Series REVIEW: Space Sheriff Sharivan

Space Sheriff Gavan proved popular enough that not only was a sequel series put into production during its run, Gavan would also lead directly into said series with its protagonist appearing as a guest character beforehand. Thus episode 42 of Gavan introduced the audience to Den Iga, a forest patrolman who was fatally wounded and taken to Planet Bird for recovery. When he returned two episodes later to aid Gavan in his final battle against Makuu, he donned a red combat suit and was revealed as Earth's newest Space Sheriff following his predecessor's promotion. Space Sheriff Sharivan is both the second entry in the Space Sheriff trilogy and wider Metal Heroes franchise, running for a total of 51 episodes between 1983 and 1984. With the same creative team of Gavan behind it, Sharivan aimed to both continue and build upon the new style of superhero show its predecessor had created. 

Series REVIEW: Space Sheriff Gavan

By the beginning of the 1980s, the Henshin Hero boom was over and many studios had already stopped producing live-action series about costumed superheroes. Ultraman had just entered a long hiatus following the conclusion of Ultraman 80, and even Kamen Rider had disappeared from television screens again after a brief revival with Skyrider and Super-1. Although Super Sentai remained a steady constant, Toei looked to create an all-new hero that would revive their tokusatsu productions. Inspired by artwork from toy designer Katsuhshi Murakami (who would later handle the overall design for the show) that depicted a lone metallic, sword-wielding hero, the plan was simple - create a hero that would be able to surpass even Kamen Rider. Spearheaded by tokusatsu veteran Shozo Uehara and starring stuntman Kenji Ohba (who had previously appeared in both Battle Fever J and Denshi Sentai Denjiman, as well as a longtime Toei stunt performer) in his first starring role, the end result was Space Sheriff Gavan - the first entry in the Space Sheriff trilogy as well as the wider Metal Heroes franchise. Gavan ran for a total of 44 episodes between 1982 and 1983, introducing Japanese audiences to an all-new kind of hero.

Top 5: Most Wanted Shokugan Modeling Project (SMP) Releases

Whether you've accepted Shokugan Modeling Project into your hearts or still go about calling it by its original Super Mini-Pla name, there's no denying that Bandai's premium super robot model kit line has been doing some incredible things over the past few years. From its various Super Sentai and tokusatsu releases to a plethora of anime bots, SMP has become a key place for collectors to get their robot fix. But even with everything they've covered so far that's just a fraction of what Japan has to offer, and that's without counting the 30+ years of Super Sentai still untouched by them. So for this month's top five I'm looking at the things I'd most like to see join the Shokugan Modeling Project line, most of which would probably be released as overpriced Premium Bandai exclusives but I'd happily buy regardless.

TOP 5: Tokusatsu I'd like to see Rebooted/Revived

In an attempt to add a bit more variety to the content of the site this year, one of the things I've planned are monthly top five lists - covering everything from what figures I'd like to see in certain toy lines to my favourite characters from specific series. The first topic I've chosen for this new section is a subject I'm sure many will be divided on - reboots. Like it or not, reboots are just as much a part of tokusatsu these days as they are the Hollywood landscape - from gritty reimaginings (that may play fast and loose with the core concepts) like Kamen Rider Amazons or the forthcoming Kamen Rider Black Sun to more straightforward ones like Kikaider REBOOT or last year's Ganbareiwa!! Robocon. While these productions aren't always a rousing success, they can at the very least introduce these classic heroes/characters to a whole new generation.

So without further ado, here are the five tokusatsu productions I'd like to see rebooted or, to use a more specific term for some of them, revived. Not all of them are necessarily that old, but all of them still have plenty of potential that feels untapped. 

(Please note that the following list may contain SPOILERS for some of the shows/films/franchises mentioned. You have been warned!)

Movie REVIEW: Uchu Sentai Kyuranger vs. Space Squad

Despite being a tentpole piece of Toei's tokusatsu line up during the 80s and 90s, the Metal Heroes franchise doesn’t quite have the presence it once did in comparison to the likes of Super Sentai or Kamen Rider. That began to change a few years ago following a few movies and cameo appearances from Space Sheriffs, and then last year Gavan rose to the occasion once again as he teamed up with the Dekarangers in Space Squad: Gavan vs. Dekaranger. The end of that film's tease about recruiting further heroes to the team didn't turn out to be an empty promise either, and the story now continues into a second film – Uchu Sentai Kyuranger vs Space Squad. As well as seeing the 41st Super Sentai team into the fold, this film also prominently brings back the new generation Space Sheriff Shaider as well as characters from the seventh Metal Heroes series Sekai Ninja Sen Jiraiya.

