Gundam Wing Cast Members Reunite for Special Anniversary Event

The year of Mobile Suit Gundam Wing continues as Sunrise Studios and Bandai Namco continue holding events celebrating the anime’s 30th anniversary. Gundam Wing premiered on Japanese airwaves in April 1995, but it wouldn’t become the cultural touchstone until it began airing on Toonami in English-speaking territories. The anime became a massive success in countries like the United States, finally popularizing Gundam in the Western world. Thirty years out, Bandai and Sunrise are going all out with the show’s monumental milestone. Bandai held a jam-packed panel, Gundam Showcase – Featuring 30 Years of Gundam Wing, at San Diego Comic-Con (SDCC), which featured the world premiere of a new animated short that hints at more Gundam Wing projects.

Another event, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: The Endless Waltz Special Edition, was held in Tokyo on September 8th. Actors Hikaru Midorikawa, who played lead protagonist Heero, and Akiko Yajima, who voiced Relena, were in attendance at the Tokyo event. The pair took pictures together next to cardboard cut-outs of their respective characters, which were shared on the Gundam Wing X (formerly Twitter) account. With rumors swirling that more Gundam Wing projects will be coming, seeing the two stars reunite has only caused more speculation from the fanbase, even though both were only attending an event.

Heero and Relena Reunite for Gundam Wing 30th Anniversary

Midorikawa posted more photos of the event on his official social channels. Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: The Endless Waltz Special Edition event was to promote Endless Waltz‘s upscaled re-release on Japanese Dolby Cinemas. The Dolby Cinemas re-release of the film opened in Japan on September 5th. The Endless Waltz movie is expected to open in North American theaters at a later date, with the first screening happening at Japan Society in New York on October 11th and 12th. The Japan Society screening for Endless Waltz will be part of the Gundam Film Festival, which will also include screenings of Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway and Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX -Beginning-.

Besides Midorikawa and Yajima meeting at the Mobile Suit Gundam Wing: The Endless Waltz Special Edition event, three of the English dub performers reunited for the Gundam Showcase panel at SDCC. Actors Mark Hildreth, Scott McNeil, and Brad Swaile were at the SDCC Panel. Hildreth voiced the lead, Heero, giving the character a stoic disposition that reflected the character’s machine-like personality. Scott McNeil, who voiced the cocky Duo in Wingis an Australian actor living in Canada, best known for his roles in Transformers, Beast Wars, ReBootand X-Men Evolution. Swaile, who voiced the sensitive Quatre in Wingis actually one of the most prolific voice actors in the Gundam franchise. He voiced Gundam protagonists Amuro Ray and Setsuna F. Seiei in Mobile Suit Gundam and Gundam 00respectively.