In anticipation of the upcoming Hathaway’s Flash movie, I’ve decided to go back and re-read the Hathaway’s flash books written by Yoshiyuki Tomino in 1989. There are 3 books in total and in a series of blog posts I would like to go through book by book and give a brief summary of each chapter, starting with book one. As these books aren’t available in English as of my writing, there is a lot of misinformation about the story, so with these summaries I also hope clear up some that misinformation.

I should also mention that these books follow the Beltorchika’s children novel version of the Char’s rebellion storyline and not the Char’s counterattack movie version. Although there are many notable differences the only one relevant to Hathaway’s Flash is that Hathaway kills Quess, not Chan Agi. You can find a more detailed blog post about the differences between CCA and Beltochika’s children here

2nd book summaries can be found here

3rd book summaries can be found here

Thoughts on the 1st Hathaway’s Flash movie can be found here

There will be spoilers.

Chapter 1 – Gigi

On board the Haunzen spacecraft, which is a space ship headed to Hong Kong reserved for elites and those of high social standing, we are introduced to Kenneth Sleg, a former Earth federation pilot who is being sent to earth as the commander of the Kimberly unit. A unit formed for the sole purpose of defeating the terrorist organisation known as Mafty and its leader Mafty Navue Erin. It is also mentioned that a new Gundam known as the Penelope was sent to earth a few days prior as a test unit for the Kimberly unit.

Kenneth notices a young adolescent girl named Gigi Andalucia and decides to engage her in conversation. Gigi deduces that he is a colonel of the Earth federation and they have a conversation about Mafty. Although the colonel believes that Mafty should be eradicated, Gigi is somewhat sympathetic to their cause and calls the colonel’s thinking childish. Kenneth goes back to his seat.

Chapter 2 – Lounge

Gigi leaves the cabin and makes her way to the lounge, other passengers use this as an excuse to gossip about her origins.

The young boy seated next to Kenneth decides to also head into the lounge and starts a conversation with the bartender. The young boy says that he is studying to become a botanic inspector and that it was his father’s connections that allowed him to board the Haunzen. The young boy looks on to see Gigi arguing with some of the ship’s passengers about Mafty.

The bartender suggests that Gigi is the lover of a very important person. Another crew member Mace Flower introduces herself and heads into the cabin area to take the passengers’ orders.

Chapter 3 – Kenneth

Mace brings Kenneth a drink and Kenneth uses this as an opportunity to flirt with her. Kenneth was once married but his duties as a pilot meant that he was unable to fulfill those as a husband. Kenneth remarks that he would like to meet with Mace again if she has free time.

The young boy, Gigi and other passengers return from the lounge and take their seats as the shuttle is preparing for atmospheric re-entry.

Chapter 4 – Hijack

Kenneth spots a strange object from the window which is immediately followed by a violent shaking of the space ship. Kenneth and the young boy try to ascertain the situation while calming down the other passengers. The pilot of the shuttle announces that they are being hijacked but that the intentions of the hijackers is unclear.

The hijackers, disguised in halloween like attire subdue Kenneth and board the ship. The leader of the hijackers who is wearing a pumpkin mask states that he is the Mafty leader.

Chapter 5 – Hathaway

The hijacker claims that he does not intend to hurt them and that they will be used as ransom to fund their anti earth federation activities. One of the passengers however questions the hijacker and is immediately shot dead, causing an uproar in the ship.

The hijacker does a roll call of the passengers and notices the young boy seated next to Kenneth to be Hathaway. He whispers to Hathaway that “it can’t be helped” and demands he “sit tight”. Another passenger is attacked, which causes even more of an uproar and Gigi exclaims that the hijacker isn’t really Mafty Navue Erin. The hijacker is startled and Hathaway uses this as an opportunity to knock out the hijacker and subdue the rest, with the help of the bartender from the lounge. Hathaway wonders to himself how Gigi knew the hijacker wasn’t Mafty.

