THEIR ONE YEAR WAR IS FAR FROM OVER!

The comic Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt by Yasuo Ohtagaki, which was adapted into an anime in 2015, is already getting a second season. While the first season covered the familiar Battle of A Baoa Qu, the second season will delve deeper into Ohtagaki’s unique vision, portraying the world immediately after the One Year War. New mobile suits will make their debut, including the protagonist’s Atlas Gundam, along with bold redesigns of existing units. We spoke directly with Yasuo Ohtagaki about his world-building and mecha designs.

GUNDAMISM: THE POWER TO SHATTER THE STATUS QUO

――Thunderbolt has always had a strong social commentary, but from volume 4 onward, it seems to have become even more socially conscious as a Gundam work. Can you elaborate on that?

Ohtagaki: Well, you’ve got to remember that Thunderbolt runs in Big Comic Superior – that’s a seinen magazine. We’re not just catering to the Gundam fanbase; we’re trying to engage a more mature readership. That means we need to bring depth and relevance that resonates with them. It’s about crafting a world and narrative that an adult audience finds compelling, which naturally leads us to explore different themes and dig deeper into certain aspects of the story.

――How would you describe Superior as a manga magazine?

Ohtagaki: It’s a bit of a wild card, to be honest. Unlike some of the more established titles in the Big Comic family, Superior is still finding its footing with readers. That gives us a certain freedom to push boundaries. While the main Big Comic line often plays it safe with long-running series aimed at a more conservative audience, Superior is where we can take risks. That’s precisely why a Gundam series found a home there. We’re banking on readers who are hungry for something fresh and different.

――Was the decision to continue beyond the One Year War arc driven by its success?

Ohtagaki: Absolutely. Originally, I planned to wrap up Thunderbolt after the third volume and return to my on-hiatus series Moonlight Mile. But the response was beyond anything we expected. When you’ve got a hit on your hands, it’s hard to just walk away. Still, pivoting from a planned ending to an ongoing story… let’s just say I now understand why film directors sweat over sequels.

――You could have continued with more contained stories like Sean, the Desert Rat, but instead, you chose to tackle the post-war era head-on. What drove that decision?

Ohtagaki: Thunderbolt gained a reputation as a serious, hardcore Gundam work. I felt an obligation to live up to that. We needed something substantial, something that used the Gundam framework to explore territory no one had touched before. Don’t get me wrong, I love stories like Sean, but that’s familiar ground for Gundam side-stories. Look, everyone knows the “official” Gundam timeline – from the original series through Zeta, ZZ, and Char’s Counterattack. But why should we treat that as gospel? It’s just one version of events, created by Yoshiyuki Tomino. My vision of that world is different, and I wanted to tell a story that diverges completely. I know that might ruffle some feathers in the fandom, but…

――Gundam started as this rebellious, rock n’ roll shake-up of anime conventions. But over time, it’s become something of an institution itself, hasn’t it?

Ohtagaki: Here’s the thing – I don’t want to tear down Gundam. I want to recapture that lightning in a bottle, that spirit that blew my mind when I first encountered it as a middle schooler. Remember, Gundam exploded onto the scene when everyone thought the robot anime genre was played out. It was this defiant upstart that broke all the rules. That rebellious energy, that willingness to destroy expectations – that’s the essence of Gundam to me. It challenged our preconceptions about war by putting child soldiers front and center, adding a depth that was unheard of in mecha shows at the time.

But yeah, after decades as a franchise, there’s naturally pressure to preserve certain elements. I wanted to get back to those roots. So in a way, by breaking things down, I’m actually returning to Gundam’s original spirit. It’s about shattering the status quo all over again.

BRINGING MODERN WARFARE OF IDEOLOGY AND RELIGION INTO Gundam

――I think many people were surprised by the sudden introduction of religion at the start of the post-war arc.

Ohtagaki: In the manga industry too, for some reason, religion is considered taboo. But I wonder why that is. There are certainly negative aspects, like being criticized or disliked by believers if you depict a religion negatively, but these don’t exist at the pure stage of drawing manga.

I think the knee-jerk “religion is suspicious” reaction really says a lot about modern Japan. The moment I introduced Buddhist practitioners, some readers immediately cried “Cult!” That reaction itself is biased, exposing this… almost allergic response many Japanese have towards religion, born out of ignorance.

When you zoom out and look at human history or the global stage, it’s actually Japan’s current lack of religious engagement that’s the outlier. Most of humanity, throughout time and across cultures, has embraced some form of spiritual belief. I believe one of the big challenges facing modern Japan is learning to be more accepting of others’ faiths, to cultivate that religious tolerance.

But here we are, people see a character chanting sutras and instantly label it a “cult.” That knee-jerk judgment is far more dangerous in my eyes. Look, I’m not trying to paint the South Seas Alliance as paragons of virtue, nor am I saying their beliefs are inherently correct. My point is that while many Japanese might prefer to look away, religion is a massive force shaping our world. I want readers to realize that the absence of faith is what’s truly strange on a global scale.

