Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower (機動戦士ガンダム サンダーボルト BANDIT FLOWER, Kidō Senshi Gundam Thunderbolt Bandit Flower) is a 2017 theatrical film based on Yasuo Ohtagaki’s manga series Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt and a compilation of the 2017 ONA series of the same name. The film was produced by studio Sunrise and the staff credits include director & writer Kou Matsuo, character designer Hirotoshi Takaya, and music composer Naruyoshi Kikuchi. The film was theatrically released in Japan aired in Japan in November 2017.
Brief Unboxing Note:
This unboxing has been updated on December 2023 to amend its page design but also add additional context to some parts of the write-up. Everything else has been left unchanged from the original post.
Background:
“Earth, eight months after the end of the One Year War.
Captain Monica launches a secret mission, Operation Thunderbolt, and selects Io to pilot the Atlas Gundam. She leads the assault landing ship Spartan into a part of the ocean effectively controlled by the South Seas Alliance. Their objective is to secure or destroy the data of the Psycho Zaku, which the Alliance now possesses.
Daryl, who took the upper hand in his battle with Io, has descended to Earth as part of the remnant forces of the Principality of Zeon. He has also been given the mission of obtaining information on the Psycho Zaku.
Fighting alongside his new comrades, Io encounters Commander Peer, the South Seas Alliance’s border garrison commander. In the sea, on the ice field, and among the thick jungle, the mobile suits of Zeon, the Federation, and the South Seas Alliance battle each other.
The war is not over yet.”
Plot Synopsis via Anime Limited, August 2019.
The Mobile Suit Gundam franchise is filled with various instalments, whether they are standalone in their own timelines or adding additional stories to the existing Universal Century timeline. Alongside anime there have also been various stories produced in book format, with Mobile Suit Gundam the Origin being one of the most well-known for modern audiences. But there was also another manga series that eventually received an anime adaptation, which has also been licensed in English for print – Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt.
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt is one that I haven’t read the source material for but I knew it had a different vibe to the others, with similar traits to Cowboy Bebop with the music score and the direction of the cast from both sides of the fight. What’s also interesting is that the adaptation started off as an Original Net Animation, which was then compiled into a theatrical film that was made more readily available in the west. The first instalment Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky did well enough for more content to be adapted, which lead to a continuation under the subtitle Bandit Flower.
The story for Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower takes place 18 months after the events of the earlier instalment which was during the One Year War (Universal Century era 0079, the same year where the original Mobile Suit Gundam takes place). Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt can be watched standalone, however, this film is a continuation so you’ll at least need knowledge of December Sky first. The second ONA series contained four short episodes like before, and was released from March to June 2017.
Distributor Anime Limited have the Mobile Suit Gundam rights for home video for the UK & Ireland market. As part of their 40th Anniversary of Gundam season, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower was included in the mix alongside Mobile Suit Gundam: Char’s Counterattack, Mobile Suit Gundam Wing and Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Unlike December Sky which sold out extremely fast, Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower is luckily still around but I don’t expect the collector’s edition to last very long given how the film titles sell out faster than the shows themselves.
Collector’s Edition Contents:
This collector’s edition release follows the same style as the other Anime Limited Gundam Collection sets with a rigid box, standard Blu-ray case, and a mini-physical extra.
The package is presented as a rigid box with an Amaray case to house the Blu-ray disc. In addition it also comes included with 5 Art Cards and a Poster.
The artwork is free of any information or BBFC content and the info sheet covers the information and specification like previous Anime Limited releases. The collector’s edition Blu-ray has 1000 units printed for an SRP of £34.99. A standard edition Blu-ray will follow suit.
Physical Contents:
- Rigid Box with Amaray packaging and clean artwork
- Info sheet for specification and BBFC description
- 5 Art Cards
- Poster
On-Disc Contents:
Distributor: Anime Limited
Released: 26th August 2019
The collector’s edition release for Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower from Anime Limited contains the film on a single Blu-ray disc, with the authoring & encoding produced by Madman.
The audio options available include Japanese with English subtitles and the NYAV Post English dub commissioned by Rightstuf & Sunrise. The yellow subtitles are unlockable during playback and the disc is accessible to Blu-ray players set to Region B. Region A players can also access the disc via the top-up menu method.
Blu-ray Specs:
| Languages | English, Japanese |
| Audio | English Linear PCM 2.0 Japanese Linear PCM 2.0 |
| Video | 1080p High Definition Native format 1.78:1 aspect ratio |
| Region | A B |
| Subtitles | English |
| Locked Subtitles | No |
| Discs | 1 BD-50 |
Blu-ray On-Disc Extra Features:
- Promos
- Commercials
- Trailer
Unboxing Photos:
Final Notes:
Mobile Suit Gundam Thunderbolt: Bandit Flower is available to purchase on Blu-ray by Anime Limited in the UK & Ireland territories. The collector’s edition Blu-ray has sold out (as of December 2023), but a standard edition Blu-ray is available to order through retailer Amazon UK, Anime Limited’s store and MVM’s Anime-on-Line store.
(Disclaimer: Amazon links are also included when available. They are affiliated so if you decide to order them, I’ll earn a small percentage if they ship which will help me with any hauls or small bills.)
The Normanic Vault 
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