Mobile Suit SD Gundam

Mobile Suit SD Gundam
2011 cover to G-Collection: Mobile Suit SD Gundam DVD-Box, distributed by Bandai Visual
機動戦士SDガンダム
(Kidō Senshi Esudī Gandamu)
GenreMecha, Comedy, Action, Parody
Created by
Anime film
Directed byOsamu Sekita
Written byHiroyuki Hoshiyama
Music byNorimasa Yamanaka
StudioSunrise
ReleasedMarch 12, 1988
Runtime20 minutes
Original video animation
StudioSunrise
Released May 25, 1988 – October 25, 1990
Runtime30 minutes per OVA
Episodes5
Anime film
Mobile Suit SD Gundam's Counterattack
Directed byShinji Takamatsu
Tetsuro Amino
Written byTetsuro Amino
Music byOsamu Totsuka
StudioSunrise
ReleasedJuly 15, 1989
Runtime24 minutes
Original video animation
Mobile Suit SD Gundam: SD Gundam Legend
Directed byTetsuro Amino
Written byTetsuro Amino
Music byToru Okada
StudioSunrise
Released March 25, 1990 – March 21, 1991
Runtime28 minutes per OVA
Episodes4
Anime film
Mobile Suit SD Gundam: Musha, Knight, Commando: SD Gundam Emergency Sortie
Directed byTakeyuki Kanda
Written byTakeyuki Kanda
StudioSunrise
ReleasedMarch 16, 1991
Runtime16 minutes
Anime film
Mobile Suit SD Gundam: Dawn of Papal, Episode 103: Suginamu's Bride
Directed byTakeyuki Kanda
Written byTakeyuki Kanda
StudioSunrise
ReleasedAugust 22, 1991
Runtime16 minutes
Anime film
Mobile Suit SD Gundam Festival
Directed byTakashi Imanishi
Tetsuro Amino
Written byAsahide Ookuma
Tetsuro Amino
StudioSunrise
ReleasedMarch 13, 1993
Runtime81 minutes

Mobile Suit SD Gundam (Japanese: 機動戦士SDガンダム, Hepburn: Kidō Senshi Esudī Gandamu) is a Japanese anthology of animated shorts produced by Sunrise between 1988 and 1993. The series was released theatrically alongside anime feature films and as original video animations (OVAs), and forms part of the broader SD Gundam franchise, which draws from Bandai’s popular Gashapon capsule toys and plastic model kits.[1][2]

Early installments parody the mainline Gundam franchise using super deformed (chibi-style) mecha and characters.[2] Starting in 1989 with Mobile Suit SD Gundam’s Counterattack, the series began incorporating recurring teams like Command Gundam, Knight Gundam, and Musha Gundam—characters developed through toy lines, Carddass trading cards, and manga tie-ins.[3][4][5]

Format and themes

Each short runs roughly 10–30 minutes and was issued either as a comedic theatrical segment or an OVA with exaggerated designs and parody humor.[1][2] While the early works relied on rapid, self-contained gags, from 1989 onward the shorts adopted more coherent narrative structures tied to specific sub-franchise motifs. SD Sengokuden entries embrace samurai-period settings, Knight Gundam adopts medieval fantasy backdrops, and Command Gundam features military science fiction influences, aligned to contemporary merchandise lines.[3][4]

Production

Mobile Suit SD Gundam was produced by Sunrise between 1988 and 1993 as a series of theatrical shorts and OVAs based on super deformed (SD) Gundam figures that rose to popularity through Bandai’s Gashapon capsule toys and model kits in the late 1980s.[6][7] The earliest entries were structured as brief gag animations parodying well-known events from the mainline Gundam series, using chibi-style mobile suits and characters for comedic effect.[1][2]

With the 1989 theatrical short Mobile Suit SD Gundam’s Counterattack, the series introduced recurring characters and settings adapted from SD Gundam’s expanding toy, trading card, and manga lines, including the Musha, Knight, and Command sub-franchises.[8][3] This shift enabled later shorts to move from stand-alone parodies to themed story arcs such as Sengokuden and Gaiden that blended fantasy or historical motifs with Gundam elements.[3]

