The year is coming to a close and so it's finally time for MY very own top ten toys for the year 2013. Release date is not important, but what is important is that I acquired it this year.
Although I've been spending most of my time writing my K-ON! Fan fiction, I've still been collecting toys on the side, however there were some financial troubles and some items I thought I'd be getting fell through--but, what can you do. I've also decided to do it in themes or groupings, that way I can feature more than just simply 10 pieces.
So here it is; MY top ten toys of 2013!
10: MASTERS OF THE UNIVERSE: JITSU, KING HE-MAN AND FANG MAN.
I didn't get the subscription this year, but Miss M got 2 and was selling off what she didn't want on ebay, so I was able to capture what I really wanted before she posted and I paid cost for them, which made me pretty happy and appreciative.
JITSU has always been an awesome character and I've never had him when I was young, but man, the detail is just awesome. Jitsu includes an orange sword and a pair of orange kamas.
KING HE-MAN was probably my last choice for a figure, but something intrigued me about him. I love the sword and gave it to my perfect Skeletor as being the "evil" version of the Power Sword. Included besides the sword are a staff and even a mini comic which is packaged behind him.
FANG MAN--or Fang Nitwit as I like to call him is truly a great figure, from the detail to his accessories, this guy is just cool. He was in an episode of the cartoon and they made him a figure before even doing any of the major She-Ra characters, so I guess he is special in some way, I do like the figure though, so that is why I wanted him. Fang Man's main accessory is actually a small "cattle prod" however he includes some special items--or artifact items from the MOTU mythos, such as the sword and a certain relic
9: G.I. JOE RENEGADES: COBRA COMMANDER.
A year and a half I think that is how long I've wanted this version of COBRA COMMANDER. From the Renegades cartoon, this commander is looking out for "YOUR" best interest as he plots world domination behind the citizens backs. Cobra Commander includes a snake staff, a second head with more of his mirror mask than the plate that covers most of his face--he also has a pistol, snake and stand. This was given to me by Miss M and I really love it, so don't get the wrong idea by him being number 9!
8: VOCALOID 2 & LUCKY STAR: MIKU HATSUNE.
This year marked the 200th Figma action figure and who better to have the honor than everyone's favorite idol HATSUNE MIKU. This Miku includes angel wings that attach through her back hole, a microphone and stand and the best piece a Fender Stratocaster--with the strap already attached! Why is that such a big deal? Well, with the guitarists from K-ON! YOU have to attach the strap and it's a real pain in the ass, so this was nice. A really awesome figure--Miku 2.0.
An older figure from the Anime Lucky Star is KAGAMI HIIRAGI, the bitchy, elder twin sister of Tsukasa. In an OVA special, her "friend" Konata in the guise of Yuki from "The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya" turns her into Hatsune Miku, she includes a pair of leeks as the original Miku Figma did, except these are supposed to be cosplay style and are supposed to be plush, so that is why they are thicker. Also included is a second face that is interchangeable with the other Figma in the Lucky Star series, and of course the Miku Cosplay. Just an awesomely detailed figure, I really love the total package.
7: VIVIDRED OPERATION: AKANE AND REI.
Eat your heart out Sailor Moon! The new bare ass of Magical Girl Anime has arrived whoops! I mean the new face of magical girl anime has arrived heh, heh, heh
Anyhow! AKANE ISHIKI is the main character in Vividred Operation; she is the "leader" of a group of four girls who fight The Noise no wait, that's Symphogear Angels! No, that's Evangelion Coralian! No, no that's Eureka SeVen Ah! The Alone! Okay! I knew I would get it
Akane is wearing her school uniform with very little shorts, she has a Shift:Body which allows the figure to become more statue-like with better detail and has her flying bike Wanko--the only one in the world, made by her grandfather the creator of a power source for all the world to share--which is what the Alone's are trying to destroy.
Helping the Alones's because she was tricked into it is REI KUROKI, a very tragic character whose world was destroyed and she is "promised" that if she helps destroy Akane's world; hers will be restored. Rei comes with a feathered bow and a magical arrow, this allows her to power up the Alone attackers and each time she uses an arrow a feather disappears from a circlet on her neck--somewhat like a tattoo in appearance, which is the reason she wears a pretty scarf, to hide the feathers. It's amazing, but the figure actually has the feathers, so a lot of detail there. Also included are a sub-machine gun and a pistol from the scene where she tries to go blow up the "Engine" herself because the Alone keep losing to Akane and her team. The final accessory is a swappable shorts piece with a gun shoved in the waistband; the short shorts are of course a part of her only outfit which is her school uniform.
Great characters and a great Anime, even if it is just another theme that's been done already; it has the best art and animation and very lovable characters.
