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「ユニコーンの日」 (Yunikoon no Hi)
“Day of the Unicorn”
Though it technically shouldn’t, it’s quite befitting how “Unicorn” contracts to UC in the logo for this series. Doing so just screams the return to the Universal Century timeline, which started it all for the Gundam franchise. I gather this probably won’t mean much to younger fans, but for people like me who got into the Gundam craze when terms like “Newtypes” and “Funnels” were the accepted norm long before “Coordinators”, “Innovators”, “DRAGOON System”, and “Fangs” mimicked them, it’s quite the treat. In both character designs and overall feel, Gundam Unicorn gets away from all the pretty-boy pilots and young female captain “fluff” we have in Wing, SEED, and 00, and returns to old burly old men leading the forefront in battles. Naturally we still have young protagonists, but the political and war aspects come off a lot more serious and the series as a whole doesn’t feel swept up by current anime trends — a pleasant return to the old school days.
While I felt Gundam 00 made some strides to return to those roots, it still came off as mecha fan-service for the most part, and the political setting couldn’t compare to the number of factions and subgroups that exist in the UC timeline. With the likes of the Earth Federation, Anti-Earth Union Group (AEUG), Zeon, and various empires including the Crossbone Vanguard, there’s just so much history in UC that no Gundam spin-off can really match up to it. To put that into perspective from a personal standpoint, I was overjoyed at the mere mention of Londo Bell and the names Bright Noa and Char Aznable here, which left me anticipating something about Amuro Ray, the Gundam pilot who started it all. Seeing as Unicorn takes place in U.C. 0096, three years after Char’s Counterattack, I was hoping they’d reference the events that took place in U.C. 0093 a bit more, especially with the way things ended then.
In the most recent addition to the UC timeline (which slots in the middle chronologically), the story involves something known as Laplace’s Box and a mysterious girl named Audrey Burne (Fujimura Ayumi), whom protagonist Banagher Links (Uchiyama Kouki) senses with his Newtype-like abilities and saves from being sucked out into space. Audrey is quick to reveal that she has to meet with someone and stop war from breaking out, which Banagher decides to tag along for. All the while, war is seemingly breaking out already and before long, Banagher finds himself entrusted with a Gundam. That’s the short version of it anyway, which is plenty intriguing on its own, but probably more so when you realize that Audrey’s true identity has important ties with the past.
For reasons such as that, I gather those somewhat familiar with the UC timeline will appreciate the story here much more. My recollection of the UC timeline is a bit fuzzy due to how long it’s been and how there are a few key series I have yet to watch in full, but I can still say that the nostalgic names, terms, history, and mobile suits/armors really add to the overall appeal of Unicorn. This first of six OVA episodes makes me want to go back and watch those series that I haven’t finished (which I actually have on-hand but have put off for years now), so I can see the same thing happening with viewers who are completely new to the UC timeline but curious about the origins of Gundam.
Cast-wise, I’m quite impressed with Uchiyama Kouki’s portrayal of Banagher. Kouki’s relatively new to the seiyuu industry and only gave us a glimpse of what he’s capable of as Soul in SOUL EATER. Here, he shows that he has much more depth than the goofy Soul. Fujimura Ayumi on the other hand continues to impress me with her ability to play any type of role (e.g. compare Oribe Mafuryu in Seikon no Qwaser to Audrey), much like Kaida Yuuko does as Marida Cruz. It’s also nice to see the likes of Tomatsu Haruka, Shimono Hiro, Toyoguchi Megumi, Kakihara Tetsuya, and Koyama Rikiya in the support cast, not to mention Ikeda Shuuichi (seiyuu for Char Aznable) slated to show up later on. Coincidence? I think not.
Seeing as this post is overdue, I won’t get into the episode specifics much more, but will point out that it aired over the PlayStation Network (PSN) in Japan on February 20, 2010. Surprisingly, it’s slated for a quick simultaneous worldwide English/Japanese dual-audio DVD/BD release next week on March 12, 2010. From the look of things though, it’s already “available” ahead of schedule.
ED Sequence
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ED: 「流星のナミダ」 (Ryuusei no Namida) by Kuriyama Chiaki
Watch the ED!: Mirror 1, Mirror 2, Streaming ▼
I didn’t think much of the ending/theme song when I heard it, but was surprised to find out that this is the same Kuriyama Chiaki who played the schoolgirl assassin Gogo Yubari in Kill Bill: Vol. 1. (She was also in the gorey Japanese film Battle Royale.) The PV for the song is out as well, which just has Chiaki seemingly naked and making love with the camera. Depending on how you take that, it might mean “absolute win”. See below.
wow nice episdoe
Gah 6 months till episode 2 T-T
before the flame wars starts just a reminder…
Gundam Unicorn = Universal Century
Gundam Seed/Destiny = Cosmic Era
Gundam OO = A.D.
Whoa! I didn’t expect a Gundam anime to come this soon!
I will be patiently waiting for an update!
Thanks, Divine!
Unicorn just sounds…yeah…
They really couldnt think of a better name? Maybe just Gundam UC?
But then seeing so much Unicorn tapestry and other imagery, I guess they were prepared to tie it together.
@Omni – I was wondering when you’d get around to UC 🙂
PURU 12!!!!!!!!!!!
The animation looks crappy. :apathy
The animation is quite old school but let’s all give it a chance.
It might really WOW us.
This episode was legit. Soundtrack is really good too.
Full Frontal, the second coming of Char? Doubt it…want it badly…but doubt it
@Lesire
It’s Divine that is doing this not Omni
Believe me when I say, the animation is INCREDIBLE. It’s movie production quality…
People who can’t see that need to broaden their horizons… *cough*
Episode was awesome. Was wondering if you would blog it.
Did want to see Destroy Mode in action though. gah freaking cliffhangers.
Who is subbing Gundam Unicorn?
just checked divine’s MAL list to see how many UC shows he had seen thus far, and much to my surprise I didn’t find the first series of Gundam on there. And yet he sounds pretty knowledgeable about the UC universe. I was surprised to see that you have seen all UC OVA’s despite of that.
“The animation looks crappy.”
You mean the art or character designs? Because the animation doesn’t seem much different to 00.
“Unicorn just sounds…yeah…”
Unicorns might not be immediately associated with ‘girly daydream stuff’ in Japan like they are in the Western world. They probably just think of it as a mythical creature the way they would a dragon.
“so I can see the same thing happening with viewers who are completely new to the UC timeline but curious about the origins of Gundam.”
After seeing this awesome episode I felt like looking into the older series’s for the first time. My past experiences were simply an episode here and there of Wing on CN when I was young, marathoning SEED and Destiny about 5 years back and following 00 as it aired.
The only thing that bothers me is the painful wait until Fall for the 2nd episode. Other than that, a very solid first episode. It’s nice to see some UC stuff that isn’t Igloo.
pierce:
It pretty much came down to what I had access to while growing up. I was watching stuff on VHS and OVAs were always easier to get a hold of than complete series. I indirectly came across a lot of the UC storyline/characters from playing the Super Robot Wars games, so my knowledge of it is supplemented from that.
Uhhh… none of the girls here look even remotely cute 🙁
Big downgrade from the likes of Gundam Seed
i just recently finished watching the original series so i could watch this, and man, it was worth it
I should add that Crunchyroll started streaming all of the original Gundam and Zeta Gundam episodes for free in preparation for the release of Unicorn. The only downside is that they have the dubbed versions. :\
not so fast L, they might not be represented as cute as the ones of gundam seed, but during the whole episode i could imagine myself hitting on the pilot of the zaku with fangs :), i mean its anime, their cutenes is up to your imagination
L:
Maybe it’s just me, but I like how the girls look in the UC Gundam series. For instance, Cecily Fairchild from Gundam F91, who was played by Touma Yumi no less.
