December: Coming to a theatre near you

Once again, the time has come. The time to curl up with some hot cocoa and seriously contemplate the future. Will we que sera our way through life, or will we wrestle it to the ground? Just what does tomorrow bring? The ponderance of times to come is a taxing process. The future is mysterious and shrouded in uncertainty. It's a scary, scary place out there. Fortunately, Poke the Merch, knows exactly what to expect.

Merch, of course.

Tales of Vesperia Plush Doll: Overdrive Knight (Alter)

My first Alter purchase...is a plush doll!  Yeah, I know their figures are gorgeous since I often hear about them from Jenn, but I couldn't resist this plushie after seeing a few pictures. Look at how adorable his face is! Doesn't his head look squishy?  Don't you want to just poke him?

So what is an Alter doll like? Much different from figures, but the quality is still quite nice!  Not perfect.  Nice.

Kurogin/D.S.B.'s "Archive Illustrations 2006-2009" (Doujinshi)

Statistics indicate I possess a predisposition to neglect art book reviews. This is unacceptable. Jenn is steady in nature and doesn't engage in that sort of favourism! Great art is my second love after great figures and great literature (that would technically make it my third, I guess), but I absolutely dread photographing art books. They're predilected towards horrible light refractions, and awful stiff spines.

Thankfully, the arrival of a batch of doujinshi lit a flame under my butt. So get ready, folks, here comes a well-needed artbook review!

CDJapan Review

It's time for another import site review! Are you looking for books that are out of stock in all the other import shops you've been to? Maybe you're looking for some soundtracks or albums that are difficult to find! Well, dear readers, it's likely you'll find some of those awesome goods you're looking for at CDJapan. Just be careful with their shipping prices and (occasionally) slightly damaged products!

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.

1/8 Amae Koromo (Alter)

My, my, what do we have here? Koromo clearly represents all things cute. Rabbit ribbon ears, check. Almost no nose, check. Loli-maid outfit, check! Almost nauseating pastel scheme, CHECK! She looks a little like fallen Flonne, and a little like the lovechild between Alice and the White Rabbit.

She's also from an anime about mahjong, and that in itself is awesome, if only because it actually got made. Oh Japan, you so crazy.

1/8 Maxima Enfield (Kotobukiya)

I tend to be harsh on Kotobukiya, and for good reason, but when Maxima Enfield was announced, I decided to give them one more try—a final chance to prove themselves, if you will. Why? Well, her dress is awesome, and she has a  ponytail. There just aren't enough figures with ponytails.

Am I really that shallow?

You overestimate my depth, dear friends. Of course I am.

Professor Layton - Revoltech

Who can resist Layton--sorry Professor Layton, when he has those beady eyes and that awesome top hat? I only played part of the first game and then stopped because I'm not that great with puzzles, but I definitely loved Layton because, let's face it, he's an awesome character who runs around solving puzzles for a living. I have to say Revoltech did a pretty swell job making this figure. I only have a few small complaints about his flexibility.

1/8 Kureha Touka (Kotobukiya)

G'day mates! Jenn is back with another Kureha, just for you! Seeing as she's set for re-release in a couple of months, I feel compelled to warn people! That's right! Warn people!

Exclaimation marks aside, I'll be upfront. I'm not impressed with this figure. She's the sort of figure who's beauty correlates negatively with how close you get. From a distance, her vibrant colour scheme and energetic stance pull her from the crowd. Up close, she's an absolute disaster of mediocre shading and substandard paint.

1/7 Kureha Touka swimsuit ver. (Max Factory)

Kureha is cute, cute, cute. I don't know why I find her so inexplicably adorable, especially since she doesn't have the big-eyed, doll-faced, moe-moe look.

Since the release of the Shining swimsuit line, I wanted to get my hands on Kureha (it sounds dirtier than it is, really). Her pose is adorable. Her expression is adorable. Even her fingers are adorable. Plus, I'm a huge fan of wavy hair. We need more wavy-haired girls in life.