Gundam Build Fighters
Gundam Build Fighters (ガンダムビルドファイターズ Gandamu Birudo Faitāzu) is a 2013 Japanese science fiction anime television series based on Sunrise's long-running Gundam franchise. The series is directed by Kenji Nagasaki of No. 6 and written by Yousuke Kuroda of Mobile Suit Gundam 00. Character designs were done by both Kenichi Ohnuki and Suzuhito Yasuda. The series was first unveiled under the name "1/144 Gundam Mobile" project by Sunrise, before its official announcement. It is the first Gundam series to be broadcast on TV Tokyo, following the end of the franchise's decade-long run on MBS and TBS. In contrast to other Gundamseries, Gundam Build Fighters focuses on the Gundam model (Gunpla) aspect of the franchise.
The series was officially unveiled by Bandai on July 2, 2013, during the series's live press conference as part of Gundam's 35th Anniversary in 2014. It premiered on TXN stations in Japan on October 7, 2013. One Manga adaptation and two photonovels were also announced by Sunrise, and currently running on Gundam Ace (Gundam Build Fighters Amazing), Hobby Japan (Gundam Build Fighters Honno), and Dengeki Hobby Magazine (Gundam Build Fighter Document) magazines.
On May 15, 2014, it was announced that a new series of Gundam Build Fighters is in production, to begin airing on October 2014. The new series, which is a sequel to the original, was revealed to be titled Gundam Build Fighters Try (ガンダムビルドファイターズトライ Gandamu Birudo Faitāzu Torai)
Story
Back in the 1980s, the success of the series Mobile Suit Gundam, resulted in an economic boom due to sales of the Gundam modelkits, or "Gunpla" (ガンプラ Ganpura), dubbed the Gunpla Boom. Years later in the future, with the success of the second Gunpla Boom, special tournaments called Gunpla Battles are established throughout the world to see which customized Gunpla and its builder are the best. These incredibly popular Gunpla Battles culminate in an annual global tournament.
The story of the first season revolves around Sei Iori, a young Gunpla Builder and student who has a dream of becoming the best Gunpla Fighter in the tournament and someday become as good as his father. As the only child, his family owns a small Gunpla shop and his talent is well-honed, however his weak piloting abilities have led him to a series of first-round losses. But one day, he meets a strange boy named Reiji, who helps him out. Reiji gives him a jewel, promising that he will come to Sei's aid if wished enough. Together, both of them will tackle the world of Gunpla Battle and compete in the tournament using Sei's customized Gunpla, the GAT-X105B Build Strike Gundam.
In the second season, seven years later, the rules of Gunpla have been renewed, and the sport becomes even more popular. However, one academy is left behind in this change, and that was Seiho Academy, which Sei once attended. The only member of the Gunpla Battle club remaining is Fumina Hoshino, who befriends Sekai Kamiki, a boy who has been training with his master in martial arts and the young Gunpla builder Yūma Yūsaka, and together, they attempt to secure a place in the world championship as "Team TRY FIGHTERS".
Gunpla Battle
The central theme of this series is the Gunpla Battle (ガンプラバトル Ganpura Batoru), a virtual game that involves the use of Gunpla. Each Gunpla Fighter has a GP Base (GPベース Jī Pī Bēsu), a device that stores their Gunpla information. Once the GP Bases are set, the Battle System (バトルシステム Batoru Shisutemu) disperses "Plavsky particles" (プラフスキー粒子 Purafusukī Ryūshi, a portmanteau of "plastic" and "Minovsky particles"), which react only to the plastic material of Gunpla and animate them into the game. The Battle System creates a holographic landscape that simulates a battlefield from different Gundam series, and the battle begins once the Gunpla Fighters set their Gunpla to be scanned by the Plavsky particles. A Gunpla's combat statistics are determined by its build quality; modifications such as adding scratch-built parts and paint weathering will increase its stats. Battle effects such as explosions and beam attacks are faithfully simulated in the Battle System. Consequently, damage sustained during battle is reflected directly on the Gunpla itself, requiring Gunpla Fighters to have spare parts ready for necessary repairs. Scale also plays a major factor in a Gunpla Battle; just like in the real world, a 1/48 scale Mega Size Model Gunpla will dwarf a 1/144 scale opponent in the battlefield.
The Gunpla Battle World Championships tournament begins with eight battles, including a four-person knockout battle, a three-on-three team battle, and the closing one-on-one battle. Five of the battles are revealed only on their scheduled dates. Each contestant receives four points for every battle won. The 16 Gunpla Fighters with the most points will advance to the final tournament, a knockout stage that decides the World Champion.
It is later on revealed that Plavsky particles are processed from Arista (アリスタ Arisuta), a crystal originating from Reiji's home country of Arian (アリアン?).
