Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn – Review

Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn is being released one episode at a time. It’s 57 minutes of viewing pleasure, but the price of the average full length movie and a little extra. Thank god for bootleg (just being honest) so I can get my hands on this series without having to pay an arm and a leg. Having been disappointed by the lack of Blu-Ray release for Gundam 00, I was very very excited when I found the Blu-Ray release for Unicorn. I won’t get into the story too much, because I don’t want to give away plot points and spoilers. It’s Gundam, and if you’re reading this I expect that you’ve at least watched some Gundam before. While it somewhat seems to stick true to the formula, it’s going to be hard to tell for sure after just an hour viewing.

For fans, this is more than likely worth every penny. It takes place after the events of Char’s Counterattack and is not a side story like many of the Gundam’s previously released in the U.S. Bright has already been mentioned, so my assumption is he’s going to make an appearence in the series before long. That being said, Gundam Unicorn brings back those qualities and invokes the feel of the Universal Century perfectly. The series itself takes place in UC 0096, three years after Char Aznable’s Neo-Zeon uprising, and the Earth Sphere is still reeling from the aftereffects. This is your father’s Gundam series: classic, nostalgic but clean and polished for the next generation.

I can only hope the sales and popularity is good enough that Bandai will continue to have its worldwide release for the remainder of the series. Very much looking forward to see where the story goes…but hating the fact that it takes six months for an episode, which means 3 years before we see the ending. Knowing this information you’ll have to make a tough decision if you want to start this series beginning with this film. Plus side is the animation and music are feature quality, and masterfully executed. While it follows some of the traditional Gundam clichés, it manages to make them seem fresh and exciting through strong dramatic execution, and reinforces the idea that there is an almost cyclical elment to the events in Gundam.

The realism is in stark contrast to recent series such as Seed and Destiny. The plot unfolds slowly drawing you waiting to see what happens next. If you’re a Gundam fan then this is one series that you must see. The story created exposes new elements in the U.C. universe that has never before been explored as well as having some yet unrevealed tie-ins to the original Gundam. The script is faithfully written with many references to the prior UC century story line and this may very well be the final chapter of the original Gundam. Overall, this is hard to reccomend because it is fan service to existing Gundam fans. I would say if you have an interest in mecha anime then you could do no wrong here by checking this out. Others, might find it a tad uninteresting. Watch at your own risk!