On Friday, April 20, the New Gundam Series Announcement Event was held at THE GUNDAM BASE TOKYO.

Notonly wasthe press embargo was lifted for Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative, the latest chapter in the Gundam Universal Century (UC) timeline, but the critically-acclaimed “Tokyo Gundam Project: The Life-Sized Unicorn Gundam Statue Projection Mapping” event was also unveiled, which will run until Sunday, May 6.

Without further delay, let’s get right into the details!

“Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative” will be the newest series in the Universal Century (UC) saga, welcoming in the 40^thanniversary of the original “Mobile Suit Gundam”. Harutoshi Fukui, the writer responsible for the “Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn” story, is working on the script, and Sunrise Studio 1 is in charge of production. The series will be set after the events of “Gundam Unicorn”, and is slated to launch in November of 2018.

This series will be the first entry in the “UC NexT 0100 Project”, a production which will use anime, games, comics, novels, and various multimedia platforms to illustrate the next 100 years in the UC timeline.

At the Announcement Event, in addition to Sunrise president Yasuo Miyagawa, producer Naohiro Ogata, and author Harutoshi Fukui, Daisuke Namikawa- the voice of Gundam Unicorn’s Riddhe Marcenas and countless other Gundam characters, and Masaru Hamaguchi- one half of “Gundam-Loving Entertainers” comedy duo Yoiko, took the stage. Not only were the Gundam Narrative title, mechs, and characters announced, but the new model kits (Gunpla) were introduced. For more in-depth information, as well as a promo video, please read this article.

First to take the stage was President Miyagawa, who stated, “With this series, we aim to expand the UC.”, along with shining light on plans for the development of games to be closely interlaced with the series’ development. As the first peek into the game’s details, it was revealed that Sunrise, who will be working on the official side story, characters, and mobile suits, will be teaming up with Bandai Namco Entertainment. Development is also starting on a new mobile game, “GUNDAM New Tactical Game Project”, which will cover not only Gundam Narrative, but all of the movies up until now. Wehere aredefinitely looking forward to more news about this game!

Up next, producer Ogata explained that the series will be “centered around the story of Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex”. Then he enthusiastically encouraged Mr. Fukui by saying “The word ‘narrative’ implies‘storytelling’and‘editing/revising (a story)’, so let’s addsome punctuation marks into the Newtype story!”

Mr. Fukui, regarding the titular Narrative Gundam model type, said, “The concept was for a very slender Gundam”, with a simple silhouette, and fitted only with equipment necessary for the current mission. In the now-public promotional video, Equipment A for “Operation Phoenix Hunt” has been confirmed, so be sure to check it out!

After that, voice actor Daisuke Namikawa and Yoiko member Masaru Hamaguchi entered the stage. Not only did they express their expectations and opinions on the newly-announced Gundam Narrative, but they had a passionate conversation about their favorite episodes and models (Gunpla). When a Gundam Narrative Gunpla was brought on stage, complete with the characteristics and equipment of the new model type, Hamaguchi gazed in amazement at the model’s divine golden Phenex color.

At this point, a Phenex model (Gunpla) special-made for Hamaguchi was shown off, complete with a fish harpooned on its spear, and Hamaguchi dropped his famous phrase: “I caught it!”

We have recorded the broadcast of this event. For those who missed the live broadcast, you should definitely check out our recording, which can be found here.

Additionally, at the event, “Tokyo Gundam Project: The Life-Sized Unicorn Gundam Statue Projection Mapping”, which will be held at DiverCity Tokyo Plaza, was also revealed.

The projection mapping will be displayed for a limited time from Saturday, April 21 to Sunday, May 6. It will use a mix of images, lighting, and music to immerse viewers in the world of “Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn”, into the era of the Universal Century, where mankind has advanced beyond our galaxy, and have begun living in space. Along with the projection mapping, viewers can see the Gundam change from Unicorn Mode to Destroy Mode, a powerful presentation viewable only during this limited period. You should definitely try to make it down to Odaiba for this rare opportunity!

For details on the projection mapping, please read this article.

When:

Friday, April 20, 2018 @ 6:00 PM

Where:

THE GUNDAM BASE TOKYO