The Second Chance for Gundam Reconguista in G

Gundam Reconguista in G (G-Reco for short) was a uniquely interesting and experimental recent Gundam series, in both good and bad ways.

The 2014 series, made to commemorate the franchise’s 35th anniversary, caught immediate interest among Gundam and mech fans of all stripes when it was announced, after word that it would be directed by Gundam series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino.

Its other details sounded intriguing too, including how the series took place very late in the Universal Century timeline (the year 1014 of the Regild Century, specifically). Ken’ichi Yoshida (of Eureka Seven) and Akira “Akiman” Yasuda were on board for the character and mech designs, respectively. (Kinu Nishimura and Bengus/Gouda Cheese also provided promotional art, which made for a trifecta of classic Capcom artists.) It’s a pity the series didn’t live up to its potential, thanks to messy storytelling and direction. The ratings suffered as a result of the reception; though recent Gundam TV shows usually receive two seasons that total around 50 or so episodes, this one abruptly ended in one at episode 26.

This is a Tomino anime that came after Turn A Gundam and Overman King Gainer, so it was bound to include bizarre aspects that helped make it entertainingly messy. What kind of team was so obsessed with meticulous attention to detail and practicality that they’d made sure the seats of the mobile suits could function as toilets for long missions? One helmed by Tomino, of course. The stranger parts helped the series attract appreciation from a certain subset of fans who love seeing these types of details that are unusual for an anime series.

The untapped potential is why it’s good that the series is getting another shot at life through a movie adaptation. Several Gundam projects were prepared for this year as part of the 40th anniversary celebration, including this one. Few details were provided about the film when it was announced with those projects in November, so there was no answer as to how they’d condense the series’ plotlines into, say, a two-hour runtime, let alone how they’d do so without making the ending feel as rushed as the TV series’.

We now have an answer: They actually plan on making five movies.

Gundam Reconguista in G I: Go! Core Fighter will be the first among the compilation films, set for a full release in Japan this fall. The film was previously screened at Japan Expo in Paris, France earlier this month. The next preview screening will occur at the “World of Yoshiyuki Tomino” exhibit at the Fukuoka Art Museum on August 24th, followed by a series of previews at the Pia Film Festival at the National Film Archive of Tokyo from September 7th to the 21st. They plan on heavily promoting the film, despite its reputation.

The question of how heavy Tomino’s involvement will be is still open — he’s 77 years old and will turn 78 in November. But chances are he’ll want to be creatively involved with all five G-Reco films. It sounds like he’s still trying to compete with Hayao Miyazaki, who’s currently directing a new movie (How Do You Live?) at Studio Ghibli despite “retiring” twice. The two of them will never give it up, but that’s good for most of us.

The bigger question pertains to what could happen if this movie series also gets cut short, like the TV series. The movies seem to be Tomino and Sunrise’s gambit to garner a noteworthy audience for the series after the TV run came up short critically and commercially, similar to what happened with the original Mobile Suit Gundam (whose TV series was also cut short, though not by as much) in the late 70s and early 80s. The creative team will ideally take this opportunity to fix the storytelling snafus so it lives up to the potential of its concept. If it doesn’t, or if there are too many lingering feelings of disappointment and disinterest from the TV series from potential fans, this could be cut short too. Sunrise might — might — let it go on and eat the cost, considering this will likely be Tomino’s last work.

The planned fall release means it could release awfully close to the first installment of the Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash film trilogy. This series is being adapted from novels written by Tomino himself, released between the late 80s and early 90s. It takes place much earlier in the timeline, closer to other recent and classic Gundam work in UC 105. The series, as the name implies, will star Hathaway Noa, Bright Noa’s annoying dipshit son introduced in Char’s Counterattack who could use a few good slaps.

Tomino provided a message with the announcement of this adaptation, where he explained how its themes will still be relevant for today’s hellhole of a world. “The production staff are getting younger, and the viewers who take in their work are even younger than that. I believe that this young generation will one day pave the way for a reformation of humanity – for Newtypes,” he also said. Never change, my man. The first movie has a vague release timeframe of “next winter,” so the dates between both movies could be six months apart. But that will still be close for two big Gundam films.

There’s almost too much Gundam goodness coming, and hopefully it’s all quality work. Gundam releases don’t take long to make their way westward, at least digitally, so there won’t be much waiting for us. Hathaway’s Flash is already confirmed for an English release, but the G-Reco movies should come too, given how the first one was already aired with French subtitles.