MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: HATHAWAY Production Notes and Image Gallery From Shochiku

Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

Source: Shochiku Co., Ltd., Netflix
Translation: Benjamin Chaffins
Editors: Keith Aiken and Andrew Nguyen
Official Site: gundam-hathaway.net (Japan), https://www.netflix.com/title/81439253 (US)

A SCIFI JAPAN EXCLUSIVE

Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

Japanese distributor Shochiku has provided information and selection of more than 50 large, high-res images from the new anime feature film MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: HATHAWAY (機動戦士ガンダム閃光のハサウェイ, Kidō Senshi Gandamu Senkou No Hasauei) -- aka MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: HATHAWAY’S FLASH -- the first chapter of a planned theatrical trilogy. from Sunrise.

Set 12 years after the events depicted in the movie MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: CHAR’S COUNTERATTACK (機動戦士ガンダム逆襲のシャア, Kidō Senshi Gandamu: Gyakushū no Shā, 1988), HATHAWAY is the second film adaptation of UC NexT 0100, the 40th anniversary project that incorporates anime, manga, novels and merchandising to depict the next 100 years of the Universal Century, the central timeline of the Gundam franchise. The film is based on the novel Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash by Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, which was published in three volumes from 1989-90, and follows the militant organization "Mafty" that has rebelled against the Earth Federation government. The group's leader is Hathaway Noa, son of Bright Noa, a character who appeared in several earlier works such as MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM and CHAR’S COUNTERATTACK. But Hathaway's efforts plans go awry. after he meets an enemy officer and a mysterious young woman.

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: HATHAWAY is directed by Shukou Murase, who was the animation director for the movie MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM F91(機動戦士ガンダムF91, Kidō senshi Gandamu F91, 1991) and the character designer for the series MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM WING (新機動戦記ガンダムＷ, Shin Kidō Senki Gandamu Uingu, 1995). More recently, he directed and wrote the screenplay for the film GENOCIDAL ORGAN (虐殺器官, Gyakusatsu Kikan, 2017).

The creative team includes screenwriter Yasuyuki Muto, who previously wrote MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM UC (機動戦士ガンダムUC (ユニコーン), Kidō Senshi Gandamu UC (Yunikōn), 2010). In addition to illustrator pablo uchida, veteran animators Naoyuki Onda and Shigeki Kuhara supervised the character designs for the movie, while mechanical designs were handled by the talented Hajime Katoki, Kimitoshi Yamane, Seiichi Nakatani and Nobuhiko Genba. Hiroyuki Sawano, who brought a new sound to the Universal Century with GUNDAM UC and MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM NT ((機動戦士ガンダムNT (ナラティブ), Kidō Senshi Gandamu NT (Naratibu)), 2018), has returned to compose the score for HATHAWAY. The film is produced by Sunrise Studio 1, which produced UC, NT, GUNDAM RECONGUISTA IN G (ガンダム Gのレコンギスタ, Gandamu G no Rekongisuta, 2014) and other titles.

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: HATHAWAY was originally scheduled for a Japanese theatrcal release from Shochiku on the Thursday, July 23, 2020 Marine Day holiday, but was canceled due to outbreak of Covid-19. The movie next set for May 7, 2021, then rescheduled to May 21, and finally opened on June 11. Netflix has licensed the international rights and will debut the movie in the United States and other territories on July 1.

Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

What is MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: CHAR’S COUNTERATTACK?

Key art for MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: CHAR’S COUNTERATTACK. Image courtesy of Fathom Events. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: CHAR’S COUNTERATTACK is an anime movie directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino. Released in theaters on March 12, 1988, it was the first Gundam feature film and is widely considered one of the masterpieces of the franchise.

The movie depicts the Second Neo Zeon War (Universal Century 0093), which occured five years after the First Neo Zeon War that served as the setting for the series MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM ZZ (機動戦士ガンダムΖΖ, Kidō Senshi Gandamu Daburu Zēta, 1986). It was also the final chapter of the story centering on eternal rivals Amuro Ray and Char Aznable, which has continued since the OneYear War of the original MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM series.

