MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN I Press Notes

The Gundam prequel MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN will in Japan on February 28, 2015. Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd. Official Site: gundam-the-origin.net (Japan) Announced as a "Mobile Suit Gundam 35th Anniversary Project", the four part OVA MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN (???????? THE ORIGIN, Kidoo Senshi Gandamu THE ORIGIN) will premiere as a series of screening events in Japanese cinemas. The first chapter -- MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN I: BLUE-EYED CASVAL (???????? THE ORIGIN I ?????????, Kidoo Senshi Gandamu THE ORIGIN Aoi Hitomi no Kyasubaru) -- will have a limited theatrical run from February 28th - March 13th, 2015.

Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

The Beginning of a Red Vengeance: The Past Unveiled

Mr. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko served as character designer and animation director for MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM (????????, Kidoo Senshi Gandamu, 1979-1980), Japan’s landmark robot anime, whose TV broadcast began in 1979. He is also the creator of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin (2001-2011), a mega-hit manga boasting a total of 10 million copies printed. This manga is finally becoming an anime! What was the tragedy that decided the fates of Char Aznable, the man later nicknamed the “Red Comet” as an ace pilot of the Zeon forces, and his sister Sayla Mass? The two siblings’ journeys, brought on by the sudden death of their father Zeon Zum Deikun who was a leader of the Spacenoids, are depicted in the four episodes of "CHRONICLE OF CHAR AND SAYLA”. This story will be presented in the form of event screenings. The Zabi family who seize control of Side 3 and lead the Principality of Zeon, the early days of many renowned Zeon ace pilots who later fight in the One Year War, the secrets of mobile suit development, conflicts with the Earth Federation Forces, and the road leading to the outbreak of war -- all will be revealed.

Episode 1: BLUE-EYED CASVAL

Universal Century 0068, Side 3 – The Autonomous Republic of Munzo. Zeon Zum Deikun, preaching the reformation of humanity through advancement into outer space, has been attempting to declare Munzo`s complete independence from the Earth Federation government. Suddenly, he collapses and dies in the middle of a speech to the Diet. Upon Deikun’s death, his aide Jimba Ral begins spreading conspiracy theories about the Zabi family. But despite his efforts, the Zabi family, led by Degwin Sodo Zabi, intensifies its secret maneuvering to seize control of Side 3. As we witness for the first time the untold chaotic history of the Universal Century, Casval and Artesia, Deikun`s orphaned children, must face destinies just as tumultuous as the era itself.

Image courtesy of Madman Entertainment. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

Comments from Mr. Yoshikazu Yasuhiko

Through the production of MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN” I became involved with anime again for the first time in 25 years -- a quarter-century. Chronicle of Char and Sayla, which is now being animated, is a “prequel” to the foundational MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM (First Gundam) and is also a completely original part of MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN. As such, it is the part to which I feel most strongly attached. I thus thought that if it were going to be animated as an OVA, I might be able to get involved, and decided to take on tasks such as main character design and storyboarding. During my long absence from the anime world, animation production had become very different. It is now completely digital, and full of surprises and curious things for me. On the other hand, some aspects of it remain mostly unchanged. I believe I am still very capable of contributing in those areas. I was really quite nervous when I started drawing Chronicle of Char and Sayla as I was to depict parts of the story which had previously remained untold. However, I received a lot of positive comments, and I now think it was a good idea. During the anime production, capable staff members are examining the work and enriching the story settings with their many ideas. Nonetheless, my original manga remains the basis of the work. Now I feel even more confident about this “prequel” to GUNDAM that I created. The infusion of new talent and technology, as well as the effort and work of many people, is now transforming Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin into an excellent animation. As they enjoy this process, I sincerely hope that everyone will feel the “depth” of MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM once again.

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THE ORIGIN I: BLUE-EYED CASVAL

Release Date: February 28, 2015 Screening Theaters Tokyo: Shinjuku Piccadilly, Cinema Sunshine Ikebukuro, TOHO CINEMAS Nihonbashi Kanagawa: Yokohama Petersburg 13 Chiba: MOVIX Kashiwanoha Saitama: MOVIX Saitama Kawaguchi Tochigi: MOVIX Utsunomiya Osaka: Namba Parks Cinema, Osaka Station City Cinema Kyoto: MOVIX Kyoto Fukuoka: Fukuoka Nakasu Ocean Cineplex Ogura Aichi: Midland Square Cinema Hokkaido: Sapporo Cinema Frontier Voice Cast Casval Rem Deikun: Mayumi Tanaka Artesia Som Deikun: Megumi Ban Degwin Sodo Zabi: Jin Urayama Gihren Zabi: Banjo Ginga Sasuro Zabi: Shinshu Fuji Dozle Zabi: Kenta Miyake Kycilia Zabi: Akeno Watanabe Zeon Zum Deikun: Eizo Tsuda Astraia Tor Deikun: Ayumi Tsunematsu Ramba Ral: Shigeo Kiyama Crowley Hamon: Miyuki Sawashiro Jimba Ral: Chafurin Char Aznable: Shuichi Ikeda Narrator: Akio Otsuka Staff Director: Takashi Imanishi General Director: Yoishikazu Yasuhiko Main Story: Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino (from MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM) Original Story: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko (KADOKAWA) Character Design: Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, Tsukasa Kotobuki Original Mechanical Design: Kunio Okawara Mechanical Design: Hajime Katoki, Kimitoshi Yamane, Mika Akitaka, Junichi Akutsu Screenplay: Katsuyuki Sumisawa Unit Director: Hiroyuki Nishimura Chief Mechanical Animation Director: Takuya Suzuki Art Directors: Shigemi Ikeda, Yukiko Maruyama Military Uniform and Equipment Design: Takuhito Kusanagi Display Design: Yoshinori Sayama Science Fiction Setting Consultant: Tsukasa Shikano Color Designer: Nagisa Abe Director of Photography: Takeshi Katsurayama Editor: Masato Yoshitake Sound Director: Sadayoshi Fujino Sound Effects: Mutsuhiro Nishimura Music: Takayuki Hattori Planning and Production: Sunrise Theatrical Distributor: Shochiku © SOTSU ? Sunrise

For more information on MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM please see the earlier coverage here on SciFi Japan: