“I get to see old friends like you who I haven’t seen in probably 15 years, Gundam has brought everyone together and that means a lot to me”
What exactly is Gundam?
Mobile suit Gundam is a Japanese Anime series that originally aired in 1979 and has since spawned multiple series, movies, games, model kits and more. Something of a cultural phenomenon in Japan akin to the likes of Star Wars in the west it has been going strong for almost 50 years and shows no signs of stopping. The franchises latest entry, Gundam SEED Freedom was released theatrically in Japan in January of 2024.
I, like many in the UK, have been a fan of Gundam since the mid-90s when Gundam Wing aired on Cartoon Network’s Toonami block along with Dragonball Z . These two Anime series were massive pillars that solidified my enthusiasm for Japanese media and products after the initial Tokusatsu boom from the early 90s with Western adaptations of Super Sentai (Power Rangers) and Kamen Rider (Masked Rider) amongst others.
In my mid-teens I then discovered how many Gundam series there actually were and began my journey through them all, one of those series was Gundam SEED, a series that was unrelated to any that had come before it but still hit a lot of the same beats as the original series from 1979. I was actually lent a DVD of the series from my friend, that was definitely pirated and full of subtitles that were definitely not official but I made do back then as Gundam was not easy to view in the UK.
Fast forward to 2024 and I see that thankfully the fine folks over at All The Anime and BandaiNamcoUK have worked to bring Gundam Seed Freedom to Cinemas March 23rd – 24th and even put on an exclusive premiere In London at Genesis Cinema on Sunday March 17th. I was lucky enough to snag a ticket before they quickly sold out I thought I’d use this opportunity to share a few of my own thoughts and more importantly some fan interviews, so please keep reading!
The event was around 5 or 6 hours depending on what ticket you paid for and in a easy to reach location not far from Whitechapel station. When entering the funky but cosy Cinema I was greeted by a number of fans wearing various Gundam and Mecha Anime related clothing, already I knew I was among my people! Surprisingly I immediately saw a familiar face, an old friend I had lost contact with over 15 years prior who was actually one of the catalysts in getting me into the wider Gundam series.
It felt like a homecoming in a way, as a couple more familiar faces from my Cosplaying and convention days began to pop up it was as if Gundam had never really left us and we all picked up where he had left off.
After catching up we were ushered to a Gunpla pop up shop run by the great RivalsCorner, full of great model kits and even some hard-to-get exclusives from Japan. I had been an avid Gunpla builder in my mid-teens and early twenties but due to a lack of space and having a child I just sort of fell out with it, despite still having many stored away.
Seeing this shop rekindled a bit of that love I’d had for sitting down on a rainy afternoon and building a model kit. To a degree I get this now with my current role at LEGO, but it isn’t quite as nostalgic in the same way that Gunpla is for me. I was in luck however that there was a Gunpla Workshop being run but BandaiNamcoUK right down the hall which gave me the opportunity to really dust myself off and get back into building.
Needless to say it was as if it never left me, despite the kit provided being an entry level workshop specific item it was still a lot of fun and I was astounded at how easy it now was for people to get into the hobby with how simple to assemble the kit was. I even got to build it next to friends and chat to the great representatives from BandaiNamcoUK about what the series meant to me, it was fantastic to see them genuinely interested in what I and other fans had to say.
After some building and chatting among fans we were told to head to the screening room and I can honestly say I’ve never felt an energy quite like it, not only was it packed to capacity but there were gifts on every seat form BandaiNamcoUK including more Gunpla to guide me back into the hobby. After a great introduction from our hosts, we were off and from the first scene onward I was hooked.
I’ll of course not be spoiling the movie here but if you are a Gundam fan, specifically a Gundam SEED fan you really must see this film, preferably in the cinema. I can honestly call it one of the best entries into the wider franchise but perhaps I am a bit biased after such an amazing event. What I’d like to do now is share some of the thoughts of some fans I was privileged enough to be able to interview during the event and let you know that I’m thankfully not alone in all this!
Febri
Q. What does it mean to you that Gundam is available to view on the big screen like this event?
A. I watched this series when I was around 15 years old, it’s a big childhood memory for me so I was really excited when I discovered that this event would be on.
Q. So Is Gundam SEED the first series you’ve seen, you’re here specifically for Gundam SEED rather than the wider franchise?
A. Yes, I watched it in my home country of Indonesia when it was on television there, so I am here for SEED overall, I haven’t got much interest in the other series right now.
Q. What is it about SEED that you enjoy the most, what grabbed you attention when you were watching it at 15 years old?
A. When I was young I don’t think I understood the full story, I just saw the cool robots but when I rewatched it as an adult I realised it’s quite a complex story for a child, there are a lot of politics so I grew to appreciate this side of it too.
