Always regarded as a phenomenal series in Japan, Gundam Wing has by far been one of the most favored of its franchise outside of Japan. One reason could be something simple — the 5 G-Wing Boys, each one piloting a different Gundam (the name of the mecha in this series simply because it’s made of gundanium alloy, each with different skills and specialties — where each one is totally bishounen. Add to that a lot of mysterious and intriguing characters such as the rebel prince Zechs Merquise and Treize. There isn’t any good vs. evil concept here, only anti-heroes, which are stuff you may be familiar with and all these are under the backdrop of a complex political futuristic and alternative setting. Whoa… yes, that is how complex it is. Fans may also find that as its criticism, where you may find the dialogues too talky and the story too complex that there are times, I had to retrace my steps just to find out what’s going on.

But of course, there is a reason why this has been one of my favorite series. As I said above, the character designs are very very well done. In fact, the character designs relate with even the mecha designs! It goes as to as far as to explain how their philosophies are integrated into making the Gundams. For example, Treize explains that he designed Epyon as a knight, with the need for guns but only with a sword because a true soldier doesn’t need guns to fight. I just found that awesome. Suppose you don’t care much about the technicalities, the fight scenes with the Gundams in space, air, land or water are just too great to watch. This is where mecha makes sense! Some mobile suits just have an advantage in certain terrains, it seems like each battle, given a backdrop of political intrigue, is one big tactical operation! I just love this. And I love Zechs Merquise too. The action, the mecha, the characters … they’re all into place. Gundam Wing delivers! After this, I’m sure you’ll have your own favorite character and Gundam.

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NOTE: This description was written sometime in 1999 and was recorded in the classic Otaku Fridge as ??.??.1999. Unfortunately the database would not accept non-numerical values, so this review is now dated January 01, 1999 by default.

Individual Rating: Art: 7; Story & Plot: 9; Characters: 7; Sounds: 9

Gundam Wing is probably credited as how most people new to the franchise got introduced to the Gundam universe, as it is the first one aired in the United States. That explains its relative popularity among anime of the past decade (it’s the year 2005 as of my writing). However it begs the question: is it really all that good?

Purists of the franchise will be irked at how generally invincible the Gundams in this series are. Most of the time the mass-produced Leos, Aries and Tauruses of OZ don’t amount to much other than cannon fodder for these Gundams - something the plot boasts of, as it makes reference to the “nearly invincible” Gundams “looking for a place to die.” Granted, they look pretty damn good: Kunio Okawara and Hajime Katoki pull out some great mecha designs here, despite some of them frankly looking a bit ridiculous in terms of war potential (like Deathscythe). But there’s something very un-Gundam-like about mobile suits remaining 80% intact after a supposed self-detonation.

This overly-strong Gundam syndrome affects the plot quality somewhat, in my opinion. Because they’re just so freaking strong, only a handful of people can actually oppose them in battle competently, such as Zechs Marquise and his mothballed Tallgeese (itself a rather “invincible” suit). It also negatively colors my perception of the things the 5 bishounen protagonists do outside of their mobile suits. These are essentially just teenaged kids, yet they’re involved in espionage, guerilla warfare and destruction of space colonies all by themselves…which undermines the relative credibility of the characters. Okay, it’s a war and such acts are commonplace, but when there’s no clear chain of command these young pilots follow, it seems like they’re just doing as they please to achieve colony independence. From these individual acts comes turmoil and heartbreak, yet it’s as if they HAVE to show some personal weaknesses just so the invincible Gundam syndrome isn’t so obvious.

In fairness to Wing, its plot seems to be a coherent one. It’s still a spin on the familiar colonies-versus-Earth war theme, and while it amounts to nothing more than psychobabble at first, it does get more coherent and interesting later on as the Gundam pilots face betrayal and a “sandwich” situation where both sides of the war refuse to accept them.

Animation is slick and crisp without resorting to CG visuals - a treat for cel-animation purists. The music is one strong point: very catchy score mixed with the J-pop songs in the soundtrack that begin something of a trend in future Gundam series.

