Taking a quick look at this 2009 year that seemingly went by very quickly and setting up goals and aspirations to help define and look forward to this upcoming 2010 year. Placing  2009 into perspective will include tidbits of my hobbies, activities, interpersonal relationships and anything else that factored into this year for me without cutting into the core.

Unlike the end of 2008 where I blogged about a series of hauls – heavy on the figure merchandise – formatted to mimic a Twelve Days of Christmas layout, I’ve considerably toned down (or at least I think so) my expenditure in my hobbies. Or the extreme delay and backloggery of putting up haul pictures in a timely fashion in conjunction with technical difficulties have convinced and deceived my brain into thinking that I haven’t bought as much as I have. In all honesty, it is probably closer to the latter but not by very much as a picky collector who has quickly amassed at least <478 figures in a year> has gotten a good bulk of all the prioritized figures that she wants. It’s hard to believe that this year has finally ended and that everything starts anew once more with hopes of starting off to a fresh start and everything in the horizon seems so bright and vivid.

“I can’t believe it’s the last day of the year. I can’t believe it’s the last day of the decade. I was in a very different place 10 years ago.”

The above quote comes from a tweet that I stumbled upon that left this nagging feeling in me that I could not attach any words or make sense of. In an effort to make sense of this nagging feeling, I reread this tweet several times and finally came to understand why these statements left a lasting impression on me. The first two sentences, while important, establish a time frame to better define what I feel is the most important part of the quote; in a similar situation as the person who originally wrote this quote, I, too, was in a very different place 10 years ago. Everything about the beginning of that decade was worlds apart different from what I am doing and the person I shaped out to be that it’s something out of some fantastical dream – a dream so vivid and extreme to normalcy at the time that the stark contrast about forewarning of future events and life’s twists and turns in the road have you shaking your head and murmuring aloud, “That would never happen in a million years!” I felt the need to express this thought which appears to be quite random and perhaps even ambiguous to all the friends and passersby that happen to find this blog and its author’s cathartic rants by chance or choice.

Quantitatively, I cannot hope to exponentially increase or even double the total amount in the collection. Quite frankly, I’d rather not open up a can of worms without having the proper accommodation (i.e. house with sexy customized display cabinet in a room dedicated to the collection) to properly combat the situation. According to Tsuki-board.com – who is currently called MyFigureCollection -, the collection stands at a monstrous count of 698 assorted figure and figure related merchandise with 123 preorders with time left before I mark another year in this hobby. Several months ago, a fellow collector expressed wishes for my collection to double in  count and sexiness. I would need a tally of 956 to bring his well wishes into fruition, meaning that all preorders obtained before the year cutoff point would bring me to a count of 821. Not all of the preorders will be obtained before the cutoff point nor is the actual number for both total amount in my collection or the amount shown as preorders is an accurate reflection of the situation. The collection is actually over 700 with figures not added to the database out of laziness and indifference towards making any effort to add something that will ultimately get flagged because of the obscurity of some of the limiteds/exclusives in my possession that “wet behind the ears” collectors find its validity to be inconceivable.

What’s even scarier is that I would have hit double the amount and much more had I not calmed down in my spending habits and placed blinders to obstruct the gleam of shiny auctions, sales and other sources that yield bargain deals. There is always some figure that I would like to have in my possession, but the bottom line is that a weak want is not enough to necessitate any action in trying to acquire said figure. Due to the sheer amount of what I feel are bonafide quality figures in my collection and the ease of having gotten them as well as being able to find practically anything with little to no effort, my attitude has been jaded by the entire experience. I love the thrill of a hunt, but thrill alone isn’t a reasonable justification for getting something that isn’t highly prioritized in the list.

With that said, there have been noteworthy releases or figure additions that were definitive adds this year. Rather than limit that list to some small number and cause grief in the process by having to scrutinize reasons on why one figure was better than another, the reasons for these figures being notable will be included as well.