Movie REVIEW: Space Squad: Gavan vs. Dekaranger

Crossovers can be a strange thing. Sometimes they can pair up the most unexpected of things (take the recent DC Comics/Looney Tunes crossover for example) and others are such perfect match ups that you can’t believe they didn’t happen sooner. The pairing of Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger and Space Sheriff Gavan definitely counts as the latter. After the roaring success of their 10 Years After special, the space-cop Super Sentai team are back once again and teaming up with the new Gavan, Geki Jumonji – who took on the mantle in the 2012 Gavan movie and subsequently appeared in Super Hero Taisen Z as well as the Next Generation Sharivan and Shaider movies. Space Squad: Gavan vs. Dekaranger isn’t just a match made in heaven, it’s one with its sights set on the wider Sentai and Metal Heroes universes as well.

Movie REVIEW: Girls in Trouble: Space Squad Episode Zero

While Toei tokusatsu hero crossovers have become fairly commonplace these days thanks to the annual Super Hero Taisen movies, every so often one rolls around that promises something really special. The Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger  and Space Sheriff Gavan crossover Space Squad: Gavan vs. Dekaranger is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated events in sometime – bringing together these space-faring heroes in a crossover that not only sounds good on paper but also makes perfect sense continuity-wise as well. But before we get onto the main action there’s also Girls in Trouble: Space Squad Episode Zero – a prologue V-cinema release starring Jasmine/Deka Yellow and Umeko/Deka Pink as well as the new Space Sheriff assistants Shelly, Sisi and Tammy.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Gavan Type-G Space Squad Ver.

Release Date: May 2017
RRP: 6480 yen

Hindsight can be a wonderful thing, but on occasion I’ve looked back at some of my older reviews and been too generous in the past. The original S.H. Figuarts Gavan was definitely one of those times, as I originally failed to truly highlight the off proportions and incredibly flimsy wrist joints which broke shortly after publishing the review. However four years later it seems Tamashii Nations also felt they could do the original Space Sheriff better too, releasing a brand new S.H. Figuarts Gavan Type-G ahead of the release of the Gavan/Dekaranger crossover movie Space Squad. This Gavan will also be followed up later this month with an updated version of the original, coming as part of a web exclusive 2-pack with the Saibarian. Like all Metal Heroes Figuarts thus far, both are Tamashii web exclusive releases.

5 Tokusatsu Shows Worth Watching (That Aren't Kamen Rider or Super Sentai)

Right now we're living in a pretty good time for English-subtitled tokusatsu. The internet and the hard work of fansubbers across the world have made the latest shows available mere days/hours after their release, Crunchyroll is adding various Ultraman series to its wide back catalogue of shows and Shout! Factory are even licensing Super Sentai series in America. That said, there's a wide history of tokusatsu out there and many fans might find venturing outside the confines of Toei's big two - Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, a bit out of their comfort zone.

So without further ado here are five accessible tokusatsu shows that are not only definitely worth your time, but aren't part of either Kamen Rider, Super Sentai, the Ultra Series or even Garo. No real favouritism was shown during the creation of this list, and there are plenty of other ones also available for fans looking to try something a bit different.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts G-Stag & Reddle

If you asked me about a year ago if I'd have a complete collection of Juuko B-Fighter S.H. Figuarts by summer 2015, I'd have probably laughed in your face. But Bandai Tamashii Nations have really delivered when it comes to the 1995 instalment of the Metal Heroes franchise, with releases coming hot on the heels of each other to get the whole team out in a relatively short space of time. Blue Beet came in January, Black Beet followed in March and then finally in May G-Stag and Reddle have joined them as a Tamashii web exclusive 2-pack release. For those more familiar with the American adaptation Big Bad Beetleborgs, you're probably more likely to know these two as the Green Hunter and Red Striker Beetleborgs.

