Release Date: December 2022 RRP: 24000 yen 2022 marked the 15th anniversary of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann , and as one might expect the popular Gainax series received plenty of new merchandise in celebration. While a lot of these announcements were certainly nothing to scoff at (a new transforming Riobot version from Sentinel, a long overdue articulated Kamina figure from BUZZmod), it was Good Smile Company that truly thought out of the box to mark the occasion. Teaming up with the production staff behind the series (including director Hiroyuki Imaishi) they came up with THE GATTAI Infinite Combining Gurren Dan Lagann – a brand new combination that incorporates nine mecha from Team Dai Gurren. Raw raw, fight the power.

Release Date: May 2019 RRP: 5093 yen Where the mighty Kamina goes, his bro is sure to follow. Good Smile Company continue their launch of new Gurren Lagann merchandise with the release of Nendoroid Simon , following on from Kamima's long-awaited debut in the line at the end of last year. With his release GSC have finally at the very least completed the core trio of the acclaimed Gainax series, with Nendoroid Yoko having come out all the way back in 2009. Speaking as an unashamed Nia fan Good Smile still have plenty left to do, but at the very least it's amazing to see not only the show getting some love 12 years after its release but also seeing the characters finally get figures they deserved long ago.

Release Date: November 2018  RRP: 4444 yen Dig the wax out of your ears and listen close! The bad reputation of Team Gurren echoes far and wide in Giha Village. When they talk about its badass leader, that man of indomitable spirit, that paragon of masculinity, they're talking about him - the mighty Nendoroid Kamina ! That's right, after nearly ten years since the last Gurren Lagann  release Good Smile Company have finally returned to Gainax's beloved mecha series to round off the core trio of main characters - two years after the series has celebrated its tenth anniversary, but close enough. Simon will be joining the line later in 2019, but first it's time to celebrate the release of the man who first inspired him the pierce the heavens and kick logic to the curb. Kamina has finally arrived on the scene, and if he has anything to do with it you'll certainly hear about it. Just who the hell do you think he is?!

Release Date: March 2017 RRP: 11,800 yen As a figure collector I’ve fallen victim to many different rabbit holes in the past – Transformers , Figma , S.H. Figuarts to name a few . But scale figures is one thing I’ve avoided for the longest time, not just due to their lack of articulation but also the price and space they command. However when Hong Kong-based company Myethos announced they would finally be releasing a 1/8 scale Gurren Lagann Nia Teppelin Wedding Dress Ver. figure (seen for many years as a garage kit at various conventions) as a mass release item, an exception had to be made. What better way to celebrate the show’s 10th anniversary than with a high-end figure of my favourite character? I may have been celebrating, but my bank account sure wasn’t.

Although Gurren Lagann has received some pretty spectacular figures in the last few years courtesy of Sentinel and Bandai Tamashii Nations , I can't help but feel it came out at a pretty bad time for poseable figures. The only line to complete the various forms of the titular robot (as well as do some of the other Gunmen that appeared in the show) is Kaiyodo's Revoltech line, which was pretty great at the time but has now dated horribly thanks to its insistence on using its trademark revolver joints for everything. Revoltech also produced a Yoko Littner figure for their anime girls-orientated Fraulein sub line, but even that is a far cry from the likes of Figma or S.H. Figuarts. Yamato also produced their own Yoko figure a few years ago, but other than commanding a pretty high price tag there's also plenty of stories of it being a rather flimsy and breakable piece. Anyway, nearly seven years after its original release Fraulein Yoko has made a surprising return - ...

Not so long ago Gainax were among the kings of the anime world. Boasting the likes of Gunbuster, Nadia, Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Lagann and more, you weren't likely to find an anime fan who wasn't familiar with at least one thing on their rather impressive resume. And if they weren't, then they were likely to have seen something influenced by the studio's distinct sense of spectacle. However in recent years the once legendary studio isn't quite what it used to be, with many of it's staff having moved elsewhere - be it Hideaki Anno's Studio Khara , Hiroyuki Imaishi's Studio Trigger or another studio. Since then Gainax's offerings have been slim, and what they have put out has either been met to rather mixed reception or been less than stellar . But in 2015 Gainax returned to the scene with a brand new original series, expanded from a series of shorts produced in 2011 in association with automaker Subaru. With a series of Youtube shorts, a 1...

Things have been a little quiet for Gainax over the past few years. Sure the legendary anime studio have produced a string of anime adapted from various sources ( Medaka Box , C3-bu and Magica Wars ), but in terms of original products there hasn't been a peep out of them since Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt way back in 2010. But proving that the loss of some of their leading staff members (who've gone on to form studio Trigger ) isn't the end of them, they're back with a brand new magical girl series - Wish Upon the Pleiades . Well, it isn't  technically new since the show is based on a bunch of Youtube shorts the studio produced back in 2011 in association with automobile company Subaru . But hey, it's great to have you back Gainax.

When you look at their back catalogue, it's no surprise that Gainax were once top of the anime game. From reviving the mecha genre to taking fan service to new, gravity-defying heights, Gainax shows were always stamped with a mark of quality. And one thing they seemed to do exceptionally better than everyone else was the weird . FLCL may be the benchmark for just how weird things could get, but not far behind it is Magical Shopping Arcade Abenobashi . Handing animation duties over to fellow juggernaut studio Madhouse , the 2002 series ran for a total of 13 episodes.