In an interview tied to the Blu-ray collection, director Tetsurō Amino and episode director Shinji Takamatsu explained that the team adjusted the approach over time: early works emphasized rapid-fire comedy, while later entries adopted more structured narratives to support an expanding SD Gundam “universe.”[9] Contemporary coverage and release notes around the DVD and Blu-ray box sets also document the compilation of theatrical shorts and OVAs from 1988 through 1993.[7][10]

Releases

Between 1988 and 1993, SD Gundam was issued as short theatrical programs bundled with Sunrise features and as OVAs: the first two shorts opened with Char’s Counterattack on March 12, 1988 (1988-03-12) (a third segment was added on video),[11][12] SD Gundam's Counterattack followed with Patlabor: The Movie on July 15, 1989 (1989-07-15), introducing the animated SD Sengokuden line,[13][14] while the 1990 OVA cycle (Mark III–V) expanded Sengokuden alongside gag shorts.[15] In 1990–1991, four fantasy OVAs under SD Gundam Gaiden adapted the Knight Gundam arc,[16] and the crossover short Musha–Knight–Command: SD Gundam Scramble premiered with Gundam F91 on March 16, 1991 (1991-03-16) (14 min).[17][18] The anthology feature Mobile Suit SD Gundam Festival opened on March 13, 1993 (1993-03-13), comprising SD Command Chronicles II: Gundam Force Super G-ARMS Final Formula vs Noumugather, SD Gundam Gaiden: Seikihei Monogatari (Chs. 1–2, 53 min), and SD Sengokuden: Tenka Taihei-hen (15 min).[19][20][21]

On television, TV Tokyo aired an eight-episode compilation Do Your Best! The SD Gundam March from February 9 to March 30, 1993.[22][23] For home video, Bandai Visual first issued the Mobile Suit SD Gundam Collection Box on November 23, 2007,[24] followed by the four-disc G-SELECTION Mobile Suit SD Gundam DVD-BOX on July 22, 2011,[25][26] and the limited SD Gundam Blu-ray Collection Box on November 12, 2021, sold via A-on STORE and Premium Bandai; the compilation omits the theatrical parody SD Gundam SD Wacky Races.[27][28] In Japan, catalog streaming is available intermittently on Bandai Channel and FOD.[29][30]

Summary of works

The complete list of works are as follows:[31]

