Release Date: July 2023 RRP: 11000 yen 2022 marked the 15th anniversary of Tengen Toppa Gurren Lagann , and as one of the most popular mecha series to have been released in the past few decades there was no way figure companies weren't going to mark the occasion. But while there was the predictable onslaught of high-end versions of the titular mecha, Aniplex 's still relatively new BUZZmod line went in a different direction and did something fans have been waiting years for. Articulated figures of the mecha are commonplace, but the cast themselves? That's much rarer. After 15 years, one of the show's most unforgettable characters has finally received an articulated action figure in the form of BUZZmod Kamina . As an Aniplex exclusive release, the figure could only be ordered through their official webstore (in both Japan and the US) – and of course any middleman service supplying it through them.

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?!

The second of my Spring anime viewings is a show that I probably wouldn't have had any interest in had I not seen the animation studio name attached to it. Medaka Box is a 12-episode series based on the manga of the same name written by Nisio Isin (the Monogatari series), and animated by none other than Gainax ( Neon Genesis Evangelion, Gurren Lagann ). Before we begin, have some Medaka fanservice. In her first year at Hakoniwa Academy, Medaka Kurokami is elected Student Council President after winning a staggering 98% of the vote. Her first initiative is create a suggestion box, in which her fellow students can make suggestions/requests that the council will attempt to fix 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. With her childhood friend Zenkichi Hitoyoshi behind her, Medaka is determined to fix any problem - including finding lost dogs, cleaning up club rooms and "rehabilitating" students. As the series progresses, she also takes judo club prince Kouki Akune and sw...

So after 2 weeks of no internet and a longer than expected (but nobody's fault) delivery time from AmiAmi, I finally get to do the review I've been waiting for - the highly anticipated (by me anyway) Ver KA Gurren Lagann! The first obvious thing to point out is that it differs from other Gurren Lagann in that it is covered in highly stylised tribal markings/tattoos - a trademark of designer Hajime Katoki (famous for designing all kinds of mecha, including the mobile suits from Gundam Wing Endless Waltz ). While this may be something that could potentially put you off the figure, if anything it was one of the things that drew me toward it even more. For a start its something different and it'll set it apart from the rest of my Gurren Lagann collection, but there's also much more to it than that. The tattoos are highly reminscent of those Kamina had, and in a series that openly flaunts the possibility of parallel universes, perhaps something he may have put on the robo...