Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam - Heir to the Stars
For the last 2 years Yoshiyuki Tomino - creator of Mobile Suit Gundam series along with the real-mecha genre that spurred the only franchise to contend with Star Trek's vastness - working non-stop to bring his second most acclaimed series onto the silver screen. He was making a movie out of Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam.
Given the magic he's done with the original series - which elevated Gundam to righfully claim its place in anime history - a simple compilation wouldn't do. Tomino is once again doing his two-pass-magic, and often achieving it by being brutal with his own franchise, waving the drama in a no-nonsense fashion; giving us heroes and villians with a believable human flare, that's o so lacking in the Holywood movie going experience.
Zeta is often claimed to be the best gundam 'show' to date - a claim I will neither support or disdain - with its dark and mature drama.
The story takes place roughly 10 years after the original series. With the 1 year over, the Earth Federation slumped further and further into corruption once again neglecting the spacenoids and handling the planet as their personal resort.
Spacenoids, the dwellers of the Sides - huge O'Neil type space habitats in orbit around Earth' Lagrange points - and over 80% of the human population, were naturally enraged as the very same arrogant proxy governing allowed the Principalty of Zeon to rise up in arms for independence....
....and together with the Federation's own millitary machine the two power in UC. 0079 created a war that killed half of humanity and left scars in entire generations.
In response, the upcoming 'peacekeeping special force' of Federation - the Titans, created in UC. 0083's Zeon paranoia when the Delaz fleet the last hostile Zeon remnant dropped a colony on Northern America - brutally cracked down on the 30-Bunch protesters - their methods and doctrine echo the worst of the last war.
From this desperation the AEUG rebellion was born, often drawing their ranks from the dishearted officers of the Federation, fed up with the atrocities comitted by the Titans, they set out to right the echoes of the One Year War.
The stage is set, so in UC. 0087 the gates of hell once again open and unleash war on humanity. The story begins.
However sust as with the original series, the show was plagued by cameo 'suit of the week' appearances, prolonged battles with no sensible outcome, along with over the top disciplinary violence and selfish rebellion of the immature protagonist.
Granted most of those themes were the very point in the new wardrama, their overhanded execution actually made the audiacne dejected and the whole ordeal felt bland and stale.
However it seems Yoshiyuki Tomino, is among the few directors who are willing to admit their mistakes, and instead moping over them has the courage to move on and learn from them.
Tell him what's wrong with the first draft, and he's bound to get it right by the second.
He's done it with his original Movie Trilogy, and he's done it with the first Movie made from Zeta.
While original Gundam movies were quite rough around the edges broth in imagery and its unrefined cut, they made history and told and everlasting story of horrors of war.
Simply put this movie is the best damn thing he's ever madeSince the original series is almost 20 years old, and frankly quite dated, a lot of new footage was made that make up a good portion of the movie.
The transition is often startling as the qulity jump is fenomenal; but even more suprising is how well the old footage lives up to the new. It's not as flashy, but it never the less works and its well made. This makes the new movie something of a mixed experience, but just as with many new things, it just takes getting used to.
Some may downplay the film for its brutal buthery of the original material - long sections were cut up or brutally reduced to the bare bones - but the end result clearly justifies the approach.
Unlike the original first Gundam Movie, the pacing is fast and lively througout the film, the plot is cleared up and the characters are still given enough screen time to flesh them out with the fast pace showing us an evident development.
The soundtrack is a mixed bag of old nostalgy thematic Zeta tunes that bring back the moments and traditions of the old show estabilishing the Star Wars-eque themes for key elemets with a handful helping of modern fully orchestrated flowing melody that do a better job of flowing with the film.
I should probably give some bottomline, or pass final judement on the film. However just as with the Original Movie Trilogy, the film tells a vast epic and can't be likened to the compactness of Star Wars or single piece features.
Therefore I will withold the final word until we see where the rest of the trilogy heads...
....and wheter the whole will remain that good, this is a masterpiece.
If I have to point out something bad, it's that the pacing is very fast and a casual audiance may be left behind - though there's plenty drama and action to keep you on the edge. Also mecha geeks will be disapointed as very little screentime and fanboyish awe is given to the mobile suits themselves.
They are weapons of war and nothing more - which I find a very good thing, as it makes us focus on the core element in Gundam that's so overlooked in the mecha franchise:
A good story of growing up, of doing the right thing, of being human.
PS.:
An interview can seen with Tomino here:
http://animejapan.cplaza.ne.jp/b-ch/kimo/meta/kimo11org_license_500k.asxOfficial Site:
http://www.gundamofficial.com/worlds/uc/zeta/Outdated data on animenewsnetwork:
http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/encyclopedia/anime.php?id=3899A fresh brochure:
http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808724621/info101 Gundam mecha-geekery:
http://www.mahq.netMagic word: tvnihon
EDIT: added some screenshots