Title (English) Title (Japanese) Romaji Format / Release Context Runtime
Mobile Suit SD Gundam (機動戦士SDガンダム, Kidō Senshi SD Gundam) – Theatrical, March 12, 1988 (1988-03-12), released with Mobile Suit Gundam: Char's Counterattack[32]
Fierce Fighting Chapter: Will Gundam Rise Up? 激闘編 ガンダム大地に立てるか！？ Gekitō-hen: Gundam Daichi ni Tateru ka!? Theatrical short (bundle Part 1)[9] (Part 1–2 total) ~27 min
Holiday Chapter: Menace of the Zeon Hotel? The Order to Destroy Gundam Pension!! 休日編 ジオン・ホテルの脅威？ガンダム・ペンション破壊命令！！ Kyūjitsu-hen: Zeon Hotel no Kyōi? Gundam Penshon Hakai Meirei!! Theatrical short (bundle Part 2)[9] (See above, ~27 min total with Part 1)
Decisive Battle Chapter: SD Olympic!! The Stadium Saturated with Laughs 決戦編 SDオリンピック！！スタジアム・笑いに染めて Kessen-hen: SD Olympic!! Stadium Warai ni Somete Video original release[9] ~13 min
Mobile Suit SD Gundam Mark II (機動戦士SDガンダム MARK-II, Kidō Senshi SD Gundam MARK-II) – OVA, June 1989[9]
The Rolling Colony Affair 転がるコロニー事件 Korogaru Colony Jiken OVA short[9] 10 min
Original Gundam Stray Scenes Collection 元祖・ガンダム迷場面集 Ganzo Gundam Meibamen-shū OVA short[9] 9 min
Gundam Legend 巖蛇武（ガンダム）伝説 Gandamu Densetsu OVA short[9] 10 min
Mobile Suit SD Gundam's Counterattack: Musha Gundam Visits (機動戦士SDガンダムの逆襲 武者ガンダム参上, Kidō Senshi SD Gundam no Gyakushū: Musha Gandamu Sanjō) – Theatrical, July 15, 1989 (1989-07-15), with Patlabor: The Movie[9]
The Storm-Calling School Festival 嵐を呼ぶ学園祭 Arashi wo Yobu Gakuen-sai Theatrical short[9] 12 min
SD Warring States Legend: Chapter A Baoa Qu SD戦国伝 暴終空城の章 SD Sengokuden: Abaowakū no Shō Home video[9] 13 min
Mobile Suit SD Gundam Mark III (機動戦士SDガンダム MARK-III, Kidō Senshi SD Gundam MARK-III) – OVA, March 1990[9]
Battle of the Mystery of the Universe 宇宙の神秘大作戦 Uchū no Shinpi Daisakusen OVA[9] 11 min
SD Sengokuden: Ninja Battle at the Zumushitei SD戦国伝 頭虫邸の忍者合戦 SD Sengokuden: Zumushitei no Ninja Gassen OVA[9] 11–12 min
SD Sengokuden: Volumes of Heaven, Earth, Truth, Reason (multi-part, incl. "Era of Peace Throughout the Land") SD戦国伝 天の巻／地の巻／真の巻／理の巻／天下泰平編 Ten no Maki / Ji no Maki / Shin no Maki / Ri no Maki / Tenka Taihei-hen OVA[9] ~13 min (final wrap-up)
Mobile Suit SD Gundam Mark IV (機動戦士SDガンダム MARK-IV, Kidō Senshi SD Gundam MARK-IV) – OVA, September 1990[9]
SD Gundam SD Wacky Races SDガンダム チキチキSD猛レース SD Gundam Chiki Chiki SD Mō Race OVA (cut/欠番 from some releases)[9] N/A
Dream Maron Company: "A Space Odyssey" 夢のマロン社「宇宙の旅」 Yume no Maron-sha: Uchū no Tabi OVA[9] 16–17 min
Appendix Part One: The One Year War Mobile Suit Catalog — — Bonus (video)[9] ~5 min
Mobile Suit SD Gundam Mark V (機動戦士SDガンダム MARK-V, Kidō Senshi SD Gundam MARK-V) – OVA, October 1990[9]
Miracle of Courier Re-GZ 運び屋リ・ガズィの奇跡 Hakobi-ya Re-GZ no Kiseki OVA[9] 10 min
SD Sengokuden: The Five Gundam Braves Exterminate the Spirits SD戦国伝 頑駄無五人衆のもののけ退治 SD Sengokuden: Gundam Goninshū no Mononoke Taiji OVA[9] 12 min
SD Gundam Genesis: Pikirienta Pores SDガンダム創世記 ピキリエンタ ポーレス SD Gundam Sōseiki: Pikirienta Pōresu OVA[9] 6–7 min
Mobile Suit SD Gundam: SD Gundam Legend (機動戦士SDガンダム SDガンダム外伝, Kidō Senshi SD Gundam: SD Gundam Gaiden) – OVA, March 1990–March 1991[9]
SD Gundam Legend: Lacroan Hero SDガンダム外伝 ラクロアの勇者 SD Gundam Gaiden: Rakuroa no Yūsha OVA[9] 27–28 min
SD Gundam Legend II: Legendary Giant SDガンダム外伝II 伝説の巨人 SD Gundam Gaiden II: Densetsu no Kyojin OVA[9] ~28 min
SD Gundam Legend III: Algus Knights SDガンダム外伝III アルガス騎士団 SD Gundam Gaiden III: Arugasu Kishidan OVA[9] 28 min
SD Gundam Legend IV: The Knight of Flash SDガンダム外伝IV 光の騎士 SD Gundam Gaiden IV: Hikari no Kishi OVA[9] 28 min
Mobile Suit SD Gundam The Movie: Musha Knight Command: SD Gundam Scramble (機動戦士ＳＤガンダム劇場版 武者・騎士・コマンド SDガンダム緊急出撃, Kidō Senshi SD Gundam Gekijō-ban Musha Kishi Command SD Gundam Kinkyū Shutsugeki) – Theatrical, March 16, 1991 (1991-03-16), with Mobile Suit Gundam F91[9]
Musha Knight Command: SD Gundam Scramble 武者・騎士・コマンド SDガンダム緊急出撃 Musha Kishi Command SD Gundam Kinkyū Shutsugeki Theatrical short[9] ~20 min
Dawn of Paparu: Episode 103 "Suginamu's Bride" パパルの暁 第103話「スギナムの花嫁」 Paparu no Akatsuki Dai 103-wa "Suginamu no Hanayome" Video bonus[9] 16 min
G-ARMS Course 『G-ARMS』講座 "G-ARMS" Kōza Bonus short[9] ~5 min
Mobile Suit SD Gundam Festival (機動戦士SDガンダムまつり, Kidō Senshi SD Gundam Matsuri) – Feature-length omnibus, March 1993[9]
SD Command Chronicles II: Gundam Force Super G-ARMS Final Formula VS Noumugather ＳＤコマンド戦記II ガンダムフォース スーパーＧアームズ ファイナルフォーミュラーVSノウムギャザー — Feature short within omnibus[9] ~20 min
SD Gundam Gaiden: Chronicle of Holy War Machines — Chapter 1 & 2 SDガンダム外伝 聖機兵物語 第1章／第2章 SD Gundam Gaiden: Seikihei Monogatari Dai 1-shō / Dai 2-shō Omnibus adaptation[9] 54 min combined
SD Sengokuden: Era of Peace Throughout the Land SD戦国伝 天下泰平編 SD Sengokuden: Tenka Taihei-hen Omnibus short[9] 13 min