So is it really all that good? Overall I think Wing is a competent enough series…just not as great in terms of story and characters. Then again, this is a case of purists losing to a new audience, and Bandai doesn’t care what it does to the Gundam franchise as long as it sells…

Individual Rating: Art: 8; Story & Plot: 6; Characters: 5; Sounds: 8

Genre: Action / Mecha
Parental Guidance Recommended
Credits: 1985 Hajime Yatate, Yoshiyuki Tomino, Sotsu Agency, Sunrise Inc., Bandai Entertainment. Screenshots by GPlus.
Shop: Z Gundam Artbooks and Manga, DVD, Game Shop, Toys and Accessories, Music

Shunichi Sakura’s Description:
It is UC 0087, eight years after the end of the One Year War. The Earth Federation is now run by an oppressive military unit called the Titans. Ruling with an iron fist over the Earth and the space colonies, a silent resistance has begun to ferment in the bowels of space in the form of the AEUG (Anti-Earth Union Group). With renewed conflict comes the loss of life, the sense of despair and a set of new heroes to usher in the future…

(50 Episodes)

This direct sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam opened to great fanfare in 1985, which led to the re-release of the underrated original series. I had great hopes for Zeta, particularly because I had heard so much good press about it and I had witnessed the greatness of the original. Did it deliver?

Zeta is marked by the reversal of fortune. While in MSG the Federation was the protagonist, it has now become the corrupted enemy and the story follows former Zeon ace Char Aznable’s exploits—now working under the pseudonym “Lt. Quattro Bajeena.” Much of the original White Base crew makes its reappearance, including hotshot Newtype Gundam pilot Amuro Ray, but they are relegated to supporting roles for the real stars of the show: the crew of the AEUG battleship Argama. The fighter role Amuro left is succeeded by young Newtype pilot Camille Bidan, a hot-headed juvenile delinquent with a problem with authority and a dislike for his feminine name. Under the tutelage of Quattro, Camille fights the Titans, finding a rival in Lt. Jerid Messa and the ambitious Newtype Paptimus Scirocco.

Much like the original series, character development takes center stage in Zeta. Dissent in the ranks in particular has been played up more in this series than in the original, with defections happening on both sides. Zeta has a much darker tone too. In the first few episodes we are witness to Camille’s parents being killed, and instances abound where officers are punched in the face for no apparent reason other than “discipline.” We see that even the AEUG is not as honorable as it seems, and that war tragedies have a way of coming back to haunt those who survive.

Despite airing six years after MSG, Zeta surprisingly doesn’t improve too much in terms of visuals. I suppose in keeping with the tone of the plot, a darker color palette has been used, but after a while I did get bored of seeing the same garish colors on screen. MSG had no such problem with color monotony. Zeta’s animation is slicker, but not as much as I am led to believe—Macross easily looks better. The music has become more purposeful though, lending a sense of high tension to mobile suit battles.

So was this the best Gundam series ever? For me I find the original more to my liking, followed by Gundam SEED. Zeta is still a great title to watch though—one not to be missed for fans of the original Universal Century saga.

Individual Rating: Art/Animation 7; Story 9; Characters 9; Sounds 8

Genre: Action / Mecha
Parental Guidance Recommended
Credits: 1986 Sotsu Agency, Sunrise, Bandai Visual. Screenshots by GPlus.
Shop: Gundam ZZ Artbooks and Manga, DVD, Toys and Accessories, Music

Shunichi Sakurai’s Description:
The oppressive rule of the Titans has ended with the Gryps War. But with the Earth Federation weakened and the AEUG (Anti-Earth Union Group) heavily damaged, Haman Karn’s Axis forces set their plans of a Neo Zeon empire in motion. The AEUG flagship Argama has to go to the run-down Shangri-La colony in Side 1 for repairs, where it finds its unexpected hope for the coming Neo Zeon War…

(47 Episodes)

Gundam ZZ (read as “Double Zeta”) is a direct sequel to Zeta Gundam; its events happen immediately after the 50th episode of the older series as it was intended to be a second season of the immensely popular Zeta.

