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Hiroshima to Host International Gundam Society

This August, the Japanese city of Hiroshima will host the International Gundam Society — a tentatively titled academic conference about the issues facing future cities, as presented in the Mobile Suit Gundam science-fiction anime series. The Gundam franchise will celebrate its 30th anniversary next year. Set in the fictional Universal Century calendar system, the story posits that most of mankind must emigrate to space colonies to deal with overpopulation. The "spacenoids" eventually wage war with each other and Earth through giant robotic mecha and evolved humans known as Newtypes. The gathering is part of the larger Hiroshima Animation Biennale event that also includes the Robot Anime Expo and the Hiroshima International Animation Festival. This August is also the 63rd anniversary of the first atomic bombing at Hiroshima.

The society plans to discuss the following themes:

• The feasibility of Universal Century (the possibility of space colonization due to overpopulation)
• The structure of human conflict between Earth and space (an inquiry into elitsim from a historical perspective)
• The social psychology of Spacenoids (the emergence of Newtypes)
• An inquiry into nostalgia for Earth and home (the ethology of cities that are not the original homes of their citizens)
• An inquiry into the Zeon revolution (concerning the perpetuity of fascism)
• The politics of the technocrats (Earth Federation)
• The possibility of reforming human consciousness on the battlefield
• The international spread and economic effect of Gundam

Source: animeanime.jp, Gunota Headlines