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According to Nikkei MJ, the rating of Mobile Suit Gundam AGE has been hovering around the 2% level. Although the main target of the TV series is preteen boys, the rating among the kids sometimes goes down to zero. Bandai has been aware of the unpopularity of Gundam AGE among kids and have tried to identify the reason by conducting a questionnaire. What they found from the survey was that kids today are unfamiliar with wars and space colonies. To draw the attentions of those kids, Bandai featured scenes at school in Asem's Arc, but their attempt failed to obtain the expected result.

Despite the failure of Gundam AGE, Ueno Kazunori, the President of Bandai Namco HD, has been keeping his composure with the business. At the beginning of this year, Ueno encouraged the disheartened staff of Gundam AGE by saying, "Don't be in panic." The reason for his calmness is the favorable status of the whole Gundam sales, which has grown by 18% year-on-year. The increase is mainly attributed to the success of Gundam Unicorn. Bandai Namco HD will expand the business by coordinating the subsidiary companies taking advantage of the popularity of Gundam Unicorn among fans in their 30-40s.

According to Nijigen Shinbun, a film project of Gundam AGE has been surfaced. The authenticity of the report is uncertain.

Sources: Nikkei MJ, Jpanimate, Cyzo, Nijigen Shinbun

Age isn't bad at all

Why I am not surprised by this news.

agreed, gundam AGE is indeed not bat at all

I also agree to that.

Yeah I don't know why people hate age so much. I don't think it's that bad.

I was one of those who looked at AGE at the beginning and went 'ew character designs' (still applies to Dique, dear god..), but really this show isn't that bad. It's weaker than the average series, but much better than DESTINY or the awful 00 movie.

AGE isn't that bad, but the designs based at a younger audience turned away a lot of people (me included), but it actually wasn't that bad after I watched a couple episodes

unless you are a preteen...in which case the numbers do not support you.

Agreed.
I don't see it to be so bad. In fact, i pretty much enjoyed it.
Although yes, sometimes it felt kinda weird LOL

2nd arc of Gundam Age is quite fun to watch, but for some people...

it's just way too late

age is a total failure in my eyes so was wing,seed,g fighter,and all the SD's

unicorn is bad ass although i dont know why they are making it carry all the wieght of age from its failure >.> makes it sound like there is going to be a 48-52 eps of age.......................

...that kids today are unfamiliar with wars and space colonies.

eh, what?
Childs todays are unfamiliar with war? With call of duty and all those wargames that fly around?

Hmm, Nikkei MJ... A Business magagine, huh?
Kids who have watched Anime have grown up and now they are 30-50 years old.
When I went to watch Yamato 2199, almost all audience are over 40.
Gundam UC is the sequel of 0079, Z, ZZ, Gyakushuu no Char and old fans want to watch. They have much money, and DVDs and Blue-Rays are sold very very well.

Well, Anime is so popular in Japan in comparison with others. Anime is over generations.

Gundam AGE failed co'z it focuses something that is retro from the 80's. Gundam Unicorn should have been made into a 12 episode anime instead of a OVA.

AGE is average, Unicorn is a masterpiece. Maybe that makes a difference after all.

SEED focuses on Gundam 0079. AGE focused more on something like Nadesico. Although the Gundam Design goes back too 0079 (which I find quite good).

And cmon, you say AGE fails because its retro, but then again say Unicorn should have made into a 12-Episode anime for itself? You know, it focus on the Uniersal Century... which was... eh... 20 years ago? Since Wing and G there was no UC anymore.

And cmon, Banagher Links is just as whiny as Amuro was back in the old days. We hae Haro, we have the Char-Clone (*lol*), I say it just sells good, BECAUSE there are so many Oldschoolfans who sill know UC and now are over 40+.

AGE tried to bring soemthing good to the children nowadays, it failed. Why? The children nowaday are stupid not to apprecite Gundam.

Fair point on war, but there are no space colonies around these days, where as I spent my childhood years running around inside a space colony.



But I'm not a preteen.



Your logic is terrible.

Unicorn is probably a success due to one thing, it's set in the same universe as the Gundam shows that the fans were watching in the 80's. It's got references to previous shows that they'll understand, plus it adds onto timeline in the UC era. They'd rather have the references in there than watch something that completely reboots the gundam universe like Wing or 00 did.

AGE flopped probably due to the demographic moving onto other things. They just don't see Gundam as something that is relevant as it once was.

This is not surprising at all. When the Bandai people came to Anime Expo 2011, everyone at the panel said Age was going to be a total flop.

No one liked the idea of the new Gundam series was going to target preteens. Even when some one asked that very question, the Bandai people said "well, that's why you have Gundam Unicorn right?"

So even back then they had Unicorn to fall back on.

I'm sure those that remember that panel could chime in.