Of course, the most obsessive of collectors will probably argue that to truly get a complete B-Fighter lineup we need the Extradimensional Supplier Kabuto/White Blaster Beetleborg. But let's not get too ahead of ourselves, we have a pretty good thing going on here right?

Wishlist: Top 5 Tokusatsu S.H. Figuarts I'd Like to see

As regular readers of this blog will have already figured out by now, I'm a pretty big fan of the S.H. Figuarts toyline. Covering Kamen Rider, Super Sentai as well as a huge number of other tokusatsu, anime and live-action properties, the line has arguably become one of the first things collectors associate with Bandai Tamashii Nations. And that's not surprising, as between both mass release and Tamashii web exclusive the line churns out approximately 3-5 new figures a month (sometimes more). But even with all these new figures every month I, like every other collector, have a short wish list of figures I'd like to see from the line one day. So without further ado here are the top 5 tokusatsu S.H. Figuarts I'd like to see from Tamashii Nations, including both specific characters and entire teams.

Warning: The following post contains gratuitous amounts of Kikaider

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Black Beet

While some series may take years to get the whole main cast released in the S.H. Figuarts toy line, it's safe to say that Juuko B-Fighter isn't going to be one of them. Hot on the heels of Blue Beet comes Takuya's evil clone and rival - Shadow, aka Black Beet. Meanwhile fans of Saban's adapted shows are more likely to know him as the Shadowborg from Big Bad Beetleborgs, or even the Machine Empire's General Venjix from the 10th anniversary Power Rangers Wild Force episode "Forever Red". But whichever version of the character you're familiar with, it's the same fantastic suit has been begging to get the S.H. Figuarts treatment for a long time. 

Just to show they aren't messing around, Bandai Tamashii Nations will also be releasing G-Stag and Reddle as a 2-pack at the end of May, completing the four main B-Fighter characters in a mere five months (albeit all as Tamashii web exclusives). The perfect way to celebrate the series' 20th anniversary don't you think?

Movie REVIEW: Space Sheriff Shaider: Next Generation

After a prolonged period of silence following the Space Sheriff Gavan revival movie, Toei's Metal Heroes franchise has returned once again in a pair of V-Cinema (direct to video/DVD) releases breathing new life into the second and third entries in the Space Sheriff trilogy of shows. With Space Sheriff Sharivan: Next Generation sowing the seeds for a much bigger case, its time for Shaider to take the reigns in the second part of this new adventure - Space Sheriff Shaider: Next Generation. Like Sharivan, Shaider also has a new face behind the mask that many tokusatsu fans will surely recognise. This time it's actor Hiroaki Iwanaga, who previously portrayed fan favourite Date Akira/Kamen Rider Birth in Kamen Rider OOO. While this is technically Iwanaga's third outing as the new Shaider, it's the first time he's gotten top billing and a chance to really strut his stuff in the role.

Movie REVIEW: Space Sheriff Sharivan: Next Generation

The revival of the Space Sheriffs and Metal Heroes franchise hasn't been the smoothest of sailing. Although Gavan managed to crash two different Super Sentai series before going on to star in his own relaunch movie, things have been rather quiet for his immediate successors Sharivan and Shaider. Sure all three also appeared in Super Hero Taisen Z shortly afterward (along with a few other Metal Heroes cameos), but it was mostly about Gavan there as well. However now is the time of the other Space Sheriffs, with two V-cinema (aka direct to video) releases specifically dedicated to them. First up is Space Sheriff Sharivan: Next Generation, which sees Gekiranger star Riki Miura return once again the play the second generation Space Sheriff.

Toybox REVIEW: S.H. Figuarts Blue Beet

Forget Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, if the Tamashii Nation 2014 event taught us anything about the S.H. Figuarts line it's that it will soon be the time of the of the Metal Heroes. The Space Sheriffs came a few years ago, but at the event Bandai previewed a whole host of other heroes from the franchise and already 2015 is shaping up to be a great year. Megabeast Investigator Juspion will be joining us in May, but before then we have a likely more familiar hero - Blue Beet of the 14th Metal Heroes series, Juuko B-Fighter. Of course, those who grew up with Power Rangers and its various offshoots will also know him by a different name - the Blue Stinger Beetleborg of Big Bad Beetleborgs.

