The franchise also had its first foray into a live-action film with the now infamous G-Saviour. Meanwhile, Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack and Mobile Suit Gundam 00: A Wakening of the Trailblazer both served as closures to their respective stories.
Mobile Suit Gundam F91 was originally planned to be a TV series but ended up as a film. The original 43-episodes show was re-cut into three films that have since become classics, and a similar thing happened with Mobile Suit Z Gundam which was then re-cut into the A New Translation films. While the original Mobile Suit Gundam famously got canceled due to low ratings, it was a combination of toy sales, theatrical screenings, and repeat airings that lifted the franchise to become the cultural giant that it is today. Gundam has always had a long and interesting history when it comes to theatrical productions.
But for the most part, Narrative can be considered a brand-new story. Those familiar with Gundam Unicorn will be happy to see how these stories connect. Mobile Suit Gundam NT (Narrative) is loosely based on “Phoenix Hunt”, the 11th volume of the Gundam Unicorn novel series by Harutoshi Fukui that serves as a postscript to the series. Needless to say, it’s a very special occasion.