CHAPTER.01 GUNBOY PLANNING MEMO
GUNBOY PLANNING MEMO
Behind the Scenes of Gundam
This page contains the planning and setting notes written by Director Tomino himself and was written between the summer and fall of 1978. It appears to have been developed into a formal proposal with the help of various other parties involved in the project. During the proverbial heyday of robot anime, most projects by Nippon Sunrise (now Sunrise) were created through the process of first deciding a gimmick (transforming or combining, etc.) and design of the main robot between toy manufacturer, the main sponsor, as well as the planning office of the company, then building the world and story based on that.
In the case of Gundam, the project is said to have started with the idea of a scifi version of “Two Years’ Vacation” centering on a spaceship. However, it was determined that a spaceship alone would not be appealing enough, so the decision to introduce robots that could combine was made. Therefore, the planning and setting memo titled “Gunboy Approach” included here was compiled by Director Tomino based around the premise of a spaceship and robot with a combining gimmick, which had already been agreed upon by the sponsors and the planning office. However, it seems evident that with regard to the Gundam project, there was more freedom in constructing the worldview than would typically be the case due to the strong toy sales of the previous program.
The planning and setting memo was not agreed upon, but are sketches for creating from, so to speak. Therefore, both the setting and the story are quite different from the main production. This is precisely because there are varying differences in the level of expression that can be read from the “aspirations” Director Tomino clearly laid out from this point on about what Gundam is, in essence.
NEW PROPOSAL
GUNBOY PLANNING MEMO
GUNBOY APPROACH
1978.8.28
Caption: What would you stake your life on?
Theme: freedom and duty
Visuals: series of intense battles
PROGRAMMING INTENT
21 minutes x 6 scripts = 126 minutes (2 hours)
6 scripts x 7 scripts = 42 scripts
6 extra scripts
4 repeat scripts
Total: 52 scripts
TRAPPINGS & THEME OF MAIN PART’S 7 STORIES
- Earth: Red Comet Hidden New Earth, a boy
- Frontline: Asteroid Lala, Cururuz Doan Soldiers. Male and Female.
- Demon God: Ramba Ral Madness and…
Power up→
- Wandering: Lonely Flanigan Betrayal and Aycilia’s Departure
- Clash: White Knight Nova Spirit!
- Birth: Resurrection of Char
- Abyss: Bright Star of Gaura gruesome, life and death, a conversation with Challia Bull
Haro
Notation: The settings and drafts included in the Record Collection 1 (published by Nippon Sunrise) include the statement “November 14, 1978” as New Project Gunboy and December 1, 1978 as New Project Gunboy Revised Draft. This memo is assumed to have been written by Director Tomino in the preliminary stages of the project. A brief note on story composition: the plan was to compose 52 episodes around 7 stories, running about two hours each. The names of Char, Ramba Ral, and Cucuruz Doan are seen. Is Lala the prototype for Lalah? It’s also noteworthy that the name Haro is indicated on its own.
BASIC STANCE OF DEALING WITH STORIES
1978.10.29
From a young age, children look up to adolescence.
Youth also have a sense of embarrassment brought about by their immaturity.
Characters’ reactions will be depicted from what we as adults remember as embarrassing memories of the past.
This is a battlefield: an extreme situation. Reactions should be rational and organic, but they’ll culminate as faults, as they’re adolescents.
Children break through this with instinct and intuition.
The irony is that we must not forget that there is part of human decadence born from the apex of civilization, which flows in the undercurrents of society.
ARGUMENTS ABOUT PROTECTION OF FREEDOM & SERVITUDE/FREEDOM & DUTY
The beginning of the drama, save for the art of war, will likely begin with the recognition that the boys are destroying actions and situations that are accepted and taken for granted in everyday life (eating, bathing, fashion, entertainment, romantic relationships, varying activities to fill the desire to improve, and vice versa, being lazy, etc.). The thought of it, and a longing for a normal life, will continually haunt them.
This turmoil—psychological anxiety—becomes the motif of the drama.
To put it simply, the underlying motif is that if raising children is a cross-sectional view of life, it should be denied during fighting situations.
To put it more explicitly, the underlying motif is that if raising children is to be a cross-section of life, it must be denied during times of war.
Therefore, the desire for peace, is a desire to restore the everyday.
