Gundam fans have long been looking forward to Gundam Origin, the new anime movie series that charts the earliest days of the fight between Zeon and the Earth Federation — but now that we've got this extended first look at it, we cannot wait to see more of Char Aznable pulling off amazing moves in his Mech.


The first part of The Origin, which is being worked on by legendary Mobile Suit Gundam director Yoshikazu Yasuhiko, covers the back story of the iconic Gundam antagonist Char Aznable, both as a young child facing the death of his father and as a Mobile Suit pilot. The clip includes the first footage of Char in his Mobile Suit at the Battle of Loum, which in Gundam canon was the first time Mobile Suits were proved as battle-ready creations and Char earned the nickname 'The Red Comet' — a treat for fans of the series as the battle has never been shown in the long running franchise before.

The use of CG animation with traditional hand-drawn characters might irk fans who dislike the medium's encroachment on anime, but the footage nonetheless impresses. It looks slick and modern, yet at the same time classically 'gundam'-ish. Plus, who doesn't love Mobile suits tearing spaceships up like hot knives through ship-shaped butter? I will always be down for that.


Gundam: The Origin will make its theatrical début in Japan at the end of this month, before getting a worldwide Blu-Ray release in April. The first instalment will be available for streaming online on the 28th as well.

[via Forbes]