With Camille Bidan out of action, Char Aznable missing and not enough pilots for their mobile suit force, the Argama is in an especially vulnerable position to potential enemies. One of its threats is a band of junk collectors from Shangri-La, a bunch of kids led by 13-year-old Judau Ashta who tries to steal the egendary Zeta Gundam and sell it for profit. Capt. Bright Noa’s knack for sensing innately gifted pilots leads him to invite Judau and his friends to become part of the Argama and join the fight against Neo Zeon.

This effectively describes what ZZ is: it’s Gundam for kids in 1986. While Zeta was brooding and sinister, ZZ is comedic and light-hearted, and this can be disconcerting for fans of the previous series. Indeed, many Gundam fans consider ZZ a poor show.

The first 18 episodes are full of Judau’s bumbling use of the Zeta Gundam, Beecha and Mondo’s prattish treachery and Axis Capt. Mashymre Cello’s quixotic foolishness. While I think some of the slapstick was necessary — after all, these are kids playing around with mobile suits as if they were toys — I also think ZZ went a bit overboard, rendering some adult characters stupid as well. The irritating traits of some characters (Beecha’s selfishness, Emary’s over-acted affection for Bright and Chara’s weirdness, especially) just don’t go away, and not everyone grows up in the end.

Principal Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino stepped in in the middle of the series to rewrite the story, to make it fit in with his plans for the Gundam movie “Char’s Counterattack.” The improvement is noticeable, but it also means ZZ is inconsistent with its tone as it turns macabre under Tomino’s pen. To his credit, the latter half of ZZ lends itself to the genesis of some Gundam OAVs nicely (”0083 Stardust Memory” comes to mind in the desert) and introduces a nice conflict between Haman and Glemy Toto, a Neo Zeon officer with ulterior motives.

Visually ZZ is a little more refined than Zeta; the more prolific use of color is a welcome improvement and the animators put a bit more effort in making in-between frames to the benefit of smoothness. The music is so-so, but I liked the opening themes “Anime Janai” and “Silent Voice.”

Despite all the craziness, I still like this show, and it explains the events gap between Zeta and Char’s Counterattack quite well, with a good plot. However there are many aspects where a little more attention to detail would have worked wonders for the show as a whole.

Individual Rating: Art/Animation 7; Story 4; Characters 5; Sounds 7

Genre: Action
Parental Guidance Recommended
Credits: Author: Keniichi Sonoda
Shop: Gunsmith Cats Artbooks and Manga, DVD, VHS, Toys and Accessories, Gunsmith Cats Apparel

Cover Description (edited by Firesenshi):
She’s tall, she’s dark, she’s Rally Vincent, the professional bounty hunter and gun-expert extraordinaire who brings a whole new meaning to the phrase ‘pistol-packin’ mama!’ Together with her street-wise, grenade-happy partner, the luscious Minnie-May, Rally’s going to clean the scum from the streets of the Windy City with a few quick flicks on the trigger of her trusty pump-action sidearm… for a price, of course!

When gun runner James Washington claims his life is in danger and makes a desperate plea for help, the girls are disinclined to listen to him. However, when Washington and a whole host of agents are gunned down inside an ATF safehouse mere minutes after the girls leave, Rally is forced to go looking for the killer. Then, when May is kidnapped by a psychotic Russian, the chase is on and traffic in the Chicago area may never recover!

The Cats are back and Rally proves that her intuition is something to be respected. The ATF case is far from over when Radinov, a true femme fatale, reappears and is out for blood, of the feline sort. Add a handful of surprisingly high-placed gun runners who are after their coats as well and Rally and Minnie May are going to need every one of their nine lives just to make it through the day!

(3-Part OAV Series)

The anime Gunsmith Cats takes place in Chicago, and chronicles protagonists Rally Vincent (gun expert and bounty hunter) and Minnie-May Hopkins (explosives maniac) as they are swept into an ATF case against a shady gunrunning cartel. The first thing that is noticable upon beginning to watch it is the detail and believability of the city and everything in it. Cars, signs, buildings, and especially guns, are drawn with a level of detail seldom seen in feature length anime, let alone most OAVs. The city itself was especially amazing. Instead of just imposing a stereotypical American city backdrop and calling it Chicago, the animation crew went to great pains to reproduce the real city (which they saw as part of research for the show), resulting in a city that feels like it’s in the heart of America as opposed to on the west coast. Every single weapon and automobile in the series is given similar attention, with everything functioning as it would in real life, including Rally’s Shelby Cobra and her favorite pistol (The CZ-27 if I remember correctly), drawn to match the real thing to the letter. This detail is not limited to the visuals, either. Everything from the honk of a horn to a shot from a weapon is reproduced using sounds from their real life counterparts. Very nice to see how much effort was put into the realization of the world this anime takes place in.

