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SD Gundam World Sangoku Sōketsuden Launches With Anime, 2 Comic Series
posted on by Egan Loo
The Gundam.info portal site announced on Saturday that the SD Gundam World Sangoku Sōketsuden project will launch internationally with anime, comics, and plastic model kits. Loosely inspired by the classic Chinese historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms — but with super-deformed Gundam units, the project from Sunrise and Bandai Spirits is part of the overall 40th anniversary celebration for the Gundam franchise.
The project's official website will start releasing the animation in July. The project will go overseas in over 14 countries and territories, including Hong Kong, Taiwan, South Korea, the United States, and Italy. (The official website also has translations in simplified Chinese, Thai, and French, in addition to Japanese.)
Takahiro Ikezoe (Sword Gai: The Animation, Show By Rock!!) is directing the anime at Sunrise, and Touko Machida (Show By Rock!!, Wake Up, Girls!) is in charge of the series scripts.
Two comic series, set in the same world as the animation, will launch on the project's website this April. Luk Mo Shek is drawing the SD Gundam World Sangoku Sōketsuden: Sōshōki comic about Cao Cao, and this comic will also launch in Explorer Publishing's monthly Hong Kong magazine Lucky on April 10.
Naoto Tsushima (Henkei! Henkei! Transformers, Mazinkaiser) is drawing the SD Gundam World Sangoku Sōketsuden: Enkotan comic about Sun Jian. Takuya Yamanaka is in charge of the story for both comic series.
The project's website describes the story set in the distant future:
Repeated warfare has destroyed countries that once prospered gloriously, leaving the land in ruins. Just when revival is in sight, an epidemic of the mysterious Yellow Zombie Virus breaks out. The virus carriers lose themselves and start attacking people. The survivors are forced to live inside fortified cities for protection.[…]
After the Yellow Zombie Virus epidemic, people have surrounded their territories with high walls in order to keep out the infected. In the limited area that they live in, the only thing people can rely on is a form of energy known as "Trinity." However, this finite energy has caused social stratification and much conflict. Each fortified city is isolated by walls, and each country is ruled by a lord.
[…]
However, behind closed walls, the lord Dong Zhuo has been acting in an outrageous manner since the passing of the previous lord. As if drawn together by destiny, Liu Bei Unicorn Gundam meets Guan Yu Nu Gundam and Zhang God Gundam and decides to save the world.
Eventually, the passion of the three young men will bring about great change in the world. The new heroes unveil a new chapter in history.
Bandai Spirits' hobby division will start rolling out the enhanced SD Gundam plastic model kits overseas in late March.
The SD Gundam series is a spinoff of the main Gundam franchise that anthropomorphizes the franchise's iconic mobile suit mecha. The spinoff franchise has spawned its own anime, manga, games, and model kits. Until this year, the latest anime in the franchise was SD Gundam Sangokuden Brave Battle Warriors in 2010.
Sources: SD Gundam World Sangoku Sōketsuden's website, Gundam.info
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