ShadowKnight508 (Level 19)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    ****NOTE****
Due to my current enrollment at Butte College, this will be the last Weekly Figure Preview that will feature 3 figures with a nendoroid in each new preview. Starting next week, all future previews will be only 2 figures along with a nendoroid until mid-May. This will allow me to comply with my homework, studying, and hopefully allows me to continue this weekly feature.
 
Welcome, my fellow AnimeVice members, to this my fifth installment of the Weekly Figure Preview feature here on the Vice. Last week, we previewed three anime figures (Hitagi, Saber Alter, Erica) along with one nendoroid (Kuroneko), and this week will feature the same preview formula. All of the figures/nendoroids that will be featured in this preview can be found on Play-Asia's site. If there are any figures that do not appear on Play-Asia's site, then I will provide a link for the product at the end of the figure's respective article. The line up for today, as follows:
 

1. Fate/unlimited Codes 1/8th Scale PVC: Saber Lily (Gift Version) (Good Smile Company)
2. Okami-san and Her Seven Companions 1/8th Scale PVC: Ryoko Okami (ALTER Corporation)
   
3. Fate/stay Night 1/8th Scale PVC: Rin Tohsaka (UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS Version) (Good Smile Company)
4. Fortune Arterial Non-Scale Nendoroid PVC: Erika Sendo (Good Smile Company)

 
I will give the readers a preview of each figure, complete with two images, descriptions, price, and my overall thoughts on each figure.

Fate/unlimited Codes 1/8th Scale PVC: Saber Lily (Gift Version)

Produced by the Gift Company in a distributive deal with Good Smile Company and licensed by TYPE MOON and Capcom as a official product from their hit fighting game Fate/unlimited Codes on the PS2/PSP, the 1/8th Scale Fate/unlimited Codes PVC Saber Lily figure is expected to see global market release around June 2011 in Japan and on Play-Asia's site for roughly 9,570 Yen (excluding taxes). It was sculpted by the talented figure sculptor Toda Satoshi in cooperation with figure painter Saura for the Good Smile Company.
Earlier this week, I decided that this week's preview would feature at least two figures from one particular anime/manga franchise, and after some thought, I decided on featuring two figures related to the Fate/stay Night franchise. This special version of Saber is her new Saber Lily form from the hit Arcade/PS2/PSP fighting game Fate/unlimited Codes (Which saw release in 2008 in Japan and made it's way to the western audience in September 2009) produced by Capcom. I was unsuccessful in locating much information regarding Saber's Lily form (spent several hours on Wikipedia, Giant Bomb, and various game sites), so I can not elaborate fully into what makes this version of her so special compared to her standard form. What I like about this figure is the attention to detail that Gift and sculptor Toda Satoshi has put into this figure, from her overall appearance to the detail on her armor plating down to the confident smile on Saber's face. As a fan of both the Fate/stay Night anime as well as the manga series, that is perhaps the single biggest reason that I chose to feature this greatly detailed Saber Lily from Gift and Good Smile. She would make a great addition to anyone's figure collection that is looking to add a good quality figure to their expanding collection that will not hurt you in the pocketbook as some figures of the same quality can.
Height: 180 Mm (18 Cm)
Availability: Limited (Limited Edition: Currently for pre-order on Play-Asia and expecting global release in June 2011)
Price: 9,570 Yen (roughly $114.90 USD)
Who It is Recommended For: Fans of the Fate/stay Night franchise, Saber, or anyone looking to add a beautiful, quality figure to their growing collections that will attract the eyes of all who lay eyes upon her. 

Okami-San and Her Seven Companions 1/8th Scale PVC: Ryoko Okami

Produced by the ALTER Corporation and licensed by the joint association of ASCII Media Works and J.C. Staff as part of their officially licensed Okami-san line of products, the 1/8th Scale Okami-san and Her Seven Companions PVC Ryoko Okami figure is expected to see global market release towards the end of this month (February 2011) in Japan and on Play-Asia's site for roughly 7,070 Yen (excluding taxes). Unfortunately, I was unable to discover exactly who sculpted this figure, but it was done for the ALTER Corporation.
Since I am new to the entire Okami-san and Her Seven Companions anime as well as the Okami-san franchise, I had to at first research more information regarding the Okami-san anime as well as it's main female protagonist, Ryoko Okami on both AnimeVice and AnimeNewsNetwork. I first came across this figure when browsing the line up of upcoming figure releases on ALTER's site (through Google Translator, since the site is in Japanese), and had originally intended to feature her two weeks ago, but I decided to wait until a later date closer to the actual release date. Scowling at those who dare to look her in the face, Ryoko Okami shoots a cold, intense glare at all who attempt to make eye contact with her. The intricate detail and care that ALTER has put into her is nothing short of amazing, from the details on her school outfit down to the stern expression she has on her face. She comes with her infamous Neko Neko Knuckles on her belt and to my knowledge, she has no swappable/removable parts on her. I am not 100% sure what about this figure captured my attention to the point that I decided to feature her, but in the end, I know a good figure when I see one, and with ALTER behind the reins, this figure is sure not to disappoint whoever decides to add her to their expanding collection. She would make a great addition for the figure collector who is looking for a high-quality figure that will not break the bank in the process. Perhaps one of these days I will look into Okami-san and Her Seven Companions, especially after reading the good things that FoxxFireArt had to say about it in his earlier blogs.
Height: 195 Mm (19.5 Cm)
Availability: Limited (Limited Edition: Currently for pre-order on Play-Asia and expected to see global release later this month [February 2011])
Price: 7,070 Yen (roughly $84.90 USD)
Who It is Recommended For: Fans of the Okami-san and Her Seven Companions franchise, Ryoko Okami, or anyone looking to make a great addition to their figure collection that will not put the hurt on their wallets. 