However, in actual wars, the species has persevered even in the most extreme circumstances. Humans have somehow managed to survive, so it could be logical to say that it is acceptable to either simply annihilate the enemy or surrender.
If anything, war should be rejected. There is always the option to surrender.
Here, it is necessary to have the ability to see the nature of the problem of servitude. There are two parts to this. One that is supported by intellect and the part that is instinctively rejected.
But, to put this simply, to be in servitude – to be enslaved, is to be kept by a master, be fed, have sexual intercourse, raise children, offer them up for the master, and die to be under total control.
When something that compels this forced servitude appears, if humans are to advocate for their sovereignty as humans and want to claim a place to be free,
We need to either protect that freedom or acquire it.
It is a total, all-encompassing ethic with no room for ambiguity.
Going to the battlefield, the sense of purpose of battle is probably something like the above.
The acquisition of freedom and the assertion of sovereignty in everyday life can be somewhat clouded and cannot be clearly claimed. Sovereignty is often dismissed as egoism, with the notion that sovereignty is a demand for freedom.
At the same time, this can also be said of the public, social, and political side.
Therefore,
There will be differences in the awareness of the issues during peacetime and the perception during wartime.
No such differences should exist; however, we would like to explore these sensitive issues one by one later on.
THE EXISTENCE OF MAN CALLED THE “WARRIOR”
In civilizations that have acquired freedom, warriors are not needed.
The more warrior-like a person is, the more he or she is situated outside of civilization.
Because they are people of character, with no choice but to use force to enforce their authority, they are unable to achieve balance.
Therefore, they could easily become disqualified from being part of the human race without an enemy, natural or otherwise, against whom they can show strength and fight.
That said, unlike the warriors from ages ago, operating a mecha requires a certain amount of “reason.” Although they have learned the organizational theory of teamwork, it is thought that people who are essentially warriors are the type who put all of their intelligence into exerting their strength.
In them, we have a truly sad type of human being.
Women are fundamentally unable to be warriors because their sexual function is entirely defensive.
The decisive function of a woman is that she can survive even if she yields, and there is a part of her that is willing to die as long as she can leave her own seed behind. This seed, the male seed, and even her will survives and lives on in the woman’s womb.
If this is a function of women, then discrimination between men and women is not derogatory discrimination; rather, it is a necessity for the species.
As such, women can also fight partially supported by training and intelligence, but they are not inherently warriors.
This discrimination must be made clear.
And it is women, not men, who can truly convey the warrior spirit.
At first glance, this would seem to be a form in which women are subordinate to men, but this is not the case. It is the woman who supports (connects) society. She is the pillar of society. Unfortunately, this spiritual understanding of men and women is lacking in the Japanese people of today. It is lacking in young people as well.
If we could understand this, men would be more confident and determined to direct their energy toward the future. Women would not need to put aside their husbands and become “mamagons” (My Note: the dreaded mama-saurus) striving for social and financial wealth.
From all this, the drama concludes with one woman saying: “I wanted to bear your children… Even now, I still feel the same…”
(October 28, 1978)
Notation: The above portion was written to explain the fundamentals of the Gundam drama, with “From a young age, children look up to adolescence” as well as the portions on “freedom and duty” being the themes of the Gundam production. Reading through select portions of it again now, you’d be surprised to find that they contain an awareness of issues that would later be commonplace in other Gundam series. The motif of a dying man and woman conveying the spirit of a warrior is carried over directly to the theme song of the movie version “Soldiers of Sorrow.”
CONSIDERATION ON THE INTRODUCTION OF ESPERS
For a drama leading up to the last message, an esper could be introduced among the regulars.
(November 3, 1978)
LAST MESSAGE (FROM A CONVERSATION WITH CHALLIA BULL)
Humanity is still undeveloped. We cannot live without doing anything. We are not spiritually rich enough to be able to look at and observe the universe and world with an empty mind.
The human race, even now, still requires the game of war.
Knowledge and reason are both born from that chaos. Humanity is currently in a period of training to obtain both knowledge and reason.
We can be said to be precursor humans. However, right now, our spirits are spread thin. Mankind cannot be taught as it has been in the past.
The age of transmission of knowledge by training is over.
