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"'Gundam Wing' rocked. It was intelligent and in-depth," says Bandai Entertainment marketing head Jerry Chu in summarizing its appeal. "The animation is top-notch - even for today - and the characters are appealing."
Chu gives the Cartoon Network credit for building "Gundam Wing" into a full-scale phenomenon. "They established the entire Toonami programming block, and that put us on the map." He adds that the pretty-boy aspect of the G-boys and the complex plod threads made the show a hit with females as well as males, offering a cross-gender appeal that doubled the fan base. On the Horizon What's next in the world of "Gundam?" It's back to the beginning, according to Chu - the One Year War and the shows that showcase it: "Mobile Suit Gundam," "08th MS Team," "Gundam 0080: War in the Pocket," and "Gundam 0083: Stardust Memory." "'Gundam Wing' kicked off the franchise in a big way," says Chu. "Now with the One Year War, we really want to introduce audiences to the next step. Our position is [the alternate world] 'Gundam Wing' was cool, 'real' Gundam is even cooler." The One Year War begins on July 23, with "Mobile Suit Gundam" kicking off the heavy metal fest at 5:00 PM as part of the Toonami lineup, and "08th MS Team" joining the party seven hours later as part of the Toonami Midnight Run. Look for VHS and DVD editions of the two series hitting shelves by early August.
Over the next year Bandai Entertainment plans to release the rest of the One Year War with "0080" and "0083," though no concrete dates have been nailed down yet. With "0083" bridging the gap between the One Year War and the "Z Gundam" era, it isn't difficult to image what's coming down the pike after the current saga runs its course. Meanwhile in Japan, the saga continues. A new magazine called Gundam Ace recently launched, featuring a new manga
"Kidou Senshi Gundam the Origin," penned by "Gundam" veteran Yoshikazu Yasuhiko. Will the new series culminate in a new
anime series, or will the "Gundam" adventure arc off into new arenas? Stay tuned! Note: The author would like to thank Jerry Chu of Bandai Entertainment, as well as Mark Simmons (and his Gundam Project website www.gundamproject.com), both of whom proved to be invaluable resources in confirming dates and details. Thanks to these sites for helping us spread the word to the Gundam community:
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Mobile Suit Gundam - 0083 Stardust Memory © Sotsu Agency / Sunrise.
Mobile Suit Gundam - 0080 War in Pocket © Sotsu Agency / Sunrise.
Mobile Suit Gundam - Gundam Wing © Sotsu Agency / Sunrise.
Mobile Suit Gundam - Zeta Gundam © Sotsu Agency / Sunrise.
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