bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

helpersCheckIsPostiesArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

moreOnThisArticles

urlAlias

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

sponsorType

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

socialHeadline

headline

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

publishedDate

additionalInfoBoxes

quizIds

images

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

createdDate

sponsor

paywallTypes

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Kayla Chan

In 1979, novelist and anime creator Yoshiyuki Tomino brought cutting-edge aerospace technology to TV audiences in 1979 with Mobile Suit Gundam. It offered a robot sci-fi depiction of conflicts in outer space with hundreds of soon-to-be classic protagonists and antagonists.
In this episode of Cultured, we explore the animation, manga, magazines, toy kits and novels established by Sunrise and Bandai, and how they have morphed into the Gundam world, widely considered the most successful robot anime on Earth.


K-drama Crushology 101: vapid youth romance with Roh Jeong-eui wallows in cliché

Who are Eric Dane and Rebecca Gayheart’s 2 teen daughters, Billie and Georgia? Their eldest is a model and dancer, and both kids have watched Grey’s Anatomy, but will ‘never’ stream Euphoria

Meet Nanette Mirkovich, Erik Estrada’s wife of almost 3 decades, whom the CHiPs heartthrob – thrice married with 3 children – credits with helping rebuild his life and career

Park Hae-soo’s character in Karma, new Netflix K-drama, is most ‘extreme’ he’s ever played

TV shows and streaming video

What is Gundam? How the Japanese robot anime morphed into toys, games and more

Photo: SCMP composite

From Holga to Diana: iconic Hong Kong toy photo cameras that sparked a worldwide retro aesthetic trend

Photo: SCMP Composite 

‘People are jealous of me’: building Gundam models is his job and his hobby – and he loves it

Manson Ng at his store and workshop in Hong Kong’s Mong Kok district, where he builds Gundam models, or “Gunpla”, for a living – and for a hobby. Now 53, Ng was the over-21s champion of this year’s Gunpla Builders World Cup. Photo: Sam Li

Ng working on a Gunpla. Photo: Sam Li

Manson Hobby Room, Ng’s store in Mong Kok, Hong Kong. Photo: Sam Li

“Fragments of a Star” made by Ng. His award-winning work was inspired by a story from the Gundam anime and took him a year to complete. Photo: Sam Li

Ng can trace his passion for Gundam model kits back four decades. Photo: Sam Li

Ng opened his hobby room eight years ago to sell models and tools. Photo: Sam Li

News

Lifestyle

Asia

Japanese anime Mobile Suit Gundam first hit the airwaves in 1979
Today, it is considered the most successful robot anime of all time


In this episode of Cultured, we explore the animation, manga, magazines, toy kits and novels established by Sunrise and Bandai, and how they have morphed into the Gundam world, widely considered the most successful robot anime on Earth.


Asian cinema: Japanese films

Video | What is Gundam? How the Japanese robot anime morphed into toys, games and more

Japanese anime Mobile Suit Gundam first hit the airwaves in 1979 Today, it is considered the most successful robot anime of all time

Japanese anime Mobile Suit Gundam first hit the airwaves in 1979

Today, it is considered the most successful robot anime of all time