Miniseries REVIEW: Kamen Rider Outsiders

Over the years the Kamen Rider franchise has evolved in many different ways, and one of the more noticeable changes throughout the Heisei and Reiwa eras has been a shift towards having Riders themselves as principle villains in the series rather than standard monsters. This has created quite the range of villainous Riders, many of which have now come together in what is arguably the Toei Tokusatsu Fan Club's biggest project yet - Kamen Rider Outsiders. Beginning its story with a prologue episode in 2022 before releasing a further seven in intervals across 2023 and 2024, writer Yuya Takahashi brings together his three main series (Ex-Aid, Zero-One and Geats), along with characters and threads from several other Kamen Rider shows in this grand-scale story.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Darth Vader -Classic Ver- (Star Wars: A New Hope)

Release Date: October 2024

RRP: 8800 yen

While the Star Wars S.H. Figuarts line has spread across a number of different films and shows, it seems Bandai Tamashii Nations will always come back to the film that started it all. 2024 saw them announce a new range of "Classic Ver" releases - reissuing a number of characters from the original film with updated paint jobs to make them more screen accurate. The rather lengthily titled S.H. Figuarts Darth Vader -Classic Ver- (Star Wars: A New Hope) was among the first of these releases, and the fifth rendition of the iconic Sith Lord in the S.H. Figuarts line. At this point, Bandai have now done two versions of Vader from A New Hope and two from Return of the Jedi, but still nothing at all from The Empire Strikes Back. Given how long the line has been going for now it really is beginning to feel like Bandai have something against that film...

Series REVIEW: Space Sheriff Gavan

By the beginning of the 1980s, the Henshin Hero boom was over and many studios had already stopped producing live-action series about costumed superheroes. Ultraman had just entered a long hiatus following the conclusion of Ultraman 80, and even Kamen Rider had disappeared from television screens again after a brief revival with Skyrider and Super-1. Although Super Sentai remained a steady constant, Toei looked to create an all-new hero that would revive their tokusatsu productions. Inspired by artwork from toy designer Katsuhshi Murakami (who would later handle the overall design for the show) that depicted a lone metallic, sword-wielding hero, the plan was simple - create a hero that would be able to surpass even Kamen Rider. Spearheaded by tokusatsu veteran Shozo Uehara and starring stuntman Kenji Ohba (who had previously appeared in both Battle Fever J and Denshi Sentai Denjiman, as well as a longtime Toei stunt performer) in his first starring role, the end result was Space Sheriff Gavan - the first entry in the Space Sheriff trilogy as well as the wider Metal Heroes franchise. Gavan ran for a total of 44 episodes between 1982 and 1983, introducing Japanese audiences to an all-new kind of hero.

Series REVIEW: Ultraman Arc

Although its move towards global takeover has been happening for some time now, 2024 proved a be a particularly big year for the Ultraman franchise. The animated movie Ultraman: Rising arrived on Netflix to critical acclaim, the Marvel Comics series returned in a big way with Ultraman x Avengers and of course a brand new mainline series debuted - once again available worldwide on the ULTRAMAN OFFICIAL YouTube channel with multi-language subtitles and an English dub. Ultraman Arc invites viewers to unleash the power of their imagination, written by Jun Tsugita and directed by Takanori Tsujimoto - both making their debut as head screenwriter and main director respectively though previously contributors to Ultraman throughout the New Generation era. 

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Monkey D. Luffy -Gear 5-

Release Date: April 2024

RRP: 9900 yen

The introduction of Luffy's Gear 5 form in the One Piece anime series was undoubtedly one of the biggest anime moments of 2023, with even those not well-versed in the decades-spanning series unable to escape the internet hype that surrounded its debut. Said popularity quickly spread to merchandising as well, with Bandai Tamashii Nations fairly quick off the mark to add it to the now steadily-growing range of S.H. Figuarts. S.H. Figuarts Monkey D. Luffy -Gear 5- even proved so popular that Bandai chose to reissue it the same year it was released - with a second shipment of the retail release figure coming into November 2024 following its initial April release.

