Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Star-Lord

Release Date: September 2017

RRP: 6264 yen (Japanese Edition), $84.99/£99.99 (Western Edition)

With the Marvel Cinematic Universe now truly engrained into the S.H. Figuarts line it’s become customary to expect at least one figure from each new film, and Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 2 has proved to be no exception. September saw the release of both S.H. Figuarts Star-Lord and a Rocket/Groot 2-pack, both as Tamashii web exclusives. However whereas Rocket still curiously remains exclusive to Japan, Star-Lord follows the recent trend of enhanced Western releases for Marvel Figuarts – coming bundled with effect pieces in the same way Doctor Strange and Spider-Man had earlier.

Anime REVIEW: Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers

Among the long lists of anime series that begin each new season, you'll always find a handful that have a certain goal in mind - selling toys. Of course this strategy isn't exactly uncommon on either side of the globe, but in Japan's case these are the year long-running shows that Westerners don't seem to pay a whole lot of attention to, and are eventually forgotten as soon as their last episode has aired. However last year revealed one that everyone immediately paid attention to, as Marvel Comics announced they would be partnering with studio Toei Animation for a brand new animated venture - Marvel Disk Wars: The Avengers. With the pairing of Marvel and Toei having previously brought the world the wonderfully wacky 1978 Japanese Spider-Man series, many were eager to see what would happen when the comics giant teamed up with Toei's animation department instead. The result was not quite what any expected, and a series that could quite easily be summed up as a Japanese kids' show through and through. And with those all important toy duties being handled by Bandai, this doesn't look like a show that'll be officially stepping outside of Japan at any point either.