It’s been 4 years for the reason that launch of Cellular Swimsuit Gundam: Hathaway, the primary in a deliberate trilogy adapting Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino’s trilogy of novels, Cellular Swimsuit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash. The movie’s extremely anticipated sequel, Cellular Swimsuit Gundam: Hathaway – The Sorcery of Nymph Circe, lastly has a trailer, together with an insert monitor that includes vocalists Yohei Kawakami and SennaRin. Shukou Murase, who additionally helmed Hathaway, is ready to direct.
The sequel is ready to proceed the saga of Hathaway Noa, who now leads the resistance in opposition to the tyrannical Earth Federation with renewed gusto. As he prepares to hold out an air raid on the Adelaide convention, he’s disarmed by the phrases of Gigi Andalusia, a passenger of the previously-hijacked Haunzen Flight 356. Whereas The Sorcery of Nymph Circe gears itself for a high-stakes arc additionally set within the Common Century (UC) timeline, it’s value retracing our steps again to Cellular Swimsuit Gundam: Hathaway, which digs deep into the political ramifications of mecha warfare.
[Ed. note: Major spoilers for Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway ahead.]
Being a newcomer to the enduring Gundam franchise might be daunting. Aside from enjoying catch-up to its sprawling legacy, continuity and canon complexities have birthed a number of timelines (together with the unique Common Century timeline, which the Hathaway trilogy adheres to). As a bulk of Gundam takes place within the UC continuity, it’s a good spot to start out, which can also be a part of the rationale why Cellular Swimsuit Gundam: Hathaway emerges as a stable entry level for newcomers.
However this 2021 sci-fi entry does greater than demystify the mythos surrounding its mechanical warriors. It units the muse for the franchise’s dystopian geopolitics, the place colonies are in fixed battle in a world overrun with systemic corruption.
Hathaway Noa’s true intentions are an enigma at first. He’s a chameleon who is consistently on the transfer, donning completely different identities to navigate the chaos that erupts throughout interstellar colonies. The hegemonic Earth Federation has a totalitarian maintain over folks’s proper to exist, which is met with violent retaliation by the dissident group, Mafty. Whether or not Hathaway has actually aligned himself with Mafty is the movie’s ethical thesis, as our disillusioned protagonist grapples with the heavy weight of defining a brand new future.
When Cellular Swimsuit Gundam: Hathaway isn’t busy dissecting character interiority, it banks upon the spectacle-heavy strengths of Gundam with bombastic cell swimsuit fights. A beautiful mix of hand-drawn animation and CG makes these sequences come alive, creating visceral pressure because the fight perspective shifts from the mechs to the hapless civilians. There aren’t any pretensions right here, because the aim isn’t to stage fights that look “cool.” As a substitute, each conflict feels horrifying, designed to spotlight the sickening nature of on a regular basis existence. As ramped up as these drawn-out sequences really feel, they by no means distract us from the corporeal issues at hand.
From a timeline perspective, Hathaway takes place after the occasions of the beloved Char’s Counterattack, the primary franchise theatrical launch and Gundam entry to make use of pc graphics for a shocking five-second shot. This was monumental in itself, however the 1998 movie additionally boasts a grounded aesthetic that seamlessly enhances its dynamic mecha designs. Hathaway enriches the legacy of its predecessor by making us root for characters who dwell in morally gray vignettes, the place the interaction between climactic fights and quiet confrontations emerges as one of many movie’s biggest strengths.
The Sorcery of Nymph Circe has the prospect to construct upon this meticulously fleshed-out world and supply a powerful return to kind. Cellular Swimsuit Gundam: Hathaway is the simplest franchise gateway, being a powerful tailored expertise for newcomers and Gundam fans alike. Irrespective of which path Hathaway Noa chooses to absorb the close to future, trauma will proceed to be the bedrock of Gundam, contaminating each identified timeline.