Chapter 6 – Landing Ground

The shuttle received damage during the hijack and so has to land at Davao airport in the Philippines and not at its original destination, Hong Kong. In actuality Davao airport is now used an Earth federation military base and also happens to be where Kenneth will be stationed for his new post in a few days. The passengers disembark the shuttle all while giving their thanks to Hathaway. Kenneth confirms that the hijackers were not the real Mafty but perhaps a sub faction located in Oenberry in the north of Australia, this news startles Hathaway. Kenneth states that Earth Federation soldier Kimberly Hymen and his Kimberly unit are headed to the area, populated by about 30,000 people to commence a mop up operation.

A police investigation is to take place for the passengers so Hathaway is informed that he must stay in Davao area until tomorrow. He is guided to the VIP Room where he is questioned. The officer remarks on his impressive background.

Chapter 7 – With Gigi

Gigi strikes up a conversation with Hathaway who then asks how Gigi knew the hijackers weren’t Mafty, to which she replies “Because you are Mafty aren’t you?”

Hathaway brushes the comment aside as a joke but it causes unease in him and he becomes cautious of Gigi.

In the text it is revealed to the reader that Hathaway before boarding Haunzen was on the moon, overseeing the production of the new mobile suit that will be issued to Mafty, the Xi Gundam. He also laments that he hasn’t seen his crew in over a month.

Once Gigi is finished being questioned by the police she informs Hathaway that they will be staying at Tasadai hotel. She leaves to make her way to the hotel. In the VIP room, Hathaway spots what he believes to be an undercover Mafty member.

Chapter 8 – Hotel

Once Hathaway is finished with the investigation he heads out to find Gigi waiting for him in a Limousine and they depart for the hotel together.

…

Once they arrive at the hotel, they have their bags checked in, there, Hathaway notices a female Mafty member Mihersha Hence.

Gigi and Hathaway are guided to their shared room and Hathaway sneaks away to the bathroom to remove a capsule containing a microfilm from his mouth. As Hathaway leaves the bathroom, he catches glimpse of a naked Gigi. This startles her and Hathaway reprimands her for the behavior which leaves Gigi upset. Hathaway leaves the room to take a walk.

Chapter 9 – Contact

In the hotel lobby Hathaway is spotted by Mihersha, a female Mafty member, who beckons him to follow her outside. They walk separately for a while before entering a parked car. Once Hathaway enters he is greeted by Mihersha and the driver, Mitsuda Kenji, another Mafty member stationed in Davao.

Hathaway hands the microfilm to Mihersha and informs her that their new mobile suit, Xi Gundam, will arrive from space tomorrow evening disguised as a meteor. Mihersha informs Hathaway that testing of another new Gundam is being conducted at the Davao military base and that the rumors of the Kimberly unit attack on Oenberry are true.

Hathaway needs a diversionary attack to help him escape his confinement and so devises a plan to have mobile suits attack the hotel.

Chapter 10 – Hunter

On the way back to the hotel, they are spotted by a group government officials known as Man Hunters that look for illegal immigrants living on earth and force them back to space. Mitsuda manages to evade them and in the confusion lets Hathaway out of the car to escape.

While waiting for a taxi Hathaway sees a group of Hunters abusing civilians which causes a retaliation from pedestrians leading to a shootout between civilians and hunters.

Hathaway leaves the area in fear.

He eventually finds and enters a taxi and makes his way back to the hotel.

Hathaway begins to recollect the events of the 2nd Neo Zeon war and his memories of Quess Paraya. The death of Quess and others during the war caused a great depression in Hathaway who later found comfort in educating himself about Char’s history and ideals. Through this he started to gain a great sympathy for Char which changed his outlook on earth and space.

Hathaway returns to the hotel to find Kenneth there who is waiting for Gigi. Kenneth invited Gigi out on a date while Hathaway was away and Gigi is preparing. Hathaway and Kenneth engage in light conversation and Kenneth remarks at Hathaways amazing performance during Char’s rebellion.

