Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt Details Revealed

[NormanicGrav]

Not long ago Sunrise have announced the next instalment in the Gundam franchise will focus on the anime adaptation of Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt, a seinen manga that covered a new set of characters during the One Year War featured in Mobile Suit Gundam 0079. Now GundamInfo, the official website for Gundam news, has revealed new details on the upcoming anime including episode counts and staff.

Thunderbolt will have four episodes total.

The first episode will be available digitally in Japan at Christmas Day 12pm (Christmas Eve in 10pm EDT time). In Japan folks can download the episode via Electronic Sell Through service which is the first time that a Gundam show has used this method. Fans interested in the series can also download the first 18 minute episode along with a bonus video "Ichinen Sensō ni Idonda Mono-tachi ~Documentary of Thunderbolt #1" (Those Who Challenged the One-Year War ~Documentary of Thunderbolt~ #1) for 500 Japanese Yen (about US$4). The documentary is listed as being approximately 10 minutes long. The series will also be available via rental video-on-demand with each episode cost 250 yen (US$2). GundamInfo has yet to reveal the details on whether this will receive localised treatment but for those who live in Japan Sunrise will also reveal the services that will sell/rent the anime at a later date, in addition those who have a subscription to the Gundam Fan Club app will be able to purchase the episode starting on December 11 at 12:00 p.m. in Japan.

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt Japanese cast includes:

Yūichi Nakamura as Io Fleming
Ryohei Kimura as Daryl Lorentz
Toa Yukinari as Claudia Palh
Sayaka Ohara as Kara Mitchum
Daisuke Hirakawa as Cornelius Caca
Shunsuke Sakuya as Graham
Mutsumi Sasaki as Burroughs
Hiroshi Tsuchida as J.J. Sexton

Character designs have also been revealed:

Io Fleming

Daryl Lorentz

Full Armor Gundam

Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt Japanese Staff:

Director: Kou Matsuo (Valvrave the Liberator director, Gundam UC, Gundam 00 storyboard)
Script: Kou Matsuo (Valvrave the Liberator director, Gundam UC, Gundam 00 storyboard)
Character Designer: Hirotoshi Takaya (Eyeshield 21, Kekkaishi, Yu-Gi-Oh! Zexal)
Animation Mechanical Designer: Morifumi Naka, Seiichi Nakatani & Hajime Katoki
Art Director: Goki Nakamura
Color Key: Takako Suzuki
CG Director: Tomohiro Fujie
Monitor Design:Takashi Aoki
Director of Photography: Kentarō Waki
Editing: Daisuke Imai
Music: Naruyoshi Kikuchi
Sound Director: Eriko Kimura
Sound Effects: Mutsuhiro Nishimura

Source: GundamInfo & ANN

 

[IncendiaryLemon]

I think I'd be interested in this. Gundam mostly puts me off due to the amount of shows you have to watch and the episode counts being generally pretty long but a four episode show that takes place at the same time as the first show sounds something I'd be into. The fact that it's based off of seinen sounds up my alley too.

 

[HdE]

I'm REALLY looking forward to this.

Wondering if we'll see another Origin style import deal via Anime Limited when the time comes.

 

[Gemsy-chan]

I was interested until it said digital. I hope it gets a physical release as that's how I like to collect my anime and especially Gundam.

 

[Buzz201]

I'd buy a digital release if it was DRM free and the price wasn't too outrageous. Especially if the CE import strategy is used.

 

[Professor Irony]

Based on my past experience with Gundam, I'm not ready to hang the flags out just yet, but I'm interested to see where they're going with this. The art looks certainly looks good based on the little they've shown, so I'm at least curious to see what the production values will be like.

 

[elaniel]

Hopefully we get a nice AL Blu-Ray set of this. I don't tend to purchase digital anime, as much prefer physical copies. (IE: Gundam origin)

 

[thedoctor2016]

Hmm each episode being only 18 mins worry me as it will be about 72 mins long theres 6 vols of the manga, so it wont cover that much i expect the whole 4 episodes will be in a BD set as its a ONA but probably will be released after its finished

 

[Buzz201]

The first episode is 18 mins, it doesn't give a length for the others, so maybe they'll do a double length finale or something?

Although 62 chapters in 4 episodes seems insane. Maybe they're only adapting part of it, as a test for a TV anime...