Lynn and Kana Ichinose from Mobile Suit Gundam THE WITCH FROM MERCURY Made Their Appearance! LINK THE UNIVERSE Stage Report

LINK THE UNIVERSE, one of the Gundam events part of the GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE, held an event for the press at GUNDAM FACTORY YOKOHAMA facility in Yamashita Pier, Kanagawa on Thursday, July 14th.

This article will report on that event.

At the beginning of the show, Koji Fujiwara, the Bandai Namco Group Chief Gundam Officer, made his appearance.
Mobile Suit Gundam THE WITCH FROM MERCURY is the first TV series in seven years after Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, and he explained that it’s set in a new era called A.S. (Ad Stella) and has the series’ first female protagonist, so there are a lot of expectations on this series that is scheduled to air in October.

In commemoration of the release of THE WITCH FROM MERCURY, GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE will be holding not just LINK THE UNIVERSE but also the GUNPLA-based GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE - THE GUNDAM BASE POP-UP TOUR - and the BASE SERIES that will tour five cities around Japan, starting on Saturday, July 16th, in Yokohama, Kanagawa.

About the reopening of GUNDAM FACTORY YOKOHAMA, Mr. Fujiwara said with a smile, “After a long period of maintenance, we will reopen soon with the addition of many new elements. We’ve done our best to prepare to welcome you all, so we hope that as many Gundam fans as possible will visit.”
The Gundam series turns 43 this year. With that detail, he continued by saying, “We’ll continue to create new parts of the Gundam world for everyone. We’re also thinking of different projects that we can do on a global scale that will satisfy everyone’s expectations. Please continue to keep your eyes on Gundam from now on.”

Next, the main event began. It was the world’s first special show where four different life-size Gundam statues linked up in real time.
The Moving Gundam in Yokohama, the Life-Size Unicorn Gundam Statue in Odaiba, Shanghai’s Life-Size Freedom Gundam Statue, and Fukuoka’s Life-Size vGundam Statue all started a show together to background music from the Gundam series and colored lasers to create an experience on a grand scale.

After that, the PROLOGUE from Mobile Suit Gundam THE WITCH FROM MERCURY was screened for the first time. After the PROLOGUE’s last scene, a trailer for THE WITCH FROM MERCURY using scenes from the anime screened that made all the viewers even more impatient for the series to air.

PROLOGUE can be seen at all of the GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE venues, and participants at certain events were given tickets where they can watch online screenings of the movie for a limited time.
For more information, please check the GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE official site.

Next, two of the main cast members of THE WITCH FROM MERCURY were announced: Kana Ichinose as the voice of the main character, Suletta Mercury, and Lynn as Miorine Rembran.
When asked about their opinions on LINK THE UNIVERSE, Ms. Ichinose said, “It’s an honor to see such a huge project in person. The lights were so pretty!” while Ms. Lynn stated, “It was so stirring to see the video that featured all of the main characters of the Gundam series, and the sight of the four statues lighting up in unison gave me goosebumps. I’m so moved! It was all so pretty and a wonderful sight.” They seemed delighted by the event as it linked the four venues.

Then it was time to talk about PROLOGUE. Ericht Samaya, a character that appears in PROLOGUE, was voiced by Ms. Ichinose as well. “I’m so relieved that everyone gets to see this. PROLOGUE’s story is so grand that it gave me goosebumps multiple times. I’ve seen it about four or five times now, but I always cry at the end. I think that final scene, with its stirring sense of ambiance, is fantastic,” she stated.
Ms. Lynn also gave her opinion. “I can’t watch it without crying. It’s a short film, but the feelings of the various characters intersect. There are very difficult feelings as well as warm ones, and it makes you wonder what the world of THE WITCH FROM MERCURY is really like. I think it really gets you excited to see the series.”

Then they were asked about how they felt when they were told they had been granted their roles. “I submitted a tape audition for the first round, and I was surprised to hear that the Gundam series was having a female main character. It felt like a dream when I was told that I got the job,” Ms. Ichinose reminisced.
Ms. Lynn said with great joy, “I loved the Gundam series when I was a child. Even after becoming a voice actress, I always had the dream of working on a Gundam series. I auditioned with more passion than usual with the hope of making that dream come true. The day I got the news that I was hired was my birthday, so it was the best birthday present I could have gotten.”

After that, the conversation turned to their characters.
About Suletta, Ms. Ichinose stated, “She’s introverted and kind of bad at communicating, but she does her best. I think that part of her is really lovely. I’m also shy, so I acted as her while thinking that I understood how she felt.”
Ms. Lynn remarked, “Miorine is very rebellious toward her father and she’s strong-willed. She wants to create her own path in life, so it was relatively easy for me to sympathize and express her feelings through my voice.”

Then it was time for THE WITCH FROM MERCURY GUNPLA corner. The HG Gundam Aerial, the Figure-Rise Standard Suletta Mercury, the HG Gundam Lfrith and the HG Beguir-Beu made their appearance. “How cool! The Aerial’s waistline and round shoulders give it a feminine appearance,” commented Ms. Ichinose. “This is so exciting! I like looking at them even from behind. They’re such cool sights from all angles,” said Ms. Lynn.

After that, Ms. Ichinose used the Gundam Hand to remotely operate the Moving Gundam. She chose a pose from Suletta’s character details where she’s doing a thumbs up to mimic.
“This is amazing! I can’t believe that I’m experiencing something so rare. It makes me feel like I’m in the Gundam itself! (LOL)” she exclaimed with a big smile.

Finally, Ms. Lynn said, “Thank you for today. THE WITCH FROM MERCURY starts in October, and as a Gundam fan first and foremost, I’m extremely excited about it. I’m really putting myself in the character’s shoes and doing my best to bring everyone a wonderful series, so please enjoy it.”
Ms. Ichinose continued, “Gundam is one of the series that has helped create Japan’s anime industry and culture. I’m so honored to become part of it. I’ve received the baton from previous Gundam voice actors now as the main character of THE WITCH FROM MERCURY, so I will do my best to bring her to life. I hope that this series will be great enough to continue this franchise so that I can pass the baton to someone else in the future. The show won’t air for a little while yet, but please look forward to it and make sure to check it out in October.” And with that, the event that aired around the world ended.