1. ALTER 1/8 Yukiko Amagi Limited Peacock Feather ver.
2. Square Enix 1/8 Sebastian Michaelis & 1/8 Ciel Phantomhide Limited
3. Megahouse 1/8 Nanael 2p Limited
4. Megahouse 1/8 Capcom Maniax Felicia
5. Kotobukiya 1/8 Rin Natsume Gemaga exclusive
6. Megahouse 1/8 Melona 2p Limited
7. Megahouse 1/8 Echidna 2p Limited
8. ALTER 1/8 Gwendolyn
9. ALTER 1/8 Hobby Japan Alice ~ Boost ver.~ Limited
10. Kotobukiya 1/8 Erika Sendo Gemaga exclusive
11. AlphaxOmega 1/8 Alice ~ Akatsuki ver. ~ 2p Limited
12. ALTER 1/6 Kos-Mos ~ T-elos ver. ~ Limited
13. Megahouse 1/8 Menace 2p Limited
14. AlphaxOmega 1/8 Sheryl Nome
15. Volks 1/8 Mai Shiranui 2p Limited
16. ALTER Non-scale Arbalest
17. Max Factory Non-scale Karas
18. Kotobukiya 1/8 Spica Limited
19. Good Smile Company 1/6 Miura Azusa Limited
20. Good Smile Company Asakura Otome Limited

Yukiko Amagi

After the initial announcement of Persona 3 figures, I vowed that I would collect the line especially if it was done by ALTER. Prior to Yukiko’s release, I had owned every Persona figure by ALTER; heck, I even own two copies of the ALTER Aegis. There are two versions of Yukiko Amagi and as always, I preordered the limited version of the figure. The regular version was up for preorder at Toyslogic at an inflated price which gave customers a chance to still be able to own this figure. I love ALTER and Persona 4 enough to go and seek out the regular version.

Sebastian Michaelis & Ciel Phantomhide

Figure manufacturers would do some good by adding more male characters into their repertoire of pvc releases. If you’ve got similar tastes as me, then you probably thought that Sebastian Michaelis was a handsome and devilishly sexy *wink* butler. The show and characters left such a lasting impression on me that I just had to secure an order for these handsome gentlemen. Luckily for me, I got both gents preordered for retail price. Not only did I get the preorders secured, but I got a second copy of Ciel Phantomhide for retail price as well. In order to match the extra Ciel that I got, I hunted another Sebastian to complete another pair. There are some Sega Prize figures of the two out and while they are cheap and provide a visual representation of these characters, it doesn’t come remotely close nor does it do these awesome characters any justice.

Nanael

The preorder period for this color variation of Nanael was just plain ridiculous. I think I had 10 days or something to go and preorder this figure. One of my goals is to amass a grand and voluptuous Queen’s Blade/Queen’s Gate army to decimate countries and civilizations alike. The 2p variant was absolutely stunning with the angelic coloring on the wings and how the pink worked so well for Nanael’s character.

Felicia

A video game aficionado like me would jump on the bandwagon to own video game characters in her collection. Just like any other character pvc release, the character representation can be off and just atrocious. For me, it’s not enough to slap and decently mold a medium to remotely look like the character. It defeats the purpose of owning figures of that individual if they don’t look accurate or close to being an accurate representation. I’ve always loved the catty and sensuous feline attitude in women and what better way to appreciate that form than to have your own spunky and sexy feline, Felicia. Rawr meow meow *licks hand and grooms self*

Rin Natsume

Between her and Erika Sendo, there was something about Kotobukiya’s Gemaga collaborations that really caught my eye. I know a lot of people who don’t generally trust Kotobukiya for their inconsistent craftsmanship, but later end up with other pvc additions that are on the same level or worse than a Kotobukiya release. I believe Kotobukiya is filled with greatness due to the strength of their non-anime line. I’ve also got a keen eye for craftsmanship and this Rin Natsume is the very best that I’ve seen.

Melona

I don’t care if she is a really ecchi figure. I mean she is really ecchi even for me, but I fell in love with her color scheme for the variant and you’d be blind not to see how well sculpted she is. I even have the promotional slime that you can pour over her. Haha!

Echidna

Not a lot of people are familiar that Megahouse released 4 different versions of Echidna. Well, it’s now 5 with the “special” edition that acts as a regular release and adds an accessory and not an actual repaint. There is a red Hobby Japan exclusive that is one of the rarest QB/QG release that I have ever come to experience. In my opinion, she is much more worse than the Akatsuki ver. of Alice. Echidna is a perfect example of how the same character can look and feel different if given a different coat of paint.

