Anime Figures Toys | PVC | Figma | Nendoroid | Manga

For fans of Toradora, this Tenori Taiga Nendoroid Puchi figure will be available together with the purchase of the Toradora PSP game, to be released on April 30th, end of this month. This is an exclusive bonus only with the game and can’t be bought anywhere else unless you buy the Toradora PSP game. I’m a huge fan of the anime and really adore Taiga, so it was a no-brainer for me about getting a copy of the game just for the Tenori Taiga Nendoroid Puchi figure. Yup, will struggle with the game itself because I don’t know Japanese yet, but could probably help me in learning the language in a fun way as well. Not to mention having lots of fun with the figure! The caricature of Taiga with her hair in two small buns is also extremely cute and comes from one of the series’ highlight moments.

Picked up my copy from Amazon Japan which has it at 4,183 yen with free shipping. For fans outside Japan who want it directly from the country, then you’ll need a forwarding service in order to get yours from Amazon Japan when you buy the Toradora PSP game. I use Tenso.com, after all the additional shipping charges it should be just over 5,000 yen or so I assume (small package). Anyway, anything for a Tenori Taiga Nendoroid Puchi!

Here check out some preview pictures from GSC’s Mikatan’s blog for tsundere at its adorable best:

Photos courtesy of Mikatan blog

Coming in July will be this Satsuki Ikaruga PVC figure (いかるがさつき) from Lilics. Reproduced from the PC game series known as “Eien Shinken Monogatari”, this Satsuki Ikaruga PVC figure is based on the heroine for the second chapter ”Seinarukana”. The sculptor is G.O of the Cerberus Project group and has Satsuki in a pose ready for combat. The facial expression is fine but I am quite taken by the simple yet elegant flow of her hair, cape and armor. While everything is painstakingly crafted according to the game details, the white does look a bit overwhelming and there is a slight lack in contrast. From some angles you might have problems distinguishing her various limbs.

Satsuki Ikaruga’s Eternity Sword “Kougi” is included obviously (how could it not?) in this PVC figure from Lilics, and I love how it adds to the overall pose and dynamics. In some ways, I very much prefer this pose to that of the upcoming Saber Lily from Good Smile Company. There is a slightly more intense angle to it while the latter is too straightforward.

Check out the Eternity Sword Kougi’s handle – nice light bluish hue.

The Satsuki Ikaruga PVC figure will retail at 7,800 yen. From comparison, Amazon Japan again has it at a much cheaper pre-order price of 6,240 yen with free shipping. Yes you can order from them even if you live outside of Japan. Just use a forwarding service like Tenso.com where you can get a Japanese shipping address, and then pay them some commission and the international shipping to you. Is this cheaper than ordering from other stores like HobbyLinkJapan where they ship directly to you? In many cases, yes, even after the additional commission charges, due to the extra discount from Amazon Japan and free domestic shipping.

Hobby Search has also started pre-ordering from this Satsuki Ikaruga PVC figure at 7,057 yen. For those who are not keen on an extra layer in ordering from Amazon Japan, then Hobby Search has the next best price.

Photos courtesy of Good Smile Company

I don’t play the Idolmaster game but after seeing these Nendoroid Petit The Idolmaster Stage 01 PVC figures from Good Smile Company, it was hard to resist them. Needless to say I made my order for them and these ultra-cute Nendoroid Petit The Idolmaster Stage 01 PVC figures should be arriving on my doorstep anytime soon. Just looking at some of these preview pictures should have persuaded fans of either the game or nendoroids to snap them up quick, especially since the former has a reaaallly huge following both within Japan and overseas. Nendoroids themselves are already adorable, but the poses that these nendoroid petits have are eye-catching as well.

If you haven’t picked up these Idolmaster Stage 01 Nendoroid Petit PVC figures, better make a move fast. Good Smile Company have already announced the release of Stage 02 figures for July 2009 but personally I much prefer the Stage 01 series and collection. Their costumes look much better as well as their poses. However, I must say the pink for Stage 02 is quite appealing too. Together with the upcoming World Is Mine Hatsune Miku PVC figure, this set is one of those that I don’t think twice about adding to my collection. For comparison below, these are the Stage 02 Nendoroid Petit The Idolmaster PVC figures:

For those who have yet to grab their Stage 01 sets, better make a move now. Hobby Search had them at 5,700 yen but are now sold out. Amazon Japan has one more set when I last checked but it is a ‘used’ set (which means it’s new but someone is reselling it) at a whopping 8,000 yen. HobbyLinkJapan still has some in stock at 5,712 yen which is the cheapest I can find right now next to Hobby Search. So better get them while they still have ‘em.

If you very much prefer the Nendoroid Petit The Idolmaster Stage 02 PVC figures, then the cheapest price you can get them at would be at Amazon Japan at 4,740 yen with free shipping. For those living outside Japan, you can still buy from Amazon Japan, just make use of the forwarding service from Tenso.com. Tenso charges some handling commission and you need to pay for the shipping from Tenso to your home. Despite this, personally I’ve managed to save quite a bit doing this for figures on Amazon Japan that have a much larger discount compared to those given at Hobby Search or HobbyLinkJapan. Just do your maths and there’ll be quite a number worth the effort. Hobby Search has the Stage 02 figures at 5,429 yen while HLJ priced them at 5,426 yen. They are all at pre-order for now (and usually cheapest time to buy).

Photos courtesy of Hobby Search