[ljacone]

The monster Ginga fought in this episode was Thunder Daranbia. The other daikaiju who made an apperance was, of course, Black King.

I think that the sofubi aspect is purposefully a little ridiculous. But soft vinyl toys have been a part of Japanese culture for a long, long time, and part of the Ultra Series since the very start, so I like seeing them being used as the collectible element of the show. (Plus, to me, a little vinyl toy is much nicer than a key or ring which just sort of sits on the shelf. You can play with these! "RAR!" "Schuuuwatch!" And so forth...)