Toybox REVIEW: DX King Joe STORAGE Custom

Release Date: September 2020

RRP: 4180 yen

One of the big selling points of Ultraman Z has been the inclusion of mecha among STORAGE’s arsenal, so this was the perfect year for Bandai of Japan to branch out the Ultraman toy line with the inclusion of DX combining mecha. While this kind of toy might be a staple in Super Sentai, to see it in Ultraman (or even Kamen Rider for that matter) is a much rarer treat. And what better character to launch these Ultraman DX robos with than King Joe, rebooted and reimagined for the series as the King Joe STORAGE Custom. After salvaging the wreckage of Alien Barossa’s King Joe, the Global Allied Force’s anti-monster unit STORAGE reverse-engineered the alien robot to create the third mecha in their arsenal. Armed with a powerful Pedanium cannon, this King Joe can split into four separate vehicles - with the pilot sitting within the Core Fighter and issuing commands to the others via remote control.

Toybox REVIEW: Power Rangers Legacy Collection Thunder Megazord

The 20th Anniversary of the Power Rangers franchise may have spawned a pretty terrible celebration in terms of the show, but as far as the toys go Bandai of America have been doing some pretty interesting things since. Although the strict focus on Mighty Morphin Power Rangers might be irksome to fans who want to see the other iterations receive fair representation, the Legacy Collection toy line has come a long way from beginning with a nice repaint of the 2010 Megazord release – now churning out high-end quality role play weapons and zords with better sculpting and detailing. The original Dino Megazord was followed by new versions of the Dragonzord, Titanus and the White Tigerzord, and as the trip through the three seasons of MMPR continued the Thunder Megazord came next. Initial pictures suggested this could be the most impressive Legacy Collection release yet, but at $200 it certainly doesn’t come cheap.

Anime REVIEW: Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet

After the overwhelming success of shows such as Puella Magi Madoka Magica and Fate/Zero, it's no surprise that writer Gen Urobuchi is a hot topic in the world of anime. Despite only being responsible for a handful of episodes and the overall concept, having his name attached to Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet (Suisei no Gargantia) has no doubt brought it to people's attention. A 13-episode series from the studio Production I.G., Gargantia first aired in 2013 and has since spanned a further two OVAs - with a two-part OVA sequel also set for release later this year.

Anime REVIEW: Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid

After a brief comedy interlude courtesy of Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu,  the FMP franchise returned to its more serious roots in 2005 with the release of Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid. Set three months after the conclusion of the first season, this season was significantly shorter than the first (13 episodes plus an OVA as opposed to 24 episodes) and once again animated by Kyoto Animation rather than Gonzo.

Following the hijacking of Tuatha de Danaan submarine in the last season, life has seemingly returned to normal for Sousuke Sagara - both in his role as a Mythril soldier and student at Jindai High School. That is until Mythril learn of a secret organisation known as "Amalgam", that has been orchestrating conflict behind the scenes and access to Whispered technology. As Mythril attempts to uncover Amalgam, Sousuke must face his own demons as he is split apart from Kaname Chidori and his ability to pilot the Arbalest Arm Slave is called into question.

Sousuke and Kaname in a (rare) moment of high school hi-jinx

Full Metal Panic's unique brand of humour is still very present in The Second Raid, however it seems to have be given a much needed retooling. A shorter episode span means that the story can't be as easily divided into specific chunks like the first season was, leaving a lot less time for Sousuke's comical antics and Kaname's subsequent scoldings. While there is an episode dedicated solely to this to get viewers back into the swing of things, later on it becomes more sporadic and usually paralleling something more serious going on in the show. The balance has shifted squarely in favour of the war-drama element of the show, featuring a much more intricate plot and a very significant rise in violence, but unlike Fumoffu the flip side of the Full Metal Panic! coin is never forgotten. After a mixed first season and a disappointing second, it's great to see the show finally strike the perfect balance in terms of storytelling.

About as twisted as you can get. And that's a good thing.

