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Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative
2018 Japanese film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative (Japanese: 機動戦士ガンダムNT (ナラティブ), Hepburn: Kidō Senshi Gandamu NT (Naratibu)) is a Japanese animated mecha science fiction film produced by Sunrise and distributed by Shochiku. Released as part of the Gundam franchise, it is based on the 11th Gundam Unicorn novel, Phoenix Hunting.[3] It was directed by Toshikazu Yoshizawa (Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt) and written by Harutoshi Fukui, with character designs by Kumiko Takahashi, Sejoon Kim, Hajime Katoki, and Eiji Komatsu.[4] The film was released in Japanese theaters on November 30, 2018.[5]
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Story
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In UC 0096, the conflict dubbed the "Laplace Incident" ended with the dissolution of the Neo Zeon remnant group "Sleeves". Both the Unicorn Gundam and the Banshee were supposedly dismantled.[6] With the original draft of the Universal Century Charter revealed, the existence of Newtypes and their promised rights have become known to the public.[7] One year later, in UC 0097, the world is largely unchanged despite these revelations.[8] The reappearance of the RX-0 Gundam unit 3 Phenex, "brother" to the Unicorn and Banshee, two years after it disappeared, triggers the Federation to launch Operation "Phoenix Hunt" to capture the mobile suit.[9][10] Minister Monaghan Bakharo of the Republic of Zeon secretly directs a Zeon unit to the same objective through his operative Ellic Hugo.[11] Mineva Lao Zabi, the figurehead "princess" of Zeon, calls out Monaghan's ambitions, though she cannot directly intervene.[12]
The powerful corporation Luio & Co. assigns Michele Luio and pilot Jona Basta along with the RX-9 Narrative Gundam to assist the Federation.[13] Michele and Jona's childhood friend, Rita Bernal, is believed to be in control of the Phenex. Rita, Michele, and Jona were declared the "Miracle Children" after predicting the colony drop from Zeon's "Operation British" at the opening of the One Year War, saving many lives.[14] Michele and Jona know that only Rita displayed true Newtype precognition.[15] The Federation and Zeon teams detect the Phenex within a college colony at Side 6. The two sides race to the scene, though the Phenex is nowhere to be found. Piloting a Sinanju Stein, Zeon pilot Zoltan Akkanen, a failed product of the project that created Full Frontal, attacks Jona and the Narrative Gundam and inflicts serious damage to the colony. Zoltan summons the II Neo Zeong mobile armor to help him destroy Jona, and the massive armor breaches the hull of colony. The conflict ends after the Phenex finally appears and disrupts the encounter before escaping.[16][17]
In the aftermath of the disastrous events within the colony, Minister Monaghan instructs Ellic to flee her ship as he intends to blame the event on rogue Sleeves remnants and have the Federation destroy the rest of the force. Zoltan overhears the communication and murders Ellic. He suffers a psychotic break and launches in the II Neo Zeong with no greater intent than mass destruction.[18] Michele reveals she orchestrated the encounter in the colony in order to draw out the Phenex. As teenagers, she, Rita, and Jona became victims of the vicious Cyber Newtype experiments by the Titans. Michele had arranged for her own adoption by Luio & Co. after tricking Jona into helping her sacrifice Rita to extreme experimentation, intending to free Rita with Luio & Co. resources. However, after the dissolution of the Titans, the Federation continued to use Rita as the test pilot of the Phenex, eventually leading to her disappearance when the Phenex went berserk during a test. She believes she will be absolved of her guilt over Rita when she unlocks the key to immortality within the Phenex—the ability of a psycho-frame to absorb the soul of a dying person, as has happened with the Phenex and Rita, who died after escaping with the Phenex.[19]
The Federation fears Zoltan’s assault will cause a rain of debris on Earth even more devastating than Operation British. Jona, Michele, and the Federation forces sortie to defeat Zoltan, joined by the Phenex. The II Neo Zeong proves too powerful and is on the verge of defeating the combined forces. Michele sacrifices herself to protect Jona's heavily damaged Narrative Gundam. Banagher Links arrives in the ARX-014S Silver Bullet Suppressor, intervening to allow Jona to enter the Phenex' empty cockpit.[20] The united souls of Jona, Rita, and Michele drive the Phenex's psycho-frame to contain the destructive power of the II Neo Zeong's own psycho-frame, killing Zoltan and saving the Earth. Jona is released from the Phenex before it speeds away at incredible speed, and is rescued by Banagher, who encourages Jona that the story is not over yet. The RX-0 Unicorn Gundam, believed to have been dismantled, is shown to be sealed away by Mineva and Banagher, in case it needs to be called on again.[21]
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Voice cast
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Production and promotion
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The film project was first teased by Sunrise after they registered the domain name "gundam-nt.net" on April 5, 2018.[27] It was formally announced during an official live stream at Gundam Base Tokyo on April 20, 2018, which revealed the teaser trailer for the film as well as the characters. Included in the announcement were the titular mobile suit, the Narrative Gundam, alongside redesigned versions of the Sinanju Stein and the Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex.[28] The film is the first in Sunrise's "UC NexT 0100" project, which will cover the events of the next 100 years in the Universal Century timeline.[29] Aside from the film, two additional Gundam projects were also revealed by Sunrise: a film trilogy adaptation of Yoshiyuki Tomino's Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash novels and an overseas live-action sequel to Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn. Fukui jokingly told the audience to "pretend you didn't see that".[30]
On August 15, the film's theatrical poster was revealed alongside the new cast and voice actors for the upcoming film. The initial date of release in theaters was also revealed.[31] Upon the release of the theatrical poster, netizens in Twitter created parody pictures due to the bizarre poses of the main characters in the poster,[32] based on the 16th century sculpture The Rape of the Sabine Women.[33] In a cross-promotion with Gen Urobuchi's film Godzilla: The Planet Eater, a special theatrical poster was unveiled alongside merchandise and advanced pre-orders of tickets for both films,[34][35][36] and a special trailer for the crossover was later aired.[37] Sunrise later aired the final film trailer on November 29, 2018.[38]
Following the announcement, staff interviews outlined the project’s creative brief and how it was shaped from earlier Unicorn material. Screenwriter Harutoshi Fukui explained that Narrative grew out of the short story concept surrounding the Phenex and was expanded to serve the “UC NexT 0100” initiative; to avoid the film becoming a mere sequel cameo reel, the script was structured around three childhood friends, Jona, Michele, and Rita, so the drama would hinge on new leads rather than returning heroes. He also said the film set out to answer anew “what a Newtype is” in the post-Unicorn era and to give a more grounded, human vantage point on psycho-frame phenomena.[39][40]
Director Shunichi Yoshizawa described visual and tonal choices made to keep the film closer to the texture of Char’s Counterattack: portraying the psycho-frame’s light as something “angry” and uncanny rather than merely spectacular; framing the II Neo Zeong as a “fearful presence” instead of a triumphant final boss; and treating the Phenex itself as a “living being” whose movements and staging suggest will and mystery rather than simple speed. He also discussed balancing 2D and CG to preserve weight and readability in mobile-suit action.[41]
A joint director-writer interview further notes that supervisor Kazuhiro Furuhashi (chief director on Unicorn) helped maintain continuity of tone and world-building, while the team deliberately limited overt power inflation from psycho-frame tech to keep stakes character-centric.[42]
On the promotional side, Sunrise emphasized production commentary and design process in official features, collecting interviews with producer Naohiro Ogata and mechanical staff, and rolled out long trailers and event tie-ins ahead of the November 30, 2018 opening, including cross-promotion visuals with Toho’s Godzilla: The Planet Eater.[43][44][45]
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Media
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Film
The film premiered in theaters across Japan on November 30, 2018. Odex announced they will distribute the film in theaters across Southeast Asia, with screening dates being announced at a later date.[46] An English dub is also announced to be in the works, with NYAV Post producing it and Oscar Garcia set to be the ADR Director of the dub.[47][48] The film was released in theaters on the United States on February 19, 2019 for one night only.[49] The film's ending theme song is titled "Narrative" by Hiroyuki Sawano and LiSA. The film was licensed for release by Anime Limited in the U.K. for the 30 of November 2020.[50]
