Good Smile Company Enters the Anime Business
The figure maker behind Nendoroid and figma is building something much bigger than a scale model. Good Smile Company announced via Anime Hack that Dandivine is the first installment in the Gattaishin Series, a new project from its mecha product label MecaSma. Each year will bring a new combining-robot anime with a different motif, aiming to establish a new standard for the super robot genre in the Reiwa era.
Dandivine is animated by Liden Films and Kayak Animation, with Toshiki Inoue (Death Note, Kamen Rider Agito) writing the series composition and handling all episode scripts. Directing is 曹毅, who previously served as episode director on Dorohedoro and Attack on Titan: The Final Season. Character design concepts come from Majiro of Macross Delta, with robin on animation character design and GOD BRAVE STUDIO, which also builds MecaSma's physical product prototypes, designing the mecha.
A Toy Company That Needs Its Monster Back
The premise has a self-aware edge. Twenty years ago, the combining robot Dandivine defeated the mysterious enemy force known as Apostdoll, and the world has been at peace ever since. The toy company Casga rode Dandivine's fame to massive success, merchandising the robot into a household name. But two decades of peace have been terrible for business. With no threat to keep Dandivine relevant, Casga's fortunes have steadily declined.
Company president Shijima Genjūrō secretly wishes the enemy would return, peace be damned. He gets his wish when Apostdoll resurfaces in Tokyo. As civilians flee, high schooler Shijima Gekiha is recruited by his uncle Kuroiwa Yūsaku, Dandivine's original main pilot, and climbs into the cockpit.
It's a setup that acknowledges the commercial machinery behind giant robot franchises while still delivering the genre's core appeal: a teenager, a transforming mech, and a city under attack.
The Cast and Nishikawa's Opening Theme
Takuma Terashima (Shiroe in Log Horizon) voices protagonist Shijima Gekiha. Haruka Shiraishi (Asirpa in Golden Kamuy) plays Kuzumi Akane, and Saya Aizawa (Norn Greyrat in Mushoku Tensei: Jobless Reincarnation) rounds out the lead trio as Shijima Kirei, who shares a surname with Gekiha.
The opening theme comes from Takanori Nishikawa, the singer synonymous with Gundam SEED's iconic openings "Invoke" and "Ignited." In his official comment, Nishikawa said he grew up on robot anime and wants to help share Japan's mecha tradition with the world. "Please look forward to the Dandivine opening theme as well," he added.
Sound direction is handled by 岩浪美和, credited on Knights of Sidonia.
Looking Ahead
Dandivine begins broadcasting in October 2026 as part of the Fall anime season. No international streaming partner has been announced, and no English-language distribution details are available.
The Gattaishin Series' yearly release model means Good Smile Company is betting on mecha as a long-term franchise rather than a one-off project. Given the company's existing global retail infrastructure for figures and model kits, Dandivine's toy line will likely be a major component of the business strategy. The official site is live at gattaishin.com, with MecaSma's English-language page at mechasmile.com.