With a better plot, it's good to see better characterisation go hand in hand. Rather than throwing as many characters as they can into one scenario, this season deals with them one at a time, with episodes that may only feature one or two key characters. While Kaname plays a much more restricted role here, her value and importance to the series is never understated. Meanwhile Sousuke is undoubtedly the star, as The Second Raid studies his transformation from a mercenary-come-soldier bound by orders into someone originally ignorant of his own human emotions. Even bit players like Melissa Mao and Kurz Weber get their own moments in the spotlight. On the villain side of things, Amalgam prove to be a much more interesting (and eccentric) bunch than Gauron did in the first season. Gates often reaches Bond-villain levels of eccentricity, and though underused the merciless Xia twins prove to be a lethal force. But with Sousuke's past catching up with him as the season goes on, some familiar faces also pop up at the very end.

A sharper, shinier Arbalest

Though the boost in animation may have been noticeable in Fumoffu, it's here where Kyoto really take the reign and make this the best looking Full Metal Panic! so far. The character design is as crisp as ever, but it's the much more elaborate Arm Slave battles that have most benefited from this. Using a blend of animation and cel-shaded CGI, movement is much more fluid and allows a greater range of motion for what could easily be perceived as clunky mecha suits. Seeing human faces closeup in CGI might be a little distracting to begin with, but as time goes on they become easier to look at and fit in well with Full Metal Panic's overall aesthetic.

Not sure who this character is? You won't be fully sure when the series is over either.

It isn't all perfect though, and despite everything it manages to do right The Second Raid still manages to fall short at the final hurdle. The plot becomes increasingly rushed, trying to fill as much info as it can into two or three episodes while earlier ones (as entertaining as they may have been) had no real advances. The end fight is anticlimactic, and manages to leave a huge loose end that will probably never be covered outside the original source material. A lot of light is shed on just what the Lambda Driver is and how it works, but what exactly a Whispered is is still shrouded in mystery.

After two offerings that weren't particularly notable, Full Metal Panic! The Second Raid makes sure that the franchise ends with a bang (as far as the anime is concerned anyway). Every aspect has been kicked in overdrive - the animation, the characters and the story, resulting in a far more enjoyable and engaging experience despite the smaller episode count. It's a shame that this happens to be the last FMP anime, because it was finally beginning to get good and there are still plenty of unanswered questions left.

Anime REVIEW: Eureka Seven AO

Sequels are often in a difficult position before they even get off the ground. If the preceding series was excellent, then they're already given the daunting task of living up to it. If it was bad, then they not only have to prove themselves good enough to warrant interest in the first place, they also need get out of the shadow cast by their predecessor. So when Bones (one of my favourite anime studios) announced a sequel to Eureka Seven (one of my favourite series) my reaction was both excitement and scepticism. The prospect of more Eureka Seven was brilliant, but the original series had such a perfect ending it was hard to see what direction a sequel would go in. Eureka Seven AO (Astral Ocean) aired this year between April and November, and ran for a total of 26 episodes.

The uninteresting cast of Eureka Seven AO

In the year 2025, Ao Fukai is a 13-year-old boy who lives on the island of Iwato Jima with Dr. Toshio Fukai, who took Ao in after his biological mother Eureka (from the original Eureka Seven series) disappeared 10 years ago. When the nearby Scub Coral is attacked by a huge monster (later revealed to be named a Secret), Ao finds himself tangled in the battle and activates a large IFO (Intelligent Flying Object) known as the Nirvash. Discovering the Nirvash once belonged to his mother, Ao joins research organisation Generation Bleu in an attempt to unravel the mysteries of his past and track down his missing mother.

Ao and Naru discuss her awful taste in headgear

While Eureka Seven AO is an ambitious series, its immediately clear that its links to the original series are tenuous at best. Prequel episode "New Order" tries to tie the undisclosed gap between the two series', but the fact its simply a clip show with new audio makes it all the more confusion. The only characters who appear from the original series are Eureka and (very later) Renton, but these appearances are fleeting and Renton is very different to the boy we knew at the end of the original. The only other link viewers have is the appearance of the Scub Coral, but the show keeps how everything ties together in the dark until the very end - presenting one confusing mystery after the other. The world of Eureka Seven AO is completely different to the world of Eureka Seven, and with no strong connection (both physical or emotional) it fails as a sequel. Unfortunately, Eureka Seven AO doesn't stand up very well as a side story or even its own show either.

