To celebrate the 45th anniversary of the Gundam series, two major events have been announced: the “Gundam Cinema Festival,” where five outstanding theatrical works will be screened, and the large-scale event “GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE -ROAD TO 2025-,” which will be sequentially held across all 47 of Japan’s prefectures beginning June 8.
“Gundam Cinema Festival” will feature screenings of five acclaimed theatrical works from the Gundam series: the Mobile Suit Gundam film trilogy, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack, and Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash.
Dubbed the “Mobile Suit Gundam Trilogy”, releasing from 1981 to 1982, the film series is a recompilation of the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam anime series directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino, with character designs and animation direction by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, and mechanical designs by Kunio Okawara.
Story
In the year 0079 of the Universal Century, the war between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon has reached a stalemate. However, when Zeon learns about the Federation’s new mobile suits being developed at the Side 7 space colony, Char Aznable launches an attack to destroy them. A boy named Amuro Ray finds himself caught up in the conflict when he becomes the unwilling pilot of the Federation’s new mobile suit – the Gundam.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack released to theaters in March 1988, directed by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, with character designs by Hiroyuki Kitazume, mobile suit designs by Yutaka Izubuchi, and mechanical designs by Yoshinori Sayama and GAINAX. Shigeaki Saegusa returned from Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ to compose the music. Char’s Counterattack grossed 1.16 billion yen at the box office.
Story
One man against the Earth…
Universal Century 0093. Thirteen years have passed since the events of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. But the foundations of peace are once again threatened by a new Neo Zeon army led by the notorious Char Aznable! Their ultimate goal is to initiate a nuclear winter upon Earth ushering in a new age of mankind into space. Armed with the state of the art Nu Gundam mobile suit, Amuro Ray and the Federation forces are all that stand against Neo Zeon. Driven by vengeance, duty and love, the final battle between rivals Char Aznable and Amuro Ray is at hand.
First in a trilogy of anime films helmed by director Shukou Murase, Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway’s Flash or Hathaway is the official sequel to the 1988 Mobile Suit Gundam Char’s Counterattack movie. The project was announced in November 2018 to celebrate the Gundam 40th anniversary, adapting the Yoshiyuki Tomino-penned novel series of the same name. The novels were originally released from 1989 to 1990, as a follow-up to Tomino’s Char’s Counterattack: Beltorchika’s Children novel.
Ergo Proxy and Genocidal Organ’s Shukou Murase is directing the film project, with scripts by Yasuyuki Mutou. Pablo Uchida, Naoyuki Onda, and Shigeki Kuhara are the character designers for the films, with Onda also serving as the chief animation director. Hiroyuki Sawano returned from Mobile Suit Gundam entries Unicorn and Narrative as music composer, and rock-band [Alexandros] performed its theme song “Senkou”. The films’ mechanical design team consists of Hajime Katoki, Kimitoshi Yamane, Nobuhiko Genba, and Seiichi Nakatani.
Opening to Japanese theaters June 11, 2021, Hathaway’s Flash is the third highest performing Gundam film earning 2.23 billion yen. As of June 2021, producer Naohiro Ogata confirmed the second installment was in production, tentatively titled, Sun of Bright.
Story
The year is U.C. 0105. Twelve years have passed since the end of the second Neo Zeon War (Char’s Rebellion). Even after “the Axis Shock,” which seemed to indicate the future of humanity and the Universal Century, the world is still in a chaotic situation where intermittent military conflicts continue to break out. The Earth Federation government is more corrupt than ever, and its leadership has not only accelerated Earth’s pollution, but also implemented an inhuman “Man Hunting” policy in which civilians are forcibly exiled to outer space.
The anti-Federation government organization “Mafty,” led by someone called “Mafty Navue Erin,” has taken a stand against the corruption of the Earth Sphere. Mafty carries out fierce acts of terrorism, assassinating high officials of the Federation government one after another, but it gains a certain level of support from the populace who are growing more opposed to the Federation government.
The person who calls himself “Mafty” and leads this organization is Hathaway Noa, the son of Bright Noa, an officer of the Earth Federation Forces who once participated in the One Year War. Hathaway himself joined the forces trying to stop Char’s Rebellion. With firsthand knowledge of the ideals and ideologies of Amuro Ray and Char Aznable, he has become a warrior following in their footsteps, and plans to clear a path forward through armed resistance. His destiny, however, is drastically altered as he encounters the Federation Forces officer Kenneth Sleg and a mysterious young beauty named Gigi Andalucia.
Source: Gundam Info
No Comment