Now, mankind must rely on its own strength to elevate itself.
We must grow until the sun’s brilliance engulfs the galaxy. The universe has a new spiritual motif.
There is no more time left. We only have less than 30 billion years to us.
(October 30, 1978)
Notation: The notation that suggests the possibility of introducing espers was written five days after the earlier material. As Matilda says to Amuro in episode nine, “You may be an esper,” the term esper is maintained until a little later, when the concept is eventually elevated to a “Newtype.” The final conversation was written before the notation about espers, but still with an eye towards the further evolution of humanity, or in Gundam-speak, the renaissance of humanity. The last line of “There is no more time left…” is somewhat reminiscent of Lalah’s “I can see time…”
Notation: Below is the detailed historical setting leading up to the outbreak of war. In an interview during the broadcast of the show, Director Tomino said that terms like the “Battle of Loum” were strictly literary and that when the story is over, people would be able to forget that they needn’t know such things. But, the chronology of the Universal Century was later compiled as the official setting to the story, and what was strictly literary ceased to be so. It’s important to note that these document notes use the Western calendar instead of the Universal Century. Although it’s not possible to determine at what stage the concept of “Universal Century” was introduced from this memo alone, it’s clear that it was introduced around the end of 1978, as seen in the setting material and draft used in Record Collection 1.
THE PATH TO WAR
YEAR 2045
When immigrants to the colonies (Sides) accounted for 40% of the total population, the emergence of a new “ism” was recognized. (in other words, when emigration began to take place in the 2030s, there was an outbreak of that “ism.”) The Earth is sacred, the source of life-ism, a holy land-ism. Nations must be run by their Side, Sideism.
The embodiment of that “ism” will be:
YEAR 2050
Establishment of the Empire by Zeon Zum (Eleism + Sideism)
Note:
Side 1 (Zahn) 1.3 billion
Side 2 (Hatte) 1.3 billion
Zeon→Side 3 (Munzo) 1.3 billion
Side 4 (Moore) 1 billion
*5 billion
ABSOLUTE CONTROL IMPERIAL SYSTEM (contolism)
Thereafter, mediation with the Earth Federation government is underway. However, the Federation government’s priority is to promote their emigration policies.
YEAR 2055
It is impossible to ignore Zeon’s independence. Clarification of the breakdown of mediation.
(Note: Side 5 & 6, 1 billion each/total of 7 billion immigrants completed). During this five-year period, Zeon begins to acquire special mineral rights from Earth (tungsten, thorium, platinum, uranium, lead, mercury).
NOW, YEAR 2056
Establishment of Luna II! (work began from 2030)
Will Zeon have to be recognized as an independent empire?
The emergence of the Zabi faction.
Maintenance and expansion of Side 4 and 5. Immigration of 300 million people each.
Immigrant population: 7.5 billion in total.
Autonomy of each Side with state functions.
YEAR 2057
The First General Assembly of the Regional Federation Congress, which seeks autonomy and federal harmony, is divided.
Intimidation towards each Side by the Earth Federation.
A stagnation of emigration.
Death of Zeon Zum.
Second control of Zeon by Gimro Sodo Zabi.
Strength of the Earth Federation: 13 to 50 (in terms of population)
Federation unrest over special mineral outflows.
YEAR 2064
Zabi’s determination.
9 billion emigrants.
END OF YEAR 2065
Zeon invasion (8th anniversary of Zeon Zum’s death)
3 DAY WAR
Side 1 (Zahn) Earth Clash 1.3 billion vs 100 million
Side 4 (Moore) BC Weaponry Used 1.3 billion vs 1/2 billion
Side 2 (Hatte) 5.646 million direct casualties due to occupation
*2.81 billion
YEAR 2066 (BEGINNING OF THE YEAR)
Resignation to the Zeon Federation government suggested. Federation government refuses.
The arrest of General Revil.
Battle of Loum (Loum became the main battlefield)
(One Week War)
Side 2 (Hatte) Earth Clash 1.3 billion vs 100 million
Side 5 (Loum) BC Weaponry Used 1.3 billion vs 100 million
8.38 million directly killed in combat
*2.81 billion
Total: 5.62 billion
OVER HALF A YEAR:
Zeon ultimatum (neutron bomb threat)
Unrest of the Federation. Declaration of neutrality by Side 6 (Riah). Arbitrators.
