Get ready to get hyped about Gunpla in this totally-not-a-toy-tie-in series. (It’s still great, though!)
Yesterday, Crunchyroll announced that they added Gundam Build Fighters, as well as sequel series Gundam Build Fighters Try to their digital lineup. Both shows are available in their entirety for all Crunchyroll members outside of Asia.
Gundam Build Fighters hit Japanese TV in the Fall 2013 broadcast season. Kenji Nagasaki (Classroom Crisis, My Hero Academia) directed the show at Sunrise, with Kenichi Ohnuki (Garzey’s Wing, Mobile Suit Gundam Seed) providing character designs. Yousuke Kuroda (Hayate the Combat Butler!!, My Hero Academia) was in charge of series composition for the project.
Sequel series Gundam Build Fighters Try aired a year later in Fall 2014. Both Kenichi Ohnuki and Yousuke Kuroda reprised their roles as character designer and series composition, respectively. Shinya Watada (Mobile Suit Gundam AGE Memory of Eden, Aikatsu Stars!) helmed the new season at Sunrise.
Crunchyroll describes the Gundam Build Fighters franchise as:
The time is the near future. Years have passed since the 1980s, when “Gunpla”–plastic models based on the “Mobile Suit Gundam” animation–created a huge boom.
Now, a new wave is sweeping the world, in what could be called a second Gunpla boom. Its popularity is driven by “Gunpla Battle,” in which assembled Gunpla can be controlled and made to fight. With the introduction of this revolutionary Battle System, its popularity has expanded to the point that a Gunpla Battle World Tournament is held each year.
The main character of the story, Iori Sei, is a young Gunpla builder who loves Gunpla and dreams of entering the Gunpla Battle World Tournament. As the only heir to a hobby shop, he has high Gunpla building abilities, but he doesn’t know how to control them in battle and is continually defeated in the opening rounds of tournaments. When he meets Reiji, a mysterious boy with superb Gunpla control skills, they team up to take on the World Tournament.
Sei, the Gunpla builder.
Reiji, the Gunpla fighter.
Sei builds, and Reiji battles.
They’re the Build Fighters everyone is talking about!Their goal is to enter the Gunpla Battle World Tournament–and win!
Sunrise is currently working with Right Stuf to release the Gundam franchise on DVD and Blu-Ray in North America.
Source: Crunchyroll
