A stage greeting for the limited-time special edition, which features updated footage from the film version of the popular anime Mobile Suit Gundam SEED series, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED FREEDOM, was held on September 20th at Shinjuku Piccadilly (Shinjuku, Tokyo). The film was released on January 26th and had a long run of about four months. The special edition, which is the "complete version" with updated footage from the film, was released on September 20th, and Soichiro Hoshi, who plays Kira Yamato, expressed his hopes for further excitement, saying, "I'm excited that SEED FREEDOM isn't over yet!" Hoshi said, "As a fan, I would be happy if FREEDOM continues to get more and more popular and develop in various ways. I hope you will continue to support Gundam SEED for many years to come!" Also appearing on stage to greet the audience were Mitsuishi Kotono, who plays Murrue Ramius, Kuwashima Houko, who plays Agnes Giebenrath, and director Fukuda Mitsuo.
The Mobile Suit Gundam SEED series aired from October 2002 to September 2003, and its sequel, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY, aired from October 2004 to October 2005. SEED FREEDOM is a sequel to SEED DESTINY, and sees Director Fukuda and the other staff from the TV anime reunite. The production of a film version was announced in 2006, but there had been no further news about it for a long time. It was finally released about 18 years after the announcement. It was a huge hit, grossing 4.9 billion yen and attracting an audience of over 2.9 million people. It has also been talked about as breaking the all-time record for the highest box office takings of a Gundam movie in 42 years, surpassing the 2.3 billion yen recorded by Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space, released in 1982.
The special edition has over 500 updated scenes from the film and an epilogue has been added. The first edition was screened from September 20th to October 3rd, and the second edition from November 1st to 14th, with different epilogues for the first and second editions.
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