Bandai
Namco Filmworks announced
on Sunday that it will release a new project titled "BLUE GALE
XABUNGLE SIDE R", developed by Sunrise Robot Laboratory,
in autumn 2025. This proposal will be an experimental video based
on the 1982 anime Blue Gale Xabungle, originally directed by Yoshiyuki
Tomino.
As part of
this reimagining, the video will include an all-new song by idol unit Hōkago
Climax Girls, from the video game The IDOLM@STER Shiny Colors.
This musical collaboration aims to reinterpret the spirit of the
original work from a contemporary perspective.
An
audiovisual proposal that fuses past and present
The project
joins a line of similar initiatives such as "BLUE GALE XABUNGLE
SIDE L", launched on May 14, 2025. This first video
combined classic sequences from the anime with new animations that
evoked the original opening and highlight scenes, especially from episodes 12
and 43.
The SIDE L
was produced in collaboration with Kamikaze Douga and directed
by Junpei Mizusaki (Batman Ninja), who also took on the
roles of technical director and creative producer. In addition, Banjō
Ginga, narrator of the original series, returned to contribute his voice to
this new visual tribute.
A mecha
classic that refuses to disappear
Blue
Gale Xabungle was
originally broadcast between 1982 and 1983 and is one of Tomino's most atypical
works. Set on the planet Zora, it features a world divided between the Innocent and
the Civilians. The protagonist, Jiron Amos, seeks to
avenge the death of his parents, but faces a law that forgives crimes if they
are not solved within three days. In their fight, he steals the mecha
Xabungle and joins the Sandrats bandits, starting a
rebellion against the powerful.
In 1983,
the series also spawned a compilation film titled Xabungle Graffiti.
In 2017, the HIDIVE platform incorporated the series into its
streaming catalog, allowing new generations to access this peculiar jewel of
the mecha genre.
A line
of experimental videos from Sunrise
The Sunrise
lab has also developed other experimental works such as "AURA
BATTLER DUNBINE SIDE L", released in May 2024, and its
counterpart SIDE R, released in November of the same year. These
projects seek to explore new ways of reviving classics through creative
combinations of animation, music, and aesthetic reinterpretation.
With this
new installment dedicated to Xabungle, Bandai Namco demonstrates
its intention to keep the roots of anime alive, while adapting them with a
modern and innovative approach.