The film premiered in theaters across Japan on November 30, 2018. Odex announced they would distribute the film in theaters across Southeast Asia, with screening dates to follow.[51] An English dub was also announced, with NYAV Post producing and Oscar Garcia as ADR director; the U.S. theatrical run was handled by Fathom Events for a one-night screening on February 19, 2019.[52][53]
In Japan, the film’s home-video release began on May 24, 2019 with multiple editions from Bandai Namco Arts/Bandai Visual: a Limited Edition Blu-ray (BCXA-1437) with a storage box, 24-page booklet, storyboard book, audio commentary, and promo videos. The releases included Japanese and English subtitle options, and select editions listed English audio among the specs; digital distribution also launched the same day.[54][55][56]
For North America, a Blu-ray edition was later sold via Sunrise/Right Stuf’s retail channel (now Crunchyroll Store).[57] In the U.K., the film was licensed by Anime Limited and released as a Blu-ray Collector’s Edition on November 30, 2020.[58] The theme song “narrative” by SawanoHiroyuki[nZk]:LiSA was released as the unit’s 7th single on November 28, 2018 in multiple editions through SACRA MUSIC, coinciding with the film’s theatrical run.[59][60]
Merchandise
Part of the film’s merchandise was released under Bandai’s long-running Gunpla line, with High Grade Universal Century (HGUC) model kits of the Narrative Gundam, Sinanju Stein, and the Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex announced for fall 2018.[61]
More recently, Bandai Spirits announced in April 2024 the release of the MG 1/100 Narrative Gundam C-Packs Ver.Ka, part of the Master Grade Ver.Ka line supervised by Hajime Katoki. The kit incorporates detailed psycho-frame parts using both clear and gray plastic, a transforming core fighter gimmick, and accessories such as the C-Packs beam rifle and two figures of Jona Basta.[62]
Additionally, a Premium Bandai-exclusive MG 1/100 Narrative Gundam B-Packs Ver.Ka was announced for release in November 2024 (with a second batch in May 2025), offering the full B-Packs loadout from the film and emphasizing additional psycho-frame and remote weapon components.[63]
Video games
In Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. 2 (arcade, 2018), the RX-9 Narrative Gundam (both B-Packs and C-Packs versions) is a playable unit and is later complemented by the Sinanju Stein (Narrative version).[64]
In the 2021 update Mobile Suit Gundam: Extreme Vs. 2 XBoost, the RX-0 Unicorn Gundam 03 Phenex is introduced as a playable unit, featuring unique finishing animations with its psycho-frame aura.[65]
Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative is also included as one of the playable series in the crossover tactical game Super Robot Wars 30, marking its debut in the long-running franchise compilation.[66]
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Reception
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Kim Morrissy of Anime News Network graded the film a "B", praising its high-concept continuation of Gundam Unicorn, particularly the ambitious attempt to grapple with the metaphysics of Newtypes and the scale of its set pieces, while criticizing sparse characterization and occasionally stiff character animation. Morrissy concluded that the film "will likely resonate most with viewers already invested in Unicorn," even as it offers "striking audiovisual moments" and a strong musical identity from composer Hiroyuki Sawano.[67] Disc-focused coverage was similar: Blu-ray.com highlighted the feature’s dynamic action, powerful sound mix, and overall technical presentation on home video, while noting that its storytelling assumes familiarity with prior Universal Century entries and leans heavily on franchise lore for emotional payoff.[68]
In Japan, contemporary commentary framed Narrative as a deliberately compact, ideas-forward "bridge work" between Unicorn and subsequent Universal Century projects, with mainstream entertainment press emphasizing its portrayal of Newtypes less as mythic miracles than as phenomena with social and political consequences. For example, coverage tied to the film’s rollout and follow-on releases underscored how the drama pivots on conflicting interpretations of Newtype capability, and how that theme shapes not only the antagonism around Zoltan Akkanen but also the film’s quieter character beats.[69]
At the box office, Mobile Suit Gundam Narrative grossed US$4.6 million in Japan and US$6.0 million worldwide (including the film’s limited North American event screening and runs in China and Southeast Asia), a modest performance compared to Unicorn-related releases but typical for a late-year, limited-footprint animated feature.[70]
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References
External links
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