Gwendolyn

I let out a big shout when I saw prototypes of Gwendolyn at the Atlus’ booth. I think the face on the e2046 Gathering prepainted kit looks cross-eyed even though the coloring on the wings are gorgeous. I was very much a fan of the series, so it was love at first sight with ALTER’s prototype pictures.

Alice

The regular bondage theme was so aesthetically appealing to me. Pink is not my favorite color despite having a lot of pink in both my wardrobe and pvc collection. It came as a real big surprise to me that this sugar-y version caught my eye. She released around the same time as my birthday, so it was destiny that she would be a part of the collection.

Erika Sendo

The first prototype pictures that surfaced caught my eye, but it didn’t go past simply acknowledging it for a good figure. I was also not pursuing limiteds or exclusives at that time. After revisiting the picture and seeing her in someone else’s collection, I saw how well done she was. Unlike other limiteds or exclusives, I didn’t want to pay a reasonably inflated price for her, either. Luckily for me, I found her for such an awesome price, making it that much sweeter for me.

Alice

Alice is remarkably beautiful and rare release. She is a loli collaboration between ALTER and Megahouse with the regular release getting canceled at numerous retailers. Combining the awesomeness of two epic companies only leads to gorgeous results and Alice definitely delivers. I don’t like loli or moe looking figures, but Alice is the best looking loli figure release thus far.

Kos-Mos

Girls with a tan rock. I can never appreciate pale or even pasty skin in both real and fictional life. Swimsuits are a plus if the swimsuit and character look good. Swimsuits also mean lack of material that can be used to create ripples, folds and creases. For me, swimsuits also mean physique and being able to see the contours of the character’s body.

Menace

Queen’s Blade/ Queen’s Gate repaints always get me excited. I think it’s poor on figure manufacturers to take the lazy route and consider a slight accessory or change in shimapan or lazy color switch is a repaint. The matté finish really caught my attention. She’s also a very unique character with a fun and dynamic pose.

Sheryl Nome

If you’ve noticed some trends in my collection for both video games, figures and personal tastes, I prefer sexy vixens. I think Ranka Lee is cute like a button, but it’s that radiance and bold confidence that Sheryl possesses that gives her that enormous edge. I think cute and moé is fine, but they are little girls to me in the end. Sheryl is one of the sexiest female anime characters that has ever graced anime and AlphaxOmega does a fine job exemplifying all that sexiness into plastic.

Mai Shiranui

Mai Shiranui hails from the King of Fighters series. Max Factory released a pvc of her in her typical attire, but she became part of the Queen’s Gate universe. There are a few video game characters crossing over into the Queen’s dimension, making the series even more appealing for me. Volks created an elegant looking Mai with a gorgeous kimono pattern whilst still being able to show some skin in a tasteful way. I love this figure that much that I went and got both versions of Mai. *shakes fist*

Arbalest

When ALTER announced that they would be adding the Arbalest to their lineup, I quickly secured a preorder for her over at Otakufuel. Unfortunately, there were allocations and my preorder was cut. Thankfully for me, I was able to snatch her up for the same price with free shipping elsewhere. The only thing that I would wish for at this point is a figure of Sousuke and Mao, but I doubt that that will ever happen.

Karas

Max Factory must have previewed a Karas prototype at almost every event they showed up with, giving fans some semblance of hope that the figure would receive a release date or any conclusive information some time soon. Time went by until a release date and preorder solicitation reached the internet surfaced along with a whopping price tag. It’s amazing how nicely done poseable figures are expensive, but it makes sense considering Full Action Max Dann of Thursday had a slightly steep MSRP. I chose against the limited repaint version and may very well pick up that copy so that I may be able to recreate an action filled pose with two Karas.

Spica

I am weak to gimmicks on sexy characters. Sumaga is a popular erogé that features three varying female anime stereotypes. Spica is my favorite and the most well-balanced of the group. This figure has “win” written all over it. She’s got a dynamic pose. Her face is beautiful and can be display with or without a hat. She looks nice without a hat despite most figures looking weird when displayed without a hat or head gear. AND, the receptor on her wand lights up!

