Look upon Retsu Ichijoji. Even if you do not know him, LOOK*AT*HIM. This character is a bit out of our normal wheelhouse, but this S.H. Figuarts release of the alter ego of the Space Sheriff Gavan is just too amazing not to feature.
I will admit that, in past, I only had a very tacit association with Space Cop (as it is often called), and while I have always been much more aware of the standard outfitted look, my older sensibilities made it so I just could not pass up this Retsu figure, and having both versions together in the collection really makes for something to behold. If you are completely uninitiated with Space Sheriff Gavan, I will take you through a bit of the higher points, but rest assured, it fits in well with the late 1970s and early 1980s live action fare common to television sets in Japan, so expect a lot of space, a lot of time-locked costumes, and a lot of, um special effect techniques still very much in development.
Essentially, Gavan is a member of the intergalactic space police who has been charged with protecting Earth from the evil Don Horror who pretty much heads up the space mob, and he tosses all of the monstrous creatures you could imagine at Gavan during the run of the show. Gavan hides out as Retsu Ichijoji and tracks the mob and defends the planet with the help of Mimi (the daughter of the head of the space cops) and an arsenal of extraterrestrial weaponry. Oh, and Sonny Chiba even shows up on the show at some point. Of course, it is more nuanced than that, but an armor-clad space cop laying low looking like a 1970s space cowboy gets you to where you need to be with release of this figure.
Kenji Ohba plays Retsu, and he most certainly a cult celebrity in Japan, and Bandai has given him his due as a Soul Web Shop exclusive S.H. Figuarts release. The result is nothing short of awesome, because he has a hairdo that will still make people swoon, and I find his leather jacket, gold tassels, and white jeans tucked into cowboy boots to ring true with awesomeness even today. If he was trying to blend in with 1980s Japan, I am not sure this was the best getup for that, but, man alive, he is going to hang out with my SHF Han Solo on the regular, that is for sure. The likeness to Ohba is well done here, and it captures him in his youth, but the print dots are cleaned and well grouped, so there is not a lot of stippling to be seen to the naked eye.
As this is a web store exclusive, you can, of course, count on it costing a bit more, and coming with less stuff, and that is the case with Retsu. The figure comes with three sets of hands: fists, open palm, and splayed fingers. With these you can achieve some of the overly dramatic poses from the show, and to supplement that, you also get a back drop that simulates the change from regular guy in white jeans and boots to metal-laden space cop. As most of the diverse weaponry was employed in the latter form, you do not get any of that included here, so that leaves the figure feeling pretty basic in the accessories department, but again, the figure itself pretty much makes up for it.
If you have never given Space Sheriff Gavan (or Space Cop Gavan) a shot, and you have a predilection for entertainment from that special 1980s time and place, I suggest you give it a look. It is, of course, very dated, but you can see the other Tokusatsu influences it takes in its action, like from Super Sentai (by the same studio), and the influence it left for things like further Metal Hero series installments and the like. Regardless, I love this figure and I think it is a ton of fun. I definitely recommend it, but it is going to come at a hefty price since it is a now-released exclusive. But come on, you need more action figures like this in your life. You know you do.