Man this was a good OVA but I regret seeing it! Next episode is suppose to be released in fall, that’s a long wait!
“The animation looks crappy.”
You mean the animation is crappy because it does NOT fit your 13-year-old stereotypical modern Gundam Seed/00/whatever design, ie, bland and shallow and everybody looks the same?
Like someone above have already said, the production value and the animation in his OVA is movie quality, please do not confuse character designs (which is also fairly good, btw) with animation, they are two completely different things.
question for those that know the book
Show Spoiler ▼
Question: Must I be familiar with the original series to appreciate this?
“The animation looks crappy.”
The animation looks top notch… & if you were confusing animation with character designs then I suggest you go find something else to watch. UC characters tend to look more ordinary than the modern big eyed flourescent coloured hair characters like in SEED/OO.
Feels good to finally see something new from UC ^^. For me the episode seemed a little slow, but the Destroy mode cliffhanger did make me want more )I didn’t know the next OVA was 6 months away!! >.<)
I’m gutted to see the Geara Zulu get trashed like that! (I’m a Zaku or anything resembling it-holic lol)
@Raso – According to Wiki yes
Gundam, returning to it’s roots. If you’re expecting emo-Gundam and pretty boys, this is not for you. So cunt off.
loved the new series. haha, the girls are fine L. this is how gundam would look if they happen to re-animate them all from 0079 to ZZ. this is the type of character style i dig the most. everything is so rounded. and the gundams are somewhat a mixture of 2d and 3d which works out just fine.
to whomever says the animation “looks crappy”…..You FAIL. look up the word first. then get back to me. some people just don’t understand. i dont even like gundam but this looks MOVIE QUALITY.
@Jun – ok that ups the story potential by a ton seeing how much Show Spoiler ▼
yeah for the most part the animation was smooth like a white girl`s vagina. this reminds me more of the zeta trilogy where they didn`t do much to the animation but they just upped the ante when it came to color schemes. sharper, cleaner etc.
@Raso – I’m not too familiar with her character myself
Show Spoiler ▼
@raso yup…
Show Spoiler ▼
now i am curious about this possible relation, i watched the original series, and i loved this first episode, but i am having so much trouble swallowing down the zeta series………………. well 28 episodes to go………….
Show Spoiler ▼
I admit I wasn’t impressed with what I read on the original novel, as it all came across as a crappy fanfic that emphasized the lesser points of the Universal Century (yes, I’m saying UC wasn’t perfect, god forbid). However, I don’t know whether it’s the animation quality or just the fact I’m seeing it play out in motion, but after watching the OVA, I can say I actually enjoyed the story so far. Sure, Banagher still comes off as a cheap Kamille Biden knockoff (though to his benefit he doesn’t have Kamille’s bitchy attitude), the idea of a(nother) literal Char clone still feels uninspired to me and the Geara Zulu still feels like it came out of the World War II reenactment that was Gundam MS IGLOO as opposed to being an improvement over the badass Geara Doga, but despite it all, I feel the superb animation quality and the way the story carries itself here makes up for it all.
I think one of the higher points in Unicorn is that contrary to other UC series, it doesn’t spend every waking moment going on about Zeon Zum Daikun’s Newtype crap or “the horrors of war”. Sure, Vist got preachy on the Laplace Box, but those scenes didn’t last too long, quite unlike the ramblings in most UC series. And to top it off, we actually had some character time (Banagher and Audrey’s trek toward the Vist mansion) that didn’t involve discussing random politics, war being hell, the evils of the Federation and/or Zeon, the main protagonist’s Gundam identity crisis (sorry, I had to add that one) or the going ons of a Newtype/Coordinator/Innovator/Partridge in a Pear Tree. Just some good old fashioned boy-meets-girl interaction, albeit in the middle of a secret mission with strange men led by a flat faced Newtype clone (finally I get to see what Elpe Ple would have looked like if she had grown up) chasing after them.
Other than that, I know this shouldn’t mean anything, but one of the smaller details I liked was cockpits used in the MS, which harken back to CCA, but now “modernized” thanks to the better animation quality. Same goes for the Nahel Arghama, which I’m glad got a chance to shine in the spotlight as opposed to just appearing randomly at the end of a series. Overall, lesser things like that help establish the futuristic feel of the UC setting, which thanks to all the OYW crap as of late felt more like a regression into the 1940s AD as opposed to an advancement into the space age.
Really, can’t wait to see the second OVA after how good this one was.
I do not think the 1st few minutes make much sense when Laplace’s Box was found if you did not read the novel. The pace is a bit too fast if you havent read before. Although lots of mystery created due to the fast pace, overall is just a lot better than the novel. The novel is just boring and dragging….
There wont be amuro in the anime. And the 1st anime episode covers novel 1 & 2, out of 10 books.
I didnt like it. In the ending the Gundam turned into a MEGAZORD. That remind me all the bullshot of Gundam 00 Second Season, with all that bullshit of clones and Gundams with super-powers. I love Gundam, but Gundam with Gundams, not with bullshit.
L said it best. The characters designs are no good. I can tell already that I won’t care whether any of these characters live or die.
I think you guys need to get your eyes checked.
Either that, or go watch it.
The animation is amazing, far beyond your typical weekly anime. With the budget and time they use to make each Gundam UC episode, you’d expect this though.
I can’t believe people are complaining about the appearances of the characters already…
ALWAYS I WANNA BE WITH YOU…
For people that hate the character designs for Gundam UC, the hell kind of character designs are you looking for? Saying that Gundam Unicorn’s character designs are no good without even showing proof. Very persuasive of you. The designs here are of very high quality down to the last detail. The proof is in the OVA itself. Anyone with a right state of mind will know and notice. Also seeing as how some of you only want to see “attractive” girls on par with say SEED, well too bad cause not all Gundam series are eye candy.
If the animation quality and good story continues, I wouldn’t mind waiting for the next episode. Shows that previous series like Destiny really rushed everything and turn a potentially good show into what I call an undeserving Gundam title. But don’t get me wrong, SEED was mediocre and I liked Stargazer and Astray, but the main sequel was a major disappointment. I just hope that Gundam UC will continue to become better as it progresses.
Personally, I like these old character designs like I mentioned in my post. I don’t like the disproportionately large eyes that anime characters have nowadays, particularly female ones. To me, this style is what I know Gundam as and what I like it as.
However, it’s pretty clear there’s a division between what current fans like and what older fans like, which is what I was referring to by “current anime trends”. I originally had that written up as “current teenage audiences”, but didn’t want anyone to inadvertently take offense to such a remark.
Judging by some comments thus far, I can sort of see why anime/manga has to overuse sexual themes nowadays. Some people won’t even watch/read a series unless the characters look a certain way. e.g. Big eyes, big boobs, revealing clothes, etc. I’m not so sure if this is a simply current generation fan preference, or if that’s what the anime industry shifted their expectations to. Someone should do a case study. =)
Re: Ravon
What they’re not used to is the UC era style Gundam character design. This show is a bit retro on that respect, but everything is top notch.
The way I see it, people only watch for the pretty girls and have no regard for say the story. I know a lot of people who watched the SEED series only for Lacus Clyne because shes “oh so sexy”. This tells me that they’re only there for the fan service and are quick to judge that as the “best Gundam series” just because of that. For the record I am not attacking anyone, I’m just using a notable example relating to Gundam.
@Ravon, I agree with you. I’m actually surprised that people are complaining about appearances. Just shows that the anime community nowadays for more fixated on the eye candy trend rather than the more important aspects to the anime itself.
