There are two people named Amuro in Japanese popular culture. One of them is Amuro Ray, the young boy who climbed into the cockpit of an experimental RX-78 Gundam prototype and, using his intuitive Newtype abilities and a serendipitously placed instruction manual, was able successfully pilot it and destroy two Zaku who were attacking him. In the process, he inspired a generation of boys to dream of piloting their own giant robots, and his famous lines like “You hit me again! Even my father never hit me!” and “Amuro…ikimasu!” (Amuro, launching now!) are known by everyone here. The other Amuro is Amuro Namie (iTunes Japan link), or Namie Amuro in English name order. She’s the legendary singer from Okinawa whose popularity created a social fashion phenomenon as young “Amullers” imitated her style, a trend that eventually morphed into the current Shibuya/Harajuku fashion culture you can see on J-List. Now the two Amuros have come together in a new music video in which the singer appears floating in space with the hero of the One Year War, the first time a flesh-and-blood person has been inserted into the Gundam universe. What do you think?
Singer Amuro Namie makes a journey to Gundam-land, complete with normal suit and Lalah-style forehead jewel.
