A stage greeting to commemorate the release of the Dolby Cinema version of the second chapter of the popular Gundam anime series, Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash(directed by Murase Shukou), titled Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash: The Witch of Circe, was held at Marunouchi Piccadilly (Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo) on March 12th. Director Murase Shukou and Bandai Namco Filmworks executive producer Naohiro Ogata appeared and spoke about the behind-the-scenes production of the second chapter.
"Hathaway's Flash" is based on a novel published in 1989-90 by director Yoshiyuki Tomino, known as the creator of the "Gundam" series.
Ogata revealed that when he spoke to Director Tomino about adapting "Hathaway's Flash" into an anime, "Tominoo mentioned two films," to which Director Murase explained, "He told me to watch these films from Korea and Hong Kong. He wasn't trying to copy any films, but his words, 'portray youth,' stuck in my mind. The whole thing may not be youth-themed, but I tried to structure Chapter 2 in a way that leaves a youthful impression. It's the motif of Kelia and Hathaway's meeting in the rain, and rain and water are motifs throughout the film. I was influenced by Tomino's words."
The scenes focusing on Kelia in Chapter 2 are also memorable. Director Murase said, "In the novel, Kelia's past is explained, but she soon disappears. I was worried about how to adapt it into a film until the very end, but I finally decided to create a flashback scene and wrap it up with (the insert song) 'ENDROLL.' 'ENDROLL' tells the story of how she met Hathaway and how things went wrong. It's a little thicker than the novel."
It has been announced that the anime will be made up of three chapters, with the first chapter released in June 2021. The second chapter, the first new work in about five years, was released on January 30th. The release date for the third chapter has not been announced, but Director Murase said, "We will soon begin production on the third chapter," and Ogata said, "Please look forward to the third chapter."
Also appearing on stage to greet the audience were Hiroyuki Sawano, who was in charge of the music, SennaRin, who sang the insert songs "ENDROLL" and "CIRCE," and Keisuke Kasai, producer of Bandai Namco Filmworks.
