If you’ve read this blog pretty much anytime in the last 5 years, you’re aware of my deep and abiding love for classic anime, especially of the mecha genre.
And if you’ve followed my writing – or anime in general – these years, you may have noted that the industry took an aesthetic wrong turn sometime in the late 1990s. The wholesale move from hand-drawn cels to digipaint left the art form’s once-renowned settings flat and pastel and its formerly lively characters buried under dead-eyed overdesign.
The subsequent surge in slice-of-life, moé bait series seemed to signal that Japanese animation had entered the same terminal decline as everything else. The industry where, as late as the early 90s, you could get funding from yuppie investors or the mob to make a blood ‘n’ guts existentialist OAV unlike anything seen before or since had succumbed to the corporate-safe ethos of churning out twee lilac goo. About the only sci fi you got were thinly veiled clones of blockbuster series from previous decades.
Bleach, the last shonen anime to hold my interest, fell prey to the filler spiral.
The situation looked grim.
I checked out.
Then, while the world still groaned under the plague crackdown, I caught wind of stirrings in mecha circles – buzz of a kind I hadn’t heard since my misspent college days.
Though skeptical, I finally looked into the source of the hype.
It is my unexpected privilege to inform you that anime has been given another lease on life.
And that chance at salvation comes from one of the venerable IPs that first established anime as a cultural force.
The august franchise is Mobile Suit Gundam. And the 11th hour breakthrough is the 2021 feature film version of Hathaway’s Flash.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway takes viewers on an exhilarating adventure in the legendary Gundam universe. Directed by Shukou Murase and based on the “Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash” novel series by Yoshiyuki Tomino, the film delivers a gripping story with well-drawn characters, stunning animation, and intense mecha battles.
And here’s the twist: This isn’t the usual mil-SF with big robots. It’s a tight espionage thriller with giant robot battles added for emphasis.
The plot of the film follows Hathaway Noa, a young man who has taken up the mantle of Mafty Navue Erin, enigmatic leader of an elusive terrorist organization. And the film doesn’t shy away from exploring the motivations for and consequences of terrorism. I’ll go ahead and say it, the opening sequence beats The Dark Night Rises for in-flight hijacking action, setting a new high bar.
But the crowning glory of this film is its exceptional animation. The attention to detail in the animation, from the character expressions to the futuristic cityscapes, restores the kind of depth that used to be a defining feature of anime. It’s Gundam: Hathaway’s flawless integration of lush, hyper-detailed backgrounds with silky smooth digital animation which, in my opinion, has at last broken through the dead end into which the form devolved after 1998.
When you’re a studio that made its bones on giant robot battles, and you turn out an animated film in which the mecha combat is the least interesting element, you’re redefined the state of the art.
It helps that the characters in Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway are well-developed, with main protagonist Hathaway Noa going through a significant character arc. Last seen committing war crimes in a rush of adolescent hormones, Hathaway reemerges here as a secret agent seeking to atone for his sins – and those committed by the government of which his father is a prominent officer. The film delves into his motivations, dilemmas, and inner conflicts, allowing the audience to connect with his struggle on a personal level. Even if we may not agree with it.
And the soundtrack, composed by Hiroyuki Sawano, complements the films intense and emotional moments perfectly. The music adds tension at the right moments like well-chosen punctuation.
On the subject of timing, he film’s pacing is well-balanced, interspersing moments of intense action with quieter, character-driven scenes that allow for reflection and dramatic development. The tight but unrushed dialogue conveys meaning and advances the overall narrative, providing insights into the characters’ often hidden motives and the world they inhabit.
An understated and underrated character is that of Federation Colonel Kenneth Sleg. Thrust into conflict with Mafty while en route to his new command, Sleg plays the laid-back, underachieving officer content to wait out the clock on his career. But his true nature gradually emerges as the movie’s escalating events reveal a shrewd, highly capable, and well-informed adversary for Hathaway.
Fans of Combat Frame XSeed may be forgiven for likening Sleg to a certain customs official who finds himself in similar circumstances in one of my best-loved novels.
Self-references aside, Gundam Hathaway’s political themes, including the struggle for power and the consequences of unchecked authority, follow the finest UC Gundam tradition. They raise questions about the ethics of warfare, terrorism, and how ideology can blur the line between right and wrong, providing ample food for thought.
Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway also pays homage to its predecessors in the Gundam series, which can be a treat for long-time fans. It revisits and expands upon themes and concepts from earlier installments, building on plot threads left dangling since the series’ other blockbuster Char’s Counterattack.
Which might be why Hathaway topped Char and the third original Gundam film to become the franchises’ biggest box office hit. That’s such a clear sign of what audiences want, it’s a shame that the studio is keeping us waiting until 2024 for the sequel.
The overwhelmingly positive response to Gundam Hathaway provides another data point in a trend we’ve seen on the music front. Just as name acts in the record industry are now releasing songs originally written in the 80s, to commercial and critical success, the Hathaway films are based on a novel series first published in 1989. It may be that turning back is indeed the only way forward.
To sum up, Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway is a well-crafted anime film that offers a rich viewing experience for Gundam enthusiasts and newcomers alike. It balances taut action, compelling characters, and a thought-provoking narrative – all set within a beautifully rendered world.
If you appreciate intricate storytelling, stunning animation, and complex characters, Gundam Hathaway is a must-see.
And if you enjoy detailed stories grounded in the deep lore of an acclaimed series, make sure to back the campaign for my upcoming dark adventure novel. Think Michael Moorcock novelizing Berserk, minus the nihilism, and you’ve got the picture.
Get The Burned Book early, choose from a wealth of enchanting perks, and secure the Live Author Reading stretch goal.
There has been a sort of sea change in the East recently. It seems that due to things such as the ONA boom, projects that never would have the go-ahead like Spriggan and Pluto, are able to get a focus and budget you wouldn’t see elsewhere. They’re even clever enough to use 2D animation over the CG to blend it in a lot easier, too.
At the same time, Gundam has had a one-two punch of success with this and the re-adaption of Doan’s Island from the original series. Even bringing back Yoshikazu Yasuhiko to direct his first film since Venus Wars (way back in 1989!) really shows how committed they are.
Personally, I’m still hoping for one last Votoms project to finally give Chirico the sendoff he deserves.
The ONA boom is a phenomenon I’m not familiar with. Do tell me more.
ONA means original net animation. They are projects like the old OVAs once were, except they go straight to streaming. One of the most popular was the Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime, which was a project that probably would not have been made if TV was the only option, ended up being the biggest anime of the year it released. ONAs are where the more interesting projects will most likely show up in the near future.
Thanks for explaining.