Bushi:
On that note, this is probably why anime has somewhat “gone down the drain” in recent years and can’t really be acknowledged as a respectable form of media. Instead of providing engaging plots and interesting characters, most series nowadays focus on the “fluff” and overused stereotypes.
@Divine
Yeah I agree. Gundam UC was the first anime I’ve seen recently to have avoided the typical nowadays focuses on fan service and bishoujo girls. People have seems to have lost interest in the plot and the actual characters which really disappoints me. Of course a little of that type of fan service here and there isn’t all bad but too much of it isn’t good. I mean look at Queen’s Blade. That anime is almost like a hentai and because of that I couldn’t even finish the first episode. It was just that bad and I have no idea why people are so high over heels for that kind of anime.
If you are looking for cute girls then this is absolutely the wrong series and frankly even franchise to go looking for it. Try K-On or something.
Anyway I for one have adored the character designs since the day they were first unveiled. Not only is it a refreshing break from the moe/pretty boy oriented designs of this age, but they are also incredibly detailed when you get right down to it. This might just be a result of the fact that there are actually characters old enough to have wrinkles and/or facial contours, but something tells me Yaz actually has, does, and always will give a damn unlike say….Hirai.
I feel bad for the Female Zaku pilot I heard the type of life she had somewhere that in UC was not pretty at all and what they did to her. Anyways why did the unicorn gundam look for a moment that it was going Trans-am almost
I may sound nazi but:
If you do not like gundam unicorn, theres something wrong with you… really.. very… wrong…
with that said, gundam unicorn so far has given me the best impression in any gundam series i have ever watched. Looking forward to episode 2 onwards.
@Divine: Sadly anime is pretty much overwhelmingly about pandering to the niche otaku audiences and fulfilling fetishes nowadays as a result of how badly Japan has screwed up it’s economy and entertainment industry in more ways than can be counted in a blog comment of reasonable length. Thankfully Tim Rogers (a contributor to Kotaku who has lived in Japan for several years now) briefly summarized what I’ve been thinking for a long time:
“ANIME SUCKS
When foreign cultures talk about Japan, they usually talk about anime and / or manga. Usually, it’s anime. Anime is terrible. It used to be okay. Now, it’s not. It’s inbred trailer-trash in entertainment form: Every season’s new Japanese animation places one-upmanship of every single aspect of the last season higher on their list of priorities than even “make something entertaining.” The same can perhaps be said of all Japanese entertainment, though it’s not relevant anywhere else as much as it is in anime. Anime used to answer the questions of kids’ dreams: “How awesome would it be to be a world-class assassin / kung-fu master / robot pilot / baseball hero?” Now it’s just a bunch of shit pandering to perverts and pedophiles. Anime heroes used to be people with amazing job descriptions; now they’re reasonably young men who find themselves miraculously sharing houses with a dozen girls aged six to nine, accidentally almost touching every other scene. Or else it’s just guys with huge hair and impossible weapons shouting jargon. Long ago, manga aspired to be like Dragon Ball Z: graphically iconic, with a story more coherent than it probably needed to be. Now there’s the ADHD-addled Dragon-Ball-Z-inspired One Piece, a manga for the Twitter age if there ever was one.”
Even still I think OVAs are truly coming into their own now more than even in the 80’s by ceasing to be just another method of delivery and that they are rapidly becoming the definitive way of escaping the trappings of current market trends and bypassing all of the “promotional considerations” enforced by TV networks and advertisers by just going directly to a target demographic. This can be the usual moe/lolo/ecchi pandering stuff….or it can be something else entirely. I expect to be getting my annual preference in anime fulfilled more and more by OVA’s versus TV series in the coming years.
@Matt: Well I will be a bit of a mecha nazi and point out that there are no active Zakus in this era of the U.C. That’s actually a Newtype class MS called the Kshatriya.
I love the old style anime look.
Very, very retro feel to this show!
sadly, i have to agree with some of the comments, although the animation was nice, it wasn’t that far better than gundam 00. and it came out more frequently.
Anyways, gundam 00 set the bar really high in terms of plot, animation, and of course the gundams..
Why this anime will released 2nd episode after the some 5months?
its kinda slow and,,, and btw this Anime Series are revived or OVA
uh to say on it
1.characters design seem old school
2.song average
3.slow start despite being an ova series
oh what i’m sayin is for this really decent average
where the 00 movie so they make more showing proof on set-feldt (pink hair, blue eyes, & voice of Chantal Strand) this is likely to happen.
& idea for next gundam series are gundam version of kamen rider DECADE (yea let get all gundam time era & characters in same series) or yet finally get a lead main gundam pilot being a female with Chantal Strand as the lead main female gundam pilot!!!
gundam unicorn……i’ve fallen in love once again.damn this anime is great!!!
i mean,it was really exciting.so far the only gundam series that give me this feeling so far is 08th ms team.
who need cute and useless girl who only can only sings?or even bishounen main character?the girls in unicorn seem cute enough anyway. and banagher kick ass! he kick ass to protect audrey…..without ANY BITCHING ABOUT IT!!
hahaha i started with seed,00 and had never even finished about half of the UC series,but i really glad to watch unicorn.i hope this anime doesnt go “destiny” on me.i really hate if that happens
BRING ON THE OLD SCHOOL!!!! REVIVE UC!!!hopefully after unicorn,they animated crossbone gundam
From what I know, this is an OVA, so its hardly a surprise that the next episode comes months later.
Character designs were old school because the show draws back to UC. I don’t see much wrong being done to it, though. Besides, new character designs could butcher the entire thing. Making old fans protest while being unsure whether potentially new fans might take to it isn’t the way to go about doing things, I suppose.
No complaints from me about Unicorn’s pilot episode. The end of it looks exciting enough to have me want to rewatch it and wait for the next one. I’m glad they didn’t start off the show by pattering on about the history and instead showed how the war started. Being someone who has a morsel of knowledge about the UC, it actually drives my desire to find out more about it.
As to the interesting discussion on anime, I guess it depends on taste and the demands coming from the people. Some might be doing it not because its good, but because it is ‘profitable’ and has a popular theme with the current generation. What appears now is ‘trashy’ to the max to some without taking into account whatever positives it might have, while to others they think it ‘excellent’ because of their own preferences to certain elements of the show.
Frankly, all this complaining about “bad character designs” just does not make sense. Unicorn is a UC series. To change the art style from the retro look towards a newer style would simply not be consistent. Just accept the fact that people in UC have fluffy hair. Spiky is not in 😛
If you will be well informed about anime, it should be ashamed that you did not know the name of Yoshikazu Yasuhiko.
I think Anime has not developed into here if he doesn’t exist. He and Tomonori Kogawa had anime’s fun acknowledge the character designer.Because the designer like him is not born in big one of the reasons why another country cannot make Animes.
The expectation for this Gundam is much great in Japan. Many people says,”We can see Yashiko’s GUNDAM !!”
It’s called the MOE BLOB ERA. It’s fucking hell and we all better get used to it 🙁
i miss the old style character design..nostalgic..and the animation quality is quite good.
although i am not educated with the UC timeline,(grew up with Wing), it makes me want to re-watch UC-related titles
god, i’m only 24 and the comments of “bad animation” (when the morons really meant character design) make me feel ancient. i mean i got introduced to gundam through wing and i do enjoy myself some “current trend anime” once in awhile but i thought the character design is actually pretty damn awesome and i somewhat disliked UC designs initially. the level of animation is extremely top notch and bleeds blockbuster budget and the score was bloody brilliant in my opinion (damn alliterations rambunctiously running rampant!)
i actually haven’t finished the original gundam myself, but have seen 08th ms, stardust memory, zeta remake (and the original veggie ending), and CCA. this does make me want to watch reacquaint with the UC and finish Gundam Dynasty Warriors 2 haha. the wait does suck and it brings me back to waiting for the Macross Zero OVAs =/ someone was saying that this was a slow first episode, i thought Macross Zero’s initial episode was far worse in that aspect.
side note, for anyone that watched Basquash, anyone notice Dan JD and Idol Red’s seiyuus? =D
oh
@meh
Show Spoiler ▼
@Devine OK OK WE GET IT the original is ALWAYS BEST sheesh its like being called stupid by your old man! 😛
haha oh snap sorry didn’t notice you mentioned the support cast divine, but i did find it funny how banagher tossed micott to takuya and told him to take care of her, she’s definitely the third wheel in the triangle.
