Mobile Suit Gundam is no stranger to the weird side of merchandise, with the anime franchise landing in the 1970s placing its label on the likes of sardines, coffee cans, golf bags, and almost too many other pieces of merch to list in one article, but one part of the series has made its way into the limelight thanks to recreations of emergency food rations. In the battle between the Principality of Zeon and Earth Federation, various Gundam suits and general mechs were used to determine the outcome, but these rations might have proved to assist Zeon instrumentally.
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When Mobile Suit Gundam first arrived on the scene thanks to creator Yoshiyuki Tomino, the series only focused on the battle between these two factions, with the young warrior Amaro representing the Earth and Char representing Zeon. Over the years, however, the Gundam series decided to open its doors and usher in a series of new stories that would further explore the universe by seeing the popular mech suits placed into strange new circumstances throughout time and space. With the latest entry of the series arriving earlier this year on Netflix with Hathaway’s Flash, and revisiting the original universe that started it all, these emergency rations are definitely one of the weirdest pieces of merch from the franchise.
The Principality of Zeon rations are made by Premium Bandai, who have created countless pieces of merchandise for untold numbers of anime franchises, using a Japanese “hardtack emergency food” known as Kanpan to help recreate the unique ration system in the Gundam universe. Currently available in packs of ten for around $65 USD, we definitely have seen weirder merchandise created for anime in the past, but this is definitely a fine example of how bizarre the world of merch can be.
Netflix isn’t just stopping by airing the first of the Hathaway trilogy on its streaming service but is also working to produce a live-action movie that will be directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, the director responsible for Kong Skull Island and The Kings of Summer. Gundam has never received a live-action film in the West so this will definitely be an anime adaptation to keep an eye on.
Would you be willing to pick up these food rations from the Principality of Zeon? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of Gundam.
