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Kayla Chan

In 1979, novelist and anime creator Yoshiyuki Tomino brought cutting-edge aerospace technology to TV audiences in 1979 with Mobile Suit Gundam. It offered a robot sci-fi depiction of conflicts in outer space with hundreds of soon-to-be classic protagonists and antagonists.
In this episode of Cultured, we explore the animation, manga, magazines, toy kits and novels established by Sunrise and Bandai, and how they have morphed into the Gundam world, widely considered the most successful robot anime on Earth.


What is Gundam? How the Japanese robot anime morphed into toys, games and more

Photo: SCMP composite

From Holga to Diana: iconic Hong Kong toy photo cameras that sparked a worldwide retro aesthetic trend

‘People are jealous of me’: building Gundam models is his job and his hobby – and he loves it

News

Lifestyle

Asia

Photo: SCMP Composite 

Manson Ng at his store and workshop in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district, where he builds Gundam models, or “Gunpla”, for a living – and for a hobby. Now 53, Ng was the over-21s champion of this year’s Gunpla Builders World Cup. Photo: Sam Li

Ng working on a Gunpla. Photo: Sam Li

Manson Hobby Room, Ng’s store in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. Photo: Sam Li

“Fragments of a Star” made by Ng. His award-winning work was inspired by a story from the Gundam anime and took him a year to complete. Photo: Sam Li

Ng can trace his passion for Gundam model kits back four decades. Photo: Sam Li

Ng opened his hobby room eight years ago to sell models and tools. Photo: Sam Li

Japanese anime Mobile Suit Gundam first hit the airwaves in 1979
Today, it is considered the most successful robot anime of all time


In this episode of Cultured, we explore the animation, manga, magazines, toy kits and novels established by Sunrise and Bandai, and how they have morphed into the Gundam world, widely considered the most successful robot anime on Earth.


TV shows and streaming video

Asian cinema: Japanese films

Video | What is Gundam? How the Japanese robot anime morphed into toys, games and more