A collaborative illustration has been released between "Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash - The Witch of Circe," the second chapter of the theatrical anime "Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash " (directed by Shuko Murase), which is part of the popular anime "Gundam" series, and "Galaxy Express Milky☆Subway: Local Train to the Theater" (directed by Yohei Kameyama), the theatrical version of the short anime "Galaxy Express Milky☆Subway." The illustration shows the XI Gundam and Machina Robo standing side by side, two characters who were never meant to meet.
Director Murase commented, "I'm impressed by the character designs and plot that make the most of the 3D texture. I also like the languid sci-fi feel. I got chills when OTAM-chan appeared. The ending was unexpected. It's completely unrelated, but it reminded me of a movie I saw a long time ago called 'The Breakfast Club'."
Director Kameyama commented, "The serious adult dialogue, the serious sci-fi depictions, and the truly impressive giant robots—every aspect of it is first-class, and watching it left me with nothing but regrets. The direction, which was clearly created with the intention of being seen on the big screen, was truly wonderful, and I felt like I was watching a real movie. If someone can create a work like this, that person is a god!"
"Hathaway's Flash" is based on a novel published between 1989 and 1990 by director Yoshiyuki Tomino, known as the "creator" of the "Gundam" series. The anime has been announced to be in three parts. The second part has been a hit, with box office revenue exceeding 2.5 billion yen and audience attendance surpassing 1.48 million in just 48 days since its release on January 30th.
"Galaxy Express Milky☆Subway" is a sequel to "Milky☆Highway," a short 3D animated film released on YouTube in 2022 by Kameyama, who was a student at a film school at the time, as his graduation project. In just 24 days since its release on February 6th, it has grossed 450 million yen and attracted over 330,000 viewers.
