Kidou Senshi Gundam Thunderbolt: December Sky

Man oh man, has it been ages since I watched a Gundam show... Sure, there was this Iron-Blooded orphans thing, but Gundam as entitled - that has been escaping my radar for years now. Why, you may ask? It's quite simple. For a hardcore fan Gundams ended around Turn A and the only reasonable approach to the topic were either the Unicorn or (loosely) 00.

Thundebolt then caught me completely off-guard. Having no time for animes these days I got the glimpse of the upcoming OVA through some promo I was never hoping to watch, It didn't say much though, only showing some really neat looking ... battle scenes. I am a mecha fan, even putting aside the fact that I stopped watching anime some time ago, so it was only natural that I would be interested in a battle sequence that actually resemebles just that - a battle sequence. From there I was only secinds away from being completely blasted into oblivion by the first OVA episode. The animation, the music, the pacing, interesting characters and refreshing approach at the topic on OYW - all of that packed into merely a 20-minute-worth of screening.
Then, I couldn't watch the other 3 eps because of chores and kind of forgot about it until recently, when I found out that it acutally got a re-release in a form of a movie: December Sky. And what a movie it is!
A spectacle is more appropriate - because technically and visually it blows away even the Unicorn OVAs and TV series! From ground up the visuals and audio are all pitch perfect. Finally one can enjoy eye-candy partially drawn battle sequences when there's very little actual CGI involved. Sure, there is still some, but not very offputting and someone who's not accustomed to the sight won't even catch it. That's very good, espeically in the era of mecha animes being nearly 100% done over CGI. Good job SUNRISE.
Then there's the music, the score and voiceover - all top notch, as expected of a high budget SUNRISE theatrical release. Seiyuus in both Japanese and English versions do their jobs well, although I would still prefer to hear the original voiceover for the fact of a better lipsinc. Japanese seiyuu also tend to pour more emotion into their characters than their English counterparts.

Plotwise it is a traditional good vs evil story, however the twist is here that in war there's no black and white but rather shades of grey and lots of ambiguity. The world in Thunderbolt is also much grittier than in previous installments and I believe that was the idea behind the project - to show, that wars in Gundam UC universe are comprised off not only genius pilots and giant robots but also, and probably most often off personal tragedies of minor characters that apear behing the curtains. In that aspect the story hits jackpot. It so reminds of another project like that caught me by surprise - 0080 War in the pocket. Albeit having an entirely different cast and approach to the topic of wars it still is, in a way, a reminisent of that amazing installment. Not often a 80 minute film will engage you so much into it's world and keep you at the edge of your seat until you hurt yourself. Amazing.

Overall, I recommend it mostly to Gundam fans for apparent reasons, but also it should find some audience around your average Joe's looking for a visually stunning mecha battle spectacle. For Gundam series to have a good story as an add-on is rarity these days, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Given that this movie is a modified version of the ONA with one new scene added in, and the fact that I've already tackled the original OVA, I think it's only fitting that I modify said review and add to it, not out of disrespect for this movie, since I would never disrespect something so great, but because I feel like talking about Gundam Thunderbolt again since it's so damn good, and if I did, I would largely come up with the same review at best and something inferior at worst. So, enjoy.

*SPOILERS FOR MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM THUNDERBOLT*

Thunderbolt is definitely an interesting installment within the ... Universal Century timeline of Gundam. It preaches what we all know by now: war is hell. However, it doesn't do this in a manner that makes it come off as obnoxiously preachy like say, Gundam 00 Second Season, and it doesn't do that in away that involves shooting the quality of its writing in the foot like say, Gundam SEED and SEED Destiny (aka the entire Cosmic Era). At the same time, with hardly even a 1/20 of the length as the Cosmic Era in its entirety, and a mere 1/8 of the amount of runtime as 00 S2, it manages to do far more than both of those series in terms of actually showing just how fucked up war can be. Then again, a large number of series in the UC timeline is dedicated to this. So, even though it does more with the famous "war is hell" angle, does it stand on enough other merits to warrant being called a good addition to Universal Century? Let's find out, shall we?

STORY: 8/10

This is a side-story in the ongoing war between the Earth Federation and Zeon. As such, that war it referenced constantly and this is just an ongoing battle in one battlefield, as if it were WWI, where one battalion could be facing off against another in the same battlefield for months. Each side in this particular battlefield near Space Colony Side 4 had a key player: Io Fleming for the EF and Daryl Lorenz for Zeon. Each of them has some baggage that lead them to this war, and it's all done with no words; it's just the music and visuals which are left to speak the backstory to us. I can appreciate this kind of storytelling, where you don't need words to convey something important about the characters, and that's not something you can easily pull off.

