My Shiny Toy Robots

The Attack on Titan hype train is still very much rolling, but in terms of merchandise it seems Max Factory 's Figma line is rounding things off for the time being. Well, as far as mass release figures go anyway. We've already seen Mikasa and Eren in the main line, Armin's popped up as a Wonderfest Exclusive (and should now be on his way to those who bought him from the GSC store) so now its time for the OTHER super popular character to make his debut. And that of course is none of than Levi . And Levi's popularity shouldn't be underestimated, because before he was even released he had a second version of his Figma announced - a cleaning version which was released as an exclusive at last weekend's summer Wonderfest.

Auxiliary limbs and weaponry are pretty much a staple of Super Sentai robots these days, and being based around a whole fleet of trains Ressha Sentai ToQger is no exception. After being snubbed for the first two releases despite being one of the first Resshas introduced in the show, the Shield Ressha makes its grand debut in the line's third wave, accompanied by the more recent Police and Fire Resshas . Since these three tiny trains probably couldn't make up a wave on their own, it has also been padded out with a re-release of ToQOh .

It's been a long year full of plenty of great S.H. Figuarts releases, but finally the time has come for the final member of Kyoryu Sentai Zyuranger to join the rest in figure form. And although Tiger Ranger may not be the most popular of the six Zyurangers, this is certainly the most interesting release of them. Due to the character being repurposed as the female Yellow Ranger in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers , two alternate versions of the figure have been produced. While Japan enjoy a male body version as a Tamashii web exclusive , Bluefin have brought a special female body over for a American buyers. Whichever version you're getting, the accessories remain the same.  So without further ado, here is a look at the Japanese release of Tiger Ranger!

Once upon a time Super Sentai 'Returns' movies weren't a lot to get excited about. Sure they were a chance to see your favourite heroes once again prior to the annual versus movie, but story wise they were bits of fluff that didn't really offer very much at all. Then last year Go-Busters vs. Go-Busters   came about and changed that by being a genuinely fantastic movie. And this year, Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger Returns: 100 Years After looks to do the same, featuring the kind of plot that even non-fans of the series can't help but get a little interested/excited about.

It's safe to say that the S.H. Figuarts figures of Kamen Rider Gaim and Kamen Rider Baron blew many fans away, making anticipation even higher as Bandai begin journeying through the multitude of Riders the show has. Coming as release number three is the least seen of the four "core" Riders of the show - Kamen Rider Zangetsu aka Takatora Kureshima . With Takatora upgrading to the Zangetsu Shin version of the suit fairy early on this original version hasn't made a whole load of appearances in comparison to Gaim, Baron and Ryugen. However the timing of this mass-release Figuart couldn't have been much better, as the original Zangetsu suit made a grand return in what has been one of Gaim 's best episodes so far.

S.H. Figuarts might be the first thing collectors think of when it comes to Bandai Tamashii Nations toylines, but there's one line of Japanese superhero that's so renowned that they've been getting a whole toy line to themselves. I'm referring to none other than Ultra-Act of course, a Figuarts-esque line for Tsuburaya Productions' Ultraman franchise (and a few exceptions, such as Gridman ). My first Ultra-Act figure of my first proper exposure to the Ultra series, it's current hero and 50th anniversary series - Ultraman Ginga .

It's the start of a brand new anime season and this summer comes the series that a lot of fans have been waiting for. After much teasing and at least two apparent delays, the 20th anniversary celebration of Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon is finally airing. Entitled Sailor Moon Crystal , this brand new show will retell the original manga story. It's going to run for a total of 26 episodes, however it will also be airing fortnightly so will in fact be airing for a whole year. For long time Sailor Moon  fans it's a good time to be a fan, and for newcomers like me this seems like the perfect place to start.

Given that Soul Eater seems to still have a fair bit of popularity in it for a show that aired six years ago, it was only a matter of time before its spin-off manga series also received the same treatment. Once again with studio Bones at the helm, Soul Eater Not! is a prequel/spin-off series that features a (mostly) new cast and a fluffier demeanour. With the action still taking place at Death City, there's still plenty of action, supernatural beings and people turning into weapons though. At only 12 episodes long, it's also significantly shorter than the 51 episode main show.

Even though it's original manga was never officially translated into English, the Elfen Lied anime series has quite the reputation. Whether its for its horrific violence, copious amounts of nudity or simply for being a great example of how adapting an ongoing manga series can affect an ending, it's a series that can come up in conversation quite often. So when author Lynn Okomoto 's new ongoing manga Brynhildr in the Darkness (or  Gokukoku no Brynhildr ) was announced to be getting a 13-episode series, heads were going to turn. And with Elfen Lied being one of my all-time favourites, mine was among them.