Amuro and Char give a shout out to the next generation cast, including Kensho Ono as Hathaway! Report on "FAN GATHERING "Senko no Hathaway" Heirs to GUNDAM"!

The latest information on "Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway," the latest movie in the "Gundam" series, was announced on Tuesday, March 24, 2020, at the "Fan Gathering 'Senko no Hathaway' Heirs to GUNDAM" event.

The movie "Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway" is an anime that follows the movie "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack" and is based on a novel written by Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator of "Mobile Suit Gundam," which was published in three volumes between 1989 and 1990 and has sold over 1.3 million copies. The film version is based on the novel written by Yoshiyuki Tomino, the creator of "Mobile Suit Gundam. It has already been announced that the film version will be a trilogy, with the first part scheduled for release on July 23, 2020 (Thursday, national holiday).

The story of the film will follow the movements of the anti-Earth Federation organization "Mufti" with Hathaway Noah, the son of Bright Noah, a key figure in "Mobile Suit Gundam" and other previous works, as the main character.

The announced staff includes many veteran staff members who have worked on the "Gundam" series, which only heightens the anticipation for the film. In addition, "Mobile Suit Gundam" series legends Toru Furuya, who plays Amuro Ray, and Shuichi Ikeda, who plays Char Aznable, also attended the event and gave encouragement to the cast and artists who will lead the next generation of "Gundam".

This time, we would like to report on the event.

The event was originally scheduled to be held with an audience, but due to the recent spread of the new coronavirus, it was held without an audience. The event was broadcast on various video distribution sites, so be sure to check them out to see what happened on stage.

Talk on the appeal of "Char of the Counterattack" in depth

Following the opening video, Toru Furuya, Shuichi Ikeda, anime critic Ryota Fujitsu, and producer Naohiro Ogata appeared on stage to talk about the history of "Mobile Suit Gundam" through "Mobile Suit Gundam NT".

These four first gave an in-depth talk on "Char of the Counterattack," a work directly related to "Senko no Hathaway.

Looking back on those days, Mr. Furuya commented, "We were no longer the main characters in 'Z Gundam,' but almost 10 years later, I was happy that the two of us were able to fight together as the main characters. On the other hand, Mr. Ikeda commented, "The subtitle is 'Char of Counterattack. I felt as if the spring of my life had finally arrived.

Mr. Ogata, who was in junior high school at the time of the film's release, said, "As a junior high school student, I had no idea what Lala was talking about when she said she was a mother. Mr. Fujitsu said, "At the time, Director Tomino said that he wanted adult men to see the movie. He added, "At the time, Director Tomino said that he wanted adult men to see this film. I thought that if they saw this film as adults, they would understand the feelings of Amuro and Char.

In "Char of the Counterattack," Amuro is carefully portrayed as a professional pilot. Conversely, Shia was portrayed with the melancholy of an adult man, making him more three-dimensional. Was it difficult to play that role? Mr. Furuya answered, "I was able to play it easily. （The chain (of Amuro's lover) was right in my heart, and I was able to play it comfortably. As for himself, he said, "Between Nanai and Ques, I think he had a hard time, too," and he spoke sincerely about Shia's difficulties.

Mr. Ogata agreed. At the time, I thought Amuro was cool, but now I understand how Char feels. When you are in a position where you have to take on a lot of things, it's interesting that you want someone like Nanai.

Ogata: "At the time, I thought Amuro was cool, and I thought the Nu Gundam was cool and wanted to ride it. But now I understand how Shia feels. It's interesting that when I'm in a position to take on many things, I want someone like Nanai.

One interesting topic was how the cast members felt about Yoshiyuki Tomino's unique way of saying "Tomino's lines.

Mr. Ikeda quipped, "I wonder if Mr. Tomino's lines are correct as Japanese," but then added, "But it's good, isn't it? It's strange, isn't it? If I thought it might be a misprint, and I tried to correct the script, they would get angry with me.

