Well, this sounds a lot more “meta” than I’d expect from Gundam. So, since the 30 anniversary of the original figure set (Gunpla, as the cool kids call it) is coming up soon, Bandai and Sunrise have got a number of things in the pipe to celebrate that. The most significant of these, according to ANN, is a three-part anime that’s actually about a kid, from the real world, who’s Gunpla fan. He’s even got a wise older mentor who instructs him in the secrets of building Gunpla. Seriously. I suppose getting to do something so self-referential is the real measure of a series’ success and longevity. This is like Gundam’s equivalent of that FANBOYS movie.
Anyway, the series is titled MOKEI SENSHI GUNPLA BUILDERS BEGINNING G. The first part, appropriately titled “A” hits first at the Gundam Super Expo Event, then it’ll broadcast on Japanese TV in the summer. The other two parts, “B” & “C” will follow, accordingly. Starting in August, there’s also going to be a manga series running concurrently in Kerekero Ace magazine. I’m a little dubious over how many stories they can tell that aren’t actually about Gundam, but about kids playing with Gundam figures, but my impressions exist only to be confounded on a daily basis.
What do you think of this, oh Gunpla-building Anime Vice community? Are you exciting to see this meta-fictional take on mecha? Or do you think they’re really reaching too far with this premise?
-- Tom Pinchuk is the writer of UNIMAGINABLE for Arcana Studios and HYBRID BASTARDS! for Archaia. Pre-order the HYBRID BASTARDS! hardcover now on Amazon.com.
