Digital | ON: GAMES Aug 2, 2020
Ruins, crystals and robots: Classic games get remastered
by Brian Ashcraft
La-Mulana whips you into shape; Crystal Chronicles gets even better; and Gundam fans get another chance to suit up.
National Mar 7, 2020
Olympic orbiter: 'Gundam satellite' hitches ride to ISS to promote 2020 Games
A microsatellite carrying model robots from the popular science fiction anime "Mobile Suit Gundam" was successfully launched to promote the Olympics, organizers said Saturday. The so-called G-Satellite, which contains two figurines from the animated series, hitched a ride to the International Space Station on Friday ...
Business Jan 20, 2020
From anime to reality: Mobile 25-ton Gundam robot to be built in Yokohama
by Kazuaki Nagata
What was once thought limited to the realm of animation is set to become reality in Yokohama this fall when an 18-meter mobile Gundam robot steps into action. Fans of the iconic anime series will be able to get an up-close look at the 25-ton ...
National / Science & Health Sep 5, 2019
Japanese astronauts visit factory making 'Mobile Suit Gundam' models bound for space
Astronauts Soichi Noguchi and Norishige Kanai on Wednesday visited a factory making models of humanoid robots from the anime series "Mobile Suit Gundam" that are slated to be launched into space. The project is part of an effort by Tokyo 2020 Olympics organizers and the ...
Film Aug 8, 2019
Shoji Kawamori: 40 years spent designing an anime future
by Matt Schley
If you've watched any robot anime in the past 40 years, there's a decent chance Shoji Kawamori had a hand in it. Kawamori, whose four decades in the anime industry were celebrated with a recent exhibition titled the Shoji Kawamori Expo, is best known as ...
Language | News in Hihongo May 27, 2019
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.
National May 16, 2019
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 ...
Business Feb 7, 2019
Tokyo mecha bar targets middle-aged fans of the anime genre as it reopens following remodeling work
by Kazuaki Nagata
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, ...
Business / Corporate Jul 2, 2018
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 ...
National May 10, 2018
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. ...
Business / Corporate Apr 13, 2018
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 ...
National | AT A GLANCE Nov 4, 2017
Gundam towers over a transforming Tokyo
by Yoshiaki Miura
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 ...