The 2020 Tokyo Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games announced on the 15th a plan to launch into space model robots from the anime "Mobile Suit Gundam" to broadcast messages of support for the games to Earth.
Robots from 'Gundam' series to greet 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic athletes from space
Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games announced plans Wednesday to launch robots from the "Mobile Suit Gundam" anime series into space aboard a satellite that will broadcast messages of support to athletes. In the project, conducted in collaboration with the Japan Aerospace ...
Tokyo mecha bar targets middle-aged fans of the anime genre as it reopens following remodeling work
Sipping booze while being surrounded by a small army of robot figures may not be a relaxing setting for ordinary bar-goers. But that's the sort of place where middle-aged fans of the mecha anime genre, which focuses on giant robots or machines controlled by people, ...
Toymakers in Japan are strengthening measures against counterfeit products being sold overseas, especially in China. The proportion of domestic toymakers' sales made overseas has been growing, due to the shrinking domestic market amid the declining birthrate. Firms are concerned that overlooking the sale of counterfeit ...
Toy exhibition featuring plastic Gundam models opens in Shizuoka with an eye on drawing younger fans
A major toy exhibition featuring new plastic models of anime robot Gundam and other characters opened Thursday in the city of Shizuoka, with vendors in attendance looking to attract new generations of fans. Some 80 companies are taking part in the annual Shizuoka Hobby Show. ...
Japanese engineer builds giant robot to realize Gundam dream
Engineer Masaaki Nagumo had always dreamed of suiting up as a robot from "Mobile Suit Gundam," his favorite animation series growing up. Now he has made it a reality by creating a giant humanoid inspired by the science fiction franchise. Developed by Sakakibara Kikai, a ...
Gundam towers over a transforming Tokyo
Every day, the towering full-scale Unicorn Gundam statue in Tokyo's Odaiba waterfront district undergoes a transformation, eliciting shouts of joy from visitors young and old, many trying to snap good photos with their smartphones. The 19.7-meter, 49-ton statue of a mobile robot from the popular ...
Haro, the cute robot mascot of the anime series "Mobile Suit Gundam," is about to get real.
Japan's health ministry enlists anime hero in battle against overuse of antibiotics
The health ministry has enlisted the help of Amuro, the protagonist of the popular anime series "Mobile Suit Gundam," in its battle against the misuse and overuse of antibiotics — which can lead to antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Amuro Ray's famous phrase, "Amuro ikimasu!" ("Amuro is ...
Gundam's 20-meter replacement statue unveiled in Odaiba
Gundam's upgrade was unveiled in Tokyo's Odaiba waterfront district on Sunday, giving hope to its corporate sponsors that the giant robot statue will become a new tourist attraction ahead of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. The towering, full-scale 19.7-meter Unicorn Gundam replaces the previous model, which ...
Japan's first Gundam Base to woo model-building fans in Odaiba
Bandai Co. is looking to tap Japan's expanding tourism market by opening a Tokyo shop dedicated to selling, building and painting plastic models of robots from its popular Gundam franchise. Gundam Base Tokyo — set to open Saturday in the Odaiba district — will let ...
A small bar in Tokyo's Nakano Ward is becoming popular with middle-aged men who like to make plastic models of characters from the "Mobile Suit Gundam" cartoon. "It's like a secret base," said Kentaro Nonaka, 36, a company worker who lives in adjacent Suginami Ward ...
