Gundam Naohiro Ogata Interview: Why was GQuuuuuuX born? Strategy for the 50th anniversary

The Gundam series continues to take on unprecedented challenges as it approaches its 50th anniversary in 2029. The first collaboration between Sunrise, which produces the Gundam series, and Studio Khara, known for the Evangelion series, has generated a lot of buzz with "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX," a project that has many upcoming projects, including the second part of the animated film "Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash" and a Hollywood live-action version. We spoke to Naohiro Ogata, director of Bandai Namco Filmworks, who is responsible for the series' video business, about "GQuuuuuuX" and future developments.

◇Reason for choosing Director Tsurumaki

"GQuuuuuuX" has become a work unlike anything that has come before. Both the "Mobile Suit Gundam" and "Evangelion" series are masterpieces that changed the history of Japanese anime. As the tagline states, "Khara x Sunrise, dreams intersect," it has become a dream collaboration. Khara producer Yuki Sugitani, who served as the "main producer" of "GQuuuuuuX," had previously worked on "Mobile Suit Gundam UC (Unicorn)," and when Ogata approached him saying, "I want to make a Gundam with director Kazuya Tsurumaki," the "dream collaboration" came to fruition.

"For works following 'Witch of Mercury,' which was planned around 2018, we have continued the strategy we came up with at that time. There are two axes. One is to acquire new fans. The other is to make existing fans enjoy it even more. Since TV series are basically broadcast to an unspecified number of people, there is an opportunity to acquire new fans. We want to promote Gundam to the younger generation, teenagers. On the other hand, there are works such as ' Hathaway's Flash' and 'SEED FREEDOM' that will please our long-time fans, and we think these two axes are important."

The reason they chose Director Tsurumaki, known for "FLCL," "Aim for the Top 2!" and the "Evangelion" series, was because they wanted to "attract new fans."

"When Iron-Blooded Orphans ended, we were thinking about acquiring new fans, and we came up with the plans for Mercury Witch and GQuuuuuuX. The reason we wanted to ask Tsurumaki-san to work on it was because we had seen him and felt that he was someone who could create works that would appeal to young people, such as FLCL and Aim for the Top 2! The main reason was that we wanted Tsurumaki-san to create a new Gundam."

"GQuuuuuuX" is a work set in the Universal Century, and has not only attracted new fans but also captured the hearts of existing fans.

"In some ways it turned out that way. The original concept was close to 'The Witch of Mercury,' and we wanted today's young people to think of it as 'their own Gundam.' The initial request was to 'portray the anxieties and concerns that young people have through Gundam,' and Tsurumaki-san proposed two projects, one of which was a fictional war story. With 'The Witch of Mercury,' we aimed to create a work that would inspire young people to watch Gundam. On the other hand, with 'GQuuuuuuX,' we said, 'We hope it will be a Gundam that inspires young people to watch Universal Century works.' The Universal Century is deep, and some people might find it difficult to understand. The fact that we were able to overcome that hurdle was in part what we initially expected."

◇It was possible because of this timing

Ahead of the broadcast of the TV anime series, the theatrical preview version of "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-", which reconstructed some episodes, began screening on January 17th. The theatrical preview version was released without revealing any spoilers, and after its release it was revealed that the work is set in the Universal Century and will feature familiar characters from the first Mobile Suit Gundam series, which aired from 1979-80, such as the "Red Comet" Char Aznable and Sharia Bull, which became a hot topic. It seems like a bold decision to work with another company, Studio Khara, on a Universal Century work with such a long history.

"Making it a fictional war story was a big challenge for us as well. If this plan had come up internally, would it have been approved? I think it would have been difficult to get it approved internally. Even if it had been done by another company, it would have been difficult if it had been anyone other than Khara. We thought that if we were to do a fictional war story of the Universal Century, there would be no better studio in the world than Khara, so we decided to go with this direction. By structuring the episode that corresponds to the second episode of the TV series, which was originally intended to be about the length of an opening, to be at the beginning of the advance theatrical version, we were able to get existing fans involved as well, and it ended up exceeding our expectations."

The final episode also attracted attention as it featured the appearances of Toru Furuya, who played Amuro Ray in "Mobile Suit Gundam," Shuichi Ikeda, who played Char Aznable, and Keiko Han, who played Lalah Sune.

"I believe this was possible thanks to the understanding of everyone, including Furuya-san, Ikeda-san, and Pan-san. I spoke with Tomino-san (Yoshiyuki), Yasuhiko-san (Yoshikazu), and Okawara-san (Kunio) before the announcement. For example, if you ask whether it could have been done 20 years ago, I don't know. Gundam has been going on for 46 years and has matured, and works like 'The Witch of Mercury' have been accepted by the younger generation. Perhaps it was possible because it was the right timing. I also think that the fact that it was Khara played a big role. Khara owns its own IP, so they are similar to Sunrise in some ways. There are similarities in the way they handle IP, so I trusted Khara."

