A screening of the popular Gundam anime series' theatrical release, "Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash" (directed by Murase Shukou), with a stage greeting, was held at LaLaport Fukuoka (Hakata Ward, Fukuoka City) on November 30th, featuring Kensho Ono, who plays Hathaway Noah, and Reina Ueda, who plays Gigi Andalusia. The anime, which premiered in June 2021, is also attracting attention for its first new installment in roughly five years, "Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash: The Witch of Hathaway's Flash' stage greeting in about five years, I can talk about the first chapter without worrying about spoilers," while Ueda commented, "There may be some things I can talk about now that five years have passed."
When the topic of "Circe's Witch" came up, Ono said, "In the first chapter, everyone was acting separately, but this film begins with them safely reuniting with Mufti. I think the appeal of this film is that they spend more time facing themselves and their feelings become more apparent." Regarding Gigi's line, "Hathaway Noah," in the trailer released on October 10, Ueda revealed, "I played the last line, 'Hathaway Noah,' with the image of checking every note, but also letting it roll."
Regarding the release of "Circe's Witches," Ueda said, "It felt like the dots were connecting. I think we'll be able to see new sides to the other characters who have been influenced by Hathaway. It's really impossible to tell how people will change. There will be spoilers, and I think it will be more fun if there is a forum where we can all discuss it together. It will be released soon, so please come and see it. Thank you very much." Ono said, "I am happy that everyone will finally be able to see it, and I am really looking forward to it. Hathaway's feelings and human relationships are portrayed very carefully and realistically, and it depicts not only the beautiful sides but also the dirty sides of the human heart. I hope you will look forward to the film's release in January. Thank you very much."
The life-size Nu Gundam statue on display at LaLaport Fukuoka is lit up in a limited-time winter event themed around "Circe's Witch" until March 13, 2026. Looking up at the Nu Gundam statue, Ono commented, "In the film (of Hathaway's Flash), there's a scene where citizens flee while mobile suits are fighting in an urban battle. To flee while these (mobile suits) are fighting... makes you think how powerless they are." Ueda reflected, "If it were Penelope, it would be even bigger... and when you think about it, it's really scary. Looking at it from Gigi's perspective, it feels like the fear of urban battles is brought back to life, and I feel like I can understand how scared Gigi was."
Ono commented, "In Chapter 1, I often played the role of a good-looking young man, and didn't show much of my true self within Mufti. In front of Gigi, I was "Hathaway Noah," so I struggled with the discrepancy between these two personalities. In Circe's Witch, Hathaway's inner dark side is depicted, so the challenge was figuring out how to express that through my voice." He continued, "The director told me at the beginning, 'Hathaway is broken,' so the challenge was how to express that. It would have been easy to do if I had tried to act in a way that made it easy to understand that he was broken, but I tried to create a sense of discomfort that made you wonder, 'What?' I played the role in a way that, after watching this film, you would think, 'Oh, this person is broken.'"
Regarding Hathaway's performance in "Circe's Witch," Ueda said, "This is Hathaway after she joins up with Mufty, so I think you'll see a more relaxed side of her than when she was wearing Hathaway Noah's armor in Chapter 1." Ueda explained, "In Chapter 1, Gigi had a sense of omnipotence, but there was a cloud in her heart that she wasn't even aware of, and in 'Circe's Witch' you can see that, so she comes across as a very normal girl. When I read the script, I thought, is Gigi really like this? Gigi's intuition, and the sense of realizing something even though she didn't realize it before. I wanted to cherish those things when I played the role."
Along with Ono and Ueda saying, "Just press that button," and "It'll all work out!", a lighting ceremony for the life-size Nu Gundam statue was also held.
Ono said, "Once again, thank you very much for today. We were able to talk a lot about Gundam throughout the day, and it really hit home that it's finally going to be released. Personally, I was happy to be back in Fukuoka (my hometown) for work. The film will finally be released in theaters on January 30th, so please come to the theaters. Thank you for today." Ueda sent a message saying, "I'm happy to be able to appear at this event so that we can finally deliver it to you all. I had the opportunity to look around a lot at LaLaport today, and I was able to get a feel for not only Hathaway's Flash, but the history of Gundam up to now. I feel the magnitude of the connection once again, and it makes me stand tall. Circe's Witch will be released next year, so I hope you will go see it in the theater. Thank you for today."