He also shared a behind-the-scenes story about the Gundam's famous "Amuro, I'm coming! which is now synonymous with Gundam, "It's funny, isn't it? In response, Furuya explained Amuro's feelings, "He's about to go into battle, so he's afraid if he doesn't go in a loud voice. The episodes told by the cast members who know the origin of the Gundam series were all very fresh and interesting.

The movie "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack" is known to have a very good reputation in the animation industry. One of the most famous episodes is that famous creators such as Mamoru Oshii and Hideaki Anno later created a coterie magazine to talk about "Char's Counterattack. The novel "Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway" was released one year after the release of this film, which had such a tremendous impact on future generations.

Here is a video interview with Shinichiro Inoue, Vice President and Representative Director of KADOKAWA, Inc. who was then Deputy Editor-in-Chief of "Monthly Newtype" and the editor in charge of "Senko no Hathaway".

At the time, Mr. Inoue said that he approached Director Tomino with a plan for an after-story because he was interested in how 13-year-old Hathaway, who himself had killed a man after the murder of the girl he loved, would live after "Char of the Counterattack".

Director Tomino's reaction was as if he had predicted that he would receive such an order, and the project was launched easily. The response to the story after its publication was so great that even at the time, there were calls for an anime version, Inoue said.

When asked about the "appeal of Director Tomino as a novelist," Mr. Inoue replied, "His insight and ability to look at society," and "The fact that he seems to write instinctively, but he writes in a surprisingly reasoned way. He also expressed his hope to see the film version as an audience member.

Mr. Fujitsu, who was in charge of the interview, commented on "Senko no Hathaway," saying, "In 1989, the Cold War had ended, and we were moving into an era of civil war and terrorism. Flashin' Hathaway" was quick to adopt the position of the protagonist as the leader of an anti-Federation organization, a setting that would not be used in a normal robot animation. The protagonist's attempt to change the world through terrorism was ahead of its time.

The cast of "Senko no Hathaway," including Kensho Ono, made their first public appearance!

After the in-depth discussion of "Char's Counterattack," it was time for the first unveiling of the second special trailer for "Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway. Before that, Furuya-san and Ikeda-san recreated the last scene of "Char of the Counterattack" with live postrecording! It was hard to believe that they were acting on the spot, and their passionate and emotional performance was breathtaking.

Next, a special trailer for the movie "Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway" was shown. Here, the cast was finally announced.

It was announced that Kensho Ono would play the role of Hathaway Noah, Rena Ueda would play the role of Gigi Andalusia, and Junichi Suwabe would play the role of Kenneth Slegg, and the three appeared on stage.

When first asked how she felt when she was chosen for the role, she replied, "I couldn't believe it at first. I felt pressure, but I had no choice but to do it, so now I'm doing my best." (Ono) "I was happy, but the pressure was too much and I wanted to escape, but I will do my best to do what I can do now. In contrast, Mr. Suwabe said, "I was so happy to hear that I made it! I was so happy. To be honest, I was aiming for the role. I'm so excited to be able to live in the space century.

Furuya and Ikeda were asked for their advice as senior Gundam voice actors.

Mr. Furuya said, "Playing the main character of 'Gundam' changes your life. （He jokingly said, "You will never lose your livelihood (since the series has been developed in many media such as games)." He then gave Amuro-like encouragement, saying, "Believe that you are a Newtype, and act with all your might, letting your sensibilities guide you. Mr. Ikeda then sent Mr. Ueda the famous line that Shia had sent to Ms. Seira, "Be a good woman. In response, Ms. Ueda said, "I will be a good woman! and expressed her enthusiasm for playing Gigi, the femme fatale (woman of destiny) in "Senko no Hathaway.

At this point, Ms. Furuya and Ms. Ikeda left the stage. They were joined by Mr. Fujitsu, who came back on stage to talk about the movie "Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway" in depth.

When asked "Why are we doing Hathaway now?" Ogata replied, "The original novel may have taken in the social conditions of the time, but today we are approaching the world that Mr. Tomino feared, like a prophecy book. He said that he started this project because he thought, "It is precisely because we are in such a time that it would be better for people to see it," and also because he wanted to enhance Director Tomino's reputation as a novelist.

