AnimeNYC 2018 Recap: Sunrise

Sunrise has been an solid name in the list of anime studios, and best known for a series of smash titles and of course, Gundam.

Instead of just representatives from the studio hosting the panel, were joined by a special guest: Naohiro Ogata, the producer of Gundam Thunderbolt and Unicorn, as well as smash hits like Inuyasha. Ogata was in charge of revealing most of the happenings and future plans of the Gundam franchise, while the main guests detailed most of Sunrise’s non-Gundam reveals.

They discussed key titles such as Cowboy Bebop and Double Decker, but most important were the upcoming releases. A title that was big when I was in high school, Code Geass, is getting a revival in the form of a sequel movie, Lelouch of the Resurrection. It’s set for a Japanese release date of February 9th, but the internet release date has not been finalized just yet. The movie trilogy is set to be launched soon.

Another fresh title hopping on the train of old classics getting a revival is City Hunter, which will be a new feature film. It will debut in Japanese theaters on February 8th, with a worldwide release planned. This will be the first City Hunter title out in 20 years, and it’s a welcoming sight.

It’s no surprise that the audience was most excited about Gundam. While there wasn’t much new information revealed, the panelists instead focused more on the direction that the franchise would be taking in the years to come. New titles are being rehashed; G Gundam will be getting a Blu-ray/DVD release on December 4th, and an English dub of Build Divers is in production with Bang Zoom.

While many Gundam series have been spinoffs in parallel universes, the franchises wish to return to the world of the Universal Century that first came to life in the original series. They plan for a new theatrical film every year or two years on a worldwide release so that fans of Gundam can be united everywhere. While the film will be the main attraction, games, and manga featuring the Universal Century will also be released at the same time. One select title that many are looking forward to is the new Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative, which is set for a theatrical release in Japan on November 30th. No plans have been finalized yet for a worldwide release, but that is a work in progress.

One of the features they highlighted was the Gundam statue in Tokyo that attracted many to see the life-sized model. While this was a massive success, with several different favorite mobile suits getting statues in both Japan and China, they haven’t come out of East Asia. Although the panelists made no promises, they mentioned that any North American based Gundam fans should write into Sunrise if they want to have a Gundam statue come to this hemisphere. After all, a large push of interest means that Sunrise will have to take note.

As a fun treat to the audience, the panel ended with a raffle to give away several different Gundam-themed goods, from sake cups to coasters. I happened to be a lucky winner myself and won a Gunpla signed by Ogata himself, the Build Fighters version of Riki’s 00 Suit. A fun way to end the evening!