Anime REVIEW: Shinkalion: Change the World

Not to stop a winning combination whilst the going is good, TakaraTomy's Shinkalion franchise returned in 2024 for its third outing following a two-year break. However rather further the story that started out 2018-19's Shinkansen Robo Henkei Shinkalion and continued on into its 2021-22 sequel Shinkansen Robo Henkei Shinkalion Z, this time around it's a whole new continuity. Running for a total of 39 episodes (plus  three specials/recap episodes), Shinkalion: Change the World also brought along a number of other changes - dropping the "Shinkansen Robo Henkei" branding as well as Production I.G. and Signal.MD taking over animation duties from OLM. The series was also available to watch worldwide via the official Shinkalion YouTube channel, albeit without subtitles and most episodes only being made available their original week of airing.

Top 5: Tamashii Nation 2024 Reveals

Another annual Tamashii Nation event has passed and in some ways this was Bandai's biggest one in a while, with lots of brand new IPs joining their various figure lines as well as plenty of new reveals from the usual suspects. Who ever thought we'd be seeing Lord of the Rings S.H. Figuarts or a Chogokin model of the time-travelling train from the end of Back to the Future Part 3? I could spend hours going through all of the announcements from the event (and definitely recommend checking out Tamashii Nations' social media accounts to get a look at everything), but as usual here are my top five favourite reveals from the event.

First Impressions: Shinkalion: Change the World

Proving that trains and giant robots continue to be a winning combination, the Shinkansen Robo Henkei Shinkalion franchise has returned for a third instalment in 2024 - but this time mixing things up a little bit. Not only does Shinkalion: Change the World appear to be starting afresh with a brand new continuity (ignoring the 2018-19 original series and its 2021-22 sequel Shinkalion Z), but it's also working with a slightly older cast. From a production standpoint things have slightly changed too, with Production I.G. and Signal.MD taking over animation duties from OLM. The first episode has also been made available worldwide via the official Shinkalion YouTube channel, albeit without subtitles.

Anime REVIEW: Shinkansen Robo Henkei Shinkalion Z

Japan likes trains, and Japan also likes giant robots. So really it comes as no surprise that they certainly liked Shinkansen Robo Henkei Shinkalion - the 2018-2019 series that brought the two together in an explosion of train facts, wonderfully gimmicky toys and fond memories of the Brave Series. So much so that TakaraTomy, the Japan Railways Group and OLM, Inc. have teamed up once again to produce a sequel series, this time going by the name of Shinkansen Robo Henkei Shinkalion Z. Taking place after the original series with an all-new cast and story, this 2021-2022 sequel ran for a total of 41 episodes.

First Impressions: Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion Z

As if SSSS.Dynazenon and Godzilla Singular Point weren’t enough to convince you that this is a particularly great season for mecha anime, it’s all aboard the the bullet trains once more as Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion returns for a second series! The 2018 smash hit from TakaraTomy, Japan Railways Group and OLM, Inc. returns with a fresh new look - now going by the title of Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion Z. So get ready for more in-depth train trivia, potentially surprising cameos and wonderful robot fights that’ll tempt you to pick up some toys, because if the first series was anything to go by then Shinkalion Z should prove quite the wild ride.

Movie REVIEW: Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion the Movie: The Swiftly ALFA-X that came from the Future

Japan loves trains, and Japan loves giant robots. So it’s not really a surprise to hear that Japan LOVED Shinkansen Henkei Robo Shinkalion, the 2018 anime series that combined the two in one glorious love-letter for Japan’s railroad system. Touches like adding Vocaloid megastar Hatsune Miku as a supporting character and having a Neon Genesis Evangelion tribute episode only furthered attention toward the show. After the 76-episode series concluded it was announced that it would be continuing on in a feature length movie, and at the end of 2019 Shinkanesen Henkei Robo Shinkalion the Movie: The Swiftly ALFA-X that came from the Future (“Mirai Kara Kita Shinsoku no ALFA-X”) was released in Japanese cinemas.

Anime REVIEW: Shinkansen Robo Henkei Shinkalion

Every year there are dozens of anime series released whose main purpose is to sell toys. With these toys mainly limited to Japan, the shows rarely reach a worldwide audience (be it through streaming or otherwise) and many are simply forgotten about. There are however the ones that do that little bit extra and do get noticed across the globe, even if both the show and toys fail to officially make it out of Japan. Shinkansen Robo Henkei Shinkalion is the latest venture from TakaraTomy to expand their long-running PlaRail toy line, teaming up with the Japan Railways Group to create a transforming robot show deeply rooted in Japan's love for its rail system. The 76-episode series was animated by OLM, Inc., whose experience with merchandise-driven shows led to them to previously work with TakaraTomy on both the Zoids and Tomica Rescue Hero revivals.