Anime series' episode debuted in 36 theaters on Saturday

Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin V: Clash at Loum ( Mobile Suit Gundam The Origin V: Loum no Kaisen ), the fifth episode of the Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin anime, opened at #8 at the Japanese box office this past weekend.

The episode, the first in the anime's "Loum Arc," opened in Japan on Saturday in 36 theaters — more than double the previous four episodes' 15 theaters. The episode's screenings will also be extended to four weeks, double the two-week screening run that each of the previous episodes had.

Gundam: The Origin manga creator Yoshikazu Yasuhiko stated at a screening event on Saturday that "there will be more" of the anime series. Yasuhiko said he wants the anime to show the One-Year War arc next, but clarified that there isn't any official word yet on whether the anime will continue after the Loum Arc ends with the sixth episode.

The "Loum Arc" will end with the sixth episode, titled "Rise of the Red Comet," which will debut on May 5, 2018.

The new arc covers the Battle of Loum, the pivotal conflict in the One Year War's early days before most of the events depicted in the first Mobile Suit Gundam anime. The battle came after the Operation British space colony drop and other devastating events that wiped out nearly a third of the human population. Char Aznable, the nemesis of the first Gundam anime's protagonist Amuro Ray, became famous as the legendary ace "Red Comet" during this war.

In addition to Char and his infamous Zaku II mobile suit mecha, the new episode features Char's younger sister Sayla, the Zeon pilot Ramba Ral and his lover Hamon, and Amuro and Fraw Bow (living in the tranquil Side 7 colonies before the specter of war visits them).

The Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin IV Eve of Destiny anime, the fourth episode in the series, opened in 15 Japanese theaters last November, and it ended the Char/Sayla arc of the anime.

The anime project adapts Yasuhiko's manga, which in turn is inspired by the first Mobile Suit Gundam anime's story. Yasuhiko designed the characters in the first Gundam anime, and he serves as the chief director and storyboarder for the Gundam The Origin anime. The manga has 10 million copies in print.

Anime Consortium Japan is releasing the Gundam The Origin series digitally worldwide through a premium rental streaming program, and Right Stuf — in collaboration with Sunrise — is releasing the series on home video.

Sources: Kōgyō Tsūshin, Eiga.com, Movie Walker