Series REVIEW: Wingman

With the tokusatsu scene largely dominated by the big name franchises it's always good to see something else come along for fans to sink their teeth into on top of that, and in the case of this late-entry 2024 series it's a particular love-letter to both the medium and superheroes in general. To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Masakazu Katsura's manga series Wingman, Toei Video joined forces with TV Tokyo and DMM TV to produce a ten-episode live-action adaptation - something that feels long overdue for a series so obviously inspired by the heroes we all know and love. This is the second onscreen adaptation Wingman has received (following a 47-episode anime series back in 1984), and stars Maito Fujioka (son of original Kamen Rider actor Hiroshi Fujioka and the young Hongo Takeshi in Kamen Rider: Beyond Generations) in the lead role.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 1/Takeshi Hongo (Kamen Rider: The Next)

Release Date: December 2024

RRP: 9900 yen

In 2024 Bandai Tamashii Nations began a countdown to their 100th Kamen Rider S.H. Figuarts Shinkocchou Seihou figure, with fans all over the world speculating on what this milestone release could be. The reveal itself was one many had considered, but perhaps never thought would be reality. All the way back in February 2008 the S.H. Figuarts line began, and now its very first figure has been reborn in Figuarts' premium "true bone carving" range. S.H. Figuarts -Shinkocchou Seihou- Kamen Rider 1/Takeshi Hongo (The Next) breathes new life into a figure that has been long forgotten by many, despite being the foundation for everything the line has done since. If that's not the perfect reason to make it the 100th Kamen Rider release, then I don't know what is. A Tamashii web exclusive release, the lead Rider from 2007's Kamen Rider: The Next is a new twist on a classic in a number of ways.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Bun Red

Release Date: October 2024

RRP: 8250 yen

Once upon a time the return of Super Sentai S.H. Figuarts seemed like a pipe dream, but now that we're four years into new releases on both the mainline and Shinkocchou Seihou side of things its fair to say they're back with a vengeance. At the time of writing, S.H. Figuarts Bun Red may be the only confirmed release from Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger (however there's been plenty more showcased when it comes to vehicle-themed Sentai), but Bandai Tamashii Nations simply continuing what they've started and getting the leader from the latest series out while said series is still airing is still more than a lot of fans ever expected to be getting.

Movie REVIEW: Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger GekijoBoon! Promise the Circuit

As the Super Sentai rapidly approaches its 50th anniversary we've seen the format played around with a bit in recent shows, but there are some traditions that just seem to be set in stone. One such example is the Toei's annual Summer movie double bill, in which Super Sentai usually draws the short straw compared to the longer and more elaborate Kamen Rider offering. 2024 is no exception, as Bakuage Sentai Boonboomger GekijoBoon! Promise the Circuit screened alongside Kamen Rider Gotchard: The Future Daybreak. The first big-screen outing for the 48th Super Sentai series (but now officially 49th team), the film was written by series show runner Atsuhiro Tomioka and directed by main director Shojiro Nakazawa.

Movie REVIEW: Ultraman Blazar the Movie: Tokyo Kaiju Showdown

While the Ultraman franchise has carved out a clear plan for worldwide exposure over the past few years, there were times where it ran the risk of being a little too predictable for longtime fans. Then following a string of series where paying tribute to the past seemed to be a primary factor (whether it be the gimmicks and continuity of the New Generation Heroes or the "reimagining" approach of Trigger and Decker), Ultraman Blazar came along and tore up the playbook - featuring a fresh take on its hero that wasn't quite as tied to the show's history. And though its now firm tradition for an Ultraman series to end with a big screen movie adventure, Ultraman Blazar the Movie: Tokyo Kaiju Showdown is similarly unfazed by its predecessors. Though released in Japan back in February 2024, unlike other recent Ultraman movies this was not made available worldwide through Ultraman Connection - with English-speaking fans having to wait for the recent complete series blu-ray release from Mill Creek Entertainment for it's official subtitled (and dubbed) release.