Interview] New Technology Brings "Gundam" Back to Life! Producer Naohiro Ogata talks about the behind-the-scenes of the "Gundam New Visual Experience TOUR!

The Gundam series is currently celebrating the 40th anniversary of the broadcast of "Mobile Suit Gundam," a major milestone, and is currently developing various projects in many different fields.

One of these projects, the "Gundam New Visual Experience Tour," has been receiving a great response, using the latest screening technologies such as 4DX, ULTIRA, and Dolby Cinema™ to screen mainly past theatrical films. This project has been received with fresh impressions and surprises, both by those who are new to Gundam and those who have already enjoyed Gundam to the fullest.

Following the highly successful 4DX screenings of "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack" and "Mobile Suit Gundam NT (Narrative)," the ULTIRA screening is currently underway. Following the 4DX screenings of "Mobile Suit Gundam: Counterattack of Char" and "Mobile Suit Gundam NT (Narrative)," ULTIRA screenings are currently underway. Five films are being sequentially released: the "Mobile Suit Gundam" trilogy, "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Special Edition: Battlefield in the Sky HD Remaster" and "Mobile Suit Gundam 00 -A wakening of the Trailblazer-".

In this issue, we will talk about the planning intention of the "Gundam New Visual Experience Tour," as well as the impression of Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino on the 4DX. We also asked Sunrise producer Naohiro Ogata about the future development of Gundam.

⇒ Director Tomino is a cute guy! Yutaka Izubuchi and Ryota Fujitsu talk about the appeal of "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack" and report on the 4DX version of "Gyakusha Char!

The much-talked-about 4DX screening - what did Director Tomino think?

─ ─ "Gundam" is currently in the midst of its 40th anniversary, and it is not so often that so many different works and projects are running concurrently.

Ogata: That's right. On the other hand, some people say that there are not so many projects going on at the same time. However, there are quite a few projects in the works, including those that are in the pipeline. So, there are many projects in the works that are not visible to the naked eye.

───How was the response to one such 40th anniversary project, the "Gundam New Visual Experience Tour"?

Ogata: First of all, the response to "Char of the Counterattack" has been very positive, as the generation that saw the film has grown up to a certain degree and is now coming back to the theaters. Thanks to your support, we have extended the screening period. I think the images of "Char of the Counterattack" are a good match for 4DX.

───How did the "Gundam New Visual Experience TOUR" come about in the first place?

Ogata: First of all, since it was the 40th anniversary of Gundam, we started with the question of how to bring young children and the younger generation into contact with "Gundam" through the theater. In recent years, we have been using the event screening format, narrowing down the number of theaters to a certain extent and simultaneously releasing the Blu-ray to the extent that we could control, but since "NT" we have been trying to make "Gundam" available once more in theaters nationwide in the form of a nationwide road show. We have been implementing a variety of measures to make "Gundam" available in theaters nationwide once more in the form of nationwide road shows.

In this context, we faced the issue of the high hurdle of getting the younger generation to see "Mobile Suit Gundam (First Gundam)" again, but we thought that the recently emerged movie experience methods such as 4DX, ULTIRA, and Dolby Cinema™ could be a good opportunity for them to experience "Gundam". This project started with the idea that it could be a gateway to "Gundam".

Of course, for old fans, I am sure they have already seen "First Gundam" and "Char's Counterattack" to the point of wear and tear, but I think this kind of added value will give them a chance to watch them again.

I also watched "Char of the Counterattack" in 4DX for the first time in a long time. When I make other films, I sometimes play the images for reference, so I had already seen the film, but I was able to watch it again with a fresh feeling and a new perspective. So I feel that we were able to provide a new experience with added value to long-time fans.

──What were the criteria for selecting the titles screened in 4DX?

Ogata: "NT" was the latest film, so we had already prepared for 4DX. It had been screened once at Anime Expo (the largest anime convention in North America), so we had 4DX data. And "Char of the Counterattack" was suited for 4DX.

─ ─ What were the key points of the 4DX production?

Ogata: There are certain points that we want the production staff to follow, but we leave it up to them to decide how much to subtract from them. So it all depends on how well the 4DX people who are directing the production understand "Gundam". In that respect, I had no complaints at all about "Char of the Counterattack.

─ It is true that "Char of the Counterattack" had a lot of action and the speedy development matched the 4DX presentation.

Ogata: I think the other attraction of "Char of the Counterattack" is that you can experience the scene where the Axis falls and the scene where it is pushed back.

I thought they did a good job among all the 4DX movies that have been shown so far. I think they have found the right place, neither too much direction nor too little, and they have found just the right balance between the two. As expected, there were one or two points where they said, "We want to concentrate on this part, so please don't add too many effects," but for the most part, we were satisfied with the final product at the stage we received it.

Basically, Sunrise supervised the final production after we had received a certain amount of work. When Director Tomino saw the film, he did not ask us to fix anything.

─ Did Director Tomino also experience this?

Ogata: Yes. I was a little worried because the seats moved quite a bit, but he said it was fine.

However, Mr. Tomino was not that actively interested in 4DX in the first place, and his stance was that this was a new way to enjoy the movie. Rather, he said, "The experience was more amazing when I drowned in the sea in Odawara" (laughs).

─ ─ Wahaha. I think that is a very typical impression of Mr. Tomino. How about you, Mr. Ogata?

Ogata: It was interesting. The nuclear explosion scene, for example, kept me hot on the back of my neck. Especially the last scene where the cockpit of Sotheby's was embedded in the Axis and rattled around, I felt like Char. I thought it was a very good match.

