Happy New Year!
This is Suda51 Owner of Cinema51
Hello, this is Sekine, Manager of Cinema51
At night I run a bar called Bar Plastic Model
Looking forward to working with you this year
For this episode, there was actually a certain film I wanted to introduce
But due to various circumstances, we had to swap it out
There’s a really popular movie in theaters right now
and it’s like, if we don’t do this one, what else would we do?!
Do you guys know what movie I’m talking about?
I mean, it’s right here, but...
It’s Gundam
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX
“GQuuuuuuX”?
Yeah
We’re going over this one today
and I’m not sure whether or not there are gonna be spoilers yet so
be sure to check the thumbnail image
Today we’ll be introducing the latest movie in the Gundam series
“khara x SUNRISE, a crossing of dreams”
“Prior to the airing of TV series, theatrical version using re-edited episodes...
Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-.”
So to start off, I’d like to begin with the spoiler-free version
What did you think of the movie?
It was amazing
I didn’t know this, but there’s gonna be a new TV series starting, right?
It’s gonna be on Nippon TV, yeah
And the movie is basically a digest version of several episodes?
Yeah, that’s right
I figured it’s gonna be on TV anyway, so I wasn’t in a hurry to go see it
But then from day one, everywhere I go everyone is asking, “Have you seen it?!”
People come into your pub and right away they’re like, “Have you seen it?”
Every day, customers coming in ask me “Have you seen it?”
I was like, “What’s this all about?!”
You can’t discuss it!
Yeah, it’s like “What the hell?”
Then I go drinking somewhere, and again, “Have you seen it?”
Everybody was like that
So I decided OK, I have to see this
And just then, you contacted me saying
“Hey, we have to swap out the movie!”
I guess it was fate after all
I see
“Fate” has been a big part of the world of Gundam...
From the first one, fate and destiny are heavy themes
Even the “Beginning” in the title...
Yeah, totally
It’s a song title, but...
One of the most famous Gundam songs
It’s the ending theme from Encounters in Space, the 3rd Gundam movie
“Beginning~”
It plays over the famous “I still do have a place to go to home to...” scene
When you think about it, it’s a really fitting Gundam title
It’s hinting at something
Yeah, it’s a hint
So you went in not knowing anything about the movie?
Nothing at all, no
I’d been wondering about the movie for a while before it came out
and there was a leak
The official website went up
and it was only the Italian version
but there was some info that wasn’t supposed to be leaked yet
Some Japanese person found and translated it right away
and (XXXX) was visible
I thought it was fake...
I mean, it totally sounds fake, right?
Yeah!
Since stuff like this happens it made me think
“OK, I should hurry up and see this.”
I saw it first thing on Monday morning
and was like, “Oh wow, it was true...”
Seriously, I was so shocked
I didn’t think they’d go that far!
For me, I felt like a soldier riding a Zaku in the first episode, Gundam Rising
That’s how the movie felt
Like, “What the hell?!”
You were shocked?
I was
I felt like I’d never be this shocked by anything in a movie ever again
After watching that, I don’t think anything could top it
I’ve worked with Studio Khara before, and I mailed them earlier
My emotions were just...
I can’t really explain it, they were all wonked out
The time I spent watching that movie was just so full of surprises
I definitely want everyone overseas watching this to see the movie, too
but they’re not able to see it yet, you know?
Yeah
Last Saturday, an American couple came to drink at my bar
The girl said she loves Gundam, so they had gone to see the movie
There weren’t any subtitles, but she said it was great
So people who’ve been watching since the original series
can totally enjoy it even with the language barrier
Just with the visuals alone
Yeah, even just the visuals were just so “Gundam”, you know?
Yeah, they were
Almost everyone said the same exact thing:
“It was so ‘Gundam’!”
It was the same on social media
“I went to see Gundam, and it was so ‘Gundam’!”
Studio Khara, with the way they use colors
and how you never know what they’re gonna do next
and with their Evangelion image, and now their “Shin” series...
I think a lot of Gundam otaku were wondering how they’d handle this one
Yeah, Gundam otaku were definitely thinking that
They’re really particular about this stuff
And now the fact that everyone is like, “Wow, that was so ‘Gundam’!”
That’s just really amazing
The “Gundam otaku” level of the people at Studio Khara
is probably higher than almost anyone else in Japan
And you can’t beat a Gundam otaku who’s that hardcore into it
Studio Khara is basically a big group of people like that
They really put their all into it
Yeah, they really did
You know, I’d really like to make a Gundam game at Grasshopper
When I bring over a new plan for a Gundam game, I always get told
“A standalone would be difficult,” or “It would be hard to sell overseas"
so I’ve been thinking about how to approach it...
By the way, what do you mean by “standalone”?
For example, a “GQuuuuuuX” standalone game, or a “Unicorn” or “Hathaway” standalone game...
So you mean a genre game like “G Generation” might work, but...
Yeah, that’s what I mean
Nowadays, “VS.”-type games with all the series combined are basically the standard
So standalone games are apparently hard to do, but...
I feel like I might be able to get something done with this one...
There are a lot of elements involved, aren’t there?
It’s not officially a Gainax work, but I felt like the movie included points from everything they’ve made
For example (Producer Kazuya) Tsurumaki’s Gunbuster 2 and FLCL...
I really sensed some FLCL elements in there, and the way the characters were portrayed
with the way they used coloring, etc...
It felt like everything the people at Studio Khara have made so far
was really nicely mixed into the world of Gundam...
Which is something I shouldn’t actually say, but...
Anyway they way they did it was really just breathtaking
That was something I really felt watching this movie
Yeah, exactly
I felt it was a movie that really makes you think about a lot of things
The way it’s clear how much thought Tsurumaki has put it into as the producer
is another point that felt really “Studio Khara”-ish
Studio Khara has done Godzilla, Ultraman, Kamen Rider
and they’re doing (Space Battleship) Yamato next...
And up till now, you had the main duo of Higuchi and Anno in charge
but this time, it’s like, everyone’s here...
Yeah, and FLCL was a big hit overseas
Oh, really?
Yeah, so I feel like people overseas are gonna really like this one
People watching this on YouTube probably already know about FLCL
but FLCL isn’t really a major IP for most people, you know?
But overseas it’s considered to be a real standard of Japanese animation
For example, a band called The Pillows did all the music (for FLCL), right?
They’re a mod-type rock band similar to The Collectors...
I remember The Pillows from back when I was in my 20s...
...but now they’re at the point where they play live shows overseas
which is probably thanks to them doing FLCL (*Note: The Pillows disbanded on January 31st, 2025, just after this was filmed.)
What, for reals?! The Pillows?!
...so I've heard
The awesomeness of Tsurumaki’s work might make it blow up even overseas...
Yeah, I get the feeling that it will
I think it’ll take off overseas..
It makes you want to make a game even more
Yeah, I’m all excited now
Cinema51 Resurrected Korakuen Viewing Room
Let’s end the “spoiler-free”version right around here for now
Yeah
We’re gonna introduce another exciting movie in the next episode
First, everyone needs to hurry up and see this in the theater
Yeah, it’s best to see the movie version first instead of waiting for it to come on TV
I want to share this with everyone as early as possible
We’ll see you in the next episode of Cinema 51!
“GQuuuuuuX”!