Since 2015’sMobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphan, there haven’t really been any majorGundamseries released. There were a couple ofGundam Build Diversseries, along with some spin-off stories likeTwilight AxisandNarrative, but for the most part, those are just minor releases. The fans want something big from the franchise for this new decade.
That is why the 2021’sMobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash, the first of the planned trilogy of movies, was such a major event forGundamfans around the world. Finally, there’s something to be excited about from this legendary mech franchise. However, it turns out that Hathaway’s movies are not the only thing that the franchise has in store for fans. There are somemajor releases coming in 2022. So if you’re a fan of theGundamfranchise, then you should be excited for what’s to come this year.
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Watch Classic Gundam Films for Free
Gundam.info is the official website for everything related toGundam. From the anime to the books, manga, and plastic models, fans will find everything there. Other than a website, they also have a dedicated Youtube channel. On the Youtube channel, Gundam info often posts classicGundamanime, such asMobile Fighter G Gundam. It’s not just clips or certain episodes either, but instead, fans can watch the entire series through their Youtube channel.
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury
A newGundamseries calledMobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercurywas recently announced. It is planned to be released around October 2022. There’s not much information about this series for now. Not the story, the concept art, or even the staff. That being said, there are a couple of things that fans know for sure. Other than the October 2022 release, there’s also the fact thatGundam: The Witch from Mercuryis not a story from the Universal Century timeline. Fromwhat the franchise has produced so far, anything other than a UC story will have its own original timeline, such asGundam Seed’sCosmic Era orGundam IBO’sPost Disaster Era. So it is highly likely thatWitch from Mercurywill be set in a new timeline as well.
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Other than those facts, there are some assumptions that can be made aboutWitch from Mercuryfrom what is known of the franchise thus far. Chief among them would be the number of episodes. MostGundamseries had around 40 to 50 episodes, often spread into two seasons, so fans can expect this new one to also follow the same template. Another thing that can be expected isThe Witch from Mercurywill certainly bring a new line of Gunpla with it. So that is another thing to look forward to.
New movie: Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island
Other than theHathaway’s Flashtrilogy, theGundamfranchise also has other new movies for fans. The movie,Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island,is planned to hit Japanese theaters in June 2022. There’s no information yet regarding the international release date or whether it will be aired on anyinternational streaming platform.
Similar toThe Witch from Mercury, there are not many details being announced yet regarding the story or the artwork from this movie. However, fans do know that the movie will be an expanded version of the 15th episode fromthe original 1979Mobile Suit Gundamanime. This is why it is quite apt that this movie is also directed by the character designer of the originalMobile Suit Gundamand the director ofMobile Suit Gundam: The Origin, Yoshikazu Yasuhiko.
Special Edition of Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron-Blooded Orphan
Although it’s been seven years since its release, fans are still excited overGundam IBO. The series has spawnedvarious spin-off manga and games, countless Gunpla, and fans still devour them all. The next thing that will come to theIBOuniverse is a mobile game calledMobile Suit Gundam Iron-Blooded Orphan: Urdr-Hunt.
It is planned to be released in spring 2022 and with it also comes a special anime that will tie in the story from the originalIBOto the world of Urdr-Hunt. There will be nine episodes in total, but it is unclear how long each episode will be. This short anime will be produced by the same people that worked on the originalGundam IBO.
It may be a small release, but plenty of fans are certainly excited and can’t wait to see it. The same thing is true for the aforementionednew series and movie. After seven long years of no major release, the biggest mech franchise in the world will have a big year in 2022. It is no wonder whyGundamfans are so excited about this year.
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