The best thing is that this isn't just a one-off release either, prior to the figure's release in January (as a Tamashii web exclusive), the rest of the team have been confirmed to be following - along with Blue Beet's infamous evil twin Black Beet. Black Beet will be coming in April, with a two-pack of G-Stag and Reddle following in May - all web exclusives of course. Along with the forthcoming Kikaider 01 figures, this is possibly my favourite year for Figuarts yet.

Top 5 Picks from Tamashii Nations 2014

Around a month ago Bandai held their annual Tamashii Nations event in Japan. This is where they showcase a huge variety of figures from their various Tamashii Nations lines (S.H. Figuarts, Robot Damashii, S.I.C. and more), along with revealing ones that are due for release next year and beyond. As per usual the 2014 event unveiled an incredible amount of figures, not just from tokusatsu shows like Kamen Rider and Super Sentai, but a whole host of new series and licenses. These included Avengers: Age of Ultron, Dragonball GT, Ranma 1/2 and even Disney's Frozen.

So what I've decided to do is put together a short list of my top five things from the event, which was a lot harder than I expected given that I want almost all the things that were on show. Honourable mentions include the likes of S.H. Figuarts Kikaider REBOOT, S.H. Figuarts Super Saiyan 4 Goku and Kamen Rider Drive, but read on to find out which releases beat these to the top spots...

Movie REVIEW: Kamen Rider x Super Sentai x Space Sheriff: Super Hero Taisen Z

Despite being hyped up as the crossover film fans had all been waiting for, last year's Super Hero Taisen wasn't actually very good. Sure it perhaps the biggest cast of superheroes ever, but story-wise the battle between Gokai Red and Kamen Rider Decade was a complete mess and offered viewers little more than some colourful eye candy. Still the huge crossover even must have been somewhat of a success as Toei has given them a second outing, throwing the newly revived Metal Heroes franchise into the mix for Kamen Rider x Super Sentai x Space Sheriff: Super Hero Taisen Z. With all of space and the universe now also at threat, let's just hope this outing is significantly better.

Surprise protagonist

The story begins with the new Gavan (Geki Jumonji) arriving on Earth to destroy all magic on Earth to bring about universal peace, starting with Kamen Riders Wizard and Beast. After seeing Wizard protect innocent lives, Geki begins to question his orders - resulting in his expulsion from the Space Sheriffs by original Gavan Retsu Ichijouji. Regardless, he returns to Earth to team up with Wizard, Beast and Gai Ikari (Gokai Silver) to discover the true source of the magical chaos across the universe.

Meanwhile, Yoko (aka Yellow Buster) discovers a damaged robot while camping. After repairing it, Yoko is attacked by Shocker - the true villains behind the magical disturbances, who have now been reborn as "Space Shocker". With Space Shocker's plans nearing fruition, it will take the combined effort of the Super Sentai, Kamen Riders and Space Sheriffs to save both the Earth and the universe.

Gai Ikari, the walking hero phone-book

Although the release of Super Hero Taisen Z fell squarely within the run of both Kamen Rider Wizard and Zyuden Sentai Kyoryuger, not all of these characters are the stars of the show. In fact, the Kyoryugers play a very minimal role in things until the film's climatic mecha battle. Both Haruto and Kousuke have a sizable role in the film (although Haruto just kinda disappears midway through for no real reason), but this is shared with Gavan (who is arguably the lead protagonist), Gai and Yoko. It's a bit of an odd mix of characters, but limiting the main cast actually does the film a lot of favours. It allows the plot to be a lot more cohesive, while at the same time allowing exchanges between characters that have only briefly met (or even not at all) in their own respective shows.

More wasted potential

The trade-off for this is that the team up sequences are a lot more fleeting than they were previously, featuring fewer characters and usually incorporating some sort of them. We get combinations such as the Liveman and Gingaman with Kamen Riders Amazon and Hibiki, as well as a pretty nifty team up of all the space-themed Riders/Rangers (plus Decade, who clearly didn't have a place to go). These are nice moments, but barely last at all and see over before they've even begun. The Gokaigers once again get a new set of keys to play with (this time being characters from the other Metal Heroes shows), only for them to be wasted on a 10-second Gokai Galleon Buster shot. Still, seeing the wonderful B-Fighter and B-Fighter Kabuto suits this way is better than not seeing them at all.

Even in a  5 second cameo he manages to steal the show

Finally Wizard and the Kyoryugers come together to provide the big finale, which this time involves a rather impressive Rider kick using Kyoryuzin and the Wizardragon. If you were a fan of Go-BusterOh's Rocket Drill states in the last Super Hero Taisen, this is another one of those moments that you are going to love.

Although already a major step up from the original, Super Hero Taisen Z isn't without it's own problems. With the Kamen Riders and Super Sentai seemingly settled their differences (not that there were really any to begin with), it's the job of Space Sheriffs to provide a standoffish tint to the hero dynamic. Previous outings in his own movie and Tokumei Sentai Go-Busters have illustrated that Geki Jumonji isn't the easiest person to get along with, but surprisingly he actually seems the most level-headed one here. Seeing tokusatsu icon Kenji Ohba play Retsu Ichijouji as an incredibly by-the-book Galactic Union leader that's quick to consider sacrificing his home planet for the sake of universal peace is more than a little jarring. Granted I personally haven't seen a whole lot of the original Gavan, but he seems a far cry from the man I saw in the Gokaiger crossover and recent Space Sheriff movie.

How to make your mecha better: give it a giant dragon foot

Super Hero Taisen Z still isn't the perfect crossover film, but it is at the very least a good one. While it may have a pretty standard plot for Toei's big crossover films, the focus on a smaller cast of characters works well in its favour and means the story can be told without needless distractions by colourful action sequences featuring hundreds of heroes. On the other hand, these action sequences are one of the biggest draws to these crossovers in the first place. The balance is certainly getting there though, so perhaps a third outing may finally be the one to get it right.

Toybox Review: S.H. Figuarts Gavan

Jōchaku! Finally making an entry into Bandai's S.H. Figuarts line is the original Metal Hero - Space Sheriff Gavan! This is the original version of the character rather than the new Type-G Gavan (who will be getting a release a little later), who appeared in the original Gavan series and more recently the Gokaiger vs. Gavan crossover movie. Gavan was a Tamashii web exclusive figure, and also a little more expensive than the standard Figuart.

Much like the character himself, there's something that feels gloriously retro about Gavan's packaging. Lots of grey and black colours and angular shapes with some effective red text tampoed on the packaging window. As you can see the back adds a little more colour into the mix, showing off the figure in front of a fiery orange background.

The most notable thing about the Gavan Figuart is just how shiny it is - so shiny that you can probably see the reflection of me taking all these pictures in him. Almost the entire body is covered in vac metal chrome finish, with the little that isn't a matte black. The Gavan suit design is certainly a product of its time and if you're a fan then there's very little here to disappoint you, every little detail no matter how simple has been faithfully recreated. Just be warned that handling this guy with sticky fingers is sure to leave a mark or two!

Due to simple design featuring no overhanging armour Gavan enjoys all the articulation a standard Figuart body can offer. Among it is a fully moveable head, rotating shoulders, double jointed elbows, swing down thighs, double jointed knees, ball-jointed ankles and even a hinged toe section. My only concern is that getting the most out of the shoulder articulation could potentially result in scuffing the chrome shoulder pieces against the main body of the figure. A couple of complaints I've noticed on my figure is that the hips are really loose - to the point where the figure struggles to hold most poses without some careful balancing. The other thing (that admittedly bothers me with most new Figuarts) is how awkward to hands are to switch out. Only here it's not just the hand joint I'm worried about breaking, it's scuffing the finish too.

Unfortunately, even with a slightly higher price tag Gavan's accessory count is a little on the low side. Included are the alternate "lit up eyes" head, 8 pairs of hands, a standard sword and energy slash effect part sword. The additional head felt almost a necessity, so including that doesn't feel like too huge a bonus. The hand count feels a low and including no charged up energy blade feels like a massive misstep. This figure might have the chrome, but Megahouse's old Action Works Gavan came with much more.

Ultimately Gavan is a beautiful looking figure, and the use of so much vac-metal chrome makes it unique even amongst a collection of Figuarts. However being both a slightly more-expensive Figuart and a Tamashii Web Exclusive is something that could easily put some off. The floppiness on mine isn't something that's going to be a widespread issue, but the difficult hands and low accessory count are. Still, the great thing about this Gavan is he works in a standalone display, a Gokaiger display or (once Type-G, Sharivan and Shaider) a Metal Heroes one.