The Gundam IP has been seeing extreme financial success this year, and much of it is thanks to the popularity of Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX, the most recent entry in the long-running mecha anime series. Taking the events of the 1979 Gundam and giving them a brand-new modern twist, GQuuuuuuX has been pulling in many newcomers to the franchise, who consequently got curious to check out the source material which started it all.
In a recent interview with The Asahi Shimbun, Gundam series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino shared his feelings on the success of the ever-evolving mecha series, and his current position as its author. As he explains, he actually hasn’t seen any of the Gundam anime that came after his own.
“I really hate to put it this way, but I haven’t even peeped at any Gundam works that came after the ones I made. And that’s because if the creators are different, it’s not right for an outsider to butt into that conversation. The ‘creation’ Gundam was supposed to be ended up turning into a product, and as its creator, I’m not in the position to make any comments anymore,” Tomino said.
While he is proud that the work he created ended up becoming so popular, which is equally thanks to other creators who contributed to the franchise along the way, Tomino still seems a bit vexed that the new Gundam series entries are being compared to his own work. “There are some works that just don’t feel right to me, and on the other hand, there are works that I think I’d have never been able to create myself. That is why, while I do think it’s valid to have new anime that will help foster the popularity of Gundam, there’s also my own ego that gets annoyed whenever the new works are put in the same box as the source material.”
Tomino explains that back when the original Gundam was airing, the series wasn’t popular at all, and that there was a period in his life when he was really depressed about it. That’s why he’s now grateful that the Gundam series is so well known and beloved among anime fans. However, there still seems to be something that’s been bothering him about the franchise becoming so huge.
“I am happy that people are perceiving anime, which used to be a medium ‘for kids’ full of ‘fictional nonsense,’ as thinking material,” Tomino said. “However, there is also something that bothers me. Even if ‘Gundam’ continues existing in 40~50 years’ time, the name of the original author is destined to fade away. So, I am a bit sad about stepping into the realm of history,”
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