Holy, I totally had a braingasm. I love the original art style (touched up, at least) sooo much more than the “you all look alike” char designs of most of the recent gundams. The animation, battles, music, and models were all superb. Cute girls are nice to have, but Gundams are what make the series what it is. Cannot wait until the next Ova.
Picture very Classic. O_o
First episode is absolutely brilliant. Great animation, action, and OST.
As someone who was first exposed to Gundam via SEED, I still can’t understand the maniacal adoration for it because of the character designs. Don’t get me wrong, SEED’s an okay series, and I am a huge fan of Astray, but if your sole basis of liking SEED is because of Kira/Lacus/Athrun/Cagalli, or even Destiny, then sorry, but you should not call yourself a Gundam fan, and should just ignore Unicorn altogether.
The funnel animations alone made me feel like it trumped practically all the existing gundam animations, even 00.
And also, what’s wrong with the character designs? Am I the only one who think that Audrey is actually really pretty? @@
@Gunota
I prefer Micott over Audrey, but meh, just the fight between Cruz’s mobile suit against the Federation GMs was enough to make me hug my screen and squeal like a little happy mouse.
And like with any Gundam OVAs, the animation and character design was top notch. GAAAATOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
D*mnit! I posted @Omni last night… Sincere apologies Divine, must have been my lack of sleep…!!
Thank God. We return to what is true and proper. I’ve had enough of the pretty boy craze. I welcome the return of competent pilots, a much more sensible mecha design. (Seriously? I’m looking at you 00) And in general, I was introduced to Gundam with Wing, but I took to UC like a fish to water.
I agree with most of the posters that the animation is top notch and the storyline is quite good. Sunrise also did a great job in making this relevant to the UC timeline.
With that thought in mind, there is a slight problem with this series. With my understanding it is an OVA consisting of six episodes and currently at this pace it will take approximately 3 years to finish. That is pushing it a little too far in my opinion.
Though, I believe most of us can wait. *Sarcastic*
For the ones that are displeased with the character designs: at least there’s a GREAT difference between male and female characters, something that GSD and 00 lacked in some ways. While I’m a defender of the girls of CE, Micott, Mardia and Audrey could give them a run for their money. And Banagher is way up to standards to be a REAL GUNDAM PILOT, instead of crybabies (Shinn Asuka) or brain-washed idiots who think they are Gundams (yes, I’m looking at you, Setsuna)
For the ones that are displeased with the animation: show me a better animated mecha show. Mardia’s MS, the Geara Zulu, the detail in the Jegans/Stark Jegan, the ReZEL’s and the way they move are clearly the right way a mech that size must move, moreover, Mobile Suits that look like Mobile Suits. As for the Unicorn, after a year of frustrations, finaly a Gundam that looks like a Gundam, and can be called that with a meaning.
For the ones that are displeased with the music: you are retards that are way too obsessed with 00’s OST, which is, IMHO, uber-crap.
Ladies and gentlemen, stand up, because the real Mobile Suit Gundam is finally back.
@Kaoishin
Don’t generalize like that. Sure the overwhelming majority of anime isn’t that good, but one can say the same for the majority of american tv, movies, and novels. For every 50 Queen’s Blade out there, you’ll find a few true masterpieces like Gankutsuou, and a few things that are just plain fun as well, like Soul Eater.
Oh well, the German Shocktropper (with Gas Mask on) again…
3 words.
nostalgia + awesomeness
cecily fairchild>lacus clyne (although im a fan of rie tanaka’s songs)
especially before her haircut
im 24 years old after all…
@SeedStriker: Bravo dude.
And I totally agree with the “older” (I assume) gundam fans that this first episode was an awesome nostalgia shot in the face. Hopefully this will produce more of that raw war quality that was present in UC instead of the melodramatic garbage we’ve been getting in wing/GS:GSD/00.
I have never seen any UC gundam, and the only gundam anime I’ve seen is 00. But regardless of all of that, I love Unicorn. I have no idea what’s wrong with some of you, Unicorn just blew me away! Seriously, this episode was complete eye candy to me, instead of working on my assignment I just ended up re-watching this episode over and over and over again.
The only thing I’m disappointed about this series….is the fact we have to wait months for the next episode T___T;;
people associate unicorns to LGBT community. this is one tough pill to swallow.
I hope that Unicorn will annihilate any hope the never gonna happen SEED movie has left. Seriously, the UC era will always be the best.
Finally! There hasn’t been a decent Gundam OVA in ages.
This looks to be up there with 0083, F91, and CCA.
Gundam 00 wasn’t too bad, but I really miss series with good plot and high-quality animation.
Seriously, the detail is over the top, if you look at all the realistic MS movements and thruster directions…I’ve watched it about 5 times already, and keep noticing new details each time.
Now if only Bandai and Sunrise get around to doing an OVA or movie of Gundam Sentinel…then I can die in peace. Not gonna happen, given how complex those designs are. They would be a bitch to draw.
@SeedStriker: I totally agree on the music department. That piece they played at the end during the unicorn activation really grabbed my attention. As for the girls of seed, I only really liked Lacus, and frankly I like how the girls of UC look (especially the puru clone, I loved Elpeo to death)
I love this new Gundam series, finally get back to its roots and rid of the crap/garbage known as gundam 00.
But one thing I was disappointed with this series is (Marida Cruz), don’t get me wrong I love her character, I was just sad who she really is and what happen to her in the past. Especially she is related to one of my favorite character in ZZ Gundam.
But only 6 OVA in total is too short, I think the novel is volume 10 now.
I also notice some ppl keep mixing up and mention “Maybe I should go back to watch Z Gundam then watch this”.
I think some of you got the order wrong, the UC timeline for Gundam anime is:
0079, 08MS team, 0080, 0083, Z Gundam, Gundam Sentinel, ZZ Gundam, Char’s Counter Attack, (Unicorn Gundam would fit here), F91, Crossbone Gundam, V.
I might forgot some but I think this is the majority of it.
The last time we actually get to see Audrey Burne is in ZZ Gundam.
This is why I hate the new generation of gundam fans, Gundam isn’t some happy go lucky fairytale, its about war and UC is where gundam belongs. I’m not trying to troll or anything since I did enjoy the first season of 00 but I cant help to see everyone complaining about this and that when they haven’t even watch a UC series.
Wow, some of the commentators here sound like those Star Trek fans that complained about the J.J. Abrams movie and how it was “impure” compared to old school Star Trek. Somehow old is good and anything made after 1994 (when V Gundam ended) is crap, and that anime in general has somehow “gone down the drain”. As such, I’d like to take a moment and remind certain people that some of things that you’re lashing out at, like sexual themes, bishie character designs and pandering to “niche otaku audiences”, have been around since Gundam began.
