Fly, Gundam!

It’s always seemed strange to me that the opening theme for the original Mobile Suit Gundam TV anime is titled “Tobe! Gundam,” meaning “Fly! Gundam.” While Japan’s most famous anime mecha has some impressive capabilities, flight isn’t one of them. Sure, Gundam can zip around in the weightless environment of space, but it can’t fly within Earth’s atmosphere.

Making the song’s title even weirder is that the lyrics for “Tobe! Gundam” weren’t written by someone with only a cursory knowledge of the show, as they were penned by none other than Gundam series creator Yoshiyuki Tomino. But now, 46 years after “Tobe! Gundam” was first heard, Gundam really will fly through the skies of Japan, as Japan Airlines now has a Gundam Jet.

The JAL Gundam Jet, which had its first flight on March 3, is the highlight of the JAL x Gundam Fly to the Future Project. Though not an actual time-traveling airliner, the plane is decked out with exterior graphics celebrating the upcoming Expo 2025 world’s fair that’s set to open in Osaka later this spring. The version of the robot seen here is the RX-78F00/E Gundam, the same variant that’s going to be on display at the Bandai Namco pavilion at the event in life-size form, and which received a blessing from a Shinto priest as part of the festivities’ preparations.

Because of the Expo 2025 connection, hanging out with Gundam on the fuselage is the event’s mascot Myaku-Myaku, and while JAL hasn’t released a full flight schedule for the 165-seat Gundam Jet, it’s a safe bet that many of its flights will be domestic routes to/from the Osaka area, especially since there’s also an exclusive 1/144-sclae RX-78F00/E Gundam Gunpla (plastic Gundam model) that will only be available as an extra for travelers booking a JAL Dynamic Package that bundles airfare and a hotel stay in the Osaka area while Expo 2025 is going on.

In addition, passengers using JAL’s in-flight Wi-Fi service on domestic flights during Expo 2025 will have the opportunity to purchase (while supplies last) an HG 1/144 RX-78-2 Gundam JAL Original Color Version Gunpla.

Full details and availability for the Gudam JAL Dynamic Package will be released later this month. Expo 2025 runs from April 13 to October 13, and the JAL Gundam Jet is slated to continue flying until November, which means it’ll be sharing the skies with the Super Mario/Donkey Kong plane.

Related: JAL x Gundam Fly to the Future Project official website
Source: PR Times, JAL
Top image: JAL
Insert images: JAL, PR Times
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