The LaLaport Fukuoka shopping center in Japan will soon unveil its life-sized statue of the Nu Gundam (RX-93 ν Gundam) from Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack, and soon it will house even more giant robot fun.
The new Gundam Park attraction, according to Anime! Anime!, will consist of three Gundam-themed stores: Gundam Side-F Fukuoka, VS Park with G and a Namco amusement facility. Designed to look like the inside of a space colony, Gundam Side-F Fukuoka will be a shop that is dedicated to Gunpla construction and will host events that celebrate the popular line of plastic model kits. VS Park with G will be a sports entertainment center that will include several immersive games and other attractions for visitors to experience, and the Namco facility will feature arcade games and crane machines, where players can win limited-edition prizes and toys.
Created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and animation studio Sunrise, Gundam is a multimedia franchise that centers around the titular giant robots. The franchise's first anime series, Mobile Suit Gundam, premiered in April 1979 and originally aired until January 1980, producing 43 episodes. The story of the original series was set in during the Universal Century and details the war between the Earth Federation and the space-based Principality of Zeon, focusing on the adventures of Amuro Ray, the teenage pilot of the iconic RX-78-2 Gundam.
A new Gundam movie, titled Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan's Island, is set to debut in Japan this summer. It will adapt and expand the 15th episode from the original anime series. Currently, it is unclear if or when the film will receive an international or North American release.
Mobile Suit Gundam fans have more to be excited about than just the upcoming launch of Gundam Park and the premiere of the new movie. A live-action film is also in the works at Legendary Pictures. Jordan Vogt-Roberts (Kong: Skull Island) has signed on to direct the project and veteran comic book writer Brian K. Vaughan is attached to write the movie's script.
Gundam Park is scheduled to open in April, and many entries in the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise are available to stream on Hulu, Netflix, Crunchyroll and Funimation.
Source: Anime! Anime!, via Crunchyroll
