[F91 PREQUEL] Vol.01

Since it's easier and probably faster than downloading from Mega, here's the older release of Vol.1 for those interested!

A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE F91 ERA PROJECTS

When plans for F91 were originally kicking around, the assumption was that it was going to be a TV series. So around August 1989, Okawara designs a rather orthodox Gundam based on that assumption. However, as the project shifted towards a film, the main suit design was changed to a bolder concept. The F90's design would later debut in the model series tie-in to the film in late 1990.

The F90 story has been explored through various media:

• 1. A five-chapter manga serialized in SD Club Magazine (August 1990 - March 1991) by Hiroshi Yamaguchi and Rei Nakahara, with artwork by Masahiro Kanda. This version is basically forgotten history/unofficial/etc.

• 2. Gundam F90 (Cyber Comix Version) (September 1990 - April 1991), aka the version everyone knows and the one I retranslated.

• 3. Formula Wars 0122, a two-chapter story introducing characters from the Super Famicon game of the same name (July 1991). There was technically another comic by a different artist, but I haven't been able to track down any info on it (or the issue) for that matter.

Next, Bandai Hobby Division would then kick off the Silhouette Formula 91 entries. They laid out the storyline with then Sunrise producer Kouichi Inoue while Okawara tackled the mecha designs and F91 animation director Toshimitsu Kobayashi tackled character designs. The entire project proceeded much like an anime production in terms of mixed media strategy, with the focus being on model kits obviously. Setting material was fleshed out in these kits, which became the prototype for the Master Grade kit background details, basically. It's divided into two parts.

• Chapter 1 "Silhouette Gundam" - A ten-chapter manga serialized in MS SAGA (August 1992 - November 1995) by Hiroshi Yasuda and an eight-chapter photonovel by Sunrise Planning serialized in Bandai's MJ magazine (June 1992 - January 1993), which was not released outside of this magazine.

• Chapter 2 "Cluster Gundam" - A one-shot manga serialized in Comic Bombom in 1992 which was intended to act as a bridge from F91 to V Gundam (based on the Cluster Gundam).

The manga and novel basically tell the same story, so you could think of them as different interpretations, I suppose. As a quick random note for the manga version, the serialization differs from the compilation, which you'll start to see in my retranslation of that. I've added the prologue in the inaugural serial post. That, and the ending is slightly different, which will be included when I get to that, too.

F90FF depicts the activities of F90 Unit 2 before the events of the original F90 manga and is structured in two parts: the first is set in U.C.0112 and the second in 0115. Interwoven with this are more random adapted scenes from the Formula Wars 0122 game in comic form to help complete the overall narrative. This project was mainly to help support the F90 A to Z model initiative.

Lastly is the F91 Prequel manga. This, however, is something of a different beast. Continuity purists will find it incompatible with long-established lore, so it has that going for it. Basically, it borrows the loose framework from Tomino's first volume of the F91 novelization and fleshes out some stuff with it, but ultimately, it does not follow the timeline (namely because Hauzerie's death takes place far too early in this version).