Bandai S.H.

This category is used for entries related to Bandai’s S.H. Figuarts, Monster Arts, and similar figures.

Bandai | S.H. Figuarts | Kamen Rider Amazon

I never got to watch Kamen Rider Amazon until I lived in Japan in 2004-2005. A friend of mine was kind enough to let me see the series and it was strange to watch to say the least. He's not my favorite Kamen Rider, and feels like the odd man out a lot of times. This might be because unlike his predecessors, his motif is of a piranha and not of a bug. He's very interesting indeed. Continue Reading

Bandai | S.H. Figuarts | Hakaider

More goodies from Bandai's Figuarts line. When Kikaider was released I was impressed and happy, but the one I really wanted was his rival - Hakaider! He was the very definition of the cool bad guy and sure knew how to make an entrance. His theme song is equally memorable and you've probably got an earworm going right now! Every hero needs a great villain and this is the epitome of a memorable villain. Continue Reading

Bandai | S.H. Figuarts | Kikaider

If you were a kid in Hawaii during the mid 70's, you were exposed to two significant pieces of entertainment - Checkers and Pogo, and Kikaider. You would have to go to an uninhabited island to find someone who didn't know of such things. Kikaider was such a staple that the mere fact of his name will automatically conjure up his theme song in your head. So it was to my pleasant surprise when Bandai announced this fine figure. Continue Reading

Bandai | S.H. MonsterArts | Godzilla (Heisei)

I saw a few movies at the theater when I was living in Japan. I say few because I used to go to the movies a lot. I say few because it's quite expensive to see movies in Japan, and the experience is a bit different than what we have in the U.S. Usually a sports buzzer goes off when the movie is about to start, they also have movie memorabilia you can only get at the theater, and in some cases, you have assigned seats, all for the nice price of almost $20 just for the ticket. One of the movies I saw was supposed to be the last Godzilla movie made by Toei. Continue Reading

Bandai | S.H. Figuarts | Kamen Rider X

When a franchise has a very strong character, it's hard to top it off with the next version. For better or for worse, Kamen Rider X had to carry to torch from fan favorite Kamen Rider V3. The series had some good things, but ultimately felt weaker compared to his predecessor and actually had cameos by both V3 and Rider 2 most likely to help boost ratings. The first half of the series struggled and when Apollo Geist came around things got better. Continue Reading