Gundam is the definitive Japanese mecha series. Many people consider it the "Star Trek of Japan" because of several striking similarities. The first series in each franchice suffered poor ratings in their initial runs, only to enjoy massive success in reruns. Both were resurrected as feature films, and both enjoyed continued success with many spinoff series. In the case of Gundam, this success has created 9 TV series, 4 OAV series, and 3 movies to date. Until 1998, all of the Gundam series were only available in fansubs. When Bandai Entertainment opened in the U.S., some of the first things it released included the Gundam movie trilogy, Gundam 0080, and Gundam 0083. The franchise was rather low key here until Cartoon Network broadcast Gundam W in 2000 and it became a runaway success.
More Gundam arrived in the U.S. with the original series, The 08th M.S. Team and Gundam 0080 airing in 2001. Gundam 0083 also aired on TV in 2002, and the movie G-Saviour was released on DVD. The next wave of Gundam includes the movie Char's Counterattack and the TV series G Gundam. Bandai has recently confirmed that Z Gundam is in production for a U.S. release. As for what's new in Japan, a new series entitled Gundam SEED will begin airing soon, and more details are available below. |