The staff working under Yoshiyuki Tomino included character designer Hiroyuki Kitazume (MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM ZZ), mobile suit designer Yutaka Izubuchi and mechanical designer Hideaki Anno (EVANGELION, SHIN GODZILLA) . The music iwas composed by Shigeaki Saegusa, who worked on MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM Z and "MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM ZZ, while the theme song “BEYOND THE TIME” is performed by TM NETWORK .

Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

STORY

Twelve years have passed since the Second Neo Zeon War (Char's Rebellion).

U.C.0105 ── The corruption of the Earth Federation government accelerates and increases the pollution of the Earth It also carried out an inhumane policy of hunting people to send "undesirable" civilians into space.

The anti-Earth federal government movement "Mafty" began to resist with the fierce act of assassinating such a high-ranking federal government official. The name of the leader is "Mafty Navue Erin". His true identity is the son of Federal Army Colonel Bright Noa, who fought the One Year War.

It is Hathaway.

Hathaway tries to pave the way as a warrior with the ideas, ideals and will of Amuro Ray and Char Aznable, but an encounter with Colonel Kenneth Sleg and the mysterious beauty girl Gigi Andalusia will drastically change his destiny.

Image courtesy of Netflix. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

CHARACTERS AND MOBILE SUITS

Hathaway Noa. Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

Hathaway Noa/Mafty Navue Erin (C.V. Kensho Ono)

A young man who ihas inherited the ideals of Amuro and Char. During Char's Rebellion, he was aboard a Federation battleship and participated in the final battle. His father, Bright Noa, was the captain of the legendary Federation warship White Base during the One Year War, and as a Federal Military Officer, Bright Noa also participated in the 1st and 2nd Neo-Zeon Wara, the Gryps campaign, and the Laplace incident. His mother is also a former Federal Military Officer, Mirai Noa, who served aboard the White Base. He has a sister named Chemin Noa. Hathaway is also known as "Mafty Nauve Erin," leader the secret society Mafty, and he is engaged in terrorist activities with his friends against the corrupt upper Earth Federation government. What inspired him to do so was observing Amuro Ray and Char Aznable's way of life and the "Axis Shock" up close.

Gigi Andalusia. Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

Gigi Andalucia (C.V. Reina Ueda)

A beautiful young woman onboard the "Haunzen Flight 356", a shuttle for Earth descent, who meets Hathaway and Kenneth in Haunzen. She is said to be a mistress of the millionaire Cardius Bounden Wooden. She surpriseds Hathaway with her extraordinarily sharp intuition.

Kenneth Sleg. Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

Kenneth Sleg (C.V. Junichi Suwabe)

An officer belonging to the Earth Federation Forces, with a rank of colonel. He was ordered to take command of the unit responsible for exterminating Mafty and was heading for the earth on the "Haunzen Flight 356" on which he meets Hathaway.

Gawman Nobil. Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

Emeralda Zubin. Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

Mace Flower. Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

Hundley Yeoksan. Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

Raymond Cain, Iram Masam, Mihessia Hence and Mitsuda Kenji. Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

PENELOPE. Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

MOBILE SUIT RX-104FF Penelope

Penelope was introduced by the Earth Federation Forces for anti-Mafty operations. It is a state-of-the-art mobile suit that uses its Minovsky powered Fixed Flight (FF) Unit tfor solo atmospheric and high-speed flight. When flying at high speed, the tail stabilizer transforms into a form that extends backward. The main weapon is a funnel missile, which requires high spatial awareness to control. The pilot is Lt. Lane Aim.

MESSER TYPE-F01. Image courtesy of Shochiku. © SOTSU • SUNRISE

Messer F01 type / F02 type (MESSER TYPE-F01 / TYPE-F02)

The MS is the main mobile suit used by Mafty and idesigned for operation on the ground. It is a derivative machine of the AMS-119 Geara Doga, which formed the main mobile suit force of the Neo Zeon side in "Char's Rebellion", but the frame etc. is similar in structure to the MSN-04 Sazabi. The mobile suit type differs depending on the part configuration, the normal type is known as the F01 type, the type with flare armor added to the legs is called the F02 type.

