1/8 Oshino Shinobu (GSC)

Oshino Shinobu rocketed to the top of my favourite character list as soon as she opened her mouth in Nisemonogatari. Her silky drawl is fabulous. Her laugh, even moreso. There's nothing I dislike about her. Nothing at all.

So while I prefer Shinobu: Total Badass rather than Shinobu: Cuddly Vampire, any form of Shinobu is good. That's just how she rolls. After all, you can't go wrong with Shinobu, and you can't go wrong with GSC. The only logical outcome is win.

Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep SE (Square Enix)

As a huge fan of the Kingdom Hearts series, I must say I am disappointed in myself for not reviewing more Kingdom Hearts merch on this blog.  I mean, have a handful Kingdom Hearts books and several imported games!  I even have a lovely collection of doujinshi! (Shame on me, I know)

Since it's the 10th anniversary of Kingdom Hearts, I decided to celebrate by putting up a review for one of the best games in the series! So here it is! The Kingdom Hearts: Birth by Sleep Special Edition PSP!

1/7 Black/Dark Magician Girl (Kotobukiya)

Ah, this brings back memories. Memories of a time where world crises can be solved by playing a card game. Those were the days.

I love Black Magician Girl (Dark Magician Girl depending on region). She's mostly mute, incredibly cute, and girly in the best way possible. So despite my aversion to all things Kotobukiya, I had to get her. She compels me in so many ways. Behold! The power of nostalgia.

March: Bring on the Leprechauns!

Sometimes, we run out of clever things to say in our posts, after all, our smart-ass banks have a finite cache dedicated to witticism. Let's make this one brief and sweet. March is the month of good drinking and Leprechauns, and here at Poke the Merch, nothing is more intoxicating than the scent of fresh merch.

So what do we have in store for you this glorious month?

Izanagi D-Arts (Bandai)

Oh, Izanagi, you should have gotten a figure of your own a long time ago!  It's a good thing Persona 4: The Animation came along. Otherwise Izanagi would have never gotten a figure of his own!

I love the Japanese bancho look he has.  It really makes the main character of Persona 4 look like some gang leader, and it makes sense!  Izanagi definitely looks like he won't take crap from anyone and that's what makes him so badass.  I couldn't resist this figma because Izanagi is my favourite Persona.  I pre-ordered him as soon as I saw him.

Nin-Nin-Game Review

Having recently visited Nin-Nin-Game, I learned that there have been some changes (and not the good kind), so I have decided to re-evaluate this import shop to keep you, my dear readers, properly informed.

Nin-Nin-Game is a relatively small game store, but it carries some unique items that you may not find in other import shops. If you’re really lenient with spending, and if you’re looking for special edition versions of games, here’s a decent place to look, but I recommend searching other import shops or proxies before coming to Nin-Nin-Game.  I would consider this store a last resort.

1/8 Ryuna (Kotobukiya)

Poke the Merch is back with another review on a soon-to-be-re-released item. Horray for us! Let us pat ourselves on the back and otherwise congratulate ourselves on doing our jobs barely adequately.

With Kotobukiya seemingly on a Shining release rampage, it's no surprise to see Ryuna slated for re-release. Cute, simple, pleasant, and produced in 2008, she's an oldie but a goodie. That being said, she's not without her flaws. Given her initial release date, does she stand the tests of time? Read on!

Atelier Rorona, Totori, Meruru Premium Art Book (Softbank Creative)

When importing art books I always cross my fingers for each one to have more artwork than interviews or text, but that's only because I can't understand Japanese. As a fan of Mel Kishida's gorgeous art style, and as a fan of the Atelier Arland trilogy, I pre-ordered this book hoping to get nothing but colourful art pieces.  Screw interviews!

The Atelier Rorona, Totori, Meruru Premium Art Book does not displease! This 256 page art book is chock full of pastel pieces from promotional posters, magazines, game covers and game events!

Collector's Kunieda & aka Design Works (Doujinshi)

There are three types of art I really enjoy: brightly coloured, high contrast, and grungy. Collectors by artists Kunieda and Aka clearly fall into the first category. Sure, Collectors is not as vibrantly rainbow as Nao Tsukiji's Nostalgia(very little is), but it manages to cover most of the spectrum with decent aggression, and that's decent enough by my count.

Let's take a closer look.

1/8 Lacia (GSC)

Jenn saw perfection.
She gave it a ten.
The end.

My greatest hope is that one day all my reviews will be that succinct, but Canadians will shun hockey before I become so laconic. Perfect figures are perfect, sure, but they also make short reviews, and then where will Poke the Merch be? (Around a trash fire under a bridge probably) So in the interest of self-preservation, enjoy another round of fangirl gushing.