Truth. You'll learn to hate him.

The show centres around Ao and Team Pied Piper, a division of Generation Bleu that investigates both the Scub Coral and the Secrets. As a set piece, it works very much like the crew of the Gekko did in Eureka Seven. Except none of the cast have any of the charisma their peers had. Eureka Seven had an epic plot that involved science fiction, mecha and political intrigue, but at its heart it was always a character driven. Eureka Seven AO on the other hand is an event driven show, and this is clear at the expense of characterisation. Naru, Ao's childhood friend who is later played up to be a big drive of the series, has barely any personality at all, which severely affect her motivations. Fleur Blanc, fellow Pied Piper pilot and potential love interest to Ao, is perhaps the sole character who deserved more development yet remains mostly underused and reduced to primarily eye candy. Worst of all is Truth, the show's central antagonist. His origin and motives remain a mystery for almost the entirety of the series, but instead of adding interest renders him a completely overpowered villain that the audience can project their frustration at the series onto.

Eureka's back. Don't expect to see her much though.

So what little good does this series have? Well the art is to Bones' usual high standard, and the mecha design and fight sequences are a marvel to behold, even when the plot has been completely thrown out the window. The gunmetal grey of the Nirvash Mark I is quite difficult to the colourful white and red Nirvash of the original series, but is much more fitting with the show's heavier focus on politics and the military. Plus it makes it easier to tell them apart when both Nirvash begin to duke it out.

Renton's back too! Expect to see him even less.

Ambition will only get you so far, and it's a shame that Eureka Seven AO had to fall flat on its face for the most part. It's one thing to make your audience sit through 26 episodes of (well animated) dullness, but to reach the end of the series and practically tell them that nothing they've just watched is even important is nothing short of insulting (and to without giving away too much, yes that is pretty much how the series ends). Bones might be the masters of making a great series, but this is just another example that they have a lot to learn when it comes to making sequels.

Anime REVIEW: Full Metal Panic!

Originally a light novel series and then animated by popular studio Gonzo (Hellsing, Strike Witches), Full Metal Panic! is a series that garnered reasonably popularity both in Japan and the West and one I've been meaning to check out for a few years now. While usually I'd encompass multiple seasons of a show into one review, the noticeable different in tone between Full Metal Panic! and The Second Raid to the middle season, Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu suggested I should perhaps look at each season one by one. The first Full Metal Panic! season originally aired in 2002, running for a total of 24 episodes.

Sousuke Sagara: Great soldier, not so great socialiser

The series follows Sousuke Sagara, a member of an anti-terrorist military organisation known as Mythril. Tasked with the mission of protecting high school girl Kaname Chidori, Sousuke moves to Japan to study at her school undercover while being aided by his comrades Kurz Weber and Melissa Mao. Lacking social skills and viewing everything from a combat perspective, Sousuke is considered a military maniac by his classmates and Kaname often finds herself frustrated with him, though she does show some genuine interest in him too. As criminal organisations begin to target Kaname, she soon discovers Sousuke's true motives. But why is she being targeted? And more importantly, why does she have expert knowledge of top secret technology she's never even heard of?

The constantly angry Kaname Chidori

Full Metal Panic! encompasses two very different styles in its story telling. The first of which is comedy, which begins with Sousuke's failed attempts to fit in at school before moving on to various other things. The second is the gritty life of a Mythril soldier, which involves everything from political intrigue and terrorism to sci-fi weaponry and mecha action. Had these two elements been properly integrated than Full Metal Panic! could easily be an award-winning series, but the two never really overlap well and instead the story progresses in awkward chunks as it switches between styles. While both styles start out very strongly in their respective chunks, its unfortunate that they soon decline into mediocrity. The comedy just stops being funny, and the seriousness is mostly dull save for a few moments and a reasonably strong finale. As it the series draws to a close, the audience is no wiser about what exactly "Whispered" and the "Lambda Driver" actually are, leaving a lot of unanswered questions which could have been easily avoided.

