A stage greeting for the advance theatrical version of the latest work in the popular anime series "Gundam", "Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuX -Beginning-", was held on February 2nd at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku (Shinjuku Ward, Tokyo). This was the first time that a stage greeting was held for the advance theatrical version, which began screening on January 17th, and featured appearances by Tsuchiya Shimba, who plays Shuuji Ito, Director Tsurumaki Kazuya, and series composition and scriptwriter Enokido Youji. Director Tsurumaki and others spoke about the story behind the creation of the series, the behind-the-scenes of the production, and their thoughts on Director Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator of the "Gundam" series.
"Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX" is also a hot topic as it is the first collaboration between Sunrise, which is responsible for the "Gundam" series, and Khara, known for the "Evangelion" series. The TV anime series was broadcast on the Nippon Television Network, and a pre-broadcast theatrical version, which reconstructed some episodes, began screening on January 17th ahead of the broadcast.
"Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX" is a work set in the Universal Century, and Hideaki Anno, known for the "Evangelion" series, participated in the scriptwriting and other aspects. Director Tsurumaki said about Anno's scriptwriting, "I couldn't go that far. I really wanted to, but I think I would have done it differently. Freed from 'Evangelion,' Anno's limiter has been removed. The full-on otaku Anno from 'Aim for the Top!' and 'Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water' is back." Enokido nodded and said, "Only Anno could do it. I'm too scared. From Anno's point of view, I think I and Tsurumaki seem to be holding back from Director Tomino."
Director Tsurumaki explained the background to the project, saying, "Sunrise approached our producer (at khara). I love Gundam, but I didn't have the confidence to direct. Either Universal Century or Alternative was fine, but I thought this had to be it! I submitted the project knowing they would say no." Enokido said, "I thought Director Tsurumaki would go for the Universal Century. When I heard about it, my mind went blank. It's an attempt that no one has ever tried before, and it's interesting. Looking at it now, it's the perfect solution."
"Gundam" has been loved by many people for a long time. Enokido said, "Gundam makes people take it seriously. Director Tsurumaki and I once had an argument for about an hour in the middle of the night about which was stronger, Rick Dom or GM. 'There's no way Rick Dom can lose to GM!' 'GM is Gundam, after all...' If it wasn't Gundam, I wouldn't have taken it so seriously." Director Tsurumaki revealed his thoughts, saying, "I grew up in a world where Gundam and I were one. Everyone has their own Gundam. There are things that they are particular about, and there are also different things that they don't care about. Everyone who watches it has their own points, so there were times when it was scary."
The appearance of Char Aznable and Sharia Bull has also been a hot topic, and according to Enokido, "We've been talking about Gundam for over 20 years, when we were making FLCL. At that time, we were talking about how it would be interesting to remake it with Sharia Bull as the main character." Director Tsurumaki commented, "Director Higuchi Shinji also seems to have talked about Sharia Bull somewhere, so perhaps there was a sense of that in that community. Sharia Bull only appears in one episode, but there may have been a desire to delve deeper into him."
There is also a scene where the main character's robot, GQuuuuuuX, fights with a Heat Hawk. Enokido said, "From the beginning, there was talk that just shooting with beam rifles wouldn't be interesting, so I asked them to stop. When I was told that the weapon would be a Heat Hawk, my mind went blank," but he also praised the robot, saying, "When I saw the finished film, I thought it was the most professional of robot combat professionals."
Director Tsurumaki said, "Director Tomino has talked about his interactions with toy manufacturers when working on Gundam, but I've never had that experience before, so it's something I've always admired. I also want to make anime for toys. I thought that would be interesting. I also spoke to Yamashita Ikuto (mechanical designer) about wanting a design that would look good on Gunpla and toys."
The advance theatrical release has been a huge hit, attracting over one million viewers in the 14 days since its release, and Director Tsurumaki said, "It's just the advance screening version, and I didn't think it would be such a hit, so I'm very happy. There's been a lot of fan art, and I'm looking at it, which is really nice too." He added, "There are scenes and connections that can only be seen in the movie, so I hope you will burn it into your memory."
The story is about the protagonist, Amate Yuzuriha (Machu), a high school girl who lives a peaceful life in a space colony floating in space, who meets a war refugee girl named Nyaan and becomes involved in an illegal mobile suit dueling competition called Clan Battles.