I also felt that "NT" was very well suited for 4DX. It is a movie where the weather changes a lot, and it actually snows and rains depending on the scene. There are not many situations that change like that in a single movie, so I think it is very suitable for 4DX.

─ ─ During the battle in the colony in the middle of the movie, I had a hard time getting my glasses all wet (laughs).

Ogata That's right (laughs). (laughs) It was so difficult that I thought it would be hard to watch it in the wintertime.

The "Gundam New Visual Experience TOUR" continues!

─ ─ The ULTIRA screenings are currently underway, and Dolby Cinema™ screenings are scheduled to follow. This is a basic question, but what kind of screening format is ULTIRA?

Ogata: The screen is enlarged so that the audience can enjoy an extremely clear image, and at the same time, the sound is expanded in range to match the theater size with 2-channel sound. Also, the image quality projected on the screen has been improved. The new system creates a space where the image quality is beautiful and the sound is clearly audible, no matter where you are seated.

───What were the criteria for selecting the five titles to be screened at ULTIRA?

Ogata: The First Gundam is the original and the Bible, so on balance, when we start something new with "Gundam," we cannot miss that point. Also, "Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Special Edition: Battlefield in the Void HD Remaster" has not been released yet, so we wanted to take this opportunity to release it, and "Mobile Suit Gundam 00 -A wakening of the Trailblazer-" is a relatively recent work supported by young people. The movie version "Mobile Suit Gundam 00 -A wakening of the Trailblazer-" is a relatively recent work supported by young people, so we have tried to balance the two.

I think that the amount of information that is now available in the sound system, with today's technology, will make it easier for people to see the original images more clearly. I think it is a good place for those who "already know the first Gundam" to re-experience the parts that are still vague to them.

─ ─ Are there any plans to show the remaining "SEED" Special Edition HD Remastered version as well?

Ogata: Yes, we do. We would like to continue to make it available in theaters in some form or another.

─ ─ And in 2020, the theatrical version of the "Mobile Suit Gundam" trilogy is scheduled to be shown in "Dolby Cinema™".

Ogata: This will be a completely new technology. We will announce the timing of the screening as soon as possible.

─ Will the "Gundam New Visual Experience Tour" continue in the future?

Ogata: We are receiving very positive feedback from theaters. The number of dedicated screens is increasing, and there are requests to continue the tour, so I think we will continue the tour next year and beyond. The screening period will be announced on a case-by-case basis.

─ ─ Is there a possibility that films that have not been included in the lineup so far will be screened?　Personally, I would love to see "Mobile Suit Gundam 0083 STARDUST MEMORY" in 4DX!

Ogata: We are still in the process of selecting titles (laughs). When we did a survey on "GUNDAM.INFO" asking "What movie would you like to see in 4DX? INFO", surprisingly, "THE ORIGIN" was ranked first.

I think it was partly due to the fact that it was broadcast on NHK. Second place went to "New Mobile Suit Gundam W" and third to "Mobile Suit Gundam F91. As for the number of votes, we received a much larger number of votes than usual. I think that perhaps the 4DX versions of "Char of the Counterattack" and "NT" have raised the expectations of our customers.

─ ─ "Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway" is scheduled to be released in the near future, isn't it?

Ogata: "Hathaway" is a new film, so we would like to basically prepare a 4DX version. I think it is essential to develop 4DX and other projects almost simultaneously with the theatrical release. In recent years, the business scheme of video packages has been gradually collapsing, and users' awareness has been shifting to enjoying the experience in the closed space of the theater. I believe that these elements will always be a part of the theater experience.

─ ─ With Gundam, the audience is large and diverse, making it easy to experiment with new measures, isn't that right?

Ogata: That's right. Thankfully, we have a large number of fixed fans, and we also have fans who have grown up and have more time to spare, so I think this kind of experimentation is possible. I feel that this is something that can only be done because of Gundam.

───How do you want to develop the "Gundam" content in the future?

Ogata: Basically, I would like to talk about the domestic and overseas markets, but right now, including sales of Gundam plastic models, overseas sales of "Gundam" are already starting to increase.

As for the domestic market, I will be 45 years old this year, and that generation has reached a certain status in society, and thankfully, it is very easy to talk with them about collaborating in some way with "Gundam" that they have seen in the past. Or, more and more often, they bring it to me from the other side. Robot stuff" tends to be biased toward male fans and doesn't really penetrate women, but here I am thinking that we can make Gundam a national character once more.

Next year, a moving Gundam will appear in Yokohama, and I hope it will bring Gundam closer to people. Overseas, Gundam plastic models are selling well in Asia, and the market is becoming more active in North America. The moving Gundam in Yokohama, which I mentioned earlier, is scheduled to open just in time for the Olympics, and we are thinking about how we can incorporate the live-action Gundam project in Hollywood, which is coming up in the future, while taking the form of transmitting "Gundam" from Yokohama to the rest of the world. We are thinking of expanding the domestic Gundam situation in Japan to the rest of the world over the next 20 to 30 years.

Screening Information

■"Mobile Suit Gundam III: Meguriai Universe" theater version

Period: October 18 (Fri.) - 24 (Thu.), 2019

■"Mobile Suit Gundam SEED Special Edition: Battlefield in the Void HD Remaster"

Period: October 25, 2019 (Fri) - November 7, 2019 (Thu)

■"Mobile Suit Gundam 00 -A wakening of the Trailblazer-" The Movie

Period: November 8 (Friday) - November 21 (Thursday), 2019

Screening Theaters

AEON CINEMA Makuhari Shin Toshin

AEON CINEMA Theatasu Chofu

AEON CINEMA Kasukabe

AEON CINEMA Kohoku New Town