U.C. 2010: The Return of Gundam

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2009 has been a good year, if not decade, for the Gundam franchise. In 2010, it will have been 10 years since Gundam was widely accepted outside Japan. In 2000, Gundam Wing aired on Toonami. That was during the good old days when DBZ ruled the network.

…While the story of Gundam Wing’s premiere in the US has been said time again, it’s time to think about the future. With Gundam 00 airing on SciFi Channel (or “SyFy” for some), it’s time for the franchise to get back on its feet in the North America. When G Gundam aired on Toonami in 2003, it was the last classic Gundam series to air. (Of course, there was Gundam SEED, which was really a shouting match, with Kira being the victor every time. But I digress.)

Anime News Network gave us a few tidbits about Bandai entering the online streaming market in 2010 with the Bandai Channel. It’s already available in Japan, but the company is looking to expand it to other markets, especially in Europe and Asia… (Yes, this includes the US!)

According to ITpro, Bandai Channel is working on a new video distribution system which allows for centralized content management. It plans to roll out the system in Japan in October, followed by America, Europe, and Asia at the beginning of next year.

Back in the Spring, Bandai said that they were interested in releasing just about every Gundam series known to existence (maybe, even the unreleased ZZ Gundam for Americans) in 10 languages. Putting two and two together, I hope it means that ZZ Gundam will eventually be licensed—although ZZ Gundam will probably do fine being stream due to it’s shortcomings (see Impression).

Along with the Bandai Channel, the next Gundam series, Unicorn, will not air in 2009. (Which makes sense as we’ve already had 00 in ‘08 and this year.) However, it will get a worldwide release on Blu-ray: Region Free* playback FTW! With the details at hand, Gundam Unicorn will be a 6 Episode, 50 Minute OVA series.

I think this is a smart move on Bandai’s behalf—as long as they release with English subtitles, or at least market it Stateside. (There’s also the thought of how Sony is ahead in the console war with their BD capable Playstation 3. ^o^ W)

All in all, I think 2010 will be the year Gundam will get noticed again by the mainstream media (maybe even return to TV if the time [and money] is right). When you think about it, Bandai has yet to re-release the original Mobile Suit Gundam series ala 00 or SEED on DVD (but they’ve re-released 0080 and 0083 this year). Well, this is their 30th Anniversary, after all…

*Blu-ray movies released in Japan can play on North American BD Players (as well as PS3 games). Although, there are still some limitations…