16-year old submarine captain Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa

The real highlight of Full Metal Panic! is its colourful cast of characters, and more importantly the interactions between them. Front and centre is the coupling of Sousuke and Kaname, which varies from comedic (usually due to Sousuke's social ineptitude) to something deeper as Kaname is thrust into a world she has no experience in. Sousuke's relationship with main antagonist Gauron is also interesting as it plays into Sousuke's backstory, but a little on the underdeveloped side. The relationship between the perverted Kurz and the more serious Mao is another high point. Even Kaname's school friends, who offer very little to the story, have their own fun and distinct personalities. The only real weak link is Captain Teletha "Tessa" Testarossa, who despite being the closest thing the show has to an annoying character still manages to have some pretty good development in the final few episodes.

Crazed mercenary Gauron

And just incase you'd forgotten, Full Metal Panic! features a good dose of mecha action! The generic Arm Slaves (the umbrella term for mecha in the show) are fairly bland and militaristic, but it does help give a good sense of the kind of combat the show is about. It also means that when the Arbalest (Sousuke's AS) and later the Venom show up, the stand out far more making it easier to follow the action. Though the animation itself is somewhat dated, the character design and action sequences are still as sharp now as they were ten years ago.

The Arbalest, poster child mecha of the show

Full Metal Panic! isn't a completely bad series, but one that has become slightly overrated with time. The series tries to spread itself across two very different genres, and only at the very beginning manages to get a reasonable balance. The early comedy episodes are golden, and the first serious story arc gripping. Following that, the comedy episodes tend to fall flat on their face while the serious episodes are prominently dull save for a few gritty action sequences. The series ends with a lot of unanswered questions, and without a great cast of characters (and in hindsight: the knowledge of a further two seasons) pushing it along getting through all 24 episodes would feel like a chore. The foundations for something great are definitely here, but they never fully get off of the ground.

Toybox REVIEW: Riobot R04 Gurren Lagann

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 worthy of praise. The front features a nicely stylised Gurren Lagann image along with the name of the figure, while the spines give the box an element of class with small 5th anniversary Gurren Lagann logos and serif fonts. The top has a much larger anniversary logo, while the back has the figure in various poses without any obtrusive text in the way. Another thing to note is that it is a book-style box, with the front flap opening to reveal a window to see the figure (not that you can very well because its covered by a load of plastic wrapping) and the Team Gurren emblem. The box is HUGE, carrying both a tray with the figure and its accessories and another holding the wingpack and stand.

Onto the figure itself. Sculpted by Chemical Attack, who worked on the previous Broken Blade figures in the line, Riobot Gurren Lagann has a much more stylised look than the animation model. It's not quite as obvious as the KA version's tribal tattoos, but is still instantly noticeable. Rounded sections such as the hip guards (which have also been lengthened), lower legs and feet are much more angular, giving the design a much more real-robot feel than its super robot look in the series. All the yellow on the design has been replaced with a muted gold colour, and darker red panels compliment the traditional Gurren Lagann crimson colouring. I really like the liberties taken with the design because it isn't so intrusive that it will put off potential buyers, but is different enough that people (like me) displaying multiple versions of the robot will have an obvious bit of variety to their shelf.

At 9500 yen you might be expecting a figure closer in size to the Great Impact Gurren Lagann, but a large toy this isn't. Riobot Gurren Lagann stands at around 145mm tall, making it only 25mm taller than the Revoltech and 5mm smaller than the Ver. Ka. The size doesn't bother me too much the figure offers as much as it does in terms of articulation and accessories, but it's something to keep in mind if you're planning to drop money on it. Something that struck me much harder was how light it is - upon taking it out of the box it felt much more like a model kit in terms of weight. However unlike a model kit the Riobot is far from flimsy.

The level of articulation was what drew me into buying a third Gurren Lagann figure was this was originally announced, and I'm happy to say Sentinel sure didn't disappoint. There's the expected full range of motion in the head, shoulders, elbows (both in the elbow itself and the forearm), hips, knees, and feet, but it all feels so much more seamless than it does on a similar but cheaper figure. The shoulder pads also have a full range of motion via a ball joint (and the whole section can fully move from side to side) and while they might pop off once or twice when putting the figure into more difficult poses, they aren't a problem to pop back in without hassle.