The story, as one would expect from the heavy emphasis on weapons and cars, is action oriented. The first volume features a large gun battle, while the second showcases a car chase along the freeway between Rally and a menacing assassing, with what starts off as an interesting and slowly developing plot of murder and betrayal within the Beaueau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms. It’s sad to say that in the final volume, things are wrapped up far too quickly, and with several plot twists exposed very suddenly and with very little foreshadowing, as though the story writers wanted to get this one in the can quickly. Thankfully, the final episode is saved by a climatic duel between Rally and her nemesis, but the sroty’s fall-flat conclusion left a sour taste in my mouth about the whole product. Not to say I don’t like GSC, I love it. I just wish it was given the full 26 episode TV treatment as opposed to three small OAVs.

Individual Rating: Art/Animation 7; Story 8; Characters 9; Sounds 9

Genre: Action / Mecha
Parental Guidance Recommended
Credits: 1988-1989 Morio Chimi / ARTMIC / AIC
Shop: Hades Project Zeorymer Artbooks and Manga, DVD, VHS

Cover Description:
The Hakkeshu - a team of eight giant robots with fantastic powers built to allow the forces of Hau Dragon achieve their quest for world domination. Zeorymer of the heavens, the most powerful of these robots, is stolen along with the frozen embryo of its genetically engineered pilot.

Fifteen years later, it is finally time for Zeorymer to awaken. As powerful forces gather to battle for the fate of the world, a teenager is swept into the heart of the action.

Teeneager Masato Akitsu’s world is turned upside-down when he discovers his entire life has been orchestrated for him, and that he was only born to pilot the mighty warrior Zeorymer….

(4 Episodes)

WARNING: Major spoilers ahead!

Simplicity in anime can be a very beautiful thing. One can add the elements of basic human emotion and still come up with an art form that does not saturate our appetite for a simple yet exceedingly delightful medium of entertainment. One such example of a title that bungles up this fundamental fact of life is Hades Project Zeorymer.

At the beginning, a viewer can appreciate the tragic little ironies that are introduced in the first three episodes. One: A leader sacrifices her lover’s life for duty. Two: A sister whose resentment at being pushed in the shadows is driven to harbor extreme hatred that ultimately ends her life. Three: A man’s strikingly feminine face is the one thing that causes him pain and suffering in a world where masculinity is cherished. There it is — your basic human tendency for discontentment.

The fourth and final chapter, however, throws excellent foreshadowing down the garbage bin. In an attempt to go for a deep and complicated plot, the writers just transformed the entire series into a gigantic circus act. It turns out that the “traitor” who is responsible for the mess that characterizes Hades Project Zeorymer has implanted himself in ALL — yes, ALL — of the key players in this anime from the very beginning. In essence, he has been fighting with his “selves” from the start and it doesn’t really matter who wins in the end because his real self will activate within the victorious clone. If he already had this power to begin with, why not activate himself in the Underworld Empress and be the commander of the Zeorymer (since nobody can defeat the Zeorymer anyway)? The ending is a cliffhanger, but who cares anyway? The outcome would be pretty much the same no matter which side wins. All the creators did was pull us around in unnecessary circles and we end up realizing that Hades Project Zeorymer is nothing more than a complete joke. True, the art and animation are exquisite. The mechs are even more so. But the sad truth is, the plot is this anime’s defining factor. It’s just unfortunate that the creators thought they could insult our intelligence by bombarding us with philosophic babble to disguise a poorly written storyline.

Individual Rating: Art/Animation 8; Story 4; Characters 9; Sounds 8