Giant Gundam Statue in Tokyo

To celebrate the 30^th anniversary of the insanely successful Gundam franchise, an 18-metre, 35 tonne giant mecha has been constructed near the Odaiba entertainment complex at Shiokaze Park in Tokyo.

The statue, a replica of the TV series’ RX-78-2 Gundam suit, has been constructed from fiberglass-reinforced plastic over a steel frame, and features over 50 moveable parts. It can fire light beams and eject smoke from its ‘thrusters’, and will be on show until the end of August.

The Gundam franchise began in 1979 with the anime Mobile Suit Gundam, which went on to spawn at least 12 spin-off series, videogames, and movies. Its place in the Japanese psyche is assured, and the Odaiba statue has already attracted thousands of visitors.

Despite the name Gundam being a portmanteau of the words ‘Gun’ and ‘Freedom’, the series’ current executive producer Yoshiyuki Tomino insists that the franchise has never glorified violence.

Speaking at a press conference recently, he said: “Gundam reminded viewers and fans of the potential power of humans and encouraged them not to lose hope.”

Tomino said he had doubts as to whether the giant-sized version was a good idea, until he saw it for himself. “Its toy-like color was so peaceful. To me it was the color of hope, not a weapon.”