Q. It is said that Gundam SEED is quite popular with women would you agree with that?
A. Yes for sure, I believe it’s due to the characters how they interact and the love story element of the series.
Fred
Q. When did you get in to Gundam?
A. My Fathers friend used to lend my family VHS in Cantonese, a lot of which were Anime and one of which was Zeta Gundam, but it was just two random episodes so I didn’t understand quite what was going on, however I loved the mecha designs and as the internet was not really a thing back then I just enjoyed these VHS, until I saw Gundam Wing on TV, then I discovered SEED and the entire ongoing library, I’m happy it’s so accessible now though compared to when I was younger.
Q. Yes, with streaming services and also All The Anime releasing many of the series to own on Blu Ray in the UK it’s way easier than when we were younger.
A. Not only that but it’s also easy to find a community online and recommendations on where to begin or which timeline to follow, it couldn’t be easier to jump into the franchise!
Q. So what does it mean to you that you can see Gundam in the cinema in the UK?
A. It’s shocking to me, I never would have imagined 20 years ago that we would have a Gundam Movie in the cinema in the UK. There have been smaller events over the years but never did I think there would be nationwide releases and I think that really speaks to how popular Anime in general has become.
Q. So we’re surrounded by many Gundam fans at this event, I don’t think I’ve seen so many in one place but how does it make you feel to see the community come together like this?
A. It’s quite emotional honestly, we all watched this primarily when we were in our teens but we’ve all come back together for this movie, I get to see old friends like you who I haven’t seen in probably 15 years, Gundam has brought everyone together and that means a lot to me.
Julian
Q. How did you get in to Gundam?
A. I think it was because some of my friends were cosplaying characters from SEED way back, it piqued my interest for sure, but the first show I watched I believe was Gundam 00. I also began to get into the Gunpla side of things and bought a kit from Gundam 00, the Seravee Seraphim. After this it all spiraled and I began watching the other shows, starting from the original series.
Q. Is there a particular series that stands out to you and for what reason?
A. My personal favourite show will always be 0080: War in the pocket, it’s well contained, has some of my favourite characters in the franchise but also shout out to G Gundam which is so close to taking the top spot, it’s a great entry point for people who love things like Dragonball Z. I’d also recommend for people looking to get into the franchise to watch the Origin as the original timeline can be daunting.
Q. I think the whole series can be daunting in a sense, did you ever find it hard to keep up?
A. In a way, I finished Gundam Unicorn and I completely missed the series after that, I’ve only got back in to the franchise in the last few years and bringing myself up to speed.
Q. So how does it make you feel to see the franchise in the Cinema now?
A. It’s really nice, I saw the Origin in a cinema screen some time ago but to go from that which was a small viewing to a whole cinema there is a degree of payoff and vindication for fans of the franchise, to see a turn out like we are seeing today for something that maybe 10 years ago was considered much more niche is really heartwarming.
A few weeks ago my friends and I had a get together and turned it into a Gunpla building session, I had not built a kit in maybe 10 years but it was so nice to be around people who had a shared interest in Gundam and really showed how this community could be.
Bandai: Sam & Ciaran
Q. How has it felt to see a turnout like this to the event today?
C. Like Sam said in the intro before the movie began it’s just amazing to see Gundam and Gunpla grow and keep on growing within the UK, we’d love to be able to do more events like this if possible and service the fans where we can.
S. Yes it’s really humbling to see a nation of hobbiests to come across with that same enthusiasm for Japanese IP, it’s just a match made in heaven really.
Q. Yes there is a good amount of synergy there right?
C. Absolutely it’s so nice to see that out in full force today, seeing people come and build Gunpla in our workshop, which hopefully they all enjoyed
S. Yeah everything is getting better, the quality of products is getting better, the availability of products within the UK too. It’s growing and I don’t see it slowing down at all.
C. It’s always great to do an event like this and interact with fans, we’d again like to thank everyone for coming today and showing support.
***
I would only like to echo the thoughts shared by my interviewees and thank them for their time and their candid responses. I think this event first of all was a fantastic experience and one that really helped me get back into the mindset of why I enjoyed Gundam in the first place, to hear my fellow fans jumping for joy when a cool scene happened in the movie, to be on the same wavelength as everyone else and to just be able to be around people that understood something I held dear to me was unforgettable.
I truly believe this event is the start of something bigger within the UK and I am happy to see that no matter who you are, what age you are or what series piques your interest there is something out there for everyone in the wider Gundam world, long may it continue.
I’d like to take this time again to thank everybody involved in the event for organising it, for those kind enough to let me interview them and to you for reading, let me know what you thought and hopefully I’ll be able to take on more projects like this in the future.
Interviews With You 
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