The Tragic Soul of Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway

Plus, why I recommend exploring the franchise

Just this week, news came out that the live-action film of Mobile Suit Gundam has begun production. I’m cautiously optimistic. I’m somewhat skeptical of live-action versions of animated movies and series, as I’ve mentioned before, but I will watch anything related to Gundam. For those who aren’t familiar, Gundam is a franchise that focuses on mecha, which are giant robots piloted by humans. The franchise began with the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam, which was created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and aired in 1979. That one series has since given rise to a variety of anime series, manga series, novel series, and movies, along with products including plastic model kits of the different mecha and video games featuring characters and situations from the shows and books. Among the series that have come out and are forthcoming are multiple sequels and spin offs to the original 1979 series, as well as stories that take place in alternate universes with totally different settings and characters. The common element is the presence of the mecha known as Gundam.

Gundam is among my deepest nerdy passions. My brother and I got interested in building the plastic model kits a few years ago. During his visits from where he lives to where I live, we would catch up as we built the plastic models. I loved the tactile feeling of clicking the different pieces together and seeing the suits come together bit by bit.

We also got into the series and movies. The original 1979 series was later adapted into a three-part animated film trilogy. I remember binging that with my brother and being compelled by the human story. The heart of so many Gundam shows is this inherent tension about the use of force; these mecha are so fascinatingly designed, so amazing to gaze upon, but they are weapons. And the films and shows that I’ve seen, while illustrating the destructive capabilities of these weapons, also criticize conflict and war in general. The characters suffer because of their involvement in various conflicts, innocent people’s lives are ruined, and those who survive carry emotional scars with them. There’s a powerful contradiction in so many stories in this franchise: the mecha are incredible, but they should ideally never be used. Thus, Gundam stories are not just united by the presence of the mecha, but also by their anti-war themes.

For anyone interested in Gundam, I recommend checking out the different stories that are out there in both the main universe that began with the 1979 series and in the alternate universes. The designs of the suits, the vibes of the stories, and the central characters are among the various factors that can help guide interested audience members to pick their first show, movie, or book. Plenty of amazing videos and articles on the internet explain how different stories are connected to each other; these helped me and my brother decide what to start with.

For the rest of this discussion, I will focus on my favorite Gundam film from what I’ve seen so far. In my discussion, I hope to highlight how this film is a compelling character study and dramatic story that has many layers, in addition to being a form of entertainment featuring awe-inspiring mecha.

My favorite Gundam film is Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway from 2021. The film is a sequel to the 1988 film Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack, which itself serves as a climax for various character arcs and plot threads that were introduced in the original Mobile Suit Gundam series and its two sequel series, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam and Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ. I explain all this to support my view that I don’t think this film is the best film to start with. The biggest flaw of the Hathaway film is that it does almost nothing to fill in viewers about the events that have occurred in its preceding film and series. I fear that new viewers would be completely lost if they were to begin with Hathaway. For anyone who does want to jump into this film, please do watch or read recaps of background information.

Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway (directed by Shūkō Murase, story and script by Yasuyuki Mutou, based upon the novel series Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway’s Flash by Yoshiyuki Tomino) takes place in a dystopian future. Humanity has formed a centralized global government and has also expanded into the stars. Various colonies have been set up on faraway planets. However, class conflicts exist among the people of Earth as well as between Earth and the space colonies, which are not given as many resources as the people of Earth are given by the government. Furthermore, the government of Earth often forcibly exiles people to the space colonies. In this dire setting, a terrorist organization called Mafty emerges with the goal of pressuring the government to change its policies. Mafty correctly understands that Earth will be wiped dry of its natural resources if current policies do not change; the group’s mission is to force the government to migrate everyone off the Earth, so that the planet can be saved and so that equality can be reached with the space colonies.

The opening scene takes place on a spaceship about to dock on Earth. The ship is filled with wealthy people and government officials. It is boarded by terrorists claiming to be members of Mafty who decide to take the passengers hostage and hold them for ransom. The terrorists are thwarted thanks to the efforts of a military officer, Kenneth (Junichi Suwabe), and a young man, Hathaway (Kensho Ono), who is aided by a perceptive young woman, Gigi (Reina Ueda).

The ship makes an emergency landing in the Philippines, and the survivors are granted a stay in a hotel that is paid for by the government. Upon landing, Hathaway reveals to Kenneth his surname, which makes Kenneth realize that Hathaway is the son of the esteemed soldier Bright Noa and that Hathaway had been involved in a military conflict (depicted in Char’s Counterattack) that had almost threatened to destroy the world twelve years ago, when Hathaway had just been a boy. Soon after, Gigi finds Hathaway and correctly determines that the terrorists who had claimed to have been from Mafty when hijacking the ship had not actually been members of Mafty. Instead, it is Hathaway who is the leader of Mafty.

What follows is an exploration of the shifting relationships between Hathaway, Gigi, and Kenneth over the next few days. Each character is trapped by circumstance. Kenneth is a loyal soldier and serves the government; his goal is to squash Mafty. He doesn’t think much beyond fulfilling his duties and enjoying the life he has as a high-ranking officer. Gigi slowly reveals her circumstances, and her reasons for keeping Hathaway’s secret become clear later. There’s a powerful scene in which Gigi is playing with clocks and muses aloud how she herself never thought much would come of her life. Hathway has the weight of his father’s legacy and his own personal history on his shoulders. He feels the allure of sticking to the privileged life that has been granted to him because of his father’s storied career. Furthermore, he knows that his duty as the leader of Mafty is a different kind of burden. If he were to fully embrace his position as the leader, then he would be on a path from which he would not be able to return.

This movie never loses sight of its human characters and illustrates how the forces around them push them to think that they have very few options available to them. One of my favorite moments is when Gigi questions Mafty’s violent methods and Hathway gently asks her if there’s another way to save the planet and the people being exiled to the colonies. If there was another way, he would take it.

The film’s commitment to its human characters is further demonstrated during a sequence halfway in the story. Members of Mafty try to help Hathaway escape from the eyes of the government officials in the hotel, so they stage an attack nearby and deliberately avoid civilian casualties. However, when mecha piloted by soldiers from the government arrive, the fighting intensifies, leaving immense death and destruction. This sequence is depicted primarily from the perspective of Hathaway and Gigi as they try to flee to safety. The raging infernos and crashing mountains of rubble that the mecha leave in their wake are the stuff of nightmares.

In addition to the incredible story, I love this film’s animation. The settings and characters are so detailed. Plus, while almost everything has the appearance of two-dimensional animation, the mecha are rendered in obvious three-dimensional CGI. They are set as apart from the world. They are unnatural, monstrous even. Their designs arouse fear and terror.

Also, I adore the incredible score by Hiroyuki Sawano. So many melodies carry the sense of tragedy. This is fitting. Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway ultimately is a tragedy. It’s about desperate people in dire circumstances choosing between impossible decisions. It has a lot to say about the uses and consequences of violence, the weight of history, and the temptations of injustice.

I hope my discussion here has interested readers to dive into the awesome, vast world of Gundam. I hope newcomers have an awesome time!