The Gundam Wing Dinner Show ~ Part 2 of 5 ~
A bright, yet typically cool, Winter afternoon set the scene for Gundam Wing’s 30th Anniversary Dinner Show. After making my way to The Prince Park Tower Hotel Tokyo, and almost fumbling into the wedding chapel area (now that would have resulted in a very different experience!), I finally reached the Basement 2nd floor — for one night, the home of this very special event.
Part 2 — Operation Celebration —
This area of the hotel consists of two long corridors, connected in an L formation.
One offered supplementary activities, via rooms branching from its right-hand side: the cloakroom, a more general ‘fan space’, and the merchandise area. More on these in Part 3.
The other corridor leads directly to the ballroom itself. For this event, it was also where attendees were required to show their digital ticket & ID to receive a wristband required for entry.
Just over from the sign-in desk was a large key visual, featuring character artwork created specifically for this occasion. Suffice to say, it made for both an impactful entrance and photo-op!
Its layered logo was a nice touch, and illustrative of the event’s general quality. We can also see the list of sponsors — which if I recall correctly, match those from last year’s SEED FREEDOM orchestral concert: 7-Eleven, Sankyo, Fields, Bandai Namco Entertainment, Gundam Fan Club, A-on Store, and Primaniacs.
Lining the left side of the corridor was a lovely spread of celebratory bouquets from dedicated fans, celebrities, and people connected directly to the franchise and/or event.
Luxurious bouquets are a general tradition in Japan — but more recently, character-specific designs have become the norm. The originality and skill on display is quite incredible, just take a look at the gallery below.
I appreciated how peaceful this area was, at least up until the final moments before entering the ballroom. Fans taking their time to enjoy the creativity on display, read the messages, and take a photo or two.
Immediately following the bouquets was a large message board, for attendees to post their own notes in celebration of this occasion. Its large Wing Gundam Zero EW illustration was certainly striking! And a firm reminder that Gundam Wing does in fact feature mobile suits, and not just sharply-dressed boys.
On the desks next to the board were a few clusters of post-it notes, along with some pen holders housing a variety of colors.
Thanks to @elderlygoose.bsky.social, @seaofolives.bsky.social & @grantwhite.bsky.social on Bluesky, who offered suggestions seconds after my impromptu call for help — I was able to compile this message of sorts: “30 years of rhythm emotions! Thank you from all of us around the united earth sphere 💙 🪽 - operation accepted - ”.
It felt great to represent our community even in this tiny way, and even with my terrible handwriting. 😅
By the time we were ready to enter the ballroom, an abundance of post-its had been attached to the board. The way everyone had attached them around the wings resulted in a lovely effect.
(I think that) Our message was the only one written fully in English, which is pretty neat! And hopefully stood out to anyone reading them after the event.
Lastly in this corridor was a cluster of boxes, for dedicated fans to leave gifts for each of the five voice actors. These boxes did fill up by the time we were ready to enter the ballroom, and I’m quite curious as to what the gifts would have been!
Catch you soon, in Part 3 — Operation Gratification — 🛍️
