Starting tomorrow, prominent Tokyo landmarks — with their fixed steel columns and beams — will likely be feeling a bit inadequate as a new, mobile player is set to rise up and illuminate the capital's skyline.
Near the Rainbow Bridge, on the manmade peninsula of Odaiba, a "life size" rendition of a Gundam robot will stand guard as a representative member of the influential "Mobile Suit Gundam" television series, which this year is celebrating its 30th anniversary. The 18-meter-high armored figure, replicated right down to its double-nozzle jet pack, sits as the centerpiece of the Green Tokyo Gundam Project, an event aimed at raising funds for the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's push for a more environmentally friendly future.
Along with its numerous off-shoots and films, the sci-fi animation is set in an uncertain period of conflict in which robot vehicles, or "mobile suits," are captained by children and used as weapons.
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.