Chapter 11 – Minovsky Flight

On board the Mafty aircraft, the Galcezon, Messer pilot Gauman Nobil is preparing for the hotel attack which is to take place shortly. It is communicated to Gauman that the enemy units and the new Penelope Gundam will be quick to react to the hotel attack and that he should hurry. Once they reach Davao airspace Gauman heads for the first target Regent Hotel, while 2 other mobile suits head to attack the Davao military base as well as earth federation officials.

Gauman reaches Regent Hotel and opens fire, causing a panic. He is trying to buy enough time for the guests in the nearby Tasadai hotel and specifically Hathaway to leave the hotel in a panic. Once he thinks he has bought enough time, he heads to Tasadai hotel to commence an attack.

Hathaway hears the attack and prepares to leave with Gigi who still suspects him to be Mafty. They make their way to escape from the hotel.

Chapter 12 – Be frightened

Once they leave the hotel, Hathaway sees the Penelope Gundam which is equipped with a Minovsky craft, allowing it to maneuver in earth’s atmosphere better than other mobile suits.

Gauman tries to make his escape but is engaged by several enemy Gustav Karl units. He notices that the Kimberly unit have become ruthless in their attack and have no regard for civilian life. Likely because of the appointment of their new commander Kenneth Sleg.

Emeralda Zubin, a 26 year old female Mafty member is on the ground waiting for Hathaway to escape. She sees Hathaway in tow with Gigi and gives chase. She catches up with Hathaway and they retreat to a nearby park area for shelter.

Gauman’s Messer is downed and captured. Emerelda retreats and Hathaway also tries to escape but a worried Gigi won’t let him go. Emerelda gives a note with the word nejin on it to Hathaway before she leaves. In the distance an aircraft approaches Hathaway and Gigi.

Chapter 13 – Commander

A defeated Gauman exits his Messer and surrenders while Hathaway looks on from afar. Kenneth exits the ship and orders that Gauman be sent on board. Gigi and a reluctant Hathaway go to greet Kenneth.

On board the base jabber, Hathaway inspects the Penelope Gundam.

Kenneth begins questioning Gauman as the ship takes off.

Chapter 14 – Young Pilot

The ship arrives at Davao military base and Hathaway immediately notices the damage caused by Mafty. Gauman is led off the ship roughly causing him to fall and Hathaway leaps to his aid. Kenneth tells Hathaway that civilians shouldn’t get involved in the affairs of the army and has Gauman taken away.

As they are about to move to a different part of the base, Kenneth calls for Lane Aime, the Penelope Gundam pilot and chastises him for not being able to finish off the enemy in his superior mobile suit.

Chapter 15 – Circe Unit

Hathaway and Gigi are guided through the base by a female federation pilot and taken to the dining hall where Kenneth joins them for breakfast.

Kenneth informs them that he is changing the unit name from Kimberly to Circe, after the Greek mythology character.

Kenneth bluntly invites Gigi out for a date that evening referring to her as a ‘goddess of fortune’. Gigi is upset at the bluntness and leaves the table.

Kenneth and Hathaway then engage in conversation about Mafty’s morals. Hathaway clearly shows sympathy for Mafty cause which causes suspicion in Kenneth.

Hathaway is questioned once more by an inspector about the Haunzen incident and once he is finished he bids Kenneth farewell. Kenneth remarks at the amazing potential Hathaway could have had if he joined the federation and become a pilot.

Chapter 16 – Runaway

Hathaway makes his way back to Davao city center and does tourist like activities, making sure he doesn’t cause suspicion in case he is being followed.

Eventually he heads to the beach and is approached by a young boy who uses the code word ‘Nejin’. Hathaway recognizes this and boards with the boy on a canoe headed for a nearby island.

After about an hour on the canoe, a cruiser heads towards them. Hathaway sees Emerelda and Mitsuda on the cruiser. He bids farewell to the canoe boy and boards the cruiser.

Chapter 17 – On Ocean

On the cruiser, Hathaway informs Emerelda, Raymond Cain and Iram Masam of his situation up until now and that Gigi knows that he is Mafty’s leader which causes a panic. Regardless, they stick to the plan of catching the incoming Xi Gundam and decide that they must first rescue Gauman and then check the Oenberry situation.