Sentinel certainly aren't a company as well known as the likes of Bandai, Max Factory/Good Smile Company or Kaiyodo, but they've certainly been causing quite a buzz with the lines they've been producing over the last year or so. Their RIOBOT and RIO:Bone lines have already had a stab at some Gainax  properties with Gurren Lagann and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt figures, but their latest release in the RIO:Bone line covers both the humanoid and the robotic. After a long delay of wondering whether she'd ever see the light of day, Buster Machine No.7 aka Nono from Aim for the Top 2 (or Diebuster  if you'd prefer) is finally here!

After preordering this in January (for a June release) and then having it pushed back a further two months, it feels like I've been waiting forever for this set to arrive. After doing a fantastic job with their various Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt sets, Phat Company have returned with another 2-pack in that style...only this one is a little different. Celebrating the 5th anniversary of Gurren Lagann (which as you all should know by now is my favourite anime series), this new set reimagines lead heroines Yoko and Nia (along with Boota ) in Panty & Stocking style. These figurines were based off designs by Atsushi Nishigori - the character designer for both series. While the Angel version Panty & Stocking figures came in fastened packaging that could be opened without damaging the box, this Gurren Lagann set has reverted to normal bubble packaging which means if you want to open them the packaging needs to be permanently damaged. The front backing car...

When it comes to Gainax , I've become the kind of person that'll watch whatever they put out regardless of how good it is. Sure most of the staff that made it my favourite studio may have moved on to form Trigger , but it's still the place that created some of my absolute favourite anime. I'm a bit more sceptical when it comes to their manga adaptations, but after enjoying both seasons of Medaka Box I thought "Why the hell not?"  Stella Women’s Academy, High School Division Class C3 (or Tokurei Sochi Dantai Stella Jo-Gakuin Kōtō-ka C3-Bu for its equally wordy title, just use C3-Bu ) may not be Gainax's usual comfort zone, but it sounds like a fun ride. The story follows the shy Yura Yamato as she transfers to the prestigious Stella Women's Academy, and struggles to make friends or fit in on her first day. She catches the attention of the school's misfit airsoft club, which goes by the name of the C3 Club (which stands for command, control and...

Yay, a new Gainax anime! Wait, Gainax doing a moe slice of life anime? Sure it isn't their usual fare, but Tokurei Sochi Dantai Stella Jo-Gakuin Kōtō-ka C3-Bu (or Stella Women’s Academy, High School Division Class C3 if you'd prefer it's English title) may just be right at home with the studio that last brought us Medaka Box . Based on the manga series of the same name by Ikoma, C3-Bu tells the story of prestigious school Stella Women's Academy's airsofting club and the misadventures they get up to. This first episode sees new student Yura Yamato transfer to the school before being roped into the club by members Rento, Karila, Honoka and Yachiyo. After failed attempts at persuading Yura to join with bribes of cake and sweets, they encourage her to take part in her first mock battle. While Gainax, guns and girls sounds like a match made in heaven, I was wary of how this show might turn out. I wasn't familiar with the source material, and so there se...

The Young Animator's Training Project  was set up by JAniCA (the Japanese Animators Creators Association) as a means of encouraging studios to train new young animators rather than outsourcing the work overseas. Selected studios are given a sum of money for the year, and the end product is then showcased at an animation festival. At Anime Mirai 2013 among heavy hitter studios Gonzo and Madhouse was a newcomer by the name of Trigger . Trigger was formed back in 2011 by ex-Gainax employees Hiroyuki Imaishi (director for Gurren Lagann  and Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt , among others) and Masahiko Ohtsuka and their new studio first feature is an enchanting little short that goes by the name of Little Witch Academia . You'd fit right in a Gainax production... Akko Kagari has joined an academy for young witches to follow in the footsteps of her childhood idol Shiny Chariot. Despite having two good friends, Lotte and Sucy, Akko struggles with class, can't ride a...

As anyone who watched the first season of Medaka Box  will know, things were turned up a notch in the final few episodes and things seemed to move in a drastically different direction. Turns out this was just a teaser of what was to come, as the all-powerful Student Council President and her band of merry men return for a second season, this time titled Medaka Box Abnormal. Once again it ran for 12 episodes (between October and December 2012), animated by Gainax and based on the ongoing manga series of the same name. Following her battle with Myouri Unzen, Medaka Kurokami is warned of and then subsequently invited to join the Flask Plan - a project to forcefully experiment on Normal students to turn them into Abnormals, humans with superhuman abilities. After seeking training from her perverted brother Maguro - a man whose abnormality allows him to develop the most suitable methods to bring out the greatest potential in an individual, the Student Council head underground to t...

Can you believe its been five years since Gurren Lagann ? Well it has, and while Gainax haven't shown any plans in celebrating the anniversary of my favourite mecha series lesser known toy company Sentinel have given fans something to celebrate about. Revealed nearly a year ago to much excitement, the fourth installment in their Riobot (Riot Robot) line has finally been released. While Sentinel might not have quite the extensive resume as lines such as Kaiyodo's Revoltech and Bandai's Robot Damashii or Super Robot Chogokin, the few figures they have put out are said to be of superb quality (which is reflected in their hefty price tags). Costing a whopping 9500 yen RRP (£75/$120), Riobot Gurren Lagann has quite a lot to live up to before being compared to previous incarnations of the robot. Much like how the packaging for RIO:Bone (Sentinel's human character line) Panty and Stocking impressed with their fantastic graphics, Gurren Lagann also has a box...