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Mobile Suit Gundam III: Encounters in Space

Mobile Suit Gundam: the Movie Trilogy is the definitive incarnation of the massively influential Mobile Suit Gundam TV series. It may not be perfect, but it definitely deserves its lofty status in the history of anime as a proven classic. As one cannot have one part of the trilogy without the others, this review will cover all three of the compilation movies.

The first question on any new viewer's mind regarding the story of Mobile Suit Gundam: the Movie Trilogy (MSG) would be: "Do the films condense too much story from the TV series to fit into its limited run time?" The answer to that is "no". MSG takes the liberty to cut some of the flab from the original series and manages very well in terms of preserving the integrity of the story. The pacing may strike as a little faster than usual, but there are no glaring problems pertaining to the question above.

The story of MSG follows the crew of White Base, a secret earth federation battleship housing the RX-78-2 Gundam. The protagonist, Amuro Ray, makes the difficult transition from an ordinary civilian to the ace pilot of the federation military, along with a number of other civilians who were also pulled into the conflict against the Principality of Zeon when their space colony was destroyed by a Zeon attack, the purpose of which was to destroy the White Base, along with the experimental mobile suits being developed in secrecy. The long journey aboard the White Base exposes Amuro to many ugly facets of war far beyond the destruction of his home and the loss of life. In the midst of it all, Amuro is burdened with the responsibility of risking life and limb to protect his friends and comrades aboard the White Base, a target of constant Zeon attack, with the gundam. All this weaves an engrossing tale of struggle and growth, rife with challenges on and off the battlefield, making MSG a very interesting war story. There is an epic feel to the films, because though the adventure of the White Base stretches over many destinations, it is but a small part of the vast web of war and politics that makes up the interstellar conflict, and the characters' struggle for survival in the monstrous web makes them seem all the more vulnerable and the story that much more gripping.

The characters of MSG are some of the most iconic in the history of anime. Amuro, as mentioned above, is a very well-developed character. His teenage angst may strike as a little too much in the beginning, but his clear maturation throughout the story makes him an endearing character. The antagonists of MSG also also equally memorable, as they are some of the best antagonists one will come across in anime: the cunning and skillful Char Aznable and Ramba Ral, the bold and courageous Dozle Zabi, and even the cold and calculated Ghiren Zabi -- all of them have plenty of admirable traits that really makes the viewer respect the nazi-inspired Zeon. Even when these antagonists bite the dust, the viewer would still feel for them.

Hailing from the early 80's, MSG's visuals and sounds are quite aged. Though the animation has definitely improved from the sometimes laughable quality of the original TV series, it will not win over any new anime fans by itself. The frame rate is low, the proportion are sometimes warped, and the details are always shallow. Yet despite all this, MSG still manages to produce a number of memorable battle scenes, which is something to applaud for. The mecha designs, especially that of the gundam and zaku II, influenced mecha designs for decades to come. Even to this day, these old-school robots are sights to behold. The sound effects of MSG are almost as iconic as the mobile suits themselves. Fans will recognize the buzzing sound of the beam saber as well as blast of the beam rifle from miles away. Granted, the quality of these sound effects aren't anything amazing objectively, but they serve their functions well, and their nostalgia value is beyond measure. There are also a couple of very catchy battles tunes to be heard, as well as great sound acting, though Amuro's voice may be a little over-the-top at times.

In the end, Mobile Suit Gundam: the Movie Trilogy should be a must-watch for anyone interested in mecha anime or the history of anime in general. Its influence, popularity, and historic value is simply through the roof. There is a reason why even almost three decades later, model kits of the old RX-78-2 are still selling like hotcakes and the name "Char Aznable" remains recognized almost everywhere in japan. MSG is the very definition of a classic, and this fact cannot be denied. What lies in question is the modern viewer's enjoyment of the aged classic. But with a stellar story and memorable characters, MSG still has the quality to win over its viewers, a quality that will most likely remain as long as there exists people who watch anime. read more

The final installment of the Mobile Suit Gundam movie trilogy is a masterpiece. Watching this film, it is incredibly difficult to believe that the movie is a compilation of over 20 TV episodes as the pacing, plot, art and character development are all outstanding. If any of the three movies in the trilogy have any rewatch value or are strong enough to stand on their own, this one is it.

Let's begin with the story. The Newtype concept comes full circle in this installment, embodied by a love triangle between Amuro, Char and Lalah Sune. The relationship transcends relatively simple romance and enters the realm of spirituality. Amuro's identity as a Newtype propels Lalah into becoming the most important person in Amuro's life, a relationship that is somehow believably intrinsic despite being slightly rushed. Newtypes in later series are synonymous with super-skilled ace pilots (a fact that Gundam Unicorn bluntly points out) This doesn't feel like the case in this movie; true understanding and love at first sight were Tomino's original vision of the Newtype concept and it really shows.

As a result of accepting his new identity as a Newtype and his relationship with Lalah, the rivalry between himself and Char becomes a deeply personal feud leading to many interesting confrontations. Char's identity is also finally revealed as is Sayla's, allowing justification for his actions and neatly concluding the movie. Without giving away too much, Char's identity is also closely linked to the Zabi family who have a much larger role and presence in this film and give a greater insight into the inner demons of the Zeon rulers.

The characters become fully developed and mature in this film, their identities solidifying and defining their further appearances in the franchise. Amuro's journey is complete. He is now a noble soldier bound by his duty to protect those he loves, a stark contrast to his former angst-ridden self. Though all of the White Base crew is combat-hardened, they are undoubtedly family and the audience always hopes that the final, dangerous confrontations with Zeon won't claim any lives, not only because such a death would be tragic for the audience but also for the other characters. The character development is just that good; you really feel for them.

This constant danger that the characters are placed into creates a very effective sense of dread, keeping the suspense tight and making the action that much more enjoyable. And there's plenty of action. From the famous confrontation between the Gundam and 9 enemy Rick Dom suits, to the gigantic scale of the space battles, the action only abates during critical scenes of character development, finally concluding in the epic Battle of A Baoa Qu.

After all is said and done, one can only sit back, exhale and exclaim "wow!" as the credits roll and the fantastically 80s kitsch track "Megurai" sung by Daisuke Inoue plays. This film has solidified in my mind why the original series is so revered in its home country, to the point of becoming part of the national consciousness. An impressive trilogy to say the least, any Gundam fans who have not experienced the original series or the Universal Century should do what I did and witness this amazing trilogy, especially this powerful work of art that is the final installment. And as a self-referential sign of things to come, the credits conclude with a wonderfully cryptic sentence appearing in English which I will quote:

And now... in anticipation of your insight into the future. read more