Sexual themes? In MSG, we had nude shots of Sayla Mass and Mirai Yashima come up during the course of the series, along with Char’s infamous shower scene. Z Gundam had Lyra’s shower scene, the “spiritual” nude shots of Four Murasame along with her bathtub scene, Fa Yuiri flashing her boobs to Kamille when she tries chasing the kids on the Arghama, Rosemaia having her physical, and then some. And don’t get me started on ZZ and V Gundam, with characters like Chara Soon, Lupe Cineau and Katejina’s “bikini bazooka girls”, among other things to keep the male fanbase interested.
No bishounens? Then what do you call Char, Garma Zabi, Paptimus Scirocco, Zabine Chareux, Dorel Ronah, and several of the Neo Zeon and Zanscare Empire people in ZZ and V? And dare I go on the same about “hot, sexy girls” from Sayla Mass to the Shrike Team girls? While there wasn’t an abundant amount of either case in UC Gundam, they were still there.
Pandering to niche otakus? Last I checked, that’s a standard for any kind of media: if the fanbase like something, like say the continued existence of a character or a certain type of mecha, then you go with that idea. This process was done as far back as the first Gundam series, when Char Aznable, who was supposed to have been taken off permanently after Garma’s death, was brought back on due to fan demand. From that, I could list other examples of what is clearly Bandai pandering to the fans (like say the advent of transforming MS or the aformentioned “bishies” throughout the metaseries), but I see little point in that.
In summary, my point is neither Gundam nor anime in general has changed much since the 70s-80s. There has always been “fan services” in one form of the other, with the only difference being the number and the “quality”, which only advanced because what worked then obviously will work now. Even Gundam Unicorn doesn’t get away from it, with an abundance of “nostalgic” mecha like the ReZEL and the Geara Zulu, Char’s evil twin Full Frontal, Micott’s rather risque ensemble, the return of the Nahel Arghama and many other things being added in strictly for the purpose of appeasing the fans. In a way, Gundam UC itself is fanservice to the “older generation” of Gundam fanboys along with things like the Z Gundam movies and all the OYW spinoffs.
That all said, remember what you’re supporting and compare it to what you’re knocking down before posting, otherwise you’re acting hypocritical.
@Andy
I think you haven’t watched it yet. Yes 6 eps, but they’re all double length (55 mins vs. 25 mins, and if you chop off OP/ED it’s 50 vs. 20).
Heh, people liked SEED for character designs? News to me. It could just be me, but I remember thinking “wait…all those faces the exact same? Seriously, it looks like Face_001.jpg with a hairstyle stuck on it.”
Besides, if we’re on the topic of the female designs in particular:
– Audrey looks exactly the way she’s supposed to. Queue spoilers for evidence. Heck, I’d be surprised if she looked drastically different from that (even if she grew out her hair!)
– Marida looks like what I’d expect, considering the backstory. Queue more spoilers for evidence, though I will say that her general…ahem…”broken” look is done on purpose.
@Meh
– To me, the Universal Constant is the “Nude Female Bathing Scene”. Seriously, there’s one in every Gundam (eg: Sayla and Frau washing the kids, lolita in the river, Nastasha in the Guyana Highlands, Shower trouble on the Willgame, Archangel hot tub).
– For the “I only saw Wing/G” people, you shoulda also listed…well dang all 5 Gundam Pilots, and all 5 Gundam Fighters. Also, you missed girls like Chara Soon, Toniya Malme and Katejina Loos, who all show cleavage in the series.
– Heh, the whole reason why MSG didn’t end was because of mass petitions XD
– Well, as far as Universal Century series go, you kinda hafta do spinoffs of the previous series, otherwise it’s like illogical tech gaps.
Ok, scrap Chara and Katejina, I need to take reading classes again. Ummm…I’ll toss in…how about Lu Luka and Keil Heim?
what’s up with the names of people associated with char? i mean you got quattro bagina and full frontal. i mean full frontal could reference a full frontal assault but it could also be a reference to full frontal nudity. perverts those story writers are i tell you!
i think 00 first season had a pretty good tone about war and had the main cast a lot more grounded in realism, the second season had far too much OP for my taste and strayed way too far into the fiction part of sci fi. also, let’s not even get started how OP the GS cast was in comparison to the GSD aces. i think with the more recent gundams the plot shields were too much for me to bear. yes amuro ray is the ace of the one year war and CCA, but to borrow a phrase from another forum, he got pwned by a giant rock. char may have been brought back due to fan demand but there isn’t too much death in the supporting or main casts in a lot more recent works. sure kill ’em all tomino may have been a result of a bipolar psyche, but that’s the reality of war. i’m saying this as someone who lost a friend from childhood as a result of the conflict in Iraq (please hold the condolences it wasn’t recent and no need to stray from the topic, they’re definitely appreciated if they were coming though). not to mention the UC gundams also have quite a bit of civilian casualties as well that aren’t so prominently displayed in many recent AU series’ even with coordinator concentration camps.
however, what i did find odd was how the students at the anaheim electronics school were treating war like a distant thing. it’s only three years after CCA, i’d think it’d still be somewhat fresh in their minds. but maybe it’s because they were only 13 at the time. though, could you really forget a huge ass asteroid colony base that was about to crash into earth splitting in the sky? maybe teens are just as apathetic about near apocalyptic events in the future as they are currently?
oh yeah the break the world incident in CE, while fitting the whole super civilian casualty thing something just seemed so overblown and unrealistic about it, though i did like stargazers take on it.
@divine,Bushi,Kaioshin Sama ******applause!!******8* tru dat!
Meh Gundam….thank god i never got into all those years ago
Totally reckon there’s only one troll here with multiple names
awesome!
some people here needs an eye check up…
@Ricky
About the kid who forget about the CCA accident it is not like they forget it is just that the war was not really spread known to all the world as the group which join the war is Londo Bell till the other Earth Federation army came to push the asteroid and die in vain.
For this anime of course it was great not only story the OST and character art is my fav(especially Marida Cruz it means loli could change into such beautiful lady in the future) Even though her past was really sad and her future in the series is also so sad (read the novel to know her fate)
One of my biggest regret in life is never having watched any UC series, mainly because they make it so difficult to obtain, and I’m not rich enough yet. So it’s gonna be another few years before I get to watch the whole thing. Until then, I won’t be able to join you older UC people in lording over the non-UC people on how much better UC is, lol.
Before any of you UC people go into flaming mode, this isn’t meant as an insult. After being traumatized by the crap that was Destiny, I’m actually inclined to agree with you guys that UC is the best. Not to mention I agree with you guys that some of the guys here who seem to confuse their taste in character design with animation quality seriously needs an eye check.
OTOH, as Meh has well elaborated, I do resent the sometimes haughty attitudes displayed in your lording of people, as though your “old school” is so much superior when there actually isn’t much difference when you look at the bigger picture.
It all boils down to “YOUR MILEAGE MAY VARY”.
I don’t understand you guys. The animation/art style was freaking great and fight scenes was pretty tense.
Some of you have really bad taste
@Vsin
-For the record, I liked SEED’s character designs myself. Kira and Athrun were “refreshing” to me at that time as far as Gundam protagonists go.
-Sorry, trying to remember every piece of fanservice in Gundam is like trying to remember how many times somebody died a pointlessly gory death in Gundam. I know I should be remembering them all, but I don’t have the memory capacity.
-Spinoffs like 0080 and 0083 are one thing, but stuff like MS IGLOO and all the OYW video games? That’s like trying to milk a cow after it’s been turned into steak.
