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After War Gundam X Character Designer Disputes Series' Cancellation Status
posted on by Amanda Whalen
The After War Gundam X anime, which aired in 1996 and was unexpectedly cut 10 episodes short of its planned 49 episodes, is getting a Memorial Blu-ray Box, to be released in Japan on March 23, 2018. The series' staff tweeted about the announcement, including character designer Nobuyoshi Nishimura, where he disagrees with saying the series was "cancelled."
Nobuyoshi Nishimura wrote,
To be honest, I don't know if it should really be said that Gundam X was "cancelled." It's a fact that the broadcasting time was shortened, but we just redid the structure and animated it to the end in a bit of a hurry. 'Cancelled' means a series that didn't make it to the end. The broadcasting time for the first Gundam was shortened too, wasn't it?
Screenplay writer Hiroyuki Kawasaki replied to Nishimura's tweet, agreeing with him. He also added that he remembers various rapid exchanges with director Shinji Takayama about what kind of feel they wanted the ending to have.
Original manga artist Koichi Tokita also tweeted about the series.
ガンダムXブルーレイBOX 発売決定おめでとうです! …DVD-BOXから もう12年?早いなぁ〜(^_^;) 今回、その時の私のインタビュー(ーとナゾのMSイラスト)もデジタルアーカイブでまた見られると思うので どうぞよろしく☆ pic.twitter.com/dAX6NaAybV
— ときた洸一 (@kouichi_tokita) August 28, 2017
Koichi Tokita wrote,
Congratulations on the release announcement of the Gundam X Blu-ray Box! Has it already been 12 years since the DVD box? That was fast 〜(^_^;) . This time, you'll be able to see interviews with me from back then (plus some mystery illustrations) and the digital archive [from the DVD box] again.
The box is priced at 56,160 yen (about US$511) and is apparently planned to be released as a limited edition item, with copies only being produced for one year. The collection will include re-mastered versions of the 39 anime episodes, a 36-page video jacket art booklet, a 64-page special booklet, the opening and ending songs, a collection of the commercials for the plastic figures, the trailer for the first episode, a re-release of the 144-page digital archive booklet included in the DVD memorial box released in 2005, a collection of videos from the games that Gundam X appears in, a new audio commentary, and a special 4-page leaflet from the staff. The total run-time is 970 minutes.
The After War Gundam X Memorial Blu-ray Box can be pre-ordered on Amazon JP or the Bandai Visual Club website. Details are subject to change.
After War Gundam X was released on DVD in North America by Right Stuf in two collections, both released in 2016.
Source: Hiroyuki Kawasaki's Twitter page, Nobuyoshi Nishimura's Twitter page via Yaraon, official Gundam X webpage