On top of this there are the special bits of articulation that made the figure so interesting in the first place. Starting from the bottom up we have the knees, with have a very impressive level of engineering to them. when the knee bends, the whole section stretches open with the top leg panel also moving downward. It's a much more interesting method of articulation than simply "knee bends" and helps amplify the mechanical feel of the figure. The moving up to the chest we have perhaps the best gimmick of all. Via moving the head or a switch in the back of the figure (you need to remove the back panel for that though) the Gurren chest face's eyes have a full range of motion! This is a first for a Gurren Lagann figure, allowing for much more dynamic posing and a chest that isn't stuck in an "eyes facing forward" position. If you've ever owned one of those Action Man figures with the moving eyes, you'll know just how much fun a gimmick like this.

The Riobot also boasts more accessories than most other Gurren Lagann figures (well, maybe not Great Impact). Included is an alternate open mouthed face, four different hand sets (open hands, closed fists, holding fists and the obligatory "pointing to the heavens" set), three drill weapons (two smaller ones and one longer thin one), two sunglasses blades, drilled wrist pieces, wingpack and a clip to cover the hole left when you take the glasses off of the chest (I found this to be a pain to take off when applied though). When changing the hands and head there's no awkward Revoltech plugs, tiny ball joints or sockets too small to fit in - everything can be removed and replaced with no frustration whatsoever. The larger drills can be attached by replacing the forearm.

The first thing to notice about the wingpack is that its pointy, which probably should come expecting from something with four drills sticking out of the back. The top section also has two rather pointy spikes sticking out of it, and is wrapped in bubble wrap in the packaging which leads me to believe its perhaps the most fragile part of this figure. The wingpack clips to the back of Gurren Lagann via two quite small clips, which could possibly lead to it falling off if posing without the stand. But before clipping it to the figure, take note of the small level on the inside, which activates some more shifting panels - this time exposing the wingpack engine, complete with spiral energy green colouring. The wings are hinged, so are able to swing forward like they do in the show.

Finally we have the stand, which impressed me more than a stand usually would. The base section is pretty big, which means flight poses don't end up toppling like they would with Revoltech's subpar V-shaped bases.  For action poses you have a standard multi-jointed arm with plug attachment (which fits snuggly into a hole between the figure's legs), but an extra piece is included for additional support when posing in flight mode. This triangular piece clips to the arm, making sure it keeps straight and doesn't bend under the weight of the figure. For further support, there's also a separate grooved plug piece that locks in rather than move. Since Sentinel have put such a great effort into the stands, it's a little disappointing that there's nothing that makes it unique (I really liked the robot name/pilot tag on the Ka's stand) but after all the things I've been impressed with it really does feel like I'm nitpicking at this stage.

Riobot Gurren Lagann is undoubtedly one of, if not the best Gurren Lagann figures out there, but because of the pricetag I'd say it comes with a caution - it's not one for casual fans or collectors. It is an expensive figure for its size, and while the sculpt and accessory count justify it somewhat unless you're a serious Gurren Lagann fan it's hard to recommend it as the definitive figure when there are much cheaper alternatives like the newly reissued Revoltech (which may not be anywhere near as good, but it's far from a bad figure). However if you have the money for it, I can't recommend this toy enough. Its perfect in pretty much every single way. If you are planning to buy one, make sure to hit up the September restock of the figure as soon as possible, because I have a feeling once it's gone it's price is only going to go up on the after-market.

Anime REVIEW: Guilty Crown

When I first heard of Guilty Crown, it sounded like something that would be right up my alley. Post-apocalyptic  setting? Check. Protagonist granted godlike powers? Check. Robots? You better believe it. Created by Production I.G. (whose repertoire includes works such as Ghost in the Shell, Palabor and The End of Evangelion), this 22-episode series aired between October 2011 and March 2012.

On Christmas Eve, 2029, the unidentified "Apocalypse Virus" spreads and plunges Japan into a state of emergency in a chaos known as the "Lost Christmas" incident. An international organisation named the GHQ intervenes using martial law in order to restore Japan, but it comes at the cost of the country's independence.