Agreement banning the use of BC weapons.
Federation’s refusal to recommend surrender (General Revil’s escape, “No Soldiers in Zeon speech”)
Balance of power shifted to guerrilla warfare.
YEAR 2045
The outbreak of holy landism + Sideism.
The outbreak of Side nationalism by Zeon Zum Deikun.
Zeon Zum Deikun’s initiative is that the state must promote the management of the people through order.
YEAR 2050
Zeon Empire is established at Side 3 (Munzo) at the same time as the emigration of 1.3 billion finishes.
Described by people as the darkest of foundations.
(a period of one year is spoken of as the purging of 100 million people)
YEAR 2055
Mediation with the Federation breaks down, making Zeon’s independence impossible.
During this period, Zeon builds up their military.
The dark side of the special ore mining rights.
(tungsten, thorium, platinum, uranium, lead, mercury)
YEAR 2056
Establishment of Luna II.
A Zeon faction emerges within the Federation.
Autonomy and state functions of Side 1 to 6 are issued.
YEAR 2057
Death of Zeon Zum!
Second dark control by Gimro Sodo Zabi.
The assassination of Gimro, Niimi, and Haruma.
☆ Ailicia (age 9) and Hallom (age 8) escape to Earth.
(daimyo’s retainer obtains family registry of an Earther)
YEAR 2059
Daikun faction assassinates Sasro Zabi, the second son of Gimro Sodo Zabi.
Purge by wiping out of the Daikun faction (Sunday)
Note:
Zeon: the perpetuation of mankind through absolute domination (by person, subject to quantity)
Gimro: absolute control of mankind by the Zabi family (feudal empire)
YEAR 2065
(Eighth anniversary of Zeon Zum)
THREE DAY WAR
YEAR 2066
Battle of Loum
“No soldiers in Zeon”
Unrest in Zeon’s forces due to the balance of military power → Back to the Story
STORY OF SIDE 7 (TOA)
GROUND
○ Construction begins on the No.1 Bunch of Side 7. Three months. Construction halted due to the outbreak of war. Adult men called up for military service.
Seven hundred fifty remain behind.
Earth planned to be evacuated to Side 6 (Riah).
Six months later, dozens of families evacuated to Riah.
The story begins with 500 remaining.
○ A prototype Gunboy production team arrives.
The Pegasus ship escapes at the time.
Char’s pursuit.
The boys, impressed by the work of the Pegasus’ captain, rise to action.
Temuro Amuro’s success = bootup of Gunboy.
○ Char’s destruction of the Luna II base.
Escape of the Pegasus. The overwhelming strength of the Gunboy.
Growing impudence of East Hongo. Confrontation with Tarou Susumu.
Amuro’s animalistic fighting strength. Awakening to an esper.
Cold-hearted Shima Eiland, deeply saddened Asilia Mass.
Fraw Bow’s awakening into an esper. Amuro hates women.
Marumi (age 18) of the supply corps Papua ship that escaped Luna II, and her love towards Tarou Susumu.
Char’s pursuit of the Pegasus and the Papua and the destruction of the Papua.
○ To Earth
Encounter with guerrillas. Growing impudence of Char. The collapse of foothold due to conflicts on Earth. The defeat of Char.
Announcement of Char’s death in combat by Dozle Zabi (age 20) by Assault Forces decree.
FRONTLINE
○ Meeting with General Revil through the mediation of Marumi.
Pegasus is recognized as an autonomously formed unit.
○ Stashia Zabi (age 24) descent of the Mobile Assault Forces.
Deployment of the frontline with mobile infantry squadrons such as Asteroid Lala, Cucuruz Doan and Garma Zaku (age 18).
○ Pegasus: Separation from Regular Forces
The esper Asteroid Lala (age 13)!
Amuro’s fighting spirit. Women are not permitted to fight.
First love towards Lala
○ Pegasus acknowledges the remaining Zeon residual forces in the remaining bunches of Side 2 (Hatte).
Fraw Bow’s plan to divide Zeon’s regular forces by striking Hatte backfires.
Asteroid Lala was only a decoy.
Lala’s death. A futile struggle.
