On my most recent trip to Japan, I got to experience something rather unique; I got to go on the new GUNDAM ride called, appropriately GUNDAM THE RIDE, which opened 20 July 2000 in the Fujikyu Highland Amusement Park.
Having never been to a Japanese amusement park before, I wasn't sure what to expect. We met up with our guide and driver, Mr. Inoue from Sunrise (who just happens to be the producer of G-SAVIOUR) and set off onto the streets of Japan.
After about a half an hour, we made it to the freeway. At least I guess it was a freeway because it was a big road and as soon as we got on it, traffic ground to a halt. And since I live in Los Angeles, that pretty much matches with my experiences of freeways.
So after about two more hours on the road, we pull into the parking lot of Fujikyu Highland, a rather large amusement park. This is the home of GUNDAM THE RIDE. So, after driving for over two hours, we now find ourselves standing outside in the heat in line to pay to get in to the park. Again, I have flashbacks of home and trips to Disneyland.
Once we're in, we walk around for a bit, and we make our way over to this rather large dome that is the home of the Gundam ride. We can tell because there's a giant sign that says "GUNDAM THE RIDE." Also because there's a big Gundam in front of it.
So we get there, and we wind up... you guessed it... standing in line again. However, this was probably the most interesting line I stood in on this trip to Japan. The interior is decorated like a space ship. But not just any ship. This is a Zeon ship that has been seized by the Federation Forces. As a result, much of the walls were covered with Graffiti. Slogans ranged from things like "We won" to "Jack the Halloween."
Jack, it turns out, is one of the new characters created for the ride, and he is an expert mobile suit pilot.
So after about 40 minutes of walking through these corridors, we finally board our "shuttle" which will be taking us, as civilians in the Gundam universe, to a more secure location, the colony of Side 6.
Before boarding, we see a video narrated by none other than Haro who explains the wonders of the space colonies, including everything from the physics involved to the kind of life we can expect to find there. From the video, we expect to see lots of ducks and sheep. There's also some really nice CG that shows what happens when the sun "sets" on the colony and it is bathed in a beautiful orange light.
So now, we're all set to go, and we get strapped in to our seats. The whole thing at this point feels very much like Star Tours.
Next, we're introduced to the crew of the Suruga, the ship that we'll be leaving from. They inform us of the battle that we've found ourselves in the middle of, but they also tell us that we shouldn't be eating or drinking anything while on the ride. It's a clever way to make the riders feel more included. This part is done with traditional cel animation.
Our shuttle launches, and we immediately find ourselves in the middle of a battle. This is not good if you're in an unarmed shuttlecraft. Fortunately, we have with us two ace mobile suit pilots, Jack Bernard and Adam Stingray. This Jack is none other than Jack the Halloween. They are our GM escorts through the battle, and boy do we need them!
The shuttle pilot seems to be either suicidal or drunk, as he takes the most insane route through heavy enemy fire, mobile suit battles, and the like. There are several near misses with large objects (Zeon cruisers, mobile armors, and even the asteroid A Baoa Qu itself. But our escorts are diligent and competent.
It's a fast-paced ride, and along the way, we get to see some rather important events from this climactic battle. Sayla Mass flies by in the core fighter, Amuro in his headless Gundam battles Char in the Zeong, and Kai chastises us for being in the middle of the war zone. It's fun, but most of it goes by so fast, that you have to really keep your eyes open.
The shuttle races through open space, around mobile suits, into and out of the asteroid, and even inside a space colony! It's quite a ride, and it lasts for five minutes before we come crashing to a halt.
The animation is very nicely done. The mecha and space scenes are all CG, but when the pilots appear on the screen to talk to you, they're done in cel animation. It's much like many of the Gundam video games that have been done, and it works pretty well. The character designs are a surprise—they're done by Mikimoto Haruhiko.
And, to top it all off, the ride has its own ending theme. It's a slow ballad, though, which doesn't seem to fit the atmosphere of the ride. Still, how many other rides have their own ending theme song?
Of course, to complete the Gundam experience, upon exiting the ride, passengers are dumped into the GUNDAM MANIA shop. Here, tourists can be waited on by attendants in federation uniforms as they by the usual GUNDAM goods, including models, videos, and toys.
There is some merchandise produced exclusively for GUNDAM THE RIDE, including several t-shirts and some pints. However, there are also some rather unorthodox goods available. I was reminded of SPACEBALLS as I looked around and saw things like Gundam Butter Cookies, Gundam Cheesecake, and Haro Crepes. But it just goes to prove that it takes all kinds of merchandise to make up a universe, even one as old and enduring as the Gundam universe.
All in all, it was a lot of fun. I was told I was probably the first American to see this ride, I got to check out something fun, and I got to buy a box of Haro Candy Drops. What more could one ask for? I was happy but tired as we got back into the car to begin the three hour drive back to Tokyo.