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Gundam: The Origin Gets Simultaneous Global Paid Streaming & Blu-ray

Anime Consortium Japan (ACJ) announced on Wednesday that it will offer the Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin original video anime series worldwide simultaneously via premium rental streaming, followed by worldwide pre-orders for the Blu-ray Disc release.

ACJ will start the premium paid streaming of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin on its platform Daisuki (http://www.DAISUKI.net) on February 28, Japan Standard Time. Japanese and English dubs will be available, as well as English, French, Korean, Traditional Chinese (Taiwan), Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong) and Simplified Chinese subtitles, worldwide except in Japan and China.

ACJ will also offer the Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Volume 1 Blu-ray Disc Collector's Edition (Export Version) for pre-order on February 4 worldwide outside Japan. This limited edition will ship on April 24 with bonus features, Japanese and English dubbing, and subtitles in Japanese, English, French, Korean, Traditional Chinese (Taiwan), Traditional Chinese (Hong Kong), and Simplified Chinese for US$94.99.

The main cast in English and Japanese includes:

Karen Strassman and Mayumi Tanaka as Casval Rem Deikun (Young Char Aznable)

Maggie O'Connor and Megumi Han as Artesia Som Deikun (Young Sayla Mass)

Marc Thompson and Jin Urayama as Degwin Sodo Zabi, Liam O'Brie and Banjō Ginga as Gihren Zabi, Braeden Fox and Shinshū Fuji as Sasro Zabi

Bob Johnson and Kenta Miyake as Dozle Zabi, Wendee Lee and Akeno Watanabe as Kycillia Zabi

Marc Diraison and Eizō Tsuda as Zeon Zum Deikun

Veronica Taylor and Ayumi Tsunematsu as Astraia Tor Deikun

Kirk Thornton and Shigeo Kiyama as Ramba Ral

Amanda Shuckman and Miyuki Sawashiro as Crowley Hamon

Doug Stone and Chafūrin as Jimba Ral

Keith Silverstein and Shuuichi Ikeda as Char Aznable

Akio Ohtsuka is narrating the Japanese version.

The first installment, "Blue-Eyed Casval," will play for two weeks in 10 Japanese theaters, starting on February 28. Those theaters will offer advance sales of the installment on Blu-ray Disc. There will also be a premiere screening on February 15 in Tokyo's Hibiya Kōkaido.

The story will be told in four parts. The first part, Aoi Hitomi no Casval, will tell the story of Casval Rem Deikun and Artesia Som Deikun (Char and Sayla, before Char became known as the Red Comet) before the One-Year War in UC.0068. The first promotional video began streaming in March, followed by the first trailer in May.

Takashi Imanishi (Mobile Suit Gundam 0083: The Last Blitz of Zeon, Violinist of Hamelin) is directing the anime off scripts by Katsuyuki Sumisawa (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing, Dragon Ball Z) at Sunrise. Manga artist Yasuhiko is credited as a general manager and as a character designer along with Tsukasa Kotobuki (Saber Marionette J). Kunio Okawara (Gundam Build Fighters) is heading original mechanical design and Takayuki Hattori (Code:Breaker) is composing the music. The rest of the staff is as follows:

• Original Work: Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino
  
• Mechanical Design: Hajime Katoki, Kimitoshi Yamane, Mika Akitaka, Junichi Akutsu
  
• Production: Kiyoshi Egami, Ichirō Itano
  
• Chief Animation Director: Hiroyuki Nishimura
  
• Mechanical Chief Animation Director: Takuya Suzuki
  
• Art Director: Shigemi Ikeda, Yukiko Maruyama
  
• Color Design: Nagisa Abe
  
• Director of Photography: Takeshi Katsurayama
  
• Editing: Masato Yoshitake
  
• Sound Director: Sadayoshi Fujino

The anime adapts Yoshikazu Yasuhiko's Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin manga series, which is itself a re-imagining of Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise's first Gundam anime. Yasuhiko launched the manga in Kadokawa Shoten's Monthly Gundam Ace inaugural issue in 2001 and ended the series in 2011. Viz Media published part of the manga in North America before stopping. Vertical picked up the license and is currently releasing the series.