Netflix just released Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway on its streaming platform this month, and fans of the mech anime series are enjoying the first in a planned trilogy of films from Bandai and animation studio Sunrise. The anime film is based on Yoshiyuki Tomino's original three-volume Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway's Flash novels from 1989 to 1990. The anime series is also getting buzz on social media for its depiction of a futuristic Philippines, and its famous fast food brand.
click to enlargeMobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway is mostly set in a futuristic Davao City, Philippines, and it's set in the year U.C. 0105 -the "Universal Century" timeline that plays host to a majority of the franchise's titles - and the animation team seeks to honor that by featuring country-specific nods, including the famous fast food chain, Jollibee!
One of the released stills features the iconic mascot's round figure with red and yellow stripes, and it shows the menu of Jollibee's "value meals" (a Jolli Spaghetti and Yumburger) displayed on the window.
click to enlargeAnother image (shown below) features protagonist Hathaway Noa inside a Jollibee restaurant, with several signature menu items appearing: a Chickenjoy take-out box, a Jolly Spaghetti, and Yum Burger poster.
click to enlargeIn another scene, we see a Chickenjoy take-out box accompanied by a water bottole with a design resembling Summit Natural Drinking Water, a fellow brand from the Philippines.
click to enlargeThere's also a closer look at the Jollibee mascot and a take-out box of Chickenjoy.
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Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway isn't the first time Jollibee was involved with the Gundam franchise. Back in the 2000s, Jollibee released Gundam SEED toys ofr their Kid's Meal.
click to enlargeThis isn't also the first time Netflix featured Jollibee in their original anime series; we've also seen a reference to the fast food brand in the Filipino anime series, Trese.
There's another scene featuring characters exploring a tropical garden, and even though the exact locations are not confirmed, Davao is known for its beautiful tropical tourist spots and floral gardens.
Mobile Suit: Gundam Hathaway is now streaming worldwide on Netflix. You can check out all the Netflix titles coming this month here.
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