by When you think of “Newtypes” in Gundam, many people probably think of the distinctive “Tiririririn!” sound that they make when they sense something. However, few people may remember that this sound effect was not heard in the TV anime version, and it was only played in the movie version.
The White Base fends off repeated attacks by the Principality of Zeon forces and docks at the neutral nation of Side 6 for supplies and repairs. In Side 6, Tem Ray, the father of Amuro Ray (CV: Toru Furuya ), who was previously attacked by the Zeon forces at Side 7 and thrown into space through a hole in the colony, was found. Amuro is surprised to see his father alive but soon notices something is wrong with Tem. Amuro is shocked to realize that Tem’s brain is damaged by oxygen deficiency.
Amuro drove his buggy to revisit his father as the White Base was about to depart. However, it started raining, so he decided to take shelter under the eaves of a house, complaining, “They should at least give us a weather forecast…”
At that moment, Amuro’s eyes were drawn to a swan flying over the lake, and he muttered, “It’s a bird…” A yellow light like lightning flashed between Amuro’s eyebrows the next moment, and he sensed something.
When Amuro heads to the terrace ahead, he sees a girl gazing at the swan and murmuring, “Poor thing…” That girl is Lalah Sune (CV: Han Keiko), a Newtype who will later become deeply involved with Amuro and Char Aznable.
The word “Newtype” first appears in the anime Mobile Suit Gundam in episode 38, “Reunion, Char and Sayla,” so the “Newtype sound” is not played in this scene in episode 34. The Newtype sound never appears in the TV anime version and was only added to the movie version. Incidentally, the sound is made by shaking a Flexatone percussion instrument. If you ever want to experience being a Newtype, getting your hands on this instrument might be fun.
Mobile Suit Gundam is a robot anime produced by Sunrise that aired from April 1979 to January 1980. It was directed by Tomino Yoshiyuki and pioneered a new genre called “real robot anime. ” It had a huge impact on subsequent anime.
Although it didn’t receive good ratings when it was first broadcast, its popularity soared with reruns and theatrical releases, and it became an unprecedented hit, even giving rise to the Gunpla boom. Numerous derivative works, including series and spin-offs, have been produced and remain highly popular.
