GUNDAM DOCKS AT SINGAPORE Event News

Gundam Docks at Singapore

Japan’s most successful robot franchise comes to town

Singapore, 7 May 2015 –Bandai Namco Asia, one of the leading toy makers and arcade, mobile and home video game publishers in Japan, and Takashimaya Department Store, presents an iconic exhibition in celebration of the 35^th anniversary of GUNDAM model kit and in conjunction with Singapore’s Golden Jubilee –the “Gundam Docks at Singapore”. One of the largest such exhibitions outside Japan, the approximately 4,000sqm showcase will include over 200 models of the phenomenal Gundam series –the first anime based on space war and machines that sparked off the genre of robotic anime. From 4 to 28 June, the exhibition will be held at Takashimaya Square, B2 and Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza.

Mobile Suit Gundam, a televised anime series about humanity in space colonies, is today one of Japan’s top Popular Culture Icons. More details on the anime series are available in Annex 1.

Choose your side in the war of robots

The experience begins as two gigantic robots loom above you at the Ngee Ann City Civic Plaza. Witness the fight between Earth Federation vs Principality of Zeon as the RX-78-2 Gundam, the largest Gundam to be showcased outside Japan, come face to face with Char’s Zaku at the heart of Singapore’s Orchard Road.

The Gundam and Zaku are around 6 metres each, at a scale of 1:3, and weighs two tonnes each. Accompanied by daily light and sound shows held in the evenings, this is an activity you cannot miss as the war drama comes to life before your eyes.

Gundam Merchandise and Activities to thrill fans and J-pop lovers alike

Collectors, shoppers and anyone who wants to learn more about Gundam or bring home a piece of this extra-ordinary exhibition, can head down to Takashimaya Square, B2. There will be over 10 booths selling Gundam merchandises including exclusive editions.

Four Weeks of History, Excitement and Pure Legend

Said Mr. Takayoshi Oyama, Bandai Namco Singapore’s Hobby Products Dept Manager,“Gundam Docks in Singapore will be Asia’s largest Gundam exhibition and showcase. Singapore was selected to host the show as it is a strategic market for us and a gateway for South-east Asia. In partnership with one of Asia’s best shopping malls, we look forward to delivering a spectacular experience for fans, families, and friends in Singapore, as well as from the region.”

Admission for the exhibition is free, and the exhibition will open from 10am to 9.30pm daily.For more updates and details on the exhibition, please check out www.gundamdocks.sg.

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Annex 1: About Mobile Suit Gundam

Mobile Suit Gundam (機動戦士ガンダム, KidōSenshi Gundam) is a televised anime series written and directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino and made up of 43 episodes aired in 1979. The series was later re-edited for theatrical release and split into three movies in 1981.

Yoshikazu Yasuhiko did the character designs and Kunio Okawara was responsible for the mechanical designs, including the titular Mobile Suit, the RX-78-2 Gundam.

The Gundam series depicts the wars created between fellow humans, and the realistic and profound drama that is born from it.

The series introduced the new concepts of highly detailed, state-of-the-art scientific technology, and robots called “mobile suits”which are depicted strictly as weapons. And it established a new genre -- Real Robot Anime.

To the audience, the youths feel true-to-life. They suffer through war, and as they struggle, they mature. This process is a crucial story element in the very first “Mobile Suit Gundam”series and in the many series that followed.

In April 1979 the animated TV series “Mobile Suit Gundam”began airing. It was set in an era known as the “Universal Century”when mankind has migrated to space colonies, and depicted the maturing of protagonist Amuro Ray as he lived through the tragedies and turmoil of humans warring against each other.

In 1981, this dramatic tale had led to the rise of enthusiastic fans, and the series was released as three theatrical features, becoming a huge record-making hit.

Afterwards, new series appeared such as “Mobile Suit Z Gundam – a sequel to the original series –and “Mobile suit Gundam 0080 War in the Pocket”, which was not directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino. These revealed a new direction for the franchise and sparked a huge movement, continuing to excite the enthusiasm of viewers of every generation.