In addition, this is the first time that another staff member will be adapting Director Tomino's original work into a film. Regarding this pairing, he said, "If I had done it (the animated version of "Flashlight Hathaway") 30 years ago, I would still want Mr. Tomino to direct, with Shigeaki Saegusa as the music director and Hiroyuki Kitazume as the animator. However, in adapting "Hathaway" into a film, I wanted to make sure that it would please those who loved it, but that it would also be a film that could be seen by the next generation over the next 10 to 20 years," he explained.

He also said, "I chose Mr. Shuko Murase, who has experience as an animation director for "Mobile Suit Gundam UC," because he excels in visual expression and I wanted him to create "Hathaway" with his visual sensibility. In addition, since the production approach is similar to live-action, we were conscious of designing a realistic expression that is close to live-action in terms of the drawings. He also said that he wanted the cast to be close in age to the characters, and to give life-size, realistic performances, which led to the selection of the cast for this project.

Of course, Haruhiko Mikimoto, who illustrated the novel version, and Yasuhiro Moriki, who designed the mecha, were also chosen for the cast. The selection was made after explaining "this is the direction we want to take," he said.

One wonders how Director Tomino, the original author of the film, reacted to the production of the animated version of "Senko no Hathaway," but Ogata says, "When I asked him to let me do it, he readily said, 'Okay. Furthermore, since Mr. Murase was directing the film, the next day he prepared a memo with a note saying, "I appreciate you as an animator, but a director with an animator's background should not do this," as well as a Korean drama video as reference material for the drama about a male-female love triangle. He said, "I'm sorry, but I'm not sure.

In this way, they backed us up quite favorably, but when they saw the first trailer released at the time of the "Mobile Suit Gundam NT" screening, they were quite angry.

According to Mr. Ogata, "'NT' was a flashy film, so I made a trailer with low tension, and he scolded me, saying, 'You don't understand the meaning of a trailer! He was scolded.

What was each cast member's impression of the characters?

So, the "Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway" movie project began in this way, but what impression did each cast member have when they first saw the characters they would be playing?

Ono: "My first impression was that he had become a fine young man 12 years after "Gyakusha-A" and was a solid adult. He has a big past, so I don't think it's right to show it all the time, but I hope I can dig deeper with my Newtype sensibility into the little moments where it is hidden.

Suwabe: "When I saw the visual, I thought I might be able to get a shot at this! I thought. I was able to audition for the role because it felt right to me, and I am glad that I was able to play the role. At first glance, Suwa seems like a nice guy with a rough exterior, but as a military man, I hope I can bring out his sharpness and just the right amount of maturity."

Ueda: "When I first saw him, I thought he was mature and beautiful, but gradually I got the impression that he was mature but also a little girlish. Furthermore, I gradually lost track of her during the auditions. Now it's femininity and girlishness. And I think the instability, the danger, and the gaps that are hidden are what attracts me.

When each cast member spoke about their impressions, the appeal of their characters, and their enthusiasm, Ms. Ogata talked about the key points that led her to decide on each cast member.

As for Hathaway, "When the novel was written, the character was portrayed as a baby-boomer, but for the film adaptation in 2020, I wanted the character to be played by a 25-year-old, so I wanted him to be close to that age. He has grown up with the experience of the Axis Shock, and in that sense, we chose someone who could play the shadow side of the character.

As for Kenneth, he said, "The core strength of Mr. Suwabe's voice is a key point. I chose him because I wanted him to be both a man of virtue and a military man with a sense of fear.

As for Gigi, "This work is driven by Gigi. She is an adult, a girl, and a fragile character. I had a great number of people audition for the role, but Ms. Ueda was the only one who took a different approach. She is a pretty girl, but she has a scary and mysterious side to her.

When the cast members talked about the deciding factor in their auditions, they were all surprised and said, "I didn't know they thought so! The cast members could not hide their surprise.

