A stage greeting to commemorate the release of the second chapter of the popular anime "Gundam" series, "Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway's Flash" (directed by Murase Shukou), "Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway's Flash: The Witch of Circe", was held on January 31st at Grand Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro (Toshima Ward, Tokyo). Director Murase Shukou said about the imagery in the second chapter, "It's more effective to create wide shots that don't get too close to the subject. I think there are more shots that are taken from a distance than in the first chapter."
Producer Keisuke Kasai of Bandai Namco Filmworks, which produced the anime, expressed confidence, saying, "The camerawork in the final battle scene was amazing. I think the director consciously changed the way he used the camera for the action scenes. I think it turned out to be a dynamic film."
They also paid special attention to the sound, and the Dolby Atmos version offers a more immersive sound experience. Director Murase said, "Following on from Chapter 1, sound director Koji Kasamatsu paid particular attention to the sound effects, and made sure they sounded their best in the Dolby Atmos environment. As someone who creates the images, this is a big help."
Also appearing on stage to greet the audience were Kensho Ono, who plays Hathaway Noah, Reina Ueda, who plays Gigi Andalusia, Junichi Suwabe, who plays Kenneth Sleg, and Soma Saito, who plays Lane Aim.
"Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway" is based on a novel published in 1989-90 by director Yoshiyuki Tomino, known as the creator of the "Gundam" series. Set in the year 0105 of the Universal Century, Hathaway, the son of Bright Noa, who experienced a bitter separation during the Second Neo Zeon War, pilots a new mobile suit, the Xi Gundam, and rises up in rebellion against the Earth Federation government. The anime has been announced to be made up of three chapters, with the first chapter, released in June 2021, being a hit, grossing approximately 2.23 billion yen at the box office.
