The Japanese conglomerate Bandai began selling a new set of Chōhenkan!! Moji-Bake-ru toys on Monday. The Chōhenkan Taisen Moji-Bake-ru G battle line toys transform from Japanese kanji characters into creatures and cost 158 yen (about US$2) each.
Unlike previous lines, every toy in this series transforms into a monster instead of a real-life animal. A collectible card bundles with each toy that buyers can use to play a battle game. The new set also includes five golden parts that collectors can combine into a special sei (sacred) kanji toy.
The five new monster designs (clockwise, starting at the top left) are:
- Baku (explosive)
- Yō (bewitched)
- Zan (slashing)
- Ja (wicked)
- Yami (dark)
The Chōhenkan Taisen Moji-Bake-ru G line toys are available in three colors with a piece of gum in each package. Shogakukan’s Coro Coro Comics Special magazine is also publishing a tie-in manga inspired by the toy and game series.
The first Chōhenkan!! Moji-Bake-ru toys shipped in May 2010, and Bandai released the second animal line in November 2010. Including the release of the fourth series last November, more than 4 million total transforming toys have shipped. Bandai also plans to unveil the Chōhenkan!! Moji-Bake-ru 5 line in April.
The series’ name, which roughly translates as “Super Transformation!! Character-Altering,” is a worldplay on mojibake — the Japanese computer term for characters that have been garbled while being sent or stored.
Bandai began streaming a 15-second television commercial and a 5-minute promotional video for the new toys and game last month.
These are toys are am dying to own !!!