The recording sessions have only just begun, with the middle and later parts to be recorded from now on.

In addition, the fact that it is a "Gundam" series makes one wonder how the mobile suits will be presented, but the mobile suits in "Senko no Hathaway" have a lot of lines. The mobile suits in "Senko Hathaway" have many lines, which would not be acceptable in a normal anime, but this time, the problem was solved by using more 3DCG depiction.

This is one of the things that could not have been done in the 1980s.

Also, the design of the main mobile suit "Cushy Gundam" is a matter of concern, but this cannot be disclosed yet.

The mass-produced mobile suit "Gustav Karl," which preceded "Gundam UC," was rearranged in "UC" to have a much more massive body shape than in the original novel. Actually, Mr. Ogata was also thinking "This is not my Gustav" while making "UC," but what kind of design will it be this time? ......

Is this movie a sequel to the anime or a sequel to "Bertil"?

In addition, as a new production effort, director Murase himself created V-conboards (storyboards that can be moved around to share action timing and camera movements in a more intuitive manner). According to Murase, he is conscious of the speed of live-action films like the "007" series in this film.

He also said that since the first part of the film is set in Davao, Philippines, he actually conducted location scouting there. At the time, Director Tomino was actually writing the film while imagining the setting based on a travel guide, and it turned out that there was actually quite a discrepancy between the actual location and the location in the film. In this film adaptation, the city of Davao will be depicted in a more realistic manner.

And perhaps the question that most Gundam fans are wondering is whether this film is a sequel to the movie "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack" or a novel. Or is it a sequel to the novel "Mobile Suit Gundam: Counterattack of Char: Beltochka Children"?

For those who do not know, the novel "Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Beltouchka Children" is a novel based on a scenario that is based on the dead pattern of the movie "Char's Counterattack," and the novel "Senko no Hathaway" is a later version of that story.

Regarding this question from Mr. Fujitsu, he said, "It's hard to say which is which at this point. As a visual work by Sunrise, it is definitely a continuation of "Char of the Counterattack. I have also read the novel version of "Beltouchka," so it's not like that element won't be included. You will understand that when you actually see it," Ogata replied. Incidentally, the scenario for the third part of the movie has not yet been submitted, so we really don't know what the ending will be either. It will be interesting to see if the ending will be as shocking as the original novel, or if it will be .......

[ALEXANDROS] sings the theme song!

The topic now turns to the music. This time, Hiroyuki Sawano, who has also been on board for "UC" and "NT," was in charge of the theatrical accompaniment. He appeared in a video message.

This time, he said that his approach was "with an awareness of Gundam for adults".

In addition, members of the rock band [ALEXANDROS] appeared as theme song artists.

Last year, sales of Gundam plastic models were higher overseas than in Japan, and the movie "Mobile Suit Gundam: Senko no Hathaway" is scheduled to be shown overseas as well. This is why [ALEXANDROS] was chosen as a Japanese artist who could go abroad with them.

The members cannot hide their joy at the tie-up, but it is their manager who is the most pleased. The manager has always been a big "Gundam" fan, and the name of their label, "RX-RECORDS," is a reference to the Gundam's serial number, "RX-78. The name of their label, "RX-RECORDS," is also a reference to the Gundam's serial number, RX-78. "We are honored, but our manager is the most excited," said Yohei Kawakami, vocalist of the band.

The music itself is currently under development.

I've been reading novels and other things, and all kinds of feelings have been growing inside me. I'm trying to figure out how to incorporate the intensity and nihilism into the song. I've been able to narrow it down somewhat," Kawakami said, "and I'm very much looking forward to the completion of the song.

In closing the event, Furuya said, "This is a legitimate work of Gundam in the Space Century, spun by Amuro and Char. If "Senko no Hathaway" gains new fans and becomes popular, a new story of Amuro and Char may be spun. In any case, expectations are high for the work that will usher in the new cosmic century.

We are eagerly awaiting the film's release in July!