Tempting Figures I Shouldn’t Buy

For some reason or another the other day I found myself doing the internet equivalent of window-shopping and once again was entranced by the allure of PVC beauties. I failed to mention it in my Goals for ’09 post but I want to reduce the amount I spend on otaku goods. However any such prospect seems to be slowly fading away so I suppose it’s a “good” thing that I did not make it a solid commitment. So what figures could possibly be responsible for soon making me relapse back into my terrible spending habits?

GoodSmile 1/8 Konjiki no Yami
Release Date: 2009/03
Level of Desire: High
Although I don’t find To-LOVE-Ru to be exactly the most compelling romance story I’ve ever seen, I can at least acknowledge it as a mindless way to spend time vegetating after a long day of classes. Golden Darkness has been on my radar for a while and was in fact probably the sole reason I decided to watch the anime in the first place. When I was reminded of Yami-chan again while browsing figures, I finished up the anime really quick to see if I could justify the purchase of Yami-chan to myself. Needless to say it worked since I ended up putting in my preorder while I was writing this post up. I’m a big fan of her character design and the dynamic pose of the figure itself. Her long, flowing blonde hair and exposed shoulders look really nice against her sleek black costume and tight-fitting belts. Oh god I love belts and straps. During the 19th episode it was rather engaging seeing Yami-chan unbuckling all of her belts before entering the hot spring. She also has a quiet voice, 24 years old (older than me) and a weird kuudere personality-type all of which I love. My bank account will be yelling at me later for this but I’ll pretend like I deserve Yami-chan for keeping up with studies or something.

Alter 1/8 Kawazoe Tamaki
Release Date: 2009/05
Level of Desire: Medium-High
Speaking of cool girls, Tama-chan is another one of those kuuderekko that become some of my favorite characters in the series from which they originate. Bamboo Blade is probably one of the few sports anime I have ever watched but I enjoyed it a great deal. It was nice seeing shy Tama-chan join the Muroe Kendo Club and opening more as she interacted with her teammates. Kirino and company messing with Tama-chan’s hair and feeding her was always adorable. It’s also cute that she loves anime and tokusatsu shows and has a hilariously high level of righteousness. Tama-chan’s sitting posture holding her shinai along with her subtle smile really captures her personality. I want Tama-chan but I’ll have to hold off for a while until I am really sure I can afford to spend the money.

Alter 1/8 Louise Uniform Version
Release Date: 2009/02
Level of Desire: Medium
Although I already have a Louise figure I am tempted to get this version because of its amazing pose. Louise’s midair floating appearance supported solely by her cape looks really cool not too mention the gracious panty shot. The positioning of her arms and legs and her wonderful smile shows off the deredere side of her that isn’t often seen.

Alter 1/8 Siesta
Release Date: 2008/06
Level of Desire: Medium
Although I like Louise a good deal especially since she is a Kugimiya Rie Tsunderekko, Siesta is actually my favorite character from Zero no Tsukaima. Although she isn’t that old at all, her kind personality give’s her an onee-chan feel. I imagine it would be wonderful to be hugged and comforted by her. The pose is relatively simple but it really feels like she is surprised. If I were to buy Louise, I would have to also get Siesta or else I would feel strange.

Alter 1/8 Louise Goth Punk Version
Release Date: 2009/04
Level of Desire: Low
Although I like the uniform version of Louise more, I felt like I also had to post this variant because of its fantastically designed costume. I do like Gothic lolita-style but I really can’t see how I would justify this purchase over the Louise and Siesta Combo.

Alter 1/8 Nagato Yuki Uniform Version
Release Date: 2009/03
Level of Desire: Medium-Low
I have been desiring a Nagato Yuki figure for a long time but I have yet to actually buy one. The one I want most is the one with Yuki sitting down in her witch costume hugging her guitar. Unfortunately there is no PVC version and I have never made garage kits before so I’m hesitant to order it. This Yuki though is still a nice catch and her sitting posture and removing her glasses makes her look really innocent.

Max Factory 1/8 Yuki Gekisou Version
Release Date: 2009/05
Level of Desire: Medium-Low
This is also a nice Yuki figure. It’s a shame that her Gekisou outfit was only used for the Gekisou concert event. The problem with getting this is that I would be tempted in getting the matching Haruhi and Mikuru figures to construct my concert stage. I’ll probably hold off on my eventual Yuki purchase until I get tired of waiting or become brave enough to order and build that garage kit I want.

Alter 1/7 Yagami Hayate
Release Date: 2008/11
Level of Desire: Medium
If it weren’t for the spectacularly high retail price of this figure, I probably would have her displayed with my other Nanoha figures right now. Thankfully the weak dollar along with her price tag has in part kept Hayate from flying off shelves and in stock at some retailers so I’m not anxious about putting in an order any time soon. If possible, I would rather wait for an A’s version of Hayate anyways to display with Nanoha and Fate but that probably won’t ever happen thanks to StrikerS.

Alter 1/7 Signum
Release Date: 2009/01
Level of Desire: Low
I’m not exactly that big of a fan of Signum but my reason for actually getting her would be mainly to display with Fate and then I could have a pseudo Nanoha A’s display. However it would sort of clash since I have Unison Vita so I won’t be ordering Signum. However if Alter were to re-release a Unison Version, then I would reconsider. I imagine having Unison Vita, a Unison version of Signum and Hayate with her Unison Hair would look spectacular.

Alter 1/7 Subaru Nakajima
Release Date: 2009/06
Level of Desire: Low
Subaru was one of the few new characters I liked from StrikerS but even then, it’s not like I have been anxious for a figure to come out of her. However I just had to comment on this figure’s really cool pose. I thought it was pretty hilarious in the first episode of StrikerS when she stole Nanoha’s Divine Buster.

FREEing 1/8 Tenko Kuugen
Release Date: 2008/10
Level of Desire: Medium
I’m pretty sure I’m one of only three people who actually watched Wagaya no Oinari-sama but I enjoyed it because of my interest in supernatural stuff. This version of Kuu-chan looks different from the anime version and looks more like the light novel version but that’s just fine. The multi-colored flame and hair really emphasizes Kuu-chan’s divinity. Kuu-chan’s probably one of my favorite astral foxes aside from Yakumo Ran.

GoodSmile 1/8 Akashiya Moka Awakened Version
Release Date: 2009/06
Level of Desire: Low
I personally don’t have of a desire to buy Moka but it’s nice to see a good Rosario to Vampire figure. The attention to detail such as the Rosary and the dress design are stunning. Since Mizore is by far the best character in the series, seeing this figure makes me hopeful for a beautiful Mizore sculpt sometime soon.

FREEing 1/4 Kokonoe Rin Gym Uniform Version
Release Date: 2009/01
Level of Desire: Low
This is another figure I won’t buy but had to mention due to the fact that Rin-chan actually has fabric gym wear. I love Kodomo no Jikan and all but it still makes me wonder whether I could get myself to buy it or not. I do admit that this figure shows off Rin-chan’s innocent side but trying to convince everyone else would be impossible for me.

I thought that there weren’t many figures I wanted but after writing this, I now know that I was deluding myself in order to keep myself from spending my non-existent money. I wish I had someway to make money that’s actually possible for me to do while I am taking classes at University. I wonder how many of these I will actually end up ordering.