Gundam Producer Wants Thunderbolt Anime Continuation After Manga’s End

The gritty Universal Century Gundam manga Mobile Suit Gundam THUNDERBOLT has concluded after 27 volumes. To commemorate the milestone, a special screening of the compilation anime film DECEMBER SKY and after-talk event was held featuring mangaka Yasuo Ohtagaki and Gundam executive producer Naohiro Ogata.

During the talk segment, producer Ogata expressed interest in continuing the anime adaptation now that the manga has concluded. Notably, Ogata mentioned that any future installment would have to use 3DCG for the mecha animation.

Below are roughly translated excerpts from the discussion, based on posts by reliable Japanese Gundam commentator Char_Tweet.

Producer Ogata: I personally want to see the anime continue as well. I’ve said before that it would be “after the original manga ends.”
Ohtagaki: Yes.
Producer Ogata: I knew people would definitely bring that up. I feel the same way, but I’d also like people to ask Director Matsuo about it at tomorrow’s fan meeting.

Ohtagaki: Director Matsuo doesn’t really have the authority, right?
Producer Ogata: That’s true, but the fact that it’s very much “Matsuo’s film” is important. If we were to do a sequel, I’d want to see it directed by Matsuo.
Ohtagaki: Of course.
Producer Ogata: Even if we were to do another installment, fully hand-drawn mecha would be impossible, including the Thunderbolt Gundam. It would probably have to be done in 3D. I’d really like to do it one more time while character designer Takaya is still active, and I definitely want to try persuading Director Matsuo.
Producer Ogata: In terms of mecha animation, Thunderbolt was probably the peak of Sunrise Studio 1. It was a time when the staff were at the top of their game after Gundam UC and G-Reco. We can’t do the same thing again. If it were made today, it would be 3D immediately.
Producer Ogata: The Gundam project currently underway (Hathaway’s Flash) is in the middle of a very demanding phase right now.

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt began serialization March 2012 in the seinen manga magazine “Big Comics Superior”, published by Shogakukan. Over its ten-year serialization Thunderbolt has sold over four million copies. The manga was adapted in 2015 by Sunrise into a two season ONA(original net animation) series directed by Kou Matsuo, which was subsequently compiled into two compilation films Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky and Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower.