When searching for clues about the Sparklies, Episode 41 of “Mobile Suit Gundam” may provide a hint. Lalah Sune (voiced by Keiko Han) and Amuro Ray (voiced by Toru Furuya), both Newtypes, stand on opposing sides as enemies but resonate with one another through battle. They communicate in a glowing spiritual world, where everything around them sparkles.

However, Char Aznable (voiced by Syuichi Ikeda), interrupts, exclaiming, “Stop your nonsense with him!” and brings Lalah and Amuro back to reality. After a fierce battle, Lalah loses her life, leaving deep wounds in the hearts of both Amuro and Char. Notably, the title of this episode is aptly “A Cosmic Glow.”

In “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX,” not only do “Sparklies” appear, but the term “Lalah-tone” also comes up as a keyword. Is the phenomenon of the “Sparklies” in this anime the same experience that Lalah and Amuro shared? And is the Lalah-tone related to Lalah in some way? Even nearly fifty years after its broadcast, the presence of the character Lalah Sune continues to exert a remarkable influence on successive works.

Currently available for streaming, the anime “Mobile Suit Gundam” is a robot anime produced by Sunrise that aired from April 1979 to January 1980 and was directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino. It pioneered the “real robot anime” genre and had a tremendous impact on all robot anime that followed. Although its ratings during the initial broadcast were not impressive, its popularity soared with reruns and theatrical releases, sparking the “Gunpla” craze. Many derivative works and spin-offs have since been produced, and the Gundam series remains beloved to this day. The brand-new anime “Mobile Suit Gundam GQuuuuuuX” is currently airing as of April 2025.

(C)SOTSU·SUNRISE

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