of that phrase. Christ, I am old. When did kids stop saying “sike”?

      No underwear for Izumi would be absolutely awesome. It’s too bad they did not go that route, especially since I’m looking at a figure with a loose shirt and no bra right now. Her blouse is unusual enough that I like it, but that line of flesh between her bra and her corset really bugs me.

      I wasn’t really too sure about Misae either; I generally like Raita’s style but there are a lot of artists out there whose style seems to not translate too well to figures. Like Redjuice, for instance. I’m not sure that Raita’s style does, either, but the theme and subject material won me over. I’m withholding judgment on Sasaki until they paint her up; she really looks like she needs a double helping of red beans and rice and a pork chop. Then again, there’s something artistic about her apparent anorexia that is oddly appealing.

      • G.K. Sil Kamina says:

        The nice thing about Urban Dictionary is that it gives you at least five ridiculous definitions for the most absurd phrases. I still use SIKE every now and then…but usually as a complete joke because of how outdated it is. I remember using it seriously in elementary school in the early 90’s. Ah, the memories.

        Raita’s girls do have crazy proportions. Sasaki’s sculpt is looking great so far but she’s got the longest, skinniest legs I’ve ever seen on a figure. I was about to joke at how Ishinaga Sakurako should be the sculptor because anorexic girls with elongated proportions are his/her specialty…only to find out Sakurako really is making Sasaki…

        • Tier says:

          Yeah, I’ve pretty much come to terms with the fact that I’ve been completely generation-gapped. I remember thinking that I’d never be like my dad and think that contemporary music sucks but listening to the radio in my friend’s car … yeah, contemporary music sucks ass.

          It sounds like they got the right guy for the job, then. I’m really liking how Misae looks, having seen some more pictures of her from all the Wonder Festival stuff, so I am guardedly optimistic about Sasaki.

  18. aggrogahu| says:

    You probably will end up passing on Madoka. I think that most people will like the show as a whole, but not particularly Madoka as a character. Anyways, I still say the show is worth finishing. I don’t know what was ‘spoiled’ for you, but I can assume which parts, and I think the rest of the events in the show still make for a good series.

    BTW, is that Madoka top left in the first image?

    • Tier says:

      I sort of have an idea of how it ends, and of course I know about the famous, uhh, gastronomical scene. Yeah, that is indeed Madoka, from one of the images by Lolita Channel.

  19. Steve Chen says:

    http://www.amiami.com/top/detail/detail?scode=FIG-IPN-4716

    Hello again Tier. Though you have quite a small number of Megahouse figs compared to your other figs but have you even considered getting this beauty?
    I don’t know what spell this siren has cast but even before it reached pre-order status in amiami, Hobbysearch and hlj, she like got sold out faster that a spit dries in Death Valley! Heck, even the second release sold out! Is One Piece really that hot? Anyway, cast off features aside( I know Toei won’t allow such blasphemy to be heaped on this Princess) she looks quite well made.
    Any chance you own one?

    • Tier says:

      I have not; I do not know anything at all about One Piece nor do I have a big thing for mermaids (except for Ariel in Disney’s adaptation of The Little Mermaid, I guess; she was pretty cute. Nice top, too.). She’s really cute, though, and she has a great-looking top, too.

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