Netflix announced it will stream the hugely influential original trilogy ofMobile Suit Gundam,plus its sequel,Gundam: Char’s Counterattackfor the first time in the U.S. starting this week.
During its Geeked Week event, Netflix also announced that it will premiere the latestGundammovie,Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway,which serves as a sequel toChar’s Counterattack. But before audiences see the latest story in the mecha anime saga, they’ll want to catch up on the four-film story of Amuro Ray and Char Aznable when it drops on the streaming platform.
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There are few anime shows as influential asMobile Suit Gundam. The show, created byYoshiyuki Tominoand Sunrise Studio defined the “real robot” genre of mecha anime by featuring giant robots in a grounded and militaristic setting that dealt with anti-war themes that resonated with audiences. While the show bombed when it first aired on TV, it was this condensed movie trilogy that catapulted the franchise to become one of the most popular and recognizable anime franchises in history, becoming synonymous with mecha and sort of theStar Warsof Japan.
Despite its huge popularity and influence in American media, the originalGundamshow was never available to stream legally in the U.S., while Funimation started streaming the original series last year, the compilation trilogy of films, often regarded as the best introduction to the franchise, has not been available until now, when Netflix will finally make it available for a wide audience.
The originalGundamfilms tell the story of Amuro Ray, a teenager who tries to stay neutral in the middle of a massive war between the Earth Federation and the Principality of Zeon. Amuro Ray becomes the last hope of the Federation when he starts piloting the prototype Mobile Suit Gundam, a terrifying new weapon that will change war forever.
TheMobile Suit Gundamtrilogy will stream on Netflix starting June 18.
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