Gundam SEED Freedom Sweeps 2024 Japan’s Internet Buzzword Awards

Earlier today, the results of the 2024 Japanese Internet Buzzword Awards were announced. The top 100 entries were selected based on page views from the pop culture and slang dictionaries Nico Nico Pedia and Pickup Encyclopedia.

The hit anime film Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom topped the awards at #1, with other SEED Freedom-related topics, including Mighty Strike Freedom Gundam, Destiny Gundam Spec II, and Z’Gok, securing 5th, 11th, and 20th places, respectively.

Other Gundam SEED- related winners from the 100 winners.
22. Shinn Asuka
24. Athrun Zala
27. Lacus Clyne
57. Kira Yamato
59. Arnold Neumann
84. Rau Le Crueset

Releasing in late January 2024, Gundam SEED Freedom has been a massive success for the Gundam series, becoming the highest grossing Gundam film dethroning the 1982 Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space, which held the franchise box office record for forty-two years with 2.3 billion yen, while the 2021 Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash is the third highest performing franchise film at 2.23 billion yen.

In August, it was announced the film would be receiving two “limited-time special edition” screenings, featuring over 500 updated cuts that would also be included in the Blu-ray release, each with different epilogue cuts. Part 1 would be shown in theaters from September 20 to October 3, while Part 2 screening from November 1 to November 14. The film presently has earned approximately 5 billion yen with 3 million ticket sales.

After the Special Edition Part 2 screening, Sunrise officially announced Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom Zero, a prequel anime to the film, following Director Mitsuo Fukuda’s February tease of additional Gundam SEED Freedom content.

The tagline of Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Freedom is “The wings of freedom to seize the future”. The film is directed by Mitsuo Fukuda, featuring a script by Fukuda, Chiaki Morosawa, and Ryu Goto. Hisashi Hirai returns for character design, while the mechanical design team includes Kunio Okawara, Kimitoshi Yamane, Kazutaka Miyatake, Junichi Akutsu, Manabu Shintani, Zenseava, Takuya Io, and Hiroyuki Taiga. Satoshi Shigeta returns as mechanical animation director. Toshihiko Sahashi is the composer for the film’s music, and the theme song “FREEDOM” is performed by Takanori Nishikawa with Tetsuya Komuro.

The Gundam SEED theatrical film was first announced in May 2006 at Sony Music Anime Fes’ 06. The project was touted at the time as the first original Gundam theatrical film since 1991’s Mobile Suit Gundam F91. Before headwriter Chiaki Morosawa’s passing in 2016, she had completed the plot for the movie.

Story

In C.E.75, the fighting still continues.

There are independence movements, and aggression by Blue Cosmos… In order to calm the situation, a global peace monitoring agency called COMPASS is established, with Lacus as its first president. As members of COMPASS, Kira and his comrades intervene into various regional battles. Then a newly established nation called Foundation proposes a joint operation against a Blue Cosmos stronghold.