G.U.N.D.A.M.
The original Mobile Suit Gundam was an animated science-fiction series which debuted on Japanese television in 1979. In this groundbreaking series, the traditional giant robots of Japanese anime were for the first time portrayed as realistic war machines instead of invincible superheroes. The people who used these machines to fight in a futuristic space war were complex characters whose motivations and beliefs didn't break down into simple good and evil, and the story encompassed human drama and social commentary as well as thrilling robot battles. Mobile Suit Gundam's popularity led to a series of sequels and followups - first a three-part movie compilation, then a succession of new television serials, original videos, and theatrical films. After more than two decades, this Gundam saga has expanded to include nine television series, four video series, ten movies, and countless novels, comics, and original video game adventures. This saga encompasses six different worlds, each with its own unique history and society, and showcases the work of the most celebrated talents of the anime industry. Although this saga's stories encompass centuries of future history and span several alternate worlds, they all share a single unifying element - the legendary line of fighting machines which bear the name of Gundam. From the prototype RX-78 Gundam featured in the original series, to the unique and colorful machines which star in later stories like G Gundam and Gundam Wing, all these stories recount the adventures of heroic Gundams and their brave pilots. The Gundam saga made its North American debut in 1998, and in the following years Bandai Entertainment has continued to release new chapters of this epic saga. Meanwhile, Bandai America has produced a wide range of merchandise for Gundam fans young and old, including fully poseable action figures and a selection of the astonishing model kits for which Gundam is justly famous. As you explore this Web site, we hope you'll enjoy learning about this fascinating and ever-evolving saga. The name Gundam also applies to the mobile suit RX-78 Gundam, the humanoid fighting vehicle which starred in the original TV series. This heroic giant robot, with its distinctive blue-and-white color scheme and V-shaped antennas, has been reincarnated in almost every one of the Gundam saga's sequels and spinoffs. Often, the title of a Gundam story and the name of the featured Gundam mobile suit are similar or identical, which makes it a little easier to recall which mobile suit stars in which story. The first few Gundam sequels were all written and directed by Tomino, but in the saga's second decade, Sunrise began inviting other creators to contribute their artistic visions to the Gundam saga. Among the Japanese animation legends who've contributed to the Gundam ethos are top directors like Yasuhiro Imagawa (Giant Robo), Masashi Ikeda (Ronin Warriors), and Takeyuki Kanda (Round Vernian Vifam); writers Ryosuke Takahashi (Armored Trooper Votoms) and Hiroyuki Yamaga (Wings of Honneamise); and character designers such as Haruhiko Mikimoto (Macross), Toshihiro Kawamoto (Cowboy Bebop), Shuko Murase (Gasaraki), and Capcom's Akira Yasuda. The roster of Gundam mechanical designers reads like a virtual who's who of the industry. Past and present mobile suit creators include Shoji Kawamori (Macross, Vision of Escaflowne), Hajime Katoki (Virtual On), Kimitoshi Yamane (Vision of Escaflowne, Cowboy Bebop), Yutaka Izubuchi (Mobile Police Patlabor), Makoto Kobayashi (Giant Robo), Mika Akitaka (Martian Successor Nadesico), Mamoru Nagano (Five Star Stories), and even Syd Mead (Blade Runner, Aliens). Is there more than one Gundam world? At present, six Gundam worlds have been featured in the animated stories, which we can classify according to the calendar systems they use. In addition to the original Universal Century, we have G Gundam's Future Century and the After Colony setting used in Gundam Wing and Endless Waltz. Gundam X uses the After War calendar, while Gundam Seed, the latest Gundam show, introduces a new world based on the Cosmic Era calendars. The sixth of these worlds is the distant future of Turn A Gundam, a recent sequel which complicates the picture by suggesting that all these Gundam worlds are just different eras in a future history which spans thousands of years. But for all practical purposes, we can regard these worlds as parallel universes, whose inhabitants know nothing of the events of the other stories - which means the viewer doesn't have to know anything about them either. This term, a loose translation of the Japanese word "gaiden," refers to apocrypha, tie-ins, spin-offs, and unofficial stories - basically, anything that hasn't been animated. Some may have received more official recognition, but none are canonical in the sense that the animated features are. Such tales span a variety of formats, including video games, comics, novels, illustrated "photo-novels," and even theme-park rides!
The original Gundam series was produced in 1979 by Japan's Sunrise, Inc. animation studio, then known as Nippon Sunrise. In 1994 Sunrise officially became part of Bandai Co., whose Bandai Entertainment division is now releasing Gundam in North America. The original creators of Gundam were director Yoshiyuki Tomino and the mysterious "Hajime Yatate" (a pen name reflecting the collective contributions of the Sunrise staff). Character designer Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and mechanical designer Kunio Okawara also played a large role in the original series's success, and their participation in subsequent sequels is always cause for celebration among longtime fans.
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