News

Yoshikazu Yasuhiko Says Gundam: The Origin is His Last Anime

Illustrator and anime director Yoshikazu Yasuhiko revealed in an interview in the June issue of Kadokawa's Gundam Ace magazine on Thursday that the Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin anime will be his last anime "whatever happens."

Gundam: The Origin manga creator Yoshikazu Yasuhiko stated last September that "there will be more" of the anime series. Yasuhiko said he wanted the anime to show the One-Year War arc next, but clarified that there was no official word at that time on whether the anime would continue after the Loum Arc ends with the sixth episode. However, the anime's staff confirmed in March that the sixth episode will conclude the anime project.

"Tanjō Akai Suisei" (Rise of the Red Comet), the sixth episode of the Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin anime, will open in Japan on May 5.

Yasuhiko began his career as an animator at Mushi Productions in 1970, and worked as a character designer on the studio's Nozomi in the Sun 1971 series, where he would first collaborate with Mobile Suit Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, who worked on the show's storyboards. The pair also worked together on storyboards for Space Battleship Yamato, before Tomino launched the Mobile Suit Gundam series in 1979, and Yasuhiko designed the show's characters. Since then, Yasuhiko worked on character designs for other installments in the Gundam franchise, including Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam, Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ, Mobile Suit Gundam F91, and Mobile Suit Gundam UC.

In 2001, Yasuhiko launched his Gundam: The Origin manga, a retelling of the original 1979 series' story. That manga served as the inspiration for the Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin anime, which serves as a prequel to the original series. Yasuhiko works as chief director, character designer, and storyboarder for the anime.

Yasuhiko has also worked on other projects, such as Arion, Crusher Joe: The Movie, and Venus Wars.