‘Mobile Suit Gundam Cucuruz Doan’s Island’ To Receive Limited Western Theatrical Run Courtesy Of Crunchyroll
In the latest indication that the days of Western anime fans having to wait seemingly eons for any given anime to make its way outside of Asia, Crunchyroll has officially announced that they will be bringing the Mobile Suit Gundam franchise’s latest cinematic outing, Cururuz Doan’s Island, to English-speaking territories later this year.
Released in Japan on June 3rd, Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island retells the story of the original anime’s 15th episode, wherein, as per a synopsis provided by Crunchyroll, “after a covert mission goes wrong, finds Mobile Suit pilot Amuro Ray and his comrades stranded on a remote island.”
“The battalion was sent to a land called the Island of No Return to clear off any enemy forces, only to find a group of children and an enemy mecha attack,” the synopsis adds. “Now Amuro must find a way for them all to escape this mysterious land, but not before meeting a strange man—Cucuruz Doan.”
Notably, Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island marks the first time in 40 years that the events of the episode have been depicted in-motion, as the original episode has been intentionally has been intentionally memory-holed ever since its premiere at the request of series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino.
“I asked that it be skipped,” Tomino explained during a Q&A held during the 2002 Anime Expo New York. “There’s a reason, but since the staff is still alive, I can’t talk about it.”
According to Crunchyroll, both the dubbed and subbed versions of Mobile Suit Gundam: Cucuruz Doan’s Island will make their English-language debut in the United Kingdom, screening first in the island nation from September 21st to the 22nd.
This will be followed up by a September 27th-28th engagement in the United States and non-consecutive September 29th and October 1st screenings in Canada.
Perhaps most fortunate of all, fans in Australia will receive a one-week window to see the film when it opens down under on September 14th.
Advanced ticket sales for the UK go on sale on September 16th, whilst tickets for the North American showings are now available.
Australian fans can get their hands on a ticket starting September 14th.
In the meantime, excited fans can catch the first ten-minutes of the film, as officially released by the company themselves, on Bandai Filmworks’ (formerly Sunrise Inc.) official Japanese YouTube Channel.
(Note that routing one’s connection through a VPN may be required to access the footage.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNvnkkri_qM
NEXT: Netflix Releases First Look At Their Upcoming Live-Action Gundam Adaptation
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