Ritz Camembert & Pepper, Mozzarella & Basil Crackers リッツカマンベールペッパーとモッツァレラバジルチーズサンド

Light, buttery and airy like you'd expect a Ritz to be, but there wasn't much distinction between these two flavors, save for the basil being quite potent in the mozzarella/basil combo. The pepper was there, too, not overpowering, but there. As for the cheese, as I said, there really wasn't too much difference between the Camembert and mozzarella, which, if you've ever had the actual cheeses, you know they're not too alike when it comes to flavor. But then again, I'm not crazy, i.e. - I'm not expecting cheese filling in a cracker to match the taste of the genuine article.

Each pack comes with 9 crackers, which are pretty substantial all told. Perfect for a bowl of soup or two.

Verdict: While I wouldn't buy them again if shipping was involved, if I could buy them directly from a store shelf, I may give em another whirl.

Supicotto Madoka Magica Figures 魔法少女まどかマギカ すぴこっと

Supicotto: is a combination of the words "speaker" and "mascot" (masukotto in Japanese) which results in an SD mascot figure on top of a speaker base that plays lines from the anime specific to that character.

The bases: are just as big as the figures themselves, in Kyuubey's case, bigger.

Styling: Whoever did the designs for how the girls are re-imagined did a nice job, as they turned out very cute and very stylized. The way they are conceptualized, the artist made them his/her own.

Atlus' Catherine Goods キャサリングッズ

Catherine/Katherine: This mug's got em both, one for each side. Coffee or tea, she's gotcha covered.

Crazy cleavage bomb or just plain crazy?: Our (anti)hero is depicted struggling in a sea of mountains.

The Sheepman strap: Came out the same month and has the anthropomorphized dream-beasts falling in contorted ways into a bloody abyss. Flip it inside out and you have a lone, somewhat friendlier (but no less creepy) sheep dude with his hand on his hip, waiting for you to attach your keys.

Nyanko-sensei Wagashi Straps 夏目友人帳ニャンコ先生和菓子ストラップ

What is it: It's Nyanko-sensei from Natsume Yuujinchou molded into and pictured on various forms of Wagashi 和菓子, or traditional Japanese candy. I got 4 of the 8, because I didn't find the other half of the set that appealing. I mean, how many dango with chara faces on them can you have?

What I got: Nyanko-sensei senbei, Nyanko-sensei sakura mochi, Nyanko-sensei manjuu and Nyanko-sensei kouhaku manjuu

These are: made by Takara Tomy A.R.T.S. so they're really well done as far as plastic straps are concerned. Each comes with a tiny card imprinted with a colorful design saying what each wagashi it's attached to.

MEGAMAN -dot.Strap Collection- Vol.3 ロックマン －ドット・ストラップ－コレクション Vol.3

Type: Rubber keychain/strap. This time around it's the Megaman 2 baddies, but the set is Volume 3. Go fig.

Bummer: Didn't get Crashman in the initial box, but bought him later at auction.

Secret: This set only has one, Wily in "alien" form. Could only find one page that had a photo of it. None at auction over a period of 2 months. Must be super secret.

Verdict: They're characters from Megaman 2, arguably the best original Megaman game. Primary colors, made of thick, sleek material. 8-bit glory in your face.