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Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz Gets New U.S. Theatrical Screenings (Updated)
posted on by Rafael Antonio Pineda
The panel also featured a new anniversary promotional video for the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing series, directed by Toru Iwasawa (Frieren: Beyond Journey's End action director). Bandai Namco Filmworks has not released the video online as of press time, but ANN will update the article once it is available.Update: Added video.
The franchise will have a new manga titled Mobile Suit Gundam Wing 0.5 Point Half Preventer-7 launching in August. The manga will feature the characters Adin Lowe and Long Meilan. The first chapter is already available in English in the franchise's 30th anniversary website, ahead of the Japanese release. Sakura Asagi (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Blind Target) is drawing the manga, while the original series writer Katsuyuki Sumisawa is writing the story. The manga bridges the gap between Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz and the Gundam Wing: Frozen Teardrop sequel novels.
Bandai Namco Filmworks will also debut a new recap video for the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing series narrated by Toshihiko Seki (Duo Maxwell in the series) with English subtitles on the Gundam.info YouTube channel, and debuted a new visual for the series. Bandai Namco Filmworks has not yet made the visual available online, but ANN will update the article once it is available. Update: New visuals added.
The panel revealed new character design sheets for Heero, Relena, Zechs, and the other Gundam pilots, as well as mechanical designer Hajime Katoki's new "Custom Cloaked" designs for the Gundams. Bandai Namco Filmworks has not yet made the new images available online, but ANN will update the article once they are available.
Finally, the panel announced that Bandai Namco Filmworks has opened a new worldwide portal website for the Gundam franchise.
Bandai Namco Filmworks describes the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing anime and its story:
Mobile Suit Gundam Wing is the second title in the Gundam Alternative series. The story kicks off with an explosive opening, as five Gundam mobile suits launch a surprise attack on a powerful organization—setting the tone for a nonstop, high-stakes narrative that continues all the way through the finale. It is also notable for being the first Gundam series to be broadcast in the United States.A.C. 195. The space colonies launch Operation Meteor, dropping Gundam mobile suits onto Earth to strike back against the United Earth Sphere Alliance which rules over them with armed force. After catching sight of Heero Yuy, one of the Gundam pilots, Relena Darlian is caught up in the vortex of fate. Duo Maxwell, Trowa Barton, Quatre Raberba Winner, and Chang Wufei--four other Gundam pilots with the same mission as Heero--begin encountering one another as if drawn together. Through the schemes of Treize Khushrenada, leader of the secret society known as OZ, they end up wiping out the peaceful faction of the Alliance leadership. With this incident, OZ steps onto the center stage of history.
The series premiered in 1995 and ran for 49 episodes. In 2000, it became the first Gundam series to premiere on television in the United States.
The series spawned the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: Endless Waltz sequel OVA. The three-episode OAV series debuted in 1997 as a sequel to the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing anime. Cartoon Network aired the anime in November 2000. The three episodes were compiled into a single film with additional footage in 1998.
Update: Added new visuals and video. Source: Gundam.info, Press release
Sources: Bandai Namco Filmworks' SDCC panel, Email correspondence
Disclosure: Bandai Namco Filmworks Inc. (Sunrise) is a non-controlling, minority shareholder in Anime News Network Inc.
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