Anime of the Month (04/2010) - Mobile Suit Gundam UC (aka Gundam Unicorn)

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Sorry about that. Still hungover from April Fools Day.

Anyway, in a close margin of victory, Mobile Suit Gundam UC (which is also known as Gundam Unicorn) has won AotM honors for this month. Here is a brief synopsis:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00346UX6I/ref=s9_simh_gw_p74_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=0V85XEM1T1NJRG615E16&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846


You may now discuss the feature, which for some reason only the Blu-Ray version is listed. Since the series itself is a fairly new production that will be released over the course of six volumes (and we're only on the first one) there's really no need for spoiler tags (unless it is absolutely necessary).

So go and watch it with a friend or someone you know who has a Blu-Ray player, then come back and rate it when you're finished.
 
No discussion yet? Wow.

I think GWOtaku's review of the first volume covers things well. According to frienRAB I'm seen as the TZ 'Gundam guy', so it probably makes sense that I was keeping tabs on this. I was generally familiar with the novels and the mecha designs but I wasn't that excited. The UC often feels too played out and the more stories that get crammed into it, the wobblier previous stories look.

Thankfully, Unicorn blew my cynicism away. It's the kind of Gundam story that deserves the fanfair it's been getting, something that aims to please fans both new and existing. I think much like Russel T Davies Doctor Who reboot it achieves that well- returning fans might feel a tiny bit more comfortable but the door is wide open and welcoming for new fans. Everything is explained at a natural pace, with a generous amount of time given over to making you care about the human characters and the events they're being drawn into. I'd really encourage people to try it.
 
I put most of my big thoughts about the episode into my review, so I'll let that stand for itself and encourage any & all comments about that.

In contrast to that, I'll take some time to comment on the little things that stood out to me that didn't really have a place in a structured review. No particular order here, just listing off random thoughts as they come.

The Loto is cool. It's practically a transformer with the way it shifts into a vehicle mode.

I'm not saying that it's necessarily a homage, but the whole sequence where Banagher pulls Audrey from the air invokes memories of that iconic midair rescue from the beginning of Super Dimensional Fortress Macross. The scenes in question aren't copies of each other by any means, but I certainly can't think of another show that's done it since besides a clear copy of it in Macross F. In any event, I enjoy how this and some other aspects to the episode clearly communicate the artificial living space that is a space colony. In general, I've found that UC works tend to get this across better than a given AU series.

It took me a second viewing to fully realize that nearly all of Banagher's classmates are dead except for two or three. Ouch. I'll say this for the guy, he's very good at handling adversity.

Go back and look at the history lesson being taught to Banagher and his classmates. It's a slanted take on certain things, is it not? I'm going to recheck it later and I might have more to say then.

Somebody--I can't remeraber who--said that the damaged Zaku just might be the first one that the classic RX-78 Gundam stabbed in the first episode of Mobile Suit Gundam. That's a very interesting possible reference, to be sure...I just checked and it fits.

My favorite subtle detail is still the movie posters, which I see as clear messages. "Runaway Princess" would be a direct reference to Audrey's role in the story, of course, and Marida's "you have your position to consider" line implies the meaning of the "princess" part of it as well even if the viewer is going into this blind. As for The Fourth Tragedy, it fits if you look at the sequence of events this way: The One Year War (tragedy one), the Neo Zeon War (tragedy two from Gundam ZZ), and the second Neo Zeon War (tragedy three from Char's Counterattack). These were the major conflicts between the Federation and Zeon, in contrast to other events; the Gryps War from Zeta Gundam didn't involve the Zeon movement, and what happened in Gundam 0083 was a smaller incident. This would leave the present day as the fourth tragedy, i.e. the coming war over Laplace's Box.

I touched on this in the review in a way, but I really enjoy Banagher's authenticity and how the reality of war shapes his outlook. It's one thing to understand a concept; first-hand experience can be something else entirely. This is par for the course in UC, but it's done as well as anywhere here.

More later perhaps.
 
I'm pretty sure that was me and I know MAHQ said the same. It stanRAB out because it's drawn in a very retro style compared to the other MS and it's a fairly iconic moment (Amuro slowly stabbing the pilot with the saber as the Zaku tries in vain to stop him).
 
It's kind of sad that after winning the vote, basically no discussion has occured. Always seems to happen when a Gundam title wins
 
Aye, I blame the release manner for this, however. If I had a Blu-ray player and an HDTV (and this was being sold by RightStuf) I'd have had something to say...
 
Indeed. If I remeraber correctly didn't Destiny have a rather lengthy thread when it won Anime of the Month?

As for what to say... What has already been said is sufficient, and if anything I can't say anything more since all we have is merely an hour of series to examine, unlike a lot of the other series that already have more episodes or movies that end when they end and are experiences in and of themselves.
 
The next five episodes could be less good than the first and it would be the best, if you ask me. 0080 is unique and good for what it is; it humanizes the OYW and depicts a tragically pointless conflict. A boy learns that war is not something to fantasize about. 8th Team definitely trumped up its drama quite a bit with a passable story on the side. On the other side of the spectrum there's Gundam 0083, which is an interesting story with lots of action but also rather weak when it comes to characterization and some parts of the plot. In its larger context, I can buy 0083's incident being the reason that the Titans were created.

Gundam Seed Stargazer was a downright awesome idea crammed into too little time. It's dark and gritty, it took the scenario of Cosmic Era and portrayed it realistically whereas the Gundam Seed series often just talked about how bad things were. Incidentally, I'm still a rather miffed that hasn't gotten a decent release.

Unicorn, at least so far, offers the complete package. Amazing animation, check. Interesting characters, check (although episode 2 will need to introduce us to those that were mostly just faces in the first, mostly the Federation characters). A great hook for a story? Hell yes. Laplace's box is a very interesting MacGuffin. We have the Neo Zeon and the story's masked man, this so-called second coming of Char. I'm left very curious about what comes next.
 
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