∀ Gundam After the end of Victory Gundam in early 1994, Yoshiyuki Tomino took a five year hiatus from Gundam. In 1999, he returned to the Gundam franchise with the 50 episode series ∀ Gundam (read as Turn A Gundam) as part of Sunrise's "Gundam Big Bang" 20th Anniversary celebration. As to where this series falls in continuity wise, it is set neither in the Universal Century or any of the the previous alternate universes. Set in Correct Century (CC) 2345, this series tells the story of a war between space colonists calling themselves the Moonrace who wish to colonize Earth, and the Earth Militia forces, which use the ancient Turn A Gundam to retaliate. Turn A Gundam is a dramatic depature from the franchise in many ways. Instead of being set in an era of high technology, it is set in a future that has regressed to the early 20th century. Also, the unorthodox design of the title suit comes courtesy of American designer Syd Mead, best known for his work in the film Blade Runner. The series also features the musical talents of Yoko Kanno, who previously worked on Macross Plus, Cowboy Bebop and Tomino's own series Brain Power'd. The series finished its run in early 2000, and in 2002 Tomino directed two compilation films, entitled Earth Light and Moonlight Butterfly. Both the TV series and the movies are now available on DVD in Japan, but they are not available in the U.S.
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