Mailbag 32: Directing School Edition

Posted October 27, 2006

Hey, have you ever wanted to be an anime director? Come to me, and I'll get you the job of your dreams!

Ramon asks:
1. Does Bandai have plans to make a series of Gundam Wing compilation movies?

2. What exactly does an anime director do?

3. Can you also get me a job as an anime director?

Chris responds:
1. No. While Gundam Wing is still popular in America, it's been more than 11 years since it aired in Japan, and it's popularity has decreased since then. Don't hold your breath waiting for any such compilation.

2. Not being an anime director myself, I wouldn't be able to tell you what exactly the job entails.

3. Wow, really? You know, if I could get you a job as an anime director, do you think I would be running this website?


Destroy Gundam asks:
1. Why isn't the Stiletto being used more often in Gundam SEED DESTINY?

2. Why doesn't the Girty Lue cloak during its escape attempt?

3. Were the Destroy Gundams manufactured at or near the same time, or at later dates?

4. What is the "harmonization ratio" that is spoken about when referring to the Destroy's pilot?

5. Was there ever a GAT-03?

Chris responds:
1. Maybe because most Earth Alliance pilots are portrayed as incompetent fools, so they don't have enough time to pull out cool weapons before they die.

2. If the Girty Lue cloaked to escape, it would be rather undramatic and make things difficult for the Minerva to chase them. Of course, it's also possible that they WANTED to be chased so that they could either capture the Impulse Gundam, or destroy it and the Minerva.

3. Given that not too much time seems to pass between the Battle of Berlin and Heavens Gate, I would guess that at least the first six units were built at the same time. No clue about the ones seen on the Moon.

4. Probably some measure of the pilot's brain waves and their ability to effectively interface with the suit's system and use it to its full potential. Typical mecha show technobabble.

5. There may have been one on the drawing board, or maybe something was scrapped. But just because the Windam is GAT-04, it doesn't necessarily mean it was preceded by GAT-03.


solid snake asks:
Where exactly is Jaburo? I know it's in Brazil, but has an exact latitude and longitude been given for its location?

Chris responds:
No, not as far as I know. Given the constantly shifting maps for the original series, it's anybody's guess where Jaburo is located exactly.

sohma lentz asks:
1. Will there a game for Gundam SEED DESTINY like Gundam SEED (Gundam SEED: Never-ending Tomorrow)?

2. Why are there so many side stories (e.g. ASTRAY R, DELTA ASTRAY, etc)? It feels like it's pointless since they sometimes don't have anything to do with the original story and the mechas are too weird. Does Bandai even care about too much side stories?

Chris responds:
1. There's already a game, Mobile Suit Gundam SEED DESTINY: Alliance VS ZAFT II for Japanese arcade and PS2. No U.S. release has been announced for the PS2 game, so you may have to import it if you really want it.

2. I don't mean to sound insulting, but have you actually read any of the ASTRAY series, or are you complaining just for the sake of complaining? Every ASTRAY series ties in to either SEED or DESTINY, but they also tell their own stories. If they followed the exact stories of the anime series, then they'd be pointless. Also, given that many of the mecha that appear in ASTRAY are variations from the anime designs, I don't see how they're weird.


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