City wins battle for robot nerd-fest
Hong Kong this week becomes the first site outside Japan to host a Gundam exhibition
Gundam may be loved for its giant robot battles, machine gun shootouts and politically charged space colonies, but the science-fiction franchise's long history and profound themes are what lies behind its appeal to fans. And now it's come to Hong Kong.
"It's not merely the battling, but the human grammar that makes Gundam so popular," said Kazuichi Kojima, a representative from figurine-making and video game distributing partner Bandai. "It carries timeless messages of love, energy, war and peace."
It's not merely the battling, but the human grammar that makes Gundam so popular. It carries timeless messages of love, energy, war and peace
"The first syllable 'gun' is combined with the last syllable of the word 'freedom' to form 'gundom', but it was later changed to 'Gundam' because it is like a powerful dam that can hold back enemies and also carries an anti-war message of freedom," he added.
The franchise is mounting its first display outside its native Japan starting tomorrow in Times Square, with the launch of the "Gundam Docks at Hong Kong" exhibition.
The display will feature two towering Gundams, one-third of the size of those in the animated series, that stand six metres high and weigh two tonnes each.
It also features several human-sized robotic figures in the mall's covered piazza and a space shuttle hovering in its atrium.
Joshua Young Yi-en, a Gundam fan of 13 years, said it's "a man's chick flick, with robots."