As Mobile Suit Gundam celebrates its 45th anniversary since its first television broadcast, the OVA series Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin has been re-edited into a three-part “movie edition” for theatrical release.
Gundam: The Origin acts as a prequel to the original Gundam series, and is a significant entry in the main Universal Century Timeline of events. You can check out the Gundam anime watch order below:
The re-edited movie version, overseen by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, will begin screenings on Sep 13, 2024, at Shinjuku Piccadilly in Tokyo, with subsequent showings scheduled at theaters nationwide.
The movie edition is divided into three chapters: Chapter 1: Char & Sayla, Chapter 2: The War, and Chapter 3: Loum.
These chapters compile the six original OVA episodes, with Chapter 1 covering episodes 1 and 2, Chapter 2 encompassing episodes 3 and 4, and Chapter 3 including episodes 5 and 6. The runtime for each chapter is 110 minutes, 120 minutes, and 147 minutes, respectively.
While no new cuts or additional footage have been added, the story has been carefully restructured to enhance the theatrical experience.
To commemorate the release, a special stage greeting event will be held on September 14 at Shinjuku Piccadilly, featuring appearances by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko and character designer Tsukasa Kotobuki.
Additionally, another stage greeting event will take place on September 21 at Shimane Cinema ONOZAWA, coinciding with the “Yoshikazu Yasuhiko: The Man Who Draws” exhibition at the Shimane Prefectural Iwami Art Museum.
This event will also include a screening of Gundam: The Origin with Yasuhiko and mechanical designer Kimitoshi Yamane in attendance.
The Gundam: The Origin movie edition will be screened in sequence at Shinjuku Piccadilly, with Chapter 1: Char & Sayla showing from Sep 13-26, 2024, Chapter 2: The War from Sep 27, 2024, to Oct 10, 2024, and Chapter 3: Loum from Oct 11-24, 2024.
Shimane Cinema ONOZAWA will also host screenings starting with Chapter 1 on Sep 22 and continuing with the subsequent chapters through early November.
The Gundam: The Origin OVA series is an adaptation of the manga Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin by Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, who was also the character designer and animation director for the original 1979 Mobile Suit Gundam anime.
The OVA series focuses on the backstory of the original Gundam story, particularly the rise of Char Aznable and the early years of the Zeon Principality. It provides detailed insight into the events leading up to the One Year War, which is the central conflict of the original Gundam series.
The series was released in six parts from 2015 to 2018.
Source: Oricon