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Gō Nagai Flustered by Gravure Idol Ai Shinozaki in Mazinger Cosplay

At the International Tokyo Toy Show currently ongoing at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center, Gō Nagai presented the latest toy based on his popular Mazinger Z anime series, the DX Soul of Chōgōkin Great Mazinger. Onstage with him was Ai Shinozaki, a gravure idol and singer, dressed in modified Great Mazinger cosplay. She drew the crowd's attention to her chest, which was set off by Mazinger's signature boomerang, but Nagai steadfastly chose to stare at her on the monitor instead of in person. "If I looked directly at her, I think I'd go blind. I want to make a figure of her," he explained.

Shinozaki was surprised when she first saw the costume, but got used to it. She was excited to be on stage with Nagai, who created Cutey Honey, an anime she liked when she was little. "I'd really like to see you as Honey," Nagai said.

The DX Soul of Chōgōkin Great Mazinger is the successor to 2012's Mazinger Z toy and is based on the anime Great Mazinger, the sequel of Mazinger Z. It comes with detailed internal parts, a box "base" for easy storage, attack commands recorded by Keiichi Noda, the voice actor behind Tetsuya Tsurugi (Mazinger's pilot), and a collection of concept art drawn by Gō Nagai himself.

When asked why Mazinger is still beloved four decades later, Nagai pointed to its design. Its motifs were Western knights and Japanese armored warriors. Regarding the Chōgōkin model, he said it had "weightiness" and "looks like it had flown out of the anime. After 40 years, the character of my dreams is finally here."

The DX Sould of Chōgōkin Great Mazinger will be available for 53,784 yen ($435) and can be preordered at Japanese hobby shops.

[Via Comic Natalie and Yahoo! News Japan]