November: Coming to a theatre near you

What? A November movie? It'll be so exciting. It'll be like leaves falling, leaves falling, leaves falling, it's December, THE END. What? You're not excited? That's ok, because we're excited! And we have enough excitement to share! So, what are we all pumped up about?

Why, merch, of course. November is a cold, blah month, but the thought of spending money keeps us burning inside. Feeling the brr of oncoming snow? Never fear! Join us in the material expectation of getting more stuff, and let Poke the Merch warm you this winter!...in a sexual way.

Time to get serious. Here at Poke the Merch we're very serious about side-swiping people. To prevent any unpleasant surprises, here's a list of what you can expect to see in the near future. Also, this is our chance to shamelessly plug our favourite upcoming items.

Akemi Homura Nendoroid (GSC)

Jenn: How do you spell badass? H-O-M-U-R-A.

Suich: Jenn, that's wrong!

Jenn: Nendoroids are not my biggest turn on, but Homura's got a bazooka, and everyone loves bazookas...except the people on the recieving end. Quality-wise, nendoroids will never match up against full-scaled figures, but they're cute and cheap, and this one's Homura—the most badass magical girl in the history of all magical girls. The fact that she comes with two hairstyles and moe-moe red glasses is just icing on the cake.

Suich: The nendoroid version Homura shows off both her timid side in the anime and the badass side.  It’s an awesome combination, right?  It caters to more than one audience!  If you’re a fan of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica, and you love Akemi Homura, then this is a figure you won’t want to miss!  All the appropriate accessories are included with this Nendoroid.  Want a bazooka?  Check.  Want cute nerdy glasses for Homura’s more innocent side?  Check.  How about a grenade?  Check.  

Jenn: Yes, grenades are good. I wish she came with more bazookas, you know, as homage (or homurage? eh? EH?) to her Walpurgis fight. One thing I dislike about the Madoka nendoroids are their pale, scratchy eyes. I get that it's faithful to the anime, but without some pop in their eyes, nendoroids just sort of fall flat for me.

Suich: I don’t mind her eyes.  I’m not as picky as Jenn.  If they were red, I would make a big deal out of them.

Pre-Order?

Jenn: No, but only because she's all pre-ordered out. I might pick her up after her release.
Suich: No, maybe if I find her at a cheaper price.  I'm not a huge fan of Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica.

From moe to badass in 0.54 s

Atelier of Rorona & Totori & Meruru Perfect Art Book (Softbank Creative)

Suich: An art book in our preview? Why, yes! There is a lovely Atelier art book coming out at the end of October! Just about a month ago, I started playing Atelier Totori, my first Arland game for the PS3. It was difficult at first, but addictive and fun after an hour or...three. One thing I truly love about this series is the gorgeous art work, which is done by Mel Kishida. The pastel style works beautifully with the game graphics because it's very vibrant. It also makes the covers of magazines, games, and art books irresistible.

Jenn: I know nothing about Atelier Totori except that it kind of sounds like Totoro, but the colours are nice and the style is distinct. If there's anything that appeals to Jenn, it's owning a style. It's a girly, girly artbook, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's not a colour scheme I normally gun for, but I can't deny it's appeal.

Suich: I seriously hope new artworks are included in this book. It will carry all the artworks and sketches released for Atelier Rorona, Totori, and Meruru, but I'm hoping for more. It's a nice way to show appreciation towards the fans if anything. Personally, I dislike it when there's nothing new after the companies take their sweet time putting all the art works into one book. At least the cover is new.

Jenn: If this was a book with purely commercial pictures, I'd jump it like lightning, but since I know nothing of the series, I can't justify spending so much on something that's 1/3 concept art (I think).

Pre-Order?
Jenn: Naw, pass
Suich: Yes

Fanservice for the girls!!

1/6 Asuka Langley Shikinami (Max Factory)

Suich: Asuka is very shiny. She glows under the light because of her super suit!

Jenn: Her shininess shall pierce the heavens!
 
Suich: Wut?
 
Jenn: Nevermind. Truth be told, she might actually glow in the dark. Those lime-green spots on her test suit sure look phosphorescent. I've had my eye on this one since she was announced. It isn't the most exciting Asuka figure, being all static and standing, but it's one of the few figures that nail her face. I'm still waiting for my in-your-face, smirking, eyepatch Asuka, but her confused expression will have to suffice for now. Besides, Asuka is Asuka, and that makes her win.

Suich: I like that her hair is orange.  I don’t think I’ve seen another female figure with such bright orange hair.  It matches with her super suit too!  I think her pose could be a bit more exciting too.

Jenn: I'm on the fence about pre-ordering her. I like that Max Factory's version accurately portrays the transparency of her test suit (something that Alter's fails at), but I already have a test-suit Asuka. I want to believe she'll end up in the bargain bin, but I'm not sure she will. Her shininess is calling to me, Suich, what do I do?!

Suich: Don't do it! There'll be more!

Jenn: AUUUUUGGGGGH!

Pre-Order?
Jenn: I...I don't know!
Suich: Nope

So shiny it hurts.

Elucia de Lute Ima Nendoroid (Max Factory)

Jenn: My god, look at all that flail!

Suich: The flailing...it’s mesmerising and adorable at the same time.  Who can really look away from that? (Okay, I’m not actually buying it, but I think it’s cute).  I think it’ll be an excellent addition to anyone’s nendoroid collection though.  Those extra parts would make all nendos look silly, no matter how serious they’re supposed to look.  You also get a cute face with it.  Lots of awesome bonuses.

Jenn: Yes, the extra parts on this nendoroid is tempting, her flailing arms especially. I'd stick them on absolutely everyone. Nothing is sacred. No one is safe. I'm not a huge fan of the show, but there's no denying Elsie's charm. She has extra MOE quality, and her plethora of swappable parts makes her worth the extra few bucks. I mean, just look at this face:

Derp.

Suich: The colours work well. I like that the pink scarf isn't overwhelming, unlike her full-scaled figure.

Jenn: I like her full-scale figure, and I agree on her colour scheme. Pink and purple, her colours sure are gay (to paraphrase the Simpsons, in a purely good way), but she could use a firetruck or two, methinks.

Suich: Wut?

Jenn: Nevermind.

Pre-Order?
Jenn: Jenn doesn't do nendo preorders, but I'll probably pick her up afterwards
Suich: Nope

Buy me! I'm cute!

THE END
 
Jenn: And that concludes our November preview. Tune in next month for the sequal: December. It's going to be cold, and also epic—well, as epic as a preview can get. I have to say, November wasn't a spectacular month for me. I'm not expecting any artbooks and the figures are unusually bland. Nothing really wowed me. December's mix looks more promising.

Suich: It's too bad we couldn't end November with a big bang.  And by that I mean it's too bad we didn't have loads of incredible figures/art books to preview.  We had some, but not loads.

December's probably going to be full of amazing things!  I mean, it is the end of 2011.  We'll be heading into 2012 soon with better, stronger, more beautiful and impressive figures and books!  Well, that's certainly the hope anyway.  But we'll talk more about that later.  Thanks for checking out our preview post!  We hope you found something worth purchasing!

Signing out!
Jenn and Suich