Reception

Contemporary professional reviews of the late-1980s shorts are scarce online, but later coverage has characterized the series as a formative, long-lived pillar of the SD sub-brand. Japanese entertainment press reported renewed interest around archival releases: AV Watch highlighted Sunrise’s HD-remastered DVD box in 2007 as the first comprehensive home-video treatment for the shorts, positioning it alongside high-profile Gundam restorations and noting SD’s distinct super-deformed appeal within the franchise’s catalog.[33] In 2021, Comic Natalie’s coverage of the Blu-ray collection again framed the shorts as enduring works and detailed the scope of the set, reflecting sustained audience and archival value decades after release.[34]

Official retrospectives and staff interviews further emphasize how the shorts’ early parody skits evolved into more structured narratives that broadened the SD line’s appeal. In a Bandai Namco Filmworks interview tied to the 2021 Blu-ray, directors Tetsurō Amino and Shinji Takamatsu discussed the transition from rapid-fire gags to themed arcs such as Sengokuden and Gaiden, describing how this shift helped cement SD’s identity for fans beyond simple pastiche.[35] Gundam.info’s editorial “Gundam School” series likewise presents the shorts as works that “leap beyond pure parody,” crediting early installments and the 1989 theatrical SD Gundam’s Counterattack with driving SD popularity at the time.[36][37]

In English-language retrospectives, analyses of Gundam’s media mix and visual language frequently cite the SD shorts as emblematic of late-1980s experimentation with parody, deformation, and transmedia merchandising. A University of Iowa study on digital technology and anime form references the short Decisive Battle Chapter: SD Olympic!! in a discussion of stylization tropes, situating SD’s humor and visual compression within broader trends in animation aesthetics.[38] More broadly, a DiGRA case study of the Gundam franchise highlights SD as a durable transmedia vector that reinforced brand longevity through toys, cards, and video releases, underscoring the shorts’ role in expanding audience touchpoints beyond the mainline series.[39]

References

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