Why the Kamen Rider Gaim Toy Line is So Grape

Being a Kamen Rider fan for many years, I’m no stranger to the fact that the franchise is just one big toy commercial. However, to succeed in its endeavor to sell toys, both the show and the toys need to be good in their own right and play off each other’s strengths and unique characteristics. On top of that, in order to keep the long-time fans buying, innovations and improvements must be made to keep things fresh and updated.

In my opinion, the 2013/2014 Kamen Rider series, Kamen Rider Gaim, is a phenomenal show. Whether you love it or hate it, we can’t deny the fact that it took the series to new heights and took a concept as silly-sounding as Fruit Samurai and turned it into something serious, epic and mature – a series full of intrigue, twists and high-stakes that even non-Kamen Rider fans could enjoy. Hardly surprising, if you ask me, considering it was written by none other than Urobuchi Gen, famous for his other works including Saya no Uta, Psycho-Pass, Fate/Zero and Puella Magi Madoka Magica. Yes, that Urobuchi Gen.

However, I don’t think that the show’s success can solely account for the 390% increase in toy sales and a total revenue of 10 billion yen over the course of the series run. No. If you ask me, the toys had a part to play as well. In this article, we’ll be taking a look at various aspects of both the show and the toy line to see why it’s just so ingenious.

WARNING! There are spoilers for the show within this post! While there aren’t any plot spoilers, the various forms and abilities for a number of the Riders are discussed!

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Actar’s Reviews 179 – Figma Makinami Mari Illustrious

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Actar’s Reviews 177 – Robot Damashii Evangelion Unit 00 Rebuild Version

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Actar’s Reviews 152: Robot Damashii Evangelion Unit 01 Rebuild Version

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Actar’s Reviews 146: Robot Damashii Evangelion Unit 02 Rebuild Version

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Actar’s Reviews 123/124: Soul of Chogokin SPEC Evangelion Unit 01 (Renewal Ver.)

What more can I say? The SOC SPECs by Bandai are definitely THE figures of the Evangelion units. Forget Revoltech, forget the original Soul of Chogokin figures, you need to own this if you consider yourself a fan of Evangelion.

Review: Soul of Chogokin SPEC Evangelion 01 (Renewal) by Bandai

EVA 01 Beserk Mode!

Here’s my first attempt at a written review. For this first review, we’ll be taking a look at the Soul of Chogokin SPEC EVA – 01 (renewal ver.) figure from the ‘Neon Genesis Evangelion’ series.