6: BLACK ROCK SHOOTER: YOMI TAKANASHI, DEAD MASTER: TV ANIMATION VERSION, CHARIOT AND BLACK ROCK SHOOTER "BEAST."
The year wouldn't be complete without something from Black Rock Shooter, so I got four something's!
First, YOMI TAKANASHI from the OVA, she is wearing her school uniform and has a bunch of accessories such as her cell phone, bag, volleyball and other standard Figma parts. Yomi is the other personality of Dead Master and she is a great addition to the Black Rock Shooter collection.
Next is DEAD MASTER from the TV Animation version, an 8 episode series in which the appearance of the character had changed from the OVA. Dead Master includes her glasses, translucent veil, her Dead Scythe and metal chains; her Lolita dress is well detailed and she is just an awesome character and figure.
CHARIOT from the TV Animation, and my first Nendoroid. Chariot comes with her Tank, Mary and a ton of accessories such as her crown, sword and macaroons, even the Mary tank has a swappable face part and full articulation; an awesome choice for a first Nendoroid, however, I just found out that a Figma was announced, I can't wait to see it and own it, price means nothing, I will own it!
Finally is Black Rock Shooter herself or BRS BEAST; she came packaged with creator Huke's hard cover art book which is filled with a couple hundred pages of his different characters including BRS, Steins Gate and others. BRS Beast has an awesome translucent crown, huge "BRS Blade" sword and "Six Shot" pistol. The translucent blue blades on her boots are articulated and she comes with many hand parts for all of the best poses. Absolutely awesome!
5: EVANGELION: MARI AND ASUKA: REVOLTECH, ASUKA AND REI: PINKY STREET AND MARI: FIGMA.
The absolute mother load of figures for this year--compared to the others; I had collected what I wanted from Evangelion at the beginning of the year and came out with a nice selection.
First, there are the REVOLTECH figures of MARI and ASUKA; each has maximum articulation, a plethora of accessories and crappy stands; they do however have great detail and a plastic box to hold the extra parts such as hands and what-not. Mari has her helmet as her main accessory and Asuka has her doll/puppet; she is dressed in her TEST suit which she wears before she is "killed" by Baka Shinji (Stupid Shinji as she calls him). The detail is just awesome. I did however already review Old Plug Suit Mari in an article, although it's worth mentioning that her detail is just amazing. A great pair of figures, however, they look great in the detailed window boxes, so that's where they are staying.
The back of the Revoltech boxes have a ton of poses and information; I just love the detail!
I was able to get two PINKY STREET selections; ASUKA with the sun dress and hat and the interchangeable school uniform was my first Pinky Street figure. A Pinky is actually a model cosplaying the character, so the head is pretty much used on others where the body differs to the character in which they are playing.
The 2 pack of ASUKA AND REI is just awesome, it was interesting in how I was able to acquire it because it is mostly rare, but it's perfect. This set has the two cosplayers wearing regular clothes that have the appearance of the plug suits and they come with backpacks and Angel creature accessories. I really love this set and I have not opened it at all, but it is collector friendly and the back card slides out of the shell. Probably one of my favorite pieces I own.
Last, but never least is pink plug suit MARI, the Figma. I still have no plans since my article earlier in the year to open her, I think she is fine the way she is. Mari has a great appearance and she comes with her plug chair that is fully articulated.
Although I've seen the original Evangelion, I really think that the newer movies have caught more of my interest in the property. I've seen the third movie and I'm not sure what to say about it because it throws off everything from the first two, but, nonetheless, it was interesting with great artwork and animation.
4: SYMPHOGEAR: HIBIKI TACHIBANA.
HIBIKI is from the Anime Symphogear; she is the main character and her power is using her fists because she is unable to create a weapon using her "Gear." The armor is attained by singing and causing the vibrations to power up a crystal that each user wears like a pendent, however, Hibiki's crystal is inside her body and is pretty much killing her slowly, but because it's a part of her, she has a stronger power than the others and can go into a berserk rage if her emotions go out of control.
There are two other main characters in season one whom are Tsubasa and Chris Yukine. Tsubasa is a big pop idol who uses blades while Chris is actually with the evil group and uses projectiles (bombs, guns, etc ), she is more of the heavy metal influence; at the end, she joins the heroes. In season 2, there are three others who are the villains, one is an interesting spin on a Goth and uses a scythe, the other is considered electronic music and has some interesting projectile powers, the third has the dark version of Hibiki's Gear and can form a weapon.
The Anime is really amazing, every episode leaves you hanging and forces you to keep watching, the music is great and the animation is perfect. Hibiki is a great character and is one that you can really care about, I like her aesthetic, the parts and attachments are based on her powers and she even has the berserk face-just a great character. I do have plans to get Tsubasa, however, Yukine is probably out of the question because she is a Nendoroid that costs more than the Figma's, but it's cool though.