○ Amuro’s unrest and the Gunboy’s 1st power-up backfired, resulting in Amuro’s spectacular defeat.
An offensive by Cucuruz Doan and Garma Zabi.
However, there was a feud between the two.
Cucuruz: “Boy! I’ll give my life for yours!” What sadness is there in dying by yourself?
There’s likely disappointment towards Garma Zabi.
And then, the Pegasus retreated towards Side 3 alone.
DEMON GOD
○ Ramba Ral is under the command of Dozle Zabi.
He is more than a commander; he was a warrior, an honest warrior. He was wild with delight by Lala’s death.
And,
○ Fraw Bow was also overjoyed. She and Amuro could fight together.
To see everything go to hell is to despair.
○ Recommendation to surrender by Gimro Sodo Zabi means that those who surrender will be made citizens.
Ramba Ral, also one of those who surrendered, only desires fierce combat and an early death?
○ The Pegasus is helmed by Ramba Ral from the Moon to Earth. Fraw Bow plans a raid on Zeon.
Taro: She thinks she can defeat Zeon all by herself.”
○ Battle with Ramba Ral. The appearance of Miharu Zabi.
The Pegasus takes a break with Marumi’s supply.
Ramba Ral’s defeat. Amuro learns of “fate.”
WANDERING
○ The Pegasus is adrift for an overhaul (under difficult conditions).
Asilia Mass’ identity is revealed. The two escape with the betrayal of Ryu Waller.
Amuro’s anger.
○ The appearance of Lonely Flanagan.
A battle during overhaul is hard and cold. The moon?
Tarou Susumu insists on Ryu Waller’s execution.
Miharu Zabi’s appearance. Tarou is upset.
○ Amuro escapes the Pegasus. A joint battle with Shima Eiland.
Lonely Flanagan’s ridicule. He was the one who had been trying to return to servitude under the Zabi’s, maintaining only one corps in private storage to demonstrate his loyalty.
He tries capturing Ashilia. But, the death of Flanagan sees what entrusts humanity into the real intention of Ashilia and Amuro’s struggle.
Flanagan’s gold.
CLASH
○ General Revil prepares to mount an overall counterattack.
The white knight Nova. Under the command of Stashia, Gimro Zabi lays out his intentions, a massive mobile infantry.
○ Amuro’s trepidation.
Haro, an ace of the Federation nation, leaves behind an “arrow” as Nova destroys him.
Amuro uses the “arrow” to defeat Nova.
○ The Zabi traitor, Miharu Zabi!
A child seems to have been born on the Pegasus.
○ Through Nova, Pegasus learns the generosity of love.
Haro’s arrow.
BIRTH
○ Char’s revival. Char was not killed in battle.
Although Revil was left behind, he did not forget to support the Pegasus through Marumi.
○ Char speaks to Amuro.
“It doesn’t matter what adults’ political squabbles are about, my love for the Pegasus makes me do this. I want to fight and show my strength. This is a man’s true nature.”
Amuro fights and defeats Char purely as a sport.
○ The grief of Shima Eiland. Amuro feels that to love someone is a disgusting thing.
○ Richter Bri. Revil’s successor?
ABYSS
○ The descent of Richter Bri or Challia Bull into Zeon. The emergence of Halom Daikun.
The groundwork for Zeon being defeated.
○ The death of some the Pegasus and Garma Zabi.
○ The battle between Hallom and Dozle Zabi.
○ The fight between Stashia Zabi and Asilia Mass (Asilia Daikun) → maybe she’ll die
○ The fight between Garom Zabi and Fraw Bow.
○ The fight between Amuro and Gimro Sodo Zabi.
○ Challia Bull’s encounter with Amuro.
○ Pegasus to Side 7.
○ Amuro to Earth.
(November 6, 1978)
Notation: This was the concept memo of the seven stories that were outlined prior. Although there are vestiges of the main story evident, some of them are completely different. The concept of Lala’s death in the first half reminds you of the novel version that Tomino would later write. Also, the description of “Haro, an ace of the Federation Forces” finally appears. Haro turned out to be the name of an ace pilot.
The following material has no numeric ordering in particular to it, so the contents are considered miscellaneous. Notations about the science fiction setting, a memo summarizing the contents of military terminology, and only things considered important were pulled out and included below.
**COMING SOON**
