Mobile Suit Gundam is one of the most influential anime series of all time, especially in terms of its influence on global film and television. Throughout the decades since its introduction, anime series and films have been steadily produced for fans around the world, and that trend is now set to continue as soon as next year. The first new Mobile Suit Gundam series in several years and a new Mobile Suit Gundam anime film have both been announced to be released in 2022.
The last Gundam series released to fans was Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphans, which aired from 2015-2017 and told a story about young soldiers rebelling against corrupt superiors on a terraformed Mars. The series was critically and commercially successful, garnering high viewership for streaming services such as Crunchyroll and numerous award nominations (like those of the Crunchyroll Anime Awards, where it was nominated in categories including Best Action and Best Continuing Series).
The new Gundam series is titled Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury, though no other information aside from the title and 2022 release window has been released yet. The film is titled Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island and is based on an eponymous episode from the groundbreaking original series, with the original show's animation director Yoshikazu Yasuhiko serving as the new movie's director. Both projects are being developed by Studio Sunrise, who have historically handled the Gundam franchise throughout its decades-long run and, notably, are also responsible for the recent series adaptation of Bandai Namco's Scarlet Nexus, among other titles.
The announcement of more Mobile Suit Gundam anime content comes at a time when pop culture is increasingly paying more attention to legacy anime franchises. Netflix is working on a Cowboy Bebop live-action series as well as a Mobile Suit Gundam live-action film, while Neon Genesis Evangelion 3.0 + 1.0: Thrice Upon a Time recently broke records for the high amount of viewership it received during its first 24 hours of being available to stream on Amazon Prime.
Mobile Suit Gundam is one of the biggest and most recognizable media franchises in the world, and a new series iteration will help the franchise maintain its status while potentially gaining new fans along the way. It will be fascinating to examine the extent to which the world pays attention to these new anime offerings.
Mobile Suit Gundam is available to stream on Crunchyroll.
Source: Crunchyroll (via Gundam.info)