My original intent with the Gundam Franchise was to do some kind of month long celebration. Unfortunately, I find myself out of time and in need of pulling something out of the reserves. So, here it is, my first of many Gundam reviews. Not as elegant as I thought they would be but at least I’m getting them out. Today we will begin by looking at the show that started it all, Mobile Suit Gundam.
As people leave Earth to start a new future in space colonies, the Principality of Zeon announces their independence and begins a war with the Earth Federation. As war between these two forces spreads, it soon comes to the peaceful colony of Side 7 which has been secretly developing mobile suits for the Earth. The son of the chief designer, Amuro Ray finds the manual for the new machines. Hopping into the cockpit of a suit called the Gundam he is is able to fight off the invading Zeon forces. Now thrown into war Amuro will find himself having to soldier on with piloting the Gundam to protect the new war ship the White Base and the friends he has on board. Unfortunately he will also have to face the ace pilot of the Zeon Forces, Char Aznable, the red comet.
The original series set the themes that would become synonymous with the franchise. Themes such as war is hell, human nature won’t change once we are in space, the enemy is a person too, and intense giant robot combat would echo in the different series that would follow. The enemy is a person too was probably one of the most unique aspects of the show. Before this the enemies in mecha shows were members of evil organizations whose only goals were destruction and mayhem. There are moments where individuals from both sides were shown as being just people who were fighting to survive or to advance but under different circumstances may have been friends with those from the other side. The staples of the franchise would be introduced in this series as well. The cylinder space colonies called sides, the giant robots called mobile suits, and those with mental powers called Newtypes that would be a regular occurrence for the series all originated from this show.
The mecha of this series are iconic. The original RX-78 Gundam is such a recognizable part of the Japanese culture that a life sized state of the machine has since been constructed in Japan. The Zaku-II and various others suits of the Zeon forces had such a unique design that it helped to cause the fans to obtain a close bond with the enemies. Sadly it was the extreme variety that I feel led to the Zeon’s defeat. If they had only found a single mobile armor they could have mass produced instead of having so many prototypes that were defeated on their first appearance they may have had a better chance at victory. A fleet of Big Zams would have helped them to win the war.
The two main characters of this series, Amuro and Char really are two characters from opposite sides and I don’t just mean which team they are fighting on. Amuro is a man who never wanted to fight but once in the war discovered he was a natural prodigy for combat. Meanwhile Char used war to his advantage to exact his revenge and fight for his own personal agendas. Yet throughout the series the two go toe-to-toe causing their skills and their blossoming abilities as Newtypes to increase exceptionally. Their rivalry and relationship would continue through not only this show but also through Zeta Gundam and Char’s Counteracttack.
Despite the influence and impact that this show has made in the anime community its not without its flaws. For starters the show’s animation has not aged well and is hard for some fans to sit through. This makes the series not as easy to approach for those who aren’t used to older animation. Also the series did suffer form cancellation and its ending does wrap up a bit fast. Still, these problems don’t make the show totally unapproachable. And any true Mecha fan should find the time to sit down and watch this classic anime series all the way through.
And that’s the original mobile suit Gundam. The show that launched a plethora of sequels and spin offs. Stayed tuned Mecha fans for more. Until then, FLY GUNDAM!!
RATING: B+
King Kong really gets the short end of the stick. Sure Godzilla is just a creature of pure destruction in this film and presented as having a tiny brain (ouch), Kong still gets off worse. Despite this being one of his better moments including having changes made to the character such as increasing his size and giving him a new ability in an effort to stand against Godzilla, Kong is exploited once again. Out of all six King Kong movies (can’t count Song of Kong because it doesn’t star him) four of them involve him being exploited as a tourist attraction. Can’t the creators find a different way to work with the creature?
This show’s biggest problem is how unbalanced it is. The first episode is one of those pre-recap episodes where it flashes ahead to show all the intense action which is going to be coming later down the line in the series. From their, episodes two through six are spent just introducing all of the powers at Mazinger’s disposal. The series then rushes to a final battle in the last three episodes for a final battle with Dr. Hell but introduces a new ultimate villain who isn’t properly defeated in the very last one. The series doesn’t even get a proper ending in the next Mazinger series, Mazinkaizer SKL. It just ends, which is the major flaw it posses.
The mecha are the one memorable aspect of the show. The designs are the same as they were from the original series only updated thanks to the new animation style. The Mazinger truly is a beast of a machine. The series succeeds in expressing just how powerful the robot is and how it is able to go head to head with all of Dr. Hell’s forces. Just wish it didn’t take so long to properly express all of its potential.
This film really increases the tension from its predecessor. In the first scene alone, villagers trying to escape from Nagoshi are hunted down and killed. From there it just gets more barbaric. In the previous film there was a time jump to the future so there wasn’t as much footage of the villagers becoming enslaved but in this one the cruelty the villagers endure is right out front. It makes for some very memorable scenes.
The ending to the film is also much better than it was in the previous film. Just a few more minutes at the end compared with the first was all it took to really hammer in the ending. Not like Daimajin is expected to stick around for victory cake and coffee but a little more time of reflection after the destruction and vengeance he has brought is all which is really needed.
The Gigantic Project 