@RickyMack
For the record there, you’re not the only one that’s lost friends in Iraq or Afghanistan, or even as far back as Bosnia. That said, sorry, but I don’t find UC Gundam all that realistic when it comes to war, not when the majority of it is focused on Newtype mumbo jumbo and people dying in pointlessly gruesome death. This is the same metaseries that has bad guys like the Titans, Haman’s Neo Zeon, Crossbone Vanguard and Zanscare Empire (all of whom make real life Nazi Germany and the USSR look tame by comparison), as well as methods of killing from using flying remote buzzsaws to perge colony inhabitance to bringing back the guillotine to running towns and cities over with giant wheels on motorcycle battleships. It’s one thing to kill characters off like Bernie Weisman and Emma Sheen to elicit a response from the audience, it’s another to instill virtual massacres just for a gruesome body count, which IMO is trying too hard and loses the emotional effect on the audience. It also doesn’t help much that Tomino himself admitted that the main reason he killed people en mass was to get higher ratings, and judging by the lack of character deaths in Turn A Gundam, I’d say he was being truthful about that.
Really though, when it comes down to it all Gundam series are the same no matter what universe they’re in. They’re all focused on the “horrors of war” in one way or another, they all have invincible giant robots with V-fins that can survive full on blitzkriegs and move through without a scratch, they all have teenagers or young adults that are either super aces from the beginning or start out as novices but eventually end up getting up there with Erich Hartmann in skill and kill count, they all have people dying in grotesque and at times highly unrealistic ways just for the shock value, and above all else, they’re made specifically to advertise and sell toys and other merchandise on a grand scale. That said, to judge one Gundam series from the other on the “realism” merit is truly pointless, since it’s all fiction and it’s all centered around the same things.
Damn, miss Kinny Riddle’s post, as it pretty much beat me to the punch on the latter part of mine. Sorry about that.
You know, i smile a bit. Old Fans and Otakus here, are just Spoiling all kind of Infos to the New Fresh “fans”.
You know, Timeline of any Gundam epilogue and so on. You should hear yourself, imagine Gundam is a New Name for you. You extinguish the fun with you “Awesomeness” Background History…
Sometimes, less talking is a Bless.
The character designs are too retro. You can certainly do a UC series with a refreshed look without making everyone a blob. I mean even Gundam 0080, 0083 had fresher looking designs and they were done like a decade ago. 08th MS Team which arguably looks more retro also did not look like this. Char’s Counterattack did not either.
The main character is a Kamille Bidan clone painted different. Seriously. How is that “original” character design?
Oh and the story… is a walking cliche so far.
Nice robots though.
*Sigh* I used to be like you kids who complain about older character designs like those of this show (even though the designs aren’t really that “old” looking). But the fact that your tastes will change as you grow older, and start appreciating shows that are more mature than your run of the mill garbage like Gundam Seed and Gundam 00.
You guys will learn in due time. You are still young.
i started out on uc gundam and i dont see how its “better” than anything au.
shit this is what i get 4 using my cellphone to post
@guy
posts like that are why i depise “older” fan[boy]s. just what exactly gives you the right to lord your likes/dislikes to everyone else like it’s sacred? i started out on uc and i actually like the aus [namely ac and ce] much better, but i dont shove it down your throat like im special. you like uc stuff? good for u, but you’re no different from everyone else. dont act like ur.
“Universal Century is the best” is not the message here, nor should anyone be trying to advocate that on those unfamiliar with it. It’s fine to voice your opinion about something, but it’s naive to expect everyone to agree with you.
Personally, I just prefer the stories/settings in the original timeline, which I felt series such as SEED took away from with their overpowered Gundams and pilots. However, SEED is noteworthy in that it’s the first Gundam to draw a noticeable number of female fans to the franchise, and I enjoyed it a hell of a lot when it was airing. Heck, I even have a Master Grade Freedom Gundam here to show for it.
As I mentioned back in the Best of Anime 2009 post, I really like Gundam 00, so it should be noted that I’m not taking sides in regards to timelines here. I just like how we’re finally getting another Gundam based on UC, because there are so many things from it that I do like. That said, UC is not without its own flaws, as a feel the older series suffered from really poor pacing (e.g. Victory Gundam).
oh come GS series main focus was on characters, drama, emotion, feelings, personal side, etc to make the J-drama of gundam series really that what GS did more focus on characters, drama, emotion, feelings, personal side, etc geez like maybe a TELESERYE for gundam fans & besides where the GS movie or 3rd GS season.
& where the 00 movie so they make more showing proof on set-feldt (pink hair, blue eyes, & voice of Chantal Strand) this is likely to happen.
& idea for next gundam series are gundam version of kamen rider DECADE (yea let get all gundam time era & characters in same series) or yet finally get a lead main gundam pilot being a female with Chantal Strand as the lead main female gundam pilot!!!
For UC lovers out there, be easy on the kids. They only know Wing, Seed, and 00, as if their graphics, animations and character and mecha designs are the main standards of any Gundam anime.
Ok now, for you UC haters, yeah, the designs and animations of the Gundams prior to G Gundam are crappy, but it is the plot that made Universal Century great. If they are to be remade in today’s time, it would beat the hell out of the Alternate Universes. Can you say that the story of the Gundams in the late 90’s up to present matches those in UC?
Don’t get me wrong, I also liked Gundam X, Turn-A Gundam Gundam Seed (not Gundam Seed Destiny) and Gundam 00 Season 1, not because of the mech design or character designs, but because of their plot. I’m more after on the story, rather than the eye-candy.
For Unicorn haters, try watching other Universal Century-themed Gundams, and I’m telling this because I know you can get those in cyberspace before bashing us UC lovers that your Kira Yamato or Setsuna F. Seiei will kick Amuro’s and Char’s ass.
Nu Gundam’s one of my favorite Gundams though. :\
Zeta also has an awesome design with its transformation to a mobile armor.
Show Spoiler ▼
been waiting for this review for a while….
loved the animation and the retro style witch raised the bar from 00 i have total faith that this is going to be perfectly crafted ark i’m just thinking the gaps between are going to make it difficult to really get griped…
hahaha, it was pretty damn epic. Especially the fights. Gundams hell as old. And, no, the UC century is not perfect. However, the stories the came along with it are generally good. Don’t flame me, cause I do like Gundam X (budget problems, but still good), Gundam 00 (writer could have done a lot more with the potential of the plot) and Gundam Seed. Heck, I like Turn A as well. Everyone bound to have their complaints here and there, (ZZ, GSD, Etc.) but it’s a nice change to see the UC Century again. Although… I would be quite amused to see Char’s Long Range Kick (srsly, that was wtf? Long long legs) on Sayla’s Gun remade (obviously would be fixed).
Oh I liked to also rofl at the fact that someone brought up the point of “Super Powers” out of all the AU Gundams, cause they clearly did not see Zeta and CCA. The only show that could only be considered super powers would be G Gundam as those were definitely SUPER Robots as Reals with no real explanation of where the powers came from other then techniques (heck I see Domon beating a Mobile Suit with his fists as ridiculous). The “super powers” of the rest of the series are, Zeta biosensor (explained by concept, and miracle, but never the less, fits in this persons idea of Super Powers), Nu Gundam’s psychoframe (overloaded and saved the world, if you read into it, some of it make sense), Turn A’s Moon light butterfly (Nanomachines), Wing Zero’s Zero System (if someone saying that, srsly, bad is bad), S-Gundam’s ALICE System (Again, would be mad), Blue Destiny’s EXAM System (yet again, would be mad), Double Zeta supposed Biosensor powers (Don’t rmb it appearing in the show, but they mention it in Games), Wings of Light of both Victory and GSD (I would just shake my head no if someone thought this was a super power), TRANS-AM (yet again, explained by the GN Particles), TRANS-AM Burst, F91’s Afterimages (yet again, argh, it was explained), and Satellite Cannon (pls don’t tell me you thought this was a super power). Oh and of course, NT-D System.
To summarize my paragraph above of rant… G-Gundam was the only one with insane Super Powers fighting each other. Most of the other series had some sort of form of a weaponry edge, system, machine, or miracle which at least, somewhat was explained in terms of concepts.