Ten years later in 2039, Shu Ouma, a reserved 17-year-old high school student, meets Inori Yuzuriha (lead singer of music group Egoist) while visiting one of his favorite places on before heading home from school. While Shu is a big fan of Inori's music, he quickly discovers a second side to her -she is a member of the "Undertakers," a resistance group that aims to liberate Japan from the GHQ. While helping Inori transport a stolen Void Genome to the Undertakers, Shu is fused with the Genome - granting him the "Kings Mark" on his right hand. This gives him the power to reach inside another person's heart to extract and materialize a weapon or item from it. From then on, Shu becomes reluctantly involved with the Undertakers and their battle against the GHQ, but along the way he discovers many secrets of his forgotten past.

"The Power of Kings"

Despite this rather exciting premise, to put it bluntly this is one hell of a dull show. Due to Shu's ability to draw weapons out of anyone, Guilty Crown is in fact little more than a show that relies wholly on Dues Ex Machina's to get the job done. It offers zero suspense because every time the characters were in a bind he'd find a void that would instantly be advantageous to their situation. To make up for this fact, the writers concluded that plot twist after plot twist would be the way to go. There's so much backstabbing going on that you have to wonder why most of the characters haven't just killed each other already. Then finally at the series mid-point the narrative style completely changes, along with the balance of character focus. The only problem is that its still almost the exact same plot as the first half, except with a few of the details changed here and there and many of the characters cheapened to the point of no return. The plot promises greatness, but it is something it time and time again fails to deliver. Along with reasonable explanation of what's going on half the time.

Shu falls quite neatly into the "boy becoming a man" category of anime protagonist, and fluctuates as a character on a fairly frequent basis. One minute he's weak, the next he's taking on a whole squad of Endlaves (the term for Guilty Crown's mecha) on his own. His "dictator Shu" period is probably when he's at his most interesting, but by that point he's not a character you'll find yourself routing for. Much like his ability, his characterisation is whatever the plot needs at that given time.

"Use me": Words that sum up Inori as a character pretty nicely

As for Inori, well there isn't a lot to say about her because her character is almost non-existent. She is detached and passive to the point that would make Evangelion's Rei seem alive, and her hopeless devotion to Shu borders on misogynistic levels. When the mystery of who she really was was finally revealed, I found myself routing for the antagonist. Undertaker leader Gai is the third and final of the "only characters that really matter", and for the most part was the best of the three. A tactical and efficient leader, but at the same time one that you could tell had secrets and cared deep down. A pity he was completely ruined at the half way point.

The rest of the cast aren't much better, with its generic good-guy terrorists, whiny students and evil guys who are evil for the sake of it. There are even some that have no introduction or explanation yet are seemingly integral to the plot. Even as the credits of the final episode roll, you'll be left wondering questions like "what exactly was the point of that guy they broke out of prison again?".

Gai Tsutsugami: Leader of the Undertakers

Usually I dedicate a decent section to discussing robots in a mecha-related anime or show (being the mechaphile that I am) but doing so when discussing Guilty Crown seems utterly pointless. They have bland, generic designs and offer little to nothing to the overall plot. The control system is relatively interesting (the machines are piloted remotely from a separate cockpit away from the robot), but other than that there's very little on offer here other than to give some side characters things to do. A Code Geass comparison might be fair but at least the Knightmare frames in that looked unique and had somewhat of a purpose. A mecha anime this is not.

This is about as exciting as the robots get.

But stopping to talk about the good things for a moment - Guilty Crown boasts very high production values and that really shows in the art direction. The character design is great and the fight visuals are top notch (even for the less-than-interesting mecha aspect). The show also has a brilliant soundtrack produced by the band Supercell, who I'm sure many know from their Black Rock Shooter fame.

With a brilliant concept behind it, Guilty Crown could have been a fantastic anime. However its terrible execution of the plot and less than stellar characterisation really let it down. Casual fans may get a kick out of Guilty Crown, but they'd be better off watching Code Geass if they want something similar. And if they've watched Code Geass already they'd probably be better off watching that again instead.