Fate/stay Night 1/8th Scale PVC: Rin Tohsaka (UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS Version)

Produced by the Good Smile Company and licensed by the joint association of TYPE MOON and the Fate-UBW Project as part of their official line of products related to the hit anime movie Fate/stay Night: UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS, the 1/8th Scale Fate/stay Night PVC Rin Tohsaka figure is expected to see global market release in May 2011 in Japan and on Play-Asia's site for roughly 8,730 Yen (excluding taxes). It was crafted by the talented figure sculptor Ken Yokota for the Good Smile Company.
As a fan of the Fate/stay Night franchise (having both read the entire manga series and completed 70% of the hit anime show), I was interested in the fact that there was a movie that re-told part of the Fate/stay Night story, so I decided to take a deeper look into it. After browsing around for several minutes, I came across this amazing figure of female character and powerful magus Rin Tohsaka, surrounded by various swords and holding her red pendant in her hand as her long brown hair swirls around her. She comes with a swappable sword Azoth that replaces her pendant on her left hand and to my knowledge, that is the only part of her that can be changed. Seeing the great quality that both sculptor Ken Yokota and Good Smile have put into her is amazing, from her flowing brown hair to the swords sticking out of the base down to the overall appearance of her outfit, this is one figure that is sure not to disappoint whoever adds her to their collection. She would make a great addition to the figure collector that is looking for a high quality figure that will make a eye-catching and interesting addition to their collection.
Height: 180 Mm (18 Cm)
Availability: Limited (Limited Edition: Currently for pre-order on Play-Asia and expected to see global release in May 2011)
Price: 8,730 Yen (roughly $104.90 USD)
Who It is Recommended For: Fans of the Fate/stay Night franchise, the Fate/stay Night: UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS film, Rin Tohsaka, or the figure collector looking to make a great addition to their collection that will get noticed by all who lay eyes upon her.

Nendoroid Corner: Fortune Arterial Nendoroid Non-Scale PVC: Erika Sendo

In this installment of the Nendoroid Corner, we will be looking into another of Good Smile Company's amazing nendoroids. This week, we feature Erika Sendo from the popular Fortune Arterial franchise, known for it's Japanese adult visual novels and the recently released anime show. Produced by the Good Smile Company in cooperation with Nendoron and in the joint association of ASCII Media Works, AUGUST, and Zexcs as part of their official line of Fortune Arterial products, the Non-Scale Fortune Arterial Nendoroid PVC Erika Sendo figure is expected to see global market release around June 2011 in Japan and via Good Smile's site for roughly 3,500 Yen (excluding taxes). It was crafted by the talented figure sculptor JUN (E.V.) for the Good Smile Company.
Being new to the Fortune Arterial anime as well as the Fortune Arterial franchise, I had to spend some time researching this franchise on both AnimeVice and Wikipedia at first so I could learn more information regarding 5th-year student Erika Sendo, the main female lead in both the Fortune Arterial anime and visual novels. She comes with multiple swappable arms and legs that allow for various poses, as well as a chair along with her white tea cup and saucer to pose with. Erika comes with 3 faces, her winking face (pictured above), a smiling face, and her red-eyed serious vampire face that can be changed to the collector's preferences. I am still not a big fan of these nendoroids, but with each one of these Good Smile nendoroids that I feature in every new preview, I am slowly becoming more and more interested in these mini figures and their unique appearances compared to normal scale figures. Once again, Good Smile along with Nendoron and figure sculptor JUN have done a incredible job with this nendoroid, from her overall appearance down to the colorful details on every visible part of her. She would make a colorful and cute addition to the collector's expanding nendoroid collection who is looking for a good quality figure that they can purchase for a decent price and make the centerpiece of their collection.
Height: 100 Mm (10 Cm)
Availability: Limited (Limited Edition: Currently for pre-order on Good Smile's site via the Sofmap link. Expected global release is June 2011)
Price: 3,500 Yen (roughly $42.90 USD)
Who It is Recommended For: Fans of the Fortune Arterial franchise, Erika Sendo, or anyone looking to add a bight, adorable nendoroid that is of high quality coming from Good Smile and Nendoron. 
LINK: Fortune Arterial Non-Scale Erika Sendo (Good Smile)
 
This concludes this week's Weekly Figure Preview. Next week's line up to be announced on my AnimeVice profile by this weekend. 
 
* William Anderson is currently attending classes at Butte College in the process of earning a Radio/TV/Film Bachelor's Degree by 2012. He writes short stories, regularly contributes to both AnimeVice and Giant Bomb's wiki databases, and is trying to catch up on the anime shows that he has fallen more than 3 months behind on. If you have any questions or figure requests, please PM me today!