Wow, absolutely Magnificent….
My brother(who is older than me) having not watched the trilogy Gundam series(Original Gundam,Gundam Zeta, Gundam ZZ and Char’s Counterattack) says the anime is “Totally Epic” it has “Dual Audio” and it “Blew my ears apart” (XD).
While me, having watched the trilogy and Char’s Counterattack, Say” The first line above”
It just stuns me to see all these old things that were forgotten in the new Gundam series nowadays [360 degrees cockpits, funnels(phycommu meaning shes a cyber-newtype!!!), all those old factions and names Divine pointed out. All this just blew my mind and I went screaming out the front door after seeing the awesomeness this episode auras with(will we be seeing Newtype auras later???).
Also after reading those comments above, I must say I’m completely stunned to see why Gundam oldies and Gundam newies(uhh… bad wording… please don’t flame me for that) are fighting. Divine I am quite young and to say the least(13-16) ,and my brother who is a lot older than me(20-27), sees this series to be incredible.
I took the liberty in seeing ALL three original Gundam serie(47+50+47 episodes plus counterattack!!!!!), to truly see the amazement in this episode. I’m afraid that if I hadn’t watched those first I wouldn’t have seen this spectacle for how it is. Seeing how I’m part of the “new decade” of anime(First series-Gundam Wing, Second-Seed, third-destiny, fifth-00), but I, who would watch 1970s-1980s television show am quite unique.
I must say I’m one of a kind seeing how I like all those old Gundam series. The plot of seed, destiny, 00 second season(Specifically) branches off of those original series hardcore. Though I must say, its not the younger generation that hates Gundam, but the people who don’t like the plot, and people who just want eye candy all day.
By the way, I love Nu Gundam, ZZ Gundam, and especially Zeta!(I think it might be my new favorite next to Wing Zero-movie form) I hope we get to see some new rendition of the Phyco Gundam, we’ve already scene Quebeley:).
I haven’t watched F-91, Turn a Gundam, X, V-gundam, or Ms, But I hope to get them in soon.
I’m not sure about this artwork deal thats going on. When I watched this I had no quarrels with the character design, quality flaws, or how it compares to other Gundam designs. Even the Gundam or mobile suit designs are being bashed. Manga, and anime(a lot of people mistake anime with manga) is however you like it to be. I’ve seen a variety of anime styles. Theres no “Fixed” kind of deal.
Either that, or its the fact that I’m not a big deal with resolution/quality… all that mumbo jumbo.
But I must say, there is a traditional style of manga. A person who still uses it is Kurumada Masami(Saint Seiya or English dubb-Knights of the Zodiac). The new style of manga is replacing the old traditional style(Naruto, Bleach, DBZ, etc.), so maybe thats what new generations are used to.
Anime nowadays is rated more for its eye-candy/character/mecha designs rather than it’s plot.
I saw an earlier comment, that the girls are not that cute, as if the cuteness of the characters are the main point of the story.
I feel bad because instead of trying to appreciate the story first, it seems that it’s more important to see Murrue’s boobs or Lacus’ sexy curves in Marida or Mine… Audrey Burnes body.
And UC is not about sexy sirens as the main focus of the story.
*Still wishing for a Gundam Sentinel anime remake.
@Kelfistan, just persevere in searching for it, you’ll get them >:)
I just watched this episode. Wow I must say! I enjoyed every minute of it. Someone commented on no cute girls, but I disagree. We got the uber-pilot chick plus the girl who knows the main character (please don’t get pissed that I don’t know their).
Seems like a good plot and I like the animation.
I really love the Universal Century series’ as opposed to most of the AUs. (The ones I like being G Gundam, Gundam X, and Turn A Gundam.)
The animation definitely gives the OVA “vibe” like The 08th MS Team, 0080, and 0083 did.
And for those who don’t know, the Pegasus-class ship shown briefly firing at the colony is the Nahel Argama from Gundam ZZ, now flying for Londo Bell, thus Unicorn allows ZZ to have more of a “connection” to the other series’ rather than simply written off or ignored just because of a bunch of people not liking it for its more light-hearted attitude (at first).
And the MS battles are back to how I like them as opposed to most AUs (specifically Wing, SEED, SEED Destiny, and 00); BALANCED battles overall. The Geara Zulu making that one last suicide charge after ALL that damage (its head was dangling by 1 tube for crying out loud) before getting finished off was EPIC. (“HAIL, NEO ZEON!”)
Collateral damage is also very brutal-showing like F91 was, thus further showing the horrors of war; a dismembered MS arm falling and crushing several civilians as well as a reactor explosion frying another or a beam blast slicing through another x_x.
MS designs are, obviously, reminiscent of previous series’;
Geara Zulu = Geara Doga
ReZel = a mix of the Methuss and Jegan
Loto = evolves into the F-50D (RXR-44) Guntank R-44
Sinanju = Sazabi (and Full Frontal being another Char “clone”)
Kshatriya = Queen Mansa
So right off the bat, I am heavily looking forward to the rest of Unicorn and happy that the Universal Century is being kept alive. Perhaps people who have only known of Gundam since Gundam Wing (and never bothered with the older series’) will discover and/or appreciate the Universal Century series’ a lot more than before.
okay, personally, Banagher looked a bit too young in the OVA. In the illustrations from the novels, Banagher looks more mature, isn’t he 16-17?
Not that is has much impact, but a more mature looking Banagher would make the atmosphere more serious, but I guess they twitched around the design so he didn’t look weird around Audrey lol.
I LOVE THE AIR BAGS. Especially near the end when Unicorn was pushing Kshyratia out of the colony. Seriously epic. I lol’d when the airbags came out in Marida’s cockpit.
On another note, Unicorn has the hardest names to pronounce. Banagher? Ksyhrataaaitiata? (dunno how to spell >_<)
i never felt better after watching unicorn. maybe because it has been ages since i’ve seen a decent gundam anime without pretty boys or girls flocking the series. somehow,there is alot of gapholes in the OVA which will lead to confusion for those who are new to UC-related gundam, but maybe this is a way for them to start doing their research on previous timeline from 0079-0093 and the novel itself.
as for those who are expecting tony taka or hirai hisashi kinds of character designs,too bad for you, bear with it. thats how UC is meant to be.
I’d like to talk about reputation in Japan. Gundam UC released at only 5 theaters for 2 weeks in Japan. Gundam UC is making sensation in a way. Because it is far and away beyond our expectations. Reputation spread through Twitter and Blogs every day. Sales of Blue-ray disk get a No.1 ranking (include all categories) at Amazon.jp in March so far.
Download through PS3 made a new record as 1st business day. Even some young Japanese anime fans who don’t know Universal Century series found new excitement with Unicorn.
Old Gundam fans finally came back to anime and theater. They were very surprised and impressed with its quality. Some of them were not able to stop tears. They shout,”This is Gundam. Our Gundam finally came back!” Loyalty to UC history, overwhelming pictures, old familiar character, beautiful sound,,,etc Fan’s dream came true. When I watched the first battle scene, my hands trembled with excitement. Theater is packed with many Ojisan(middle-aged man). I don’t like Ojisan because they smell a little bit. But I am Ojisan, too. Very sad.
First Gundam was televised 31 years ago. College students who watched it at that time are over 50 now. Main fans of Universal Century are at age of 35-45. So they have been away from anime aside from ardent anime fans. Gundam UC probably brings back nostalgia and passion for us. Some of young anime fans feels that character(mecha) design of Unicorn is old. But this design unquestionably dominated the anime world in Golden Era(1980s-90s). First Gundam and first Macross were made from this design.
