Inside Stories to Their State of Mind! The “SunFes 2017: Shouun” Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Screening Report

▲ From left to right is Mr. Hatanaka as the Sunrise MC, Director Mr. Seiji Mizushima, and character designer Ms. Yun Koga

The screening of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 at “Sunrise Festival 2017: Shouun,” an event that holds screenings of titles from Sunrise and Bandai Namco Pictures, was held on September 3^rd (Sun) at TOHO Cinemas Shinjuku.

Episode 22 “Trans-Am” to episode 25 “Setsuna” were screened at the event for a total of four episodes. Additionally, Director Mr. Seiji Mizushima and character designer Ms. Yun Koga appeared on stage as guests and revealed inside stories during the production of the series.

Without further ado, let’s quickly go into the event report.

▲ Mobile Suit Gundam 00 Gunpla, clear files, and more were being sold!

▲ An autographed panel and a poster of the first season decorated the lobby!

First, as it will soon be 10 years since the start of the TV series’ broadcast, they were asked about their state of mind looking back on the past 10 years. The director commented, “I’ve always been doing work related to the series, so, honestly, it doesn’t really feel like 10 years has passed. As for Gundam, something is in motion and whenever there is something, 00’s story will emerge from it. It is content that is unforgettable no matter how much time passes.” Ms. Koga also said, “Even when work had reached a stopping point, I had always been honored in accompanying the director in various aspects (of production), so it feels like it’s ongoing.” Both guests did not feel like time had passed. However, it is very rare for Ms. Koga to appear in talk shows, making it a fitting and memorable event in celebration of the series’ 10^th anniversary.

Next, when asked why it was decided that Mr. Michinori Chiba and Ms. Koga would do the character designs for 00, the director said, “I sent a request to Mr. Chiba asking if he would be in charge (of the character designs) as part of the top in production. It’s because I believed that Mr. Chiba is skilled as someone that can design for anime.” In addition to his reason as to why he appointed Mr. Chiba as character designer, Ms. Koga also related an anecdote on how she was chosen based on an audition. She revealed her state of mind at the time, “I thought I would definitely fail,” then, when she heard that she was chosen, “I had trembled so violently.”

Next, Ms. Koga talked about her troubles on being responsible for character designs, “Generally speaking, I was always painfully aware that I was inadequate. I was constantly distressed about whether I was able to put what the director and Mr. Chiba wanted into reality.”
The director said, “Various suggestions came from Ms. Koga that included the finest nuances and she had given us very thorough work.” He revealed that he thought of Ms. Koga as a “delicate person.”

Lastly, comments were made by each guest and the talk show came to an end.

Yun Koga (Character Design)
To be involved in a series that can be loved and enjoyed by everyone for such a long time, truly, thank you very much. This series is very important to me and has become (something like) a personal relationship. Should there be something that I can participate in in the future, I want to do it with all my ability, so I would like to ask for your continued support.

Seiji Mizushima (Director)
The Gundam series itself is long and, regardless of Gundam 00’s anniversary, I was told long ago that there are various small projects in motion. I truly feel that that is so.
As it’ll be the 10^th anniversary, there are various things that we are thinking we would like to give to everyone. Even myself, I always feel like I want to make a video or something like it once more. Please continue to support the series in the future. Thank you very much for today.

Additionally, it has also been decided that an all-night screening of Mobile Suit Gundam 00 will be held at “Anime Film Festival Tokyo 2017 (AFFT)” which is being held in celebration of the 100^th anniversary of anime. For more details, please read this article.

(Gundam Info Editorial Department)