Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino was awarded with 71st Kanagawa Cultural Award for his immense contribution in the field of anime and influence in Japan as well as overseas.

Four people won the award in 2022, and Tomino was selected in the field of art for his achievements in developing animation as a culture.

The presentation ceremony was held at Kanagawa Prefectural Hall on Thursday, November 3rd. During the presentation Tomino said, “Thank you to everyone in Yokohama for lending us the space at Yamashita Pier.“

Tomino further expressed gratitude for the establishment of “GUNDAM FACTORY YOKOHAMA”. It is a factory where a moving Gundam is placed.

Also, a celebratory performance by the Kanagawa Philharmonic Orchestra was also held, “MAIN TITLE” from “Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack” was played during the event.

The award is presented to significant citizens who do outstanding work in their field and are born in the Kanagawa prefecture.

Tomino was born on November 5, 1941 in Odawara in Kanagawa prefecture.

He created Gundam in 1979 and has since directed anime including Zeta Gundam, Gundam ZZ, Char’s Counterattack, Gundam F91, Victory Gundam, Turn A Gundam, Muteki Kōjin Daitarn 3, Space Runaway Ideon, Aura Battler Dunbine, and Gundam: Reconguista in G.

Gundam series recently released a movie called Mobile Suite Gundam: The Witch From Mercury in October 2022.

In addition to the teaser and the release date, the website also revealed the key staff working on Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury.

The following staff have been announced:

• Director: Hiroshi Kobayashi
• Series Composition/Script: Ichiro Okouchi
• Original Character Design: Mogumo
• Co-Director: Ryo Ando
• Character Designs: Marie Tagashira, Juri Toida, Horitoshi Takaya
• Art Director: Ayumi Sato
• Art Designers: Tomoaki Okada, Kenichi Morioka, Kazushige Kanehira, Junichiro Tamamori, Yasuyoshi Uetsu
• 3DCG Director: Shinichi Miyazake
• Mechanical Design: Jnthed, Kanetake Ebikawa, Wataru Inata, Ippei Gyobu, Kenji Teraoka, Takayuki Yanase
• Chief Mechanical Animators: Shinya Kusumegi, Kanta Suzuki, Seimei Maeda
• Mechanical Co-ordinator: Ryoji Sekinishi
• Technical Director: Yohei Miyahara
• Sound Director: Jin Aketagawa
• Music: Takashi Ohmama
• Setting Researcher: Seiichi Shirato
• Sci-Fi Researcher: Yuya Takashima
• Director of Photography: Shota Kodera
• Editor: Kengo Shigemura

The series is being animated at Bandai Namco Filmworks.

The designs for the main characters, their character setting and the mobile suits that will be appearing in the series were also released.

The official website describes the premise of Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch From Mercury as follows:

A.S. (Ad Stella) 122―

An era when a multitude of corporations have entered space and built a huge economic system.
A lone girl from the remote planet Mercury transfers to the Asticassia School of Technology,
run by the Beneritt Group which dominates the mobile suit industry.

Her name is Suletta Mercury.
With a scarlet light burning in her pure heart,
this girl walks step by step through a new world.

The foreword episode of the anime, titled “Prologue” will be screened in Japan on July 14, 2022 at the GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE -LINK THE UNIVERSE- event. The designs for the Mobile Suits featuring in the foreword too have been revealed.

“Prologue” will then be available for streaming at several “GUNDAM NEXT FUTURE” events that will be held at different parts of Japan.

Gundam is a mecha media franchise created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and Sunrise (now Bandai Namco Filmworks). The franchise features giant robots, or mecha, with the name “Gundam”. The franchise began on April 7, 1979, with Mobile Suit Gundam.

Since then, it has gone on to spawn an empire that includes 50 TV series, films and OVAs as well as manga, novels and video games, along with a whole industry of plastic model kits known as Gunpla which makes up 90 percent of the Japanese character plastic-model market.

Source: Gundam Official Website