Netflix the new home for Gundam?

PicardMan

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It appears that Netflix is getting lots of Gundam content, including getting the recap movie trilogy of the original series and Char's Counterattack (which will be streaming for the first time in a really long time, if not the first time it's ever streamed. Biggest of all, Gundam Hathaway just streamed. I'll probably give my thoughts when I have the free time to see it. I think this one requires even more homework than most universal century stuff, but at least the Char's Counterattack movie is provided for some help. Crunchyroll still has the bulk of classic Gundam series, so Netflix doesn't have a monopoly on the franchise. Will Netflix get the next major Gundam series whenever it comes out (aside from tv cuts of the Unicorn and Origin OVAs, we've only gotten the "silly" Gundams for the last half decade. Surely the next serious Gundam installment is due to come out. Either that or Gundam has switched to a "silly TV series (Build Fighters, SD Gundam), serious movie and OVA" release model. Will Gundam be a significant hit for Netflix?
 

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Seems like they're focusing mostly on the Universal Century, including the movie, although I'm not sure what that will mean for the next Build Divers series or whatever the next mainline Gundam series ends up being.
 

Yojimbo

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So side question, is this Hathaway movie a recommended watch or is it meh?
 

Frontier

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So side question, is this Hathaway movie a recommended watch or is it meh?
Hmm...depending on your familiarity with Gundam and the Universal Century timeline, it might be harder to engage with it and a lot of the concepts or character points that get brought up in the movie.

As a pure visual spectacle it's great, but the story is pretty dense and subtle. The Mobile Suit fights also aren't as bombastic as they are in other Gundam movies, but some of that is by design, I think.
 

Yojimbo

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Hmm...depending on your familiarity with Gundam and the Universal Century timeline, it might be harder to engage with it and a lot of the concepts or character points that get brought up in the movie.
The last one I watched was Char's Counterattack on Adult Swim and some of the original series.
 

Frontier

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The last one I watched was Char's Counterattack on Adult Swim and some of the original series.
I would say if you've watched Char's Counterattack and know the basics of the Universal Centuryh then that's pretty much the most you need to know going into Hathaway :).
 

PicardMan

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Seems like they're focusing mostly on the Universal Century, including the movie, although I'm not sure what that will mean for the next Build Divers series or whatever the next mainline Gundam series ends up being.

The thing is that universal century content is the only new serious Gundam content coming out now. It's been a half decade since a serious alternate universe series like Iron Blooded Orphans came out. I can imagine that rivals like Adult Swim would be biting and clawing to get the next AU Gundam as those are the most popular Gundams in America. For non new alternate universe Gundams, it looks like Iron Blooded Orphans is the only one on Netflix. Seed, 00, Wing, and G are all on rival Crunchyroll, so Netflix can't get the whole franchise yet, but it seems like they have the leg up on Crunchyroll for the newest releases. Adult Swim is probably the bigger threat than Crunchyroll to getting the newest full Gundam series.
 

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The thing is that universal century content is the only new serious Gundam content coming out now. It's been a half decade since a serious alternate universe series like Iron Blooded Orphans came out. I can imagine that rivals like Adult Swim would be biting and clawing to get the next AU Gundam as those are the most popular Gundams in America. For non new alternate universe Gundams, it looks like Iron Blooded Orphans is the only one on Netflix. Seed, 00, Wing, and G are all on rival Crunchyroll, so Netflix can't get the whole franchise yet, but it seems like they have the leg up on Crunchyroll for the newest releases. Adult Swim is probably the bigger threat than Crunchyroll to getting the newest full Gundam series.
Well, they are pumping out these Universal Century films alongside the more all ages Build Divers stuff but I think we're bound to get a more traditional Gundam show in its own setting eventually...of course there's also that just announced SEED movie.

I don't know how serious Adult Swim is about Gundam. I know the brand notoriously didn't do well for them before, but Iron Blooded Orphans was a success?
 

AdrenalineRush1996

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Seems like they're focusing mostly on the Universal Century, including the movie, although I'm not sure what that will mean for the next Build Divers series or whatever the next mainline Gundam series ends up being.
Well, I think the live-action movie will also incorporate elements from non-Universal Century entries.
 

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PicardMan

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I don't know how serious Adult Swim is about Gundam. I know the brand notoriously didn't do well for them before, but Iron Blooded Orphans was a success?

Iron Blooded Orphans was the only recent hit as in America, alternate universe Gundams tend to do well on cable while universal century doesn't do as well. Adult Swim still loves the franchise and seems to try to get universal century stuff even if they have to put it in a deathslot. If the Hathaway movies ever get divided into TV episodes like Unicorn and the Origin, they will probably try to gun for it.

...of course there's also that just announced SEED movie.

I can imagine Netflix going after the SEED movie even if Crunchyroll has SEED and SEED Destiny itself.
 

Frontier

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Iron Blooded Orphans was the only recent hit as in America, alternate universe Gundams tend to do well on cable while universal century doesn't do as well. Adult Swim still loves the franchise and seems to try to get universal century stuff even if they have to put it in a deathslot. If the Hathaway movies ever get divided into TV episodes like Unicorn and the Origin, they will probably try to gun for it.
I guess I could see that happening.
I can imagine Netflix going after the SEED movie even if Crunchyroll has SEED and SEED Destiny itself.
Hmm...I dunno, I'm not sure if they'll go for SEED unless they really want Gundam as much as they want Shonen.
 

PicardMan

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Hmm...I dunno, I'm not sure if they'll go for SEED unless they really want Gundam as much as they want Shonen.

Okay, Seed is the weird exception of the rule of alternate universe Gundams doing better than universal century in the US. I know a few Americans like Seed, but quite a few treat it as a punching bag (especially Seed Destiny). Seed famously got the deathslot all those years ago and it seemed like the American Gundam fandom was dying off until 00 being a hit on Syfy saved the American Gundam fandom. Okay, maybe Seed would have done better on Syfy aimed at an older crowd, but we'll never know. I do know that Seed is the soapiest Gundam. Thinking about it, I guess there probably were universal century Gundams that did better than Seed. War in the Pocket and 08th MS Team seemed to be pretty popular with American Gundam fans. I don't know if Seed would be that bad an investment as universal century is still hardly mainstream and the everyday casual Netflix audience don't know about any of the series I just mentioned. All Gundams are niche, and universal century and Seed especially so.
 

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