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A working 18-meter tall Mobile Suit Gundam may not be too far off. Work on the Gundam Global Challenge, which is burdened with making this dream a reality, has begun. The project is being held to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Mobile Suit Gundam series. With the theme “Challenge the dream: a Gundam moves, the world moves,” the goal of this surprising project is to build a moving 18-meter life-size Gundam. The Gundam Global Challenge corporate body was set up to propel the project forward. Also, ideas from all over the world will be taken so that there is a concentration of global knowledge to work from.
A Gundam Global Challenge press conference was held on July 9 at Bellesalle Kanda in Tokyo. On stage were Sotsu CEO Takehiko Aoki, Bandai CEO Kazunori Ueno, Sunrise CEO Yasuo Miyagawa, and anime director Yoshiyuki Tomino. Also, artist Sugizo performed as a special guest, which gave a peek into the amount of effort being put into this project.
Regarding the project, Sotsu’s Aoki stated, “We want to create a future for Gundam by propelling this project forward,” and Bandai’s Ueno said ambitiously, “We are aiming for a new form of realism similar to that of an actual Gundam.” A concept video regarding the Gundam Global Challenge was then introduced.
The details of the project were outlined by Miyagawa who revealed that ideas will be accepted from all over the world and that the project is divided into two categories: the Real Entertainment category, which will consist of a moving Gundam, and the Virtual Entertainment category, which will consist of videos, AR, projection mapping, and other possibilities still being searched for. In addition, a road map has been created that outlines how they will reach their goal.
Also discussed is the fact that the entire process will be entertaining, from the selection of ideas submitted to the actual implementation of the Gundam. This way of thinking similar to that of an anime company that entertainment drives technology was impressive.
Director Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator of Gundam, also shared his anticipation for the project, saying, “A 1/1 Gundam that moves is new entertainment,” and, “I’m looking forward to everyone being able to construct this new entertainment.” Sugizo also commented, saying, “I’ve been a Gundam fan for many years, so it’s an honor to embark on this new journey together with Mr. Tomino.”
A panel discussion led by brain scientist Ken Mogi was then held with Yasuo Miyagawa, Sugizo, Shuji Hashimoto, and Harutoshi Fukui on the theme of “Dreams create reality, reality creates more dream.” While looking back on famous scenes from the series, they discussed developing techniques to create a moving Gundam and more.
Gundam Global Challenge
Founders: Sotsu, Sunrise
Chairman: Yasuo Miyagawa (CEO of Sunrise)
Source: animeanime
