Mobile Suit Gundam it is popular all over the world, but in its home, Japan, it is practically a cultural institution. And although the original “Universal Century” Gundam configuration tends to receive more attention, results like 2015 Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blood Orphans are popular in their own right. Maybe that’s why Bandai is honoring the series’ fifth anniversary with the launch of a new line of bespoke clothing and accessories inspired by the show. [Thanks, Famitsu!].
Courtesy of the Bandai Clothing Division (the same people who brought the Kamen Rider clothing line), the Iron blood orphans The 5th anniversary collection will be sold by Bandai’s Gundam-centric clothing store, STRICT-G and the Premium Bandai online outlet.
Items include Orphans with iron bloodthemed T-shirts, sweatshirts and other accessories like bags and pins. Instead of stamping the merchandise with images of fuses or characters, the designs evoke the spectacle in a more oblique way, through iconography and quotes. This can be an advantage for a customer who prefers to keep their fandom a little more discreet.
For example, although most items in the line feature Tekkadan’s stylized fleur-de-lis logo, the main group in Orphans with iron blood, a sweatshirt design inspired by the McGillis Fareed character features nothing more than a sweet color logo that says “Chocolate Face”.
The design is a reference to McGillis’ first personal encounter with the protagonist of the series Mikazuki Augus. After narrowly avoiding a traffic accident involving Mikazuki’s friends, Fareed tries to compensate the teenagers with some sweets. Mikazuki, never much to remember names, refers to Fareed as “The Chocolate Guy” for much of the series.
THE Mobile Suit Gundam: Iron Blood Orphans The 5th anniversary clothing line is available for pre-order at the online store STRICT-G.