I think that discerning foreign anime fans notice that it is impossible to bring this quality on TV series. Gundam UC is a challenging work because it eliminates big ad agency and TV station. They often skim profit and interfere in contents. So this is one of the reasons for recent low-quality anime. Small group of veteran creators is making Unicorn with enormous time and effort. Furuhashi(director) is very professional. He is famous for OVA of Rurouni Kenshin (Title:trust and betrayal). So they can make 2 OVAs a year at best. But if Gundam UC succeed on business, it means that Anime will get a new business model. I hope that Gundam UC make us more excited until the last minute and succeed on business not only for Gundam but also for anime’s future.
As much I enjoy reading Fukui’s Gundam Unicorn novel series and Katoki’s mecha designs, I think this OVA adaptation turned out to be poor what I expect to be something better than Stardust Memory 0083 and Char’s Counterattack.
The whole OVA episode is more like a last-minute rush job with everything pushed at a rush-rush pace and a lot of details were overlooked and missed. One of the details would be Riddy Marcenas’s intro aboard the Nahel Argama and Alberto Vist’s briefing to the crews, it’s understandable why Bandai dropped that part due to short of voice-overs and scripts for these characters and that’s probably the reason why the EFSF pilots and Londo-Bell crews don’t talk at all. Barnagher’s character simply exhibit some similar traits to Kamille Bidan’s and it makes me wonder if Barnagher is the new Kamille Bidan after Amuro Rei. Why so repetitive? Marida Cruz sure get a taste of her own medicine by wearing something so inappropriate like that long maxi coat when she dressed in an OL short skirt suit and wearing sport shoes in the novel. You should see her face after she got thrown off the elevator by Barnagher dragging her “long dress”. Why won’t they just dress her in a jumpsuit instead since she has no sense of fashion? The worst has yet to come, although the MS fighting scenes are pretty intense, but the last part should at least end with a bang like the novel did with the episode “The day of the Unicorn” instead of an unfinished cliffhanger. So this whole OVA episode’s purpose is just to show the Unicorn Gundam for just 3 seconds before ending? What a rip-off!
Rushed, unfinished and not fulfilling are what I can describe about this OVA, but for those didn’t read the novel or should I say can’t read the novel even in Mandarin, this OVA is just for you because it’s so convenient of Bandai doing the English translation as well. If you are just too lazy to read, this OVA is just for you!
wow. just the type of Gundam anime I grew up with. And I’m wishing badly there’s a mention of Amuro Ray somewhere too. I still think of him as the best gundam pilot 🙂 I need to watch this.
Okay, I have one thing to say about the scene in which Banagher rescues the falling Audrey:
MACROSS. Hikaru and Minmei, specifically. Recently mimicked by Alto and Ranka in Frontier
Also, Stark Jegan = pwnsome. I’d like to see a souped-up grunt piloted by a faceless unknown last that long against a remote weapon-equipped machine that outguns it ten-to-one in the CE.
Finally, fans of the much-reviled ZZ Gundam should find Marida’s character and machine, the Kshatriya, distinctly familiar, and with good reason.
lol man I havent watched gundam since the seed destiny periods. I guess I can check this out since they’re trying to go back to their roots. GUNDAM HAMMER!!
@meh
“It also doesn’t help much that Tomino himself admitted that the main reason he killed people en mass was to get higher ratings”
Source? Japanese is fine. I only remember him mentioning doing that because he doesn’t have to work on it again and kill off characters so they won’t come back again.
“No bishounens? Then what do you call Char, Garma Zabi, Paptimus Scirocco, Zabine Chareux, Dorel Ronah, and several of the Neo Zeon and Zanscare Empire people in ZZ and V? And dare I go on the same about “hot, sexy girls” from Sayla Mass to the Shrike Team girls? While there wasn’t an abundant amount of either case in UC Gundam, they were still there.”
Except those characters there not just because they are bishonen and be pandered to fans as bishi. None of the “bishi” mentioned there except Char has any sort of popularity at all and the kind of popularizing characterization that would be attributed to “bishi” these days. It would be hypocritical of you to ignore their difference. Hot sexy girls are a given in any male-oriented show, but can you really compare anything in UC aside from ZZ or V, to Murrue bounce every time the bridge shakes?.Sure, UC has all the things that ppl complains about in AU. UC itself is pretty inconsistent in tone over the periods, but that doesn’t mean AU could do more of it and get away with it. Before AU existed, UC had plenty of factions within itself flaming against each other. Nothing wrong with that, the only difference is that now they have a united target. Mind you plenty of AU fans do the same with other AU series. Can’t take the heat? Get out of the fandom.
“Pandering to niche otakus? Last I checked…”
AU is pandering the wrong/different niche, simple as that. In fact AU did not succeed/fail as you suggest because it is doing the same. It’s because it’s trying to appeal to a larger/different niche.
“Sure, Vist got preachy on the Laplace Box, but those scenes didn’t last too long, quite unlike the ramblings in most UC series”
That’s why you are not an UC fan. The same reason you think
“In summary, my point is neither Gundam nor anime in general has changed much since the 70s-80s.”
Fan-service for the sake of selling fan-service is different from fan-service for the sake of getting enough attention/sponsorship so that a message and be communicated.
hi all, just curious, i kinda fell in love with the music from 00:00 -> 01:51 the moment i watched the anime. I got the OST for Gundam Unicorn too, however, after listening to all the tracks, i dont seem to think any of it felt like the 1 in anime. Does anyone know whats the name of the music from 00:00 -> 01:51? or where can i get it?
After being disapointed with the second season of Gundam 00, I really enjoyed myself wacthing Unicorn…
I can´t believe I´ll have to wait so much to watch epi 2, but it´ll surely worth it!!!!
(Damn, I wanna see this Full Frontal dude >.<)
I haven’t written much before though I am a keen follower of this website.
I am also old enough to watch all the UC Gundam series.
Unicorn is a high quality work in Japan this day. The feel of the texture is different to ordinary TV pictures due to the use of more CG technology here.
The drawing of the characters actually does not do justice to the original design by Yoshikazu YASUHIKO. Those who would bother to dig up the novel cover will realise the differences.
1/3 of the OVA is actually a verbal summary of what happened in the UC world up to CCA. This is for the benefit of new comers.
Gundam 00 is closer to Greek mythology.
The original Gundam is a reflection of WW2. The creators of the series were old enough to be affected by the war, thus the portrait of mass death was made.
The ability of writing this form of story is lost now. The reason is simple that the writers are all born in the peaceful era. Many of them don’t even know why Japan was fighting in WW2. It is rather hopeless to expect people who don’t know war to write a war story. This is why we have those half baked Seed and 00 series.
As a TV viewer, I agree that we don’t need to see sexy girls all the time, though that is not a big issue itself.
Woah! What the? How did Codename:V make it all the way to this website with his ignorance that not everyone reads Japanese, Mandarin, or even Cantonese perfectly.
Lol, maybe Im the only old fans who dissapointed (at first)with the character design. Looks like Sunrise also try to appeal the newer audience by not letting Yoshikazu Yasuhiko himself to design the characters in the anime but let the other person (Kumiko Takahashi) to re-adapt it so the design aren’t really resembles the old Gundam design (isn’t that really the Princess??? She’s a bit different than she used to be).
But maybe its just because a change with time. Even Gundam F 91 where the characters are designed by Yasuhiko himself are a bit different than the old Gundam design. And afterall, Kumiko’s design still looking oldschool. So not really a problem.
Well, its also a bit of sad that this blog will be closed. I just hope that you still stands at least until the end of Unicorn. But whatever. Afterall, thanks for your works.
Picture #51
/desktop
anyone here notice that the beam saber cross sword. by theory it not suppose to because it a not tangible