The official announcement for Char’s Counterattack appeared in multiple September 1987 issues of anime magazines, though the extent of the coverage varied. This post covers Animedia and Newtype, which both included relatively short sections about the movie. However, Animage had a much more in depth coverage, and will be its own article.
Animedia 09/1987
GUNDAM THE MOVIE NEWS!
A new Gundam created by the Gundam generation!
The movie Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack will be released next spring and is set 14 years after the original Gundam. Let us tell you about the press conference held on July 8th, attended by director Yoshiyuki Tomino and the main staff.
Director Tomino was the first to express his thoughts by saying, “It’s frustrating that the rest of the staff, except for me, are from the generation that grew up watching the old Gundam!” After all, the old series was aired nine years ago. The fans, who were middle and high school students at the time, have now become proper members of society. In fact, the main staff members, Hiroyuki Kitazume, Hidetoshi Omori, and Yutaka Izubuchi* are members of the Gundam generation, who entered the anime world because of their admiration for Gundam. For that reason, they are very enthusiastic about this movie, talking about their aspirations while saying, “I feel the pressure, but I want to do my best” (Kitazume), “I want to create something that has never been done before” (Omori), and “I want to express the world of Gundam in my own way.” (Izubuchi).
Previously, Gundam had been made into movies, but they were pretty much just edited versions of the TV show, and it was long and consisted of three parts. However, this time the film is at most 2 hours long, and it’s an original story, not a digest. This seems to be the director’s biggest problem, and he even complains, “It’s difficult to make movies because you can really feel the difference from television!!” However, it’s said to be a story that finally settles things between Amuro and Char, so we’re definitely looking forward to it.
*Character design and animation director: Hiroyuki Kitazume, Mechanical animation director: Hidetoshi Omori, Mobile suit design: Hiroshi Izubuchi
[Below is each picture featured and its associated caption for ease of reading]
On a previous page, there’s an advertisement for a Sunrise calendar for the following year (1988) available to order through the magazine. It includes illustrations from Gundam, Dragonar, and Dirty Pair among others.
While I don’t own the calendar myself, I found an old auction listing for it (link here). Below is a photo of the cover with the Char’s Counterattack art.
Newtype 09/1987
Scoop!
Mobile Suit Gundam Char’s Counterattack
Humans should be able to innovate – 10 years after this theme from the first Gundam, the final showdown between Amuro Ray and Char Aznable will be held. Who will win or lose? And what will be the fate of humanity?! The latest information on the new Gundam!
Universal Century 0093. Char Aznable, who had been missing, finally rebuilds the Neo Zeon army and fights to purge humanity on Earth and the Earth Federation government, which continues to maintain a policy that favors Earth even now after humanity has established a safe haven in space.
The Earth Federation Forces fight back with the Londo Bell Corps led by Bright Noa. Amuro Ray, the Gundam pilot who once nearly fought to the death with Char, is also there.
Meanwhile, Adenauer Paraya, a high-ranking government official of the Earth Federation government, is concerned about the current situation and enters into peace negotiations with Char in order to end the war. The negotiations were ostensibly resolved by handing over the “Asteroid Axis” to the Neo Zeon forces. However, Char’s true intention was not peace, but a terrifying “meteorite drop” plan to drop Axis on Earth. If the meteorite were to be dropped, the Earth would turn into a frigid, dead planet. At that time, after completing the peace negotiations, Char coincidentally reunites with his old enemy Amuro. He runs away, and Amuro chases after him. Char is forced into a predicament, but it is unexpectedly Adenauer’s beloved daughter Quess who rescues Char. Quess’ sensitivity is so strong that she instantly chooses Char and joins Neo Zeon as a Newtype mobile suit pilot.
At last, Axis is dropped, and then in order to stop it from falling to Earth, Amuro deploys in the newly completed Nu Gundam. Char, his archenemy, stands in his way with all his might. Furthermore, Quess also participates in the battle and torments Amuro. Axis approaches the ground with every moment…
As the thoughts and feelings of the various people surrounding them intertwine, what could be called the fated final battle between them for the future of the Earth and humanity begins now!
This is the main story of the new Gundam, scheduled to be released next March. The title has also been decided as Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack. And more big news! Next spring’s “Yoshiyuki Tomino Gundam Fair” will be published by Kadokawa Bunko! In addition to the novelization of Char’s Counterattack, previously published novels such as Gundam and Ideon will be included in Kadokawa Bunko with new illustrations and new compositions. The poster drawn by Masanori Ohrai on the left page has also been completed. Expectations are only on the rise.
CHAR
Char Aznable, who rules Neo Zeon, wears a red military uniform and attacks Amuro with the new mobile suit “Sazabi”. Furthermore, his sister Sayla Mass will not appear this time, and only Astonage will appear among the “Z” and “ZZ” groups. The main characters from the TV series, such as Kamille and Judau, will not appear.
AMURO
The latest MS Nu Gundam that Amuro pilots in order to defeat Char. Nu is designated by the Greek letter μ (sic). The Federation Forces Londo Bell Corps is a kind of elite unit. Bright’s wife Mirai, son Hathaway, daughter Cheimin, and former love rival Cameron are also scheduled to appear.
On the opposite page is an illustration of Nu Gundam by Masanori Ohrai.