Honestly, it always felt a bit unnatural that religion was largely absent from the Gundam universe. The 20th century saw ideologies replace traditional faith – people were just as fervent, willing to go to war for their beliefs. The original Gundam mirrored this with the clash between Federation and Zeon ideologies. But I’m writing in the 21st century, and I wanted to show how religion complicates those neat divisions.

It’s not as simple as just “left vs. right” anymore. You have true believers on both sides, and that makes things messy. There’s no clear-cut victory that solves everything, and that’s the reality I wanted to portray. I didn’t want to use Islam directly – that felt too on-the-nose and might be hard for Japanese readers to relate to. I also didn’t want to write about something I only had surface-level knowledge of. So, I went with a Buddhist-inspired faith that would feel more familiar to a Japanese audience while still exploring these themes.

FROM CINEMATIC APPROACH TO AMERICAN TV DRAMA STYLE

Ohtagaki: Initially, I approached the first three volumes of Thunderbolt as if I were crafting a single film. But as we moved into the post-war arc, that cinematic structure became challenging to maintain. So, I shifted gears. Now, I envision each volume as an episode of a high-quality American TV series.

This transition to an ensemble cast was partly inspired by my admiration for American dramas. When I analyze storytelling techniques, I find myself more drawn to these series than films lately. Movies are constrained by their two-hour format, but TV dramas… they have this incredible power of immersion. Once you connect with the characters, you’re hooked for five seasons straight.

Naoki Urasawa was a pioneer in bringing this style to manga with works like Monster. I couldn’t ignore the storytelling potential there. Right now, I’m testing the limits of how well I can adapt that American TV drama structure to manga.

――There’s a trend of people moving away from traditional TV, but instead of turning to movies, they’re streaming American dramas online.

Ohtagaki: Absolutely. I suspect many Thunderbolt readers might not watch much anime, but they’re probably familiar with these American shows. It’s definitely something I keep in mind.

――In the post-war arc, even the mecha action scenes feel more like they’re paced for a TV series rather than a film.

Ohtagaki: That’s intentional. As the story has expanded, the role of mecha combat has evolved. Initially, those scenes were about portraying the harsh realities of war. Now, they’re more of a tool to explore character relationships and emotions. It’s partly an adaptation to the longer format – you can’t just pummel readers with non-stop tragedy or they’ll burn out. The post-war arc is definitely more calculated in its approach.

――Daryl’s subordinates, in particular, are distinctly characterized.

Ohtagaki: Early on, characters would often appear just to die quickly. But as I’ve embraced that TV series mindset, there’s more effort to flesh out even supporting characters. You want readers invested in their backstories and futures.

At the same time, I’ve realized the importance of accurately portraying military structure. In many Gundam works, you’ll see characters talking back to superiors or blatantly disobeying orders. That’s not realistic at all. Our protagonist, Io, tends to pull those stunts, but I want to show the severe consequences of such actions.

I’ve come to believe that the true terror in the military isn’t facing the enemy – it’s the threat of being cast out for challenging the system. That’s why Daryl follows orders so rigidly. Saying “no” is basically a death sentence.　You can only say “Yes.” Io gets away with more because of his background and his family’s financial support of the military. I’m trying to build these layers to create a more authentic portrayal.

HOPING FOR A TV ANIME ADAPTION IF THE SERIALIZATION CONTINUES LONG ENOUGH!

Ohtagaki: For the second season, I’ve only seen the script and some storyboards, not the final animation yet. But they’re faithfully following the flow of the original manga, so I feel at ease about that. Since the second season started, I haven’t made a single line of correction to the script. I think it’s fine as is, so I’m leaving it to them, and I’m satisfied with what I’ve read.

However, as the original manga author, I do wish for a bit more runtime. The streaming format naturally leads to a more compressed, digest-like version of the overall story. When reading the script, I did wonder if viewers who haven’t read the manga might struggle to keep up in some parts. However, I’m optimistic that as they compile the four episodes into a single work, they’ll fine-tune these aspects to create a more polished final product.

――The impression might be a bit different between watching each episode as it’s streamed and watching the compiled version.

Ohtagaki: You know, I have this personal dream – or ambition, if you will. “Thunderbolt” started as a manga, then became a streaming anime, then an OVA series. But I see that as just the beginning of its journey. My hope is that it eventually becomes a full TV series. That would allow us to really flesh out those parts that feel condensed right now, giving viewers a more substantial experience. We could even explore aspects that weren’t covered in the original manga, really showcasing the strengths of the anime medium.

I know jumping straight to a TV series is a tall order in the current climate. But if we keep climbing, step by step, I believe we could eventually create a high-quality TV adaptation. As the original manga creator, that would be an absolute dream come true.