In the text it is explained that Mafty was created by a mysterious figure that uses the alias Quack Salva. He is presumed to be a current or former earth federation general. He is the one that provides Mafty with resources, weapons and intel. He is also responsible for the procurement of the Xi Gundam from Anaheim Electronics.

The cruiser finally arrives at one of Mafty’s secret bases named Lodoicea.

Chapter 18 – Dining Room

Kenneth meets with Gigi for dinner, who is disappointed that Hathaway did not say goodbye to her before he left.

Kenneth reveals to Gigi that he has done a sufficient background check on her and that he knows that she boarded the Haunzen from an exclusive space terminal belonging to a major insurance company. She admits that he is correct and that she is the lover of the 80 year old founder of the company named Cardeas (not to be confused with Cardeas Vist from Gundam Unicorn). The apartment she is to visit in Hong Kong was also bought by Cardeas. Gigi insists that she will leave for Hong Kong tomorrow.

During their conversation, Gigi inadvertently implies that Hathaway may be involved with Mafty which leads Kenneth to recall Hathaway’s actions during the Haunzen incident and only further arouses Kenneth’s suspicions about Hathaway.

Chapter 19 – Lodoicea

On the Lodoicea base, Hathaway is greeted by the mechanic who informs him that the Mafty mothership, the Valiant, will be ready to pick up the Xi Gundam when it lands in the water. Hathaway knowing that the Circe squad are not far away fears that there is no time and suggests that they catch the ‘meteor’ as it is heading towards earth. While they are making preparations their base is attacked by a submarine.

Chapter 20 – Pathway

Kenneth uses all the resources at his disposal to locate Hathaway’s last known whereabouts. As he is doing so he receives information from a submarine located on a nearby island that reports Mafty activity.

Kenneth goes to question Gauman about Hathaway and Mafty’s fighting force on the island but Gauman only taunts Kenneth which angers him. Kenneth knocks him out.

When Gauman awakens, he is tied up in the cockpit of the Penelope Gundam. Lane Aime explains that under Kenneth’s orders he is to be used as a hostage if the situation should arise.

Chapter 21 – Take off

Hathaway and crew take out the submarine with ease but they anticipate that Circe forces are on their way so they must leave the base earlier than planned.

Hathaway gets on board a Messer piloted by Emerelda and they wait for the Xi Gundam to arrive. They eventually spot the Xi Gundam in a cargo hold and Emerelda lines up the hatch of the messer with the opening of the meteor allowing Hathaway to enter and take control of the Xi Gundam just as Circe forces arrive and shoot at the cargo that Hathaway is in, causing him to lose consciousness.

Chapter 22 – Showdown

Hathaway manages to regain consciousness and fly the Xi Gundam to safety, just as the Penelope Gundam is about to land the final blow. Hathaway engages Lane and to Lane’s surprise the Xi Gundam is also installed with a Minovsky craft, allowing for agile movement similar to the Penelope.

Hathaway eventually realizes that Gauman is being held hostage on board the Penelope and calls Lane cowardly for using a hostage which provokes Lane into releasing Gauman mid air. Hathaway manages to catch Gauman and the two Gundams engage in battle. Hathaway manages to get the upper hand on Lane but leaves without finishing Lane off.

On the Valiant, Hathaway is greeted by his crew who are amazed that he managed to board the Gundam. Although they don’t have much time for celebration as they must prepare for the Oenberry scout mission soon.

Hathaway is also greeted by his girlfriend Keria Dez, who was supposed to meet with Hathaway in Hong Kong but couldn’t due to the Haunzen incident. She is the same age as Hathaway and has a boyish haircut.

Kenneth informs Gigi that the Penelope was defeated but that Lane is ok thanks to Gigi’s ‘fortune’. Gigi insists that she will leave for Hong Kong in a few days and that she must get prepared, to which Kenneth agrees to.