◇Are there any more “dream teams” in the future?

The popularity of "GQuuuuuuX" has also been fueled by excitement on social media. Because not much information was released in advance, social media was flooded with comments of surprise at the unpredictable developments. Many fans were excited about the connection to the series.

"In the past, people would get excited at school the day after watching TV. That communication experience is one aspect of Japanese anime culture that has continued on. That experience has become social media, and I feel that people were able to enjoy it in a good way this time. Unlike the Showa era of television, it was difficult to control information, but we did everything we could to ensure that fans could enjoy it. There have been works other than anime that deal with "what if" scenarios like "GQuuuuuuX," such as "Gihren's Ambition," so I think that this has also had a big impact on the variety of ways that it can be enjoyed."

Although it is a long-running series, it has a history of not being bound by convention and incorporating new ideas. That is why a work like "GQuuuuuuX" was born and accepted. Will there be more collaborations like this between Sunrise and Khara in the future?

"We also had the catchphrase 'Dreams Intersect,' but that's something that's never been done before and isn't easy to come by. We'll continue to create many different works, but that doesn't mean that they'll all be like 'GQuuuuuuX.' If we release too many in succession, fans' senses will become numb. We've only been able to do this because of the backbone we've had up until now, so we need to continue the series for 50, even 100 years to make more works like 'GQuuuuuuX.'"

Accelerating global strategy

As we approach our 50th anniversary, we will continue to advance our global strategy.

"I mentioned that we have two pillars, but we are also placing importance on overseas expansion, particularly in the United States and Europe. Although it is popular overseas, it has not yet fully expanded and there is room for growth. When we think about the 50th anniversary and beyond, we need to expand even further. The live-action version of LEGENDARY will be key. We need to have more people enjoy it than ever before and pass it on to the next generation."

The "live-action version of LEGENDARY" refers to the "Hollywood live-action version." It has been announced that it will be released in theaters around the world, and "We are currently in the planning and development stages. We are working hard to deliver it to everyone as soon as possible." As Japanese anime gains acceptance around the world, a global perspective will become more necessary than ever.

"The way anime is accepted is changing, and we are now in an era where people all over the world are watching it. This is a huge opportunity for Japanese IP. We need to make sure we don't miss this opportunity and make sure that our IP can stand shoulder to shoulder with the rest of the world. There is also a change in attitude."

◇What will happen to the second part of "Hathaway's Flash" and Director Tomino's new work?

It was also announced in June that the second part of the animated film Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash, directed by Murase Shukou, titled Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash: The Witch of Circe, will be released this winter. It was announced that there will be three parts to the Hathaway's Flash, with the first part being released in June 2021. It has been about four years since the release of the first part, making this a long-awaited new film.

"We're sorry to have kept you waiting, but visually it is undoubtedly of the highest quality. The new work is the middle volume of the original novel, and it adds the most elements to the original novel. It doesn't fundamentally change anything, but rather adds a lot of extra information. It's an important episode, marking a crossover between Hathaway and Gigi. As it focuses on the feelings of the two characters, it would have been difficult to make as entertainment if it had remained unchanged from the original, but by adding a little extra, it has become very interesting. I hope you look forward to it."

The subtitle for Part 2 was announced to be "Sun of Bright" (working title) in September 2021, but was later changed to "Circe's Witch."

"'Circe's Witch' appears in the original novel, and was a candidate for the title from the beginning. Since it's a story about Hathaway's inner self, I had tentatively given it the title 'Son of Bright,' but since it's not just about Hathaway, but also about Gigi, I changed it to 'Circe's Witch.'"

Director Tomino, the creator of the series, has announced that he is planning a new work called "Himiko Yamato." We are looking forward to the new work of this "legend," who turns 84 this year.

"Mr. Tomino is currently working on 'Himiko Yamato,' and Sunrise is fully backing him up. Mr. Tomino has not made any new original films other than Gundam. I would like him to make many works other than Gundam. Personally, if I don't watch Mr. Tomino's works, I feel unwell (laughs). I can't wait to see Mr. Tomino's new work, so I will fully back him up. He is in such good health that it's hard to believe he is 84 this year."

A new promotional video for "Mobile Suit Gundam Wing," which is celebrating its 30th anniversary, has been released, and the announcement of new developments for "Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans," which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, has also been a hot topic. The challenge continues as we approach the 50th anniversary.