Anthropomorphizing mecha is a long-known concept, from the venerable OS-tans down to the Busou Shinki figure line, but as far as I know this is a relatively new twist on the trope, one that bears a sort of "why didn't they think of this before," aura.

Gigazine was at the Tamashii Nation 2009 event (the same one that made me remember love) and reported on the announcement of the "D-ARMOR" line of action figures, to be in stores sometime 2010. The series aims to unite popular pilots with the machines they drive, as evidenced by their protoype, featuring Code Geass' Kallen Stadtfeld and her signature Knightmare Frame, the Guren Mk-II.

The pilot figures can be "dressed up" in their mount's parts, or the parts themselves can be united to form a super-deformed version of the machine itself. Genius! Before this, I only remember anthropomorphism going one way, either making a known mecha (like a tank or Gundam) into a moe character (ala Strike Witches), or turning a character into a mecha (as with Busou Shinki).

Of course, some mecha designs would be more suitable to the D-ARMOR treatment than others. I imagine that uniting Sakura Wars characters with their trashcan-shaped Koubu suits while still keeping them cute might be a challenge...

Hit the gallery for images. Which mecha would you like to see mated to its pilot?