New mobile suits and characters have been revealed for the VR video Mobile Suit Gundam: Phantom of the Silver Gray, based on the popular Gundam anime series. Azami Megine, a former member of the Federation Army who caused chaos in the mercenary organization Argent Keel, to which the protagonist belongs, Geoff Idy, Haro, who supports the protagonist, Fixie Fix, a mysterious boy with a deep connection to Argent Keel's Baber Rena, and Geoff's mobile suit Z'ssa (Geoff Idy's personal machine) will appear. It was also announced that a special program on the work will be streamed on YouTube's Gundam channel in late September.
Azami Megine is a former high-ranking Federal Army official who betrayed Zeon and obtained vested interests from both camps. He is currently hiding out in the Neo Zeon remnants known as the Sleeves to protect himself. Geoff I'd is a direct subordinate of Azami Megine, an excellent pilot, and pilots a red Z'sa as a replacement for the Sleeves' MS team "RGTS." The Z'sa (Geoff I'd's personal machine) is based on the three MS team "RGTS" machines belonging to the Neo Zeon remnants, with the equipment reconfigured.
It was also announced that Shin Yuki will play the male protagonist, Tanezaki Atsumi will play the female protagonist, Ise Mariya will play Babel Rena, Oribe Yukari will play Mabel Rena, Hirohashi Ryo will play Haro, Kaji Yuki will play Fixie Fix, Inoue Kikuko will play Azami Megine, and Egashira Hiroya will play Geoff I'd.
Arata commented, "I get to ride Gundam, which I've watched since I was a child! And I'm honored to be involved in the fresh format of a VR movie. I'm really looking forward to what it'll be like to follow the story told from my perspective, so I'm looking forward to it!"
Tanezaki said, "I never thought the day would come when I'd be able to ride Gundam in this way, and it felt strange even during recording. This film, which I'm sure will fulfill the long-held dream of many people, not just be able to watch it, but to "experience it," is finally coming to everyone, and I'm excited to think that it will finally reach everyone! I hope you'll enjoy the Universal Century to the fullest...!"
Ise commented, "This work is different from previous animated films, in that you can actually pilot it and experience it as if you were in the movie as a pilot, and I think it's a new type of visual work. The passionate spirit that has been passed down through the generations of Gundam will remain unchanged, and I'm sure it will be a story that will move the hearts of viewers, so I hope you'll look forward to it."
Mobile Suit Gundam: Phantom of the Silver Gray is set in U.C. 0096 (Universal Century 0096), and the protagonist is a member of Argent Kiel, an unofficial mercenary organization that is neither the Federation nor Zeon. The organization is tasked with assassinating Azami Megine, a high-ranking Federation official who is in collusion with Zeon, but just before the mission, the Federation's Jegan unit attacks the fleet, and in the midst of the chaos, the "silver Gundam" that they secretly own is released into space.
The film is co-produced by Bandai Namco Filmworks and Atlas V, a French VR production company that has worked on "Gloomy Eyes" and "Battlescar." Kenichi Suzuki will be the director, Ryoji Kansai will be in charge of the script, Tsukasa Kotobuki will be in charge of character design, and Mika Akitaka will be in charge of mechanical design. Shoko Nakagawa will sing the theme song "ACROSS THE WORLD." It will be released for Meta Quest 2 and Meta Quest 3 from 2:00 AM on October 4th. The price is 2,800 yen, and the pre-order price is 2,500 yen.
