Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE is available in streaming form via Crunchyroll   and Youtube Bandai and Sunrise caught lightning in a bottle when they made Gundam Build Fighters . If their success at turning a completely merchandise-driven show into a charming and heartwarming tribute to the Gundam franchise wasn't enough to prove that, their less successful attempts to replicate that since are. That isn't to say said shows aren't highly marketable though, as we return to Gunpla Battle Nexus Online in Gundam Build Divers Re:RISE . Following on from the original Gundam Build Divers some time later with a brand new cast, the series celebrates 40 years of the Gundam franchise and is available not only via Crunchyroll but also Sunrise/Bandai themselves on their own GundamInfo Youtube channel .

Gundam Build Divers is available in streaming form on Crunchyroll and Youtube   Sometimes there's no shame in shameless consumerism, and with Gundam Build Fighters both Bandai  and  Sunrise  seemingly found the perfect formula for creating a Mobile Suit Gundam entry that's thoroughly enjoyable despite being primarily created to shift boxes and boxes of gunpla . Following the sequel series Gundam Build Fighters Try in 2015 this specific subset of the franchise went pretty quiet other than a few OVA-style specials here and there, but in 2018 it came back in full force under the new name of Gundam Build Divers. The game may be a little different, but it's still business as always when it comes to building customised Gundams and battling them across a series chock-full of franchise references and homages. But does it manage to capture the same magic as the original Build Fighters ?

Gundam Build Divers is available in streaming form on Crunchyroll and Youtube While all Gundam shows are designed to sell model kits to some extent, it wasn't until Gundam Build Fighters came along that Bandai and Sunrise built a whole spin-off around it. While not the first  gunpla -centric instalment in the franchise, the passion Build Fighters exuded for all things Gundam turned it into something much more than the generic tournament/product placement show it seemed from the outset. It's success led to sequel series Gundam Build Fighters Try in 2014, and now its returned once again for a third edition. Combing the worlds of Gunpla Battle and virtual reality gaming, its time to get those high grade kits ready once again as we dive into the world of Gundam Build Divers.

Love Live! Sunshine!! is available in streaming form on Crunchyroll With the immense juggernaut that is the Love Live! franchise showing no signs of retiring any time soon, the reveal that Love Live! Sunshine!! would be returning for a second season was anything but a surprise. After all, why would ASCII Media Works , Lantis and Sunrise give up on their premier money-spinner while the story of Aqours is still only half-finished? With the show’s first season establishing the nine new girls as a group looking to follow in μ's footsteps, it’s the second that aims to take them beyond that and make a proper name for themselves.

Love Live! Sunshine!! is available in streaming form on Crunchyroll Though the  Love Live! hype train certainly hasn't shown any signs of stopping over the past few years it's time for it to hit full steam once again as the second season of Love Live! Sunshine!! is finally upon us. When we last left the girls of Aquours they still weren't any closer to saving their school from closure, but they had gotten their first taste of the stage at the regional qualifiers as well as realised that they need to forge their own path instead of simply following in μ's ' shadow. Now we're back for another 13 episodes of seaside song times, as  Chika, You, Riko, Dia, Kanan, Mari, Yoshiko, Hanamaru and Ruby continue their path to idoldom.

Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans season 2 is available in streaming form via Daisuki The past few years have seen Mobile Suit Gundam go from strength to strength, enjoying a steady flow of series, OVAs, blu-ray releases and of course model kits. Part of this recent success can of course be attributed to Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans , the latest entry in the long-running mecha franchise which concluded its first 25-episode series mid-2016. The show’s dub also marked the first time in over a decade that Gundam aired in the US on Toonami – the programming block that helped popularise Gundam in the West back in the 90s with Gundam Wing . After a short break Iron-Blooded Orphans returned for a second season in October 2016, running for a further 25 episodes until April 2017. As before the series was helmed by Mari Okada and Tatsuyuki Nagai – a writer/director combination that had previously collaborated on AnoHana in addition to other popular works.

Following its brief hiatus over the past few months, Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans has finally returned for its second season! Comprised of another 25 episodes to bring the total count up to a comfortable 50, this latest instalment in Sunrise ’ landmark mecha franchise continues the story of the rebellious child soldiers Tekkadan and their struggle for freedom in the era following a catastrophe known as the Calamity War . Like the first season it is written and directed by Mari Okada and Tatsuyuki Nagai respectively – a pair that also previously worked together on shows such as Toradora! and AnoHana .