Azusa Miura

I’ve wanted this figure for such a long time. She was part of my list of grail figures, yet I wasn’t expecting to purchase her until I had secured a career. As a result of a seller lying about not having the figure and backing down from my offer, I scouted her current market value and really didn’t want to shell out over $250. I don’t care if someone doesn’t want to sell anything to me as long as they are honest about it. I’m glad the deal didn’t go through as I got her for substantially cheaper than intended. I always knew that she was lovely, but I didn’t know that she was that beautiful until in person.

Asakura Otome

Nendoroids by default should be cute evil pieces of plastic. A lot of these nendoroids range from unusual to ok to extremely adorable. Asakura Otome falls in the latter category with her big pink ribbon and serene expression and dainty umbrella. If you’re looking for one of the cutest nendoroids, she is worth the buy. Shame that she is an exclusive, but that’s typically how it goes.

Notable Posts in 2009

1. Valentines Day and a Rant – I just reread this post and came to realize how much more vitriol that is usually contained laid out openly
2. Good Smile Company – What the hell is wrong with you?!?!?!?! – My stance on Good Smile being ridiculous using Saber Lily as an example
3. Mmmm Pork Loin Chops – A fun post with my own personal recipe
4. Whatcha watchin’? Anime, it’s what’s for dinner – First attempt at anime preview format that was never continued
5. Post E3 Haul – Swag, swag and more video game swag
6. 1 year and 478 figures later… – Picture extensive post commemorating a year of collecting
7. Failed attempt at avoiding the Dark Side – A sudden epiphany concerning kit recasts, bootlegs and my dilemma about wanting to get into the kit building scene
8. Am I an android? [ALTER Aegis review] – Photo shoot of one of my favorite recent video game characters
9. Sega Dreamcast Tribute ~ 10th Anniversary – Tribute to a revolutionary gaming platform
10. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly ~ Figure Store Review Edition ~ – Critique of some of the figure retailers
11. Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Fortune Hunter Edition – Will You Be Mine? – A show of absolute support with a bit of crazed determination in trying to acquire a coveted piece of gaming history
12. Kitty Got Wet ~ Uncharted 2: Among Thieves Ed. ~ – Uncharted 2: Among Thieves preview
13. Assembling a Nendoroid Army – Depicting how crazy I am for nendoroids without being completely aware of my subconscious goal of wanting to own ‘em all
14. Uncharted 2 – Game of the #@!%$@ Year! VGA Results – Rant about the VGA results

2010 Goals

1. Clean and maintain the apartment
2. Move into a better apartment or start looking at condominiums or town homes
3. Start saving money towards a house
4. Catch up and watch some anime
5. Begin to read more manga from series I’ve watched that are still going
6. Begin working towards finishing up achievement or master runs on some video games
7. Work towards playing some of my backlogged video games
8. Replay beloved titles that I’ve already played to reminisce about the good old days
9. Evaluate my current relationships; strengthen the ones that need work and cut loose all the unnecessary and unimportant ones
10. Exercise to tone my body and bring back my obliques
11. Eat more healthy things
12. Make an effort to have a normal sleeping habit (This will most likely fail as my sleeping habits are in insomnia mode)
13. Be conscious about not spending a lot (right now) and saving more money
14. Hunt down some RAHs and other figures; I’m not going to name specifics as I don’t know what will fall into my lap
15. Figure out storage for the growing collection
16. Keep up-to-date on noteworthy video game titles that might get rare and expensive later on
17. Go to San Diego Comic Con
18. Successfully complete a portion of academia
19. Get a better paying job for the time being
20. Spend more time with family
21. Get back into reading more books

This past year, I was extremely overworked, tired, stressed out and had spurts of nonexistence on this blog site. For those who knew me in real life, these factors were the same in person as well. 2009 definitely ended on a strange note with the sudden life altering revelation, opening up another perspective on how to view life while adding a new defining chapter on this path that I continue to walk on. Who knows what events will turn up or how 2010 will come to shape me as a person and define my future.

For everyone that I have shared a part of 2009 with, thank you for the memories and experience. May your 2010 be a memorable and pleasant one.