{"rewrite":{"id":"r_9ad618f6b6954638aa38ed61","clusterId":"c_88db8ebe1cb643d28e501b0b","slug":"shuko-murase-details-the-5-year-hybrid-production-of-gundam-hathaway","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Shūkō Murase on the Five-Year Hybrid Production of Gundam Hathaway's Second Film","summary":"Director Shūkō Murase discusses the five-year production of Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe, detailing how the film integrated CG and 2D animation with a new approach to lighting and layout. The film opened in Japan on January 30 and releases in U.S. theaters on May 15, 2026.","whyItMatters":"Murase's account of the five-year hybrid production cycle reveals how the team deliberately shifted from hand-drawn layouts to CG-based layouts to achieve more realistic lighting, marking a technical departure from the first film.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eShūkō Murase, director of the second Gundam Hathaway film, told Cartoon Brew that the five-year production was driven by a decision to bring CG into the layout stage earlier than in the first film. In the first film, most layouts were done by hand. For \u003ci\u003eThe Sorcery of Nymph Circe\u003c/i\u003e, Murase wanted more realistic lighting, which required specifying light sources across every department-a process he said CG made possible. The art department, including art director Kin'ichi Ôkubo, worked to ensure the 2D art was not outdone by the CG. Murase noted that while some artists still prefer hand-drawn character guides, the film uses 3D guides for layouts. The film opened in Japan on January 30 and arrives in U.S. theaters on May 15.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"Shūkō Murase says the second Gundam Hathaway film took five years because the team switched to CG-based layouts to achieve realistic lighting, a change from the first film's hand-drawn approach.","twitterPost":"Murase: second Gundam Hathaway film took five years because team switched to CG-based layouts for realistic lighting, a change from the first film's hand-drawn layouts.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Shūkō Murase explains the five-year hybrid production of Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe, detailing how CG was used earlier in the layout stage to achieve more realistic lighting. The film opened in Japan in January and hits U.S. theaters May 15.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Cartoon Brew\",\"url\":\"https://cartoonbrew.tempurl.host/feature-film/mobile-suit-gundam-hathaway-sorcery-of-nymph-circe-shuko-murase-260750.html\",\"title\":\"Shūkō Murase On 'Gundam Hathaway's' 5-Year Hybrid Production\"}]","lintFlagsJson":"[]","lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":3867,"outputTokens":611,"status":"published","repairAttempts":1,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1779826464,"createdAt":"2026-05-20T16:31:15.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-05-21T15:45:59.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-21T15:45:59.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_88db8ebe1cb643d28e501b0b","canonicalTitle":"Shūkō Murase On ‘Gundam Hathaway’s’ 5-Year Hybrid Production","representativeArticleId":"a_15a743ddbbeb242298491c85","sourceCount":1,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":true,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[\"Gundam Hathaway\",\"The Sorcery of Nymph Circe\"],\"manga_titles\":[],\"studios\":[],\"people\":[\"Shūkō Murase\"],\"type\":\"news\",\"domain\":\"anime\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-05-11T16:52:37.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-05-11T16:52:37.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-05-21T15:45:59.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Cartoon Brew","url":"https://cartoonbrew.tempurl.host/feature-film/mobile-suit-gundam-hathaway-sorcery-of-nymph-circe-shuko-murase-260750.html","title":"Shūkō Murase On ‘Gundam Hathaway’s’ 5-Year Hybrid Production"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":["Gundam Hathaway","The Sorcery of Nymph Circe"],"manga_titles":[],"studios":[],"people":["Shūkō Murase"],"type":"news","domain":"anime","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["The second Gundam Hathaway film, Mobile Suit Gundam Hathaway: The Sorcery of Nymph Circe, took five years to produce.","Director Shūkō Murase said the production shifted to CG-based layouts earlier than in the first film to achieve more realistic lighting.","The film opened in Japan on January 30 and releases in U.S. theaters on May 15, 2026.","Art director Kin'ichi Ôkubo worked to ensure the 2D art was not outdone by the CG.","The film uses 3D guides for layouts, though some artists still prefer hand-drawn character guides."]}