THEME SONG

"Flash" (閃光, Senkō), the theme song to MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM: HATHAWAY, is performed by the rock band [Alexandros]. The band recently release their "best of" album, who just released his best album 「Where’s My History?」.

Expecting that HATHAWAY would be released on May 7, the single for the theme debutede March 17. The song features an impressive guitar riff and an unforgettable melody that creates an uplifting feeling t that matches the magnificent story of Gundam.

The CD went on sale on May 5 and includes the original version of "Flash," the English version, and an nstrumental. In addition, the head of the band's label, RX-RECORDS, is a big fan of the Gundam series, so there is a limited edition of the CD that comes with an original design Gunpla figure... "HG 1/144 RX-78-2 GUNDAM Ver. [Alexandros]".. The CD jacket is illustratd by Ξ (Kusui) Gundam.

CREDITS

Japanese Theatrical Release: Friday, June 11, 2021
International Release: Thursday, July 1, 2021
Run Time: 95 Minutes

Voice Cast

Hathaway Noa: Kensho Ono
Gigi Andalusia: Reina Ueda
Kenneth Sleg: Junichi Suwabe
Lane Aim: Souma Saito
Amuro Ray: Toru Furuya
Gawman Nobil: Kenjiro Tsuda
Emeralda Zubin: Yui Ishikawa
Raymond Cain: Fukushi Ochiai
Iram Masam: Shunsuke Takeuchi
Mihessia Hence: Misato Matsuoka
Mitsuda Kenji: Chiharu Sawashiro
Mace Flower: Atsumi Tanezaki
Hundley Yeoksan: Koichi Yamadera

Staff

Original Story: Yoshiyuki Tomino, Hajime Yatate
Director: Shukou Murase
Screenplay: Yasuyuki Muto
Character Designers: pablo uchida, Naoyuki Onda, Shigeki Kohara
Original Character Designs: Haruhiko Mikimoto
Art Director: Hideki Nakamura
Mechanical Designers: Hajime Katoki, Kimitoshi Yamane, Seiichi Nakatani, Nobuhiko Genba
Original Mechanical Designs: Yasuhiro Moriki
Color Design: Takako Suzuki
Cinematography: Kentaro Waki
CG Directors: Ryukou Masuo, Tomohiro Fujie
Editor: Daisuke Imai
Sound Director: Koji Kasamatsu
Sound Recording: Eriko Kimura
Music: Hiroyuki Sawano
Theme Song: "Flash" by [Alexandros] (UNIVERSAL J / RX-RECORDS)

Planning/Production: Sunrise
Distributor: Shochiku (Japan), Netflix (International)
International Sales: Sunrise

About Shochiku Co., Ltd.

Shochiku traces its origins to 1895 when Takejiro Otani presented his first stage play. They also produced the first color motion picture in Japan, and have expanded into TV dramas, video contents, Kabuki presentation, theater operations, and real estate. The company has become a symbol of enduring tradition as the exclusive promoter of the Kabuki theater in Japan as well as widely known as the creator of the world’s longest-running feature film series, TORA-SAN. The company is making all possible efforts to develop business in various fields, including multimedia and co-productions, across generation, national, and cultural borders.

About Sunrise

Sunrise Inc. (Tokyo, Japan. Yasuo Miyakawa, President &CEO), subsidiary of Bandai Namco Holdings Inc. (Tokyo, Japan Mitsuali Taguchi, President & Representative Director), is a film production studio that specializes in animation. It has created many hit series including Mobile Suit Gundam, Code Geass, Love Live! and Cow boy Bebop. As part of the new midterm strategy of the Bandai Namco Group, Sunrise was named as leader of the IP Creation Unit. Sunrise is planning to create various new intellectual properties-not only in the form of animation but in various other mediums as well. For more info visit sunrise-inc.co.jp.