In the actual battlefield, we get to see just how messed up it all can be, especially when kids are involved in the battle and are forced to panicky as they are slaughtered like their experienced soldier brethren. Some of the soldiers and captains risk their lives to save their crew, be given how much pride both sides have, they'd rather die than flee or get captured, and it doesn't turn out pretty for the captain of the this Earth Federation mothership, who ends up getting killed by her soldiers over this same issue. Even the Zeon are willing to fight to the death and die in an explosion than get arrested, which is what they try to do in episode 4 when they're infiltrated. Meanwhile, Io and Daryl, who plow through each other's soldiers and get their own special mobile suits (Full Armor Gundam for Io and Psycho Zaku for Daryl) end up locked in combat and settling the score that is alluded to have started even before the events of the series, and that same score which has built up over the first 3 episodes, ending in a crazy climax in which neither of them wins. In the end, the Federation forces are captured (I don't get how) and Io is tortured, albeit not without really spelling out the anime's message for Daryl.

This anime really knows how to paint a picture on just how horrible war is, and it plays it up to Joe me without becoming preachy, and it does this with just 4 18 minute episodes, amounting to the screen time of 3 TV episodes, and it did so much more than the aforementioned Gundam anime in the preamble, which have so much more time. On the downside, there are Deus and Diabolos ex Machinas in the form of a thunderbolt saving a pilots life in episodes 2 and 4, with the first one being addressed in frustration by Daryl after he almost got a clean shot on Io. Still, this story worked rather well, and with so little time to do so, that's impressive. Sure, the film has the added benefit of a little extra time and yes some things do feel a bit off in movie format as opposed to OVA format, but the core of Thunderbolt remains untouched.

CHARACTERS: 8/10

A lot of people take issue with these characters being "one dimensional" and I'm gonna have to dispel that. Like with Cowboy Bebop, while the characters seem like 1D stereotypes of characters on the surface (since yes, there are people who believe Bebop's characters are flat and one-dimensional), thanks to implications andtheruch way in which they are fleshed out, they are much more real than one would initially give them credit for. Io comes off as a bloodthirsty jerk, but he is so much more. After losing his father, he constantly reminds himself of himvia his dad's favorite song. He fights not because he wants to, but because he has to, so he brings his mucus along that way he can get in the mood to fight without letting reality tranquility lose his morale, and he does still care about people, like his girlfriend who he doesn't has the best of relationships with thanks to this war. Speaking of, Captain Claudia Oeer is really unfit for her position, only being placed there on account of rank and the captain slot being forcibly open. The stress of the war makes her relationship with Io very hard, and she even turns to drugs to solve her problems, as then her fate is sealed when one of her more prideful subordinates shoots her for daring to suggest that she and her men should flee on account of being outmatched. She's the most tragic character here for that reason. Cornelius is just the friend of the trio who understands them and provides a bit of insight into the other two characters for us via implication, as well as help be part of the funny running gag of giving Io tissues.

Daryl is pretty tragic too, losing one of his limbs early on, he still dreams of what could've been. Even his lover, Karla, can't stand what the loss of limbs is doing to him and his allies. Even still, he loses another one, and this all drives him to ask her to amputate all of his remaining limbs so that he can pilot the new Psycho Zaku in order to combat Io, who has killed most of his cohorts. As Io commented in the final episode, even though he hates what this war has done to him, he has driven himself a bit mad by it, making such a hasty and life-changing decision; he's right about what this has done to Daryl. Karla isn't very happy about being forced to be here herself, as she hates what she has to do to Daryl and the other Zeon troops, as well as the fact that she's part of this war. I really like the romance flashback in episode 4, as it really sells how much she and Daryl love each other, without needing words to do so.

None of the other guys are really worth mentioning, but the named cast is pretty good and much richer than people give credit for. To those who say "What about the SEED, Destiny, and 00 Second Season cast? Many of them suffered through war but you criticized them." The thing is, those characters didn't necessarily suffer through war, they suffered through the stupidity of the war's combatants as well as themselves; they were idiots and assholes (in some cases, both, like Shinn from SEED Destiny) who let the war make them worse. Those are not good characters. That's the difference between them and the Thunderbolt characters; these guys suffer like soldiers who actually feel like real, at least somewhat intelligent people, those other ones just don't.

ART: 10/10

This is easily the best looking Gundam anime to date, without question (unless I end up seeing Unicorn, and even then, that's debatable), with only the second season of Thunderbolt giving it a run for its money as of now. The sheer detail put into every single frame is astounding, and the digital effects of the lasers and explosions are simply breathtaking. The action looks freakin' amazing due to this, and the Gundams receive the perfect amount of detail, and this series rivals anime put in cinemas. The directing is wonderful in terms of the animation. The character designs also seem pretty realistic, stylistic lines not withstanding. My only gripe, fnyoh can call it that, is that the Doms and other Federation mobile suits have a more child-like shading that somewhat clashes with the gritty and detailed setting and other mobile suits, as that there is some minor CGI with some of the space debris (though they're "blink and you'll miss it"). Other than that, Thunderbolt looks beautiful, and it's easily one of the best-looking anime of the decade.

SOUND: 8/10

The OST, done by Naruyoshi Kikuchi, is great,and makes a wonderful fit for this space battlefield in which the anime takes place in. Thunderbolt for Main Theme is a great score for whenever Io steps out into battle with the Full Armor Gundam, with its wonderful free jazz, even if it's absent here, though despite this, the