In the anime community, many fans can point to a particular series or series that sparked their interest in the genre. For veteran anime producer Kyoko Uryu (Banana Fish, SK8 the Infinity), Mobile Suit Gundunda Wing finally pushed her to become a full-fledged otaku.
Created in 1979, the Mobile Suit Gun franchise includes a library of numerous anime series, films, manga, and novels chronicling events in Yoshiyuki Tomino's expanding science fiction universe. Additionally, Bandai Namco's accompanying series of GUNPLA model kits offers another opportunity for Gun enthusiasts to demonstrate their devotion to the franchise. In a recent interview with Febri, Uryu explained that it was Mobile Suit gundam – specifically Mobile SuitGundam Wing (2000) – that turned a fun childhood pastime into an important part of their adult lives. Miss. “I joined Mobile Suit GTA Wing when I was in sixth grade and I feel like that determined my otaku life after that,” she said.
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Kyoko Uryu's Anime journey began with Mecha action and comedy films for young audiences
Uryu started watching anime in elementary school, starting with mecha action comedies such as Kyatto Ninjaden Teyandee (released as an adaptation in the West as Samurai Pizza Cats). She also cited Matchless Raijin-Oh – a mecha anime aimed at a younger audience than most of Gunma's mainstream works. This series follows Raijin-Oh, a heroic robot warrior who works to protect Earth from the nefarious Evil Empire. Notably, Matchless Raijin-Oh is reminiscent of the anime series by introducing a young pilot controlling the main star. In “Gundam Wing,” five “Gundam” pilots also join forces to defend Earth from the invasion of the Space Colonies.
In his final years of elementary school, Uryu watched Gundam Wing for the first time and found himself stunned by the emotional weight of some of the episodes. “I was in elementary school at the time so I didn't understand everything but it still had a strong impact on me. There was an episode where the father of one of the main characters… passed away, I was so shocked. I was lying in bed all day (laughs). I think this is the first time I was so moved by a piece of entertainment, not just an anime, that I was moved by it,” Uryu said. After watching the final episodes of the series on TV, Uryu rented it on video and watched it all at once. “…I was shocked by developments I had never encountered before, such as characters who were allies becoming enemies midway through the story, and I was hooked.”
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The inclusion of strong female characters in Gundunda Wing is a refreshing change in Anime
In addition to the story, Uryu was also impressed by the inclusion of “strong, independent” female characters in the Wing anime – something she had long found lacking in anime. “…in my middle school years of elementary school, I sent my first fan letter to Yoshihiro Togashi, who was serializing Yu Yu Hakusho. The content is a plea, “I want stronger girls to appear.” I don't think it was because of that, but I remember being very emotional when Mukuro appeared afterward.” She continues to consider Lady Une one of her favorite characters. In Gundam Wing, Une serves as a dedicated assistant to the series' main antagonist, Trieze Khushrenada.
After completing the anime, Uryu began looking for anime fans with whom she could share her new passion. “In particular, I interacted with fans of the series. Until then, I just talked to my classmates and had fun, but I wasn't satisfied with that anymore. There was no internet at that time, so I found anime pen pals.” magazine and corresponded with them, we were all different ages and lived in different places, but I made a lot of friends who were connected by a love of the same series The story and I felt like my world expanded at the same time,” Uryu explains. . At the end of the interview, she expressed her appreciation for Gundden Wing and how it allowed her to embrace otaku culture openly. “I'm grateful for that [Gundam Wing] allows me to experience a deep sense of passion in a work…thanks to it, I feel like I can move forward on the otaku path without feeling afraid.”
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Gundunda Wing is currently one of the highest-grossing anime franchises in history
As of April 2024, Mobile Suit is the fourth highest-grossing anime franchise of all time, having amassed over $26 billion in combined toy and media sales. GTA's continued popularity is further bolstered by recent hit films such as Mobile Suit Gun: The Witch from Mercury (2022) and Mobile Suit Gun: SEED Freedom (2024). Currently, GTA is preparing to release a major live-action movie as well as an upcoming anime series called “Gundam: Requiem for Vengeance”. The second work is expected to premiere on Netflix later this year.
Mobile Suit Wing
A giant robot pilot fleet of a besieged Earth colony brings war to their oppressive home planet.
Release date March 6, 2000
Cast Hikaru Midorikawa, Toshihiko Seki, Ryozo Ishino, Akio Otsuka, David Kaye
Seasons 1
Creator Koichi Tokita
Source: Febri