3: PERSONA 4: YUKIKO AMAGI.
From the video game and Anime, Persona 4 is YUKIKO AMAGI in Figma form! I know this is going to sound odd, but I'm not really that much into Persona 4. I watched the Anime a few times and its funny and interesting in many ways, but for some reason it doesn't really stick as being one I'd watch over and over again-there is no mini obsession? "So why did you buy the Figma of one of the characters," you might ask? Well, to put it bluntly, I love her aesthetic, I think the figure is beautifully made, and the character is beautifully designed. Yukiko's long, straight black hair, the red headband, the sailor-fuku, yellow scarf; the red sweater, the interesting pattern of the skirt and the fashionable shoes. I really have "fallen in love" with Yukiko. I like her accessories of a fan, and the fan swipe action, the red glasses and I can do without the joke glasses which were a part of the show for like 3 seconds, but what the hey?I wish I could get into the Anime more, but I just can't figure out what's stopping me from really enjoying it?The art and animation is very clean and modern, but off somehow ?I can ponder this all day
I do however, also like Yukiko's character, she is the daughter of the owners of an inn and she is being taught to take it over which in Japan is a real honor to take over your family's business, however, she feels like she is being forced and doesn't want to; but, in the end she decides to do so because she feels indebted to the staff who helped her along. So, physically and mentally, Yukiko is a great character and that is why she is number three.
2: CASTLE GRAYSKULL!!!!!! OH WAIT, I HAD TO CANCEL THAT ..SORRY TO MISLEAD YOU THEN I GOT IT! EPIPHONE G-400 SG ELECTRIC GUITAR!
A guitar isn't a toy! But you do play it ugh! Costing more than Castle Grayskull but in 3 EZ payments, my awesome new guitar is more fun than a hunk of plastic sitting on a table collecting dust. Just have to amp her up and play to my hearts content. With a Mahogany body and set Mahogany neck, the tone and sustain is just awesome. She comes with some classic style tuning pegs, coil-tapping humbucker pick-ups, a stop bar tail piece and Tune-O-Matic bridge. The body has the most beautiful wood grain pattern too, that is pure luck because it's all natural. I have named her Naoko or Naoko-Chan after my favorite character Nao in K-ON! I know, no one saw that coming.To the left is an Ibanez RG3 which was given to me by a friend this year, I guess that can be part of number 2 also, it means a lot to me.
So, I may not have gotten Castle Grayskull, but that's ok, because I'm having a lot more fun playing my SG than looking at a $300 toy--although, Castle Grayskull is nice, I do have the original in great restored condition, so I'm more than happy.
1: THE K-ON! GIRLS!
Well duh, what did you think would be my number one!? Although they came out in 2010, I had to have my favorite girl band in Figma form. Starting with RITSU and her awesome drum kit, I then ordered MIO from Japan--her Fender Jazz Bass is just so well detailed! I continued on with getting TSUMUGI who I probably won't open, but her Korg Tritan Extreme keyboard is awesome in every way, the detail is just perfect. From there I got UI who was a Wonder Fest exclusive and comes with two school cases, one for her Onee-Chan Yui and even a face for Yui. Also of interest, Ui and Yui's faces can be interchanged--they do look almost the same! Ui also comes with castanets which are actually meant for Yui, but Ui needs an instrument too!
I was able to get YUI open for a good price--I think, but she is fine and so is the box, it's just something that I never trust, something used, but I'm pretty satisfied.Yui's Gibson Les Paul Standard is so well detailed that, like the other instruments, it looks real.What is most interesting about the inclusions with Yui is the blank face that has many decals of comical facial expressions that can be placed on it-very fun!My last was AZUSA who will never feel air, she, like Mio, came from Japan and is sealed new. Probably the hardest to get, even over Mio which surprised me. The rest came from sellers in the States and were very good, especially Ritsu.Azusa includes her Fiesta Red, Japanese Fender Mustang and gig bag, she also has her cat ears so she can be Azu-Nyan Nyan!The cat ears can fit on the other characters apparently, however, I won't open her to find out.
I'm still short another Wonder Fest Exclusive whom is Yui's friend Nodoka, she is probably the most troublesome to get and the most costly, so I'm thinking of getting her before 2014 comes to an end and that will complete my K-ON! Figma collection.
If you have been reading my Fan Fiction, you know how much I love K-ON! And so, that is one of the many reasons that the K-ON! Girls are number one on MY top ten toys for 2013!
Until next year, don't have a clue, but I can guess that the girls of the Anime "Girls und Panzer" will have a high spot on the list have to wait to see.
Thanks for reading!
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