When you've created a juggernaut like  Love Live! School Idol Project , you can't just end things when your idols retire. Although μ's seem just as popular as ever, their time in the spotlight is over as a new idol group takes to the stage in sequel series Love Live! Sunshine!!. Once again animated by Sunrise in a joint project with ASCII Media Works and Lantis , this new series takes place sometime after Honoka and co have gone their separate ways, paving the road for a swarm of prospective idols in the titular tournament. Forget about μ's, now comes the time of Aqours.

The Mobile Suit  Gundam franchise may well be a multi-million yen space-faring epic about the horrors of war, but everyone knows that's only one side of it. The other half is all about how many model kits Bandai can sell at the same time, and the Gundam Build Fighters spin-off isn't one to shy away from fully embracing it. Though not the first gunpla -themed spin-off from Sunrise , Gundam Build Fighters captured audiences in a way its predecessors had failed to - not only showing the hobby off in a brilliant way but also proving itself to be worthy celebration of Gundam 's long heritage. It was quickly followed by sequel series Gundam Build Fighters Try , and now its cast have returned for a one-off special episode entitled Gundam Build Fighters Try: Island Wars. Like both series this episode has been made available for free on Youtube via GundamInfo , welcoming audiences across the globe back to the world of Gunpla battle.

The time of μ's may be over but the spirit of Love Live! School Idol Project continues! After dominating the idol genre for the past few years the franchise from ASCII Media Works, Lantis and Sunrise has renewed itself for what will likely be another run of dominating the anime scene, branching off with a brand new cast and setting. Now using the banner of Love Live Sunshine!! (perfectly timed with the start of the summer 2016 anime season), this series follows nine new girls as they set out to become school idols and compete in the prestigious Love Live tournament. Welcome to the stage, Aquours .

Though a constant influence and staple in the anime world for over 35 years, right now  Mobile Suit Gundam seems to be enjoying quite a boom. Between the endless supply of model kits, multiple television series and OVAs mecha fans are in no short supply of new material from the genre-defining franchise. And although the Yoshiyuki Tomino -led Reconguista in G proved divisive among the fanbase, it wasn't long before Gundam was back for a brand new instalment in the form of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blooded Orphans (also abbreviated to simply G-Tekketsu from it's full Japanese title). Adding another alternate timeline into the franchise's long and varied chronology, Iron-Blooded Orphans comes from director and writer team Tatsuyuki Nagai and Mari Okada - the pair famously behind AnoHana as well as many other notable anime works of the past few years.

What do you do when you've created a successful anime franchise that's already spawned two seasons, CDs, manga, light novels, video games and more? End things with a movie of course! And that's exactly what Love Live! School Idol Project has done - ending it's final episode with the perfect lead in to a full blown cinematic feature. Going by the full title of Love Live! The School Idol Movie , this film is the swan song of μ's before the band go their separate ways and the group is retired to make way for a new group of super stars in Love Live! Sunshine later this year. Given μ's monumental success, it's only fitting that they be seen out in style.

Every so often there comes around an anime franchise that seems almost impossible to ignore no matter how hard you try, and in the past three years Love Live! School Idol Project has definitely qualified as one. The idol-themed series from ASCII Media Works' , music label Lantis and animation studio Sunrise has gone from strength to strength spawning not only an anime series but also a movie, multiple manga adaptations, light novels and a rather addictive iOS/Android game by the name of Love Live! School Idol Festival . Summer 2016 will see a brand group of idols take the reins in spin-off series Love Live! Sunshine , but for now we're looking back on the ones that started it all. The original Love Live! School Idol Project ran for a total of 26 episodes split into two 13-episode seasons, with the first airing late 2013 and the second following mid-2014.

It would be pretty hard to be anime fan without ever having heard the words “ Mobile Suit Gundam ”. Far more than just being the Bandai ’s ultimate action figure and model kit ( gunpla ) cash cow, the original 1979 series from Sunrise and creator Yoshiyuki Tomino helped define the mecha genre and ushered in the subgenre of “ real robot ” anime. In 36 years Gundam has expanded into numerous series, films and novels spanning various continuities, but this is the point where it all began – the Universal Century . Gundam ’s main timeline, and for many fans still considered the very best.

If there's one thing I have to commend the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise for, it's its tenacity. Despite original creator Yoshiyuki Tomino -helmed and 35th anniversary celebration series Gundam Reconguista in G not going down quite as well as hoped and firmly dividing fans, the mecha juggernaut is back a year later with a brand new series as if nothing phased it at all. This new series, entitled Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans (but also referred to as G-Tekketsu) , is a rather curious beast being the brainchild of Tatsuyuki Nagai  and Mari Okada - the writer and director team behind AnoHana of all things. While this isn't either's first foray into the world of mecha (Nagai previously directed Idolmaster: Xenoglossia while Okada worked on Aquarion Evol ), but it does set a rather interesting precedent on what to expect from this latest instalment of Japan's landmark mecha franchise.

While The Idolm@ster gaming franchise from Namco Bandai wouldn't truly make its mark in the world of anime until A-1 Pictures  full-length series in 2011, two previous attempts at bringing the girls to television screens were made prior to that. Although 2008's The Idolm@ster Live for You! was only a 17-minute short bundled with the game of the same name, 2007's Idom@ster: Xenglossia was a very different story. Produced by prolific studio Sunrise and directed by Tatsuyuki Nagai (who would later go on to direct AnoHana ), Idolmaster: Xenglossia discards the original premise of a production studio and in favour of exactly the kind of thing you'd expect from Sunrise: giant robots.

I don't think anyone quite expected Gundam Build Fighters to be the success that it was. What could have easily been a shameless cash grab to sell a bunch of remoulded model kits turned out to be a wonderful tribute to the ever-growing hobby of gunpla and model kit building in general, filled with exhilarating fight sequences and a cast of memorable characters. And as an anniversary-esque series to the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise as a whole, it couldn't really be topped. So after such a resounding success, it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that it's back for round two - this time going by the monicker of Gundam Build Fighters Try . And once again, Bandai have been kind enough to stream the whole series for free on their Youtube channel, giving fans across the world a chance to enjoy it legally and end up buying a kit or two (which is probably their plan all along...).

With last year heralding the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise's 35th anniversary, it's shouldn't be any surprise that Bandai and Sunrise had plenty of projects in store to celebrate. Gundam Build Fighters returned with a brand new sequel series (signalling a range of new custom model kits), and popular manga series Gundam: The Origin is also in process of being adapted into a series of OVA releases. But perhaps the biggest news for longtime fans was the arrival of a brand new series entitled Gundam: RecoNguista in G - written and directed by Gundam creator himself Yoshyuki Tomino. His first Gundam project since Turn A Gundam back in 1999, G-Reco returns fans to the main Gundam universe in a timeline that follows on from the original Universal Century.

For S.H. Figuarts collectors, there are few stories more infamous than that of Master Asia . The figure was originally revealed by Bandai Tamashii Nations all the way back in 2008, alongside fellow Mobile Suit G Gundam star Domon Kasshu . But while Domon got his release, Master Asia went on to arguably become the poster child of Bandai's "will they/won't they release it" tactics, appearing in magazine scans and multiple shows since with never any indication of an actual release. But when 2014 rolled around and Tamashii Nations started hitting up G Gundam for their Robot Damashii line the unthinkable happened - Master Asia got a release date. No longer the "Unreleased of the East" , Master Asia was confirmed for January 2015 and as a mass release figure no less. So before we even begin the review there's a moral here - if Master Asia can get released after nearly seven years, then there's hope for every Figuart. Truly the Undefeated of the E...

If you'd told me just over a year ago that a series based around popular model kits and advertising them would turn around to be one of my favourites in recent times, I'd have probably laughed in your face. But then Gundam Build Fighters happened, proving to be an incredibly enjoyable experience for newcomers, casual fans and hardcore fans of the Gundam franchise as well as turning me on properly to the art of Gunpla and all the great kits Bandai  have produced. Clearly 25 episodes wasn't enough to contain the awesomeness, as the show has returned again in the form of Gundam Build Fighters Try . This sequel series is once again part of the franchise's 35th anniversary celebration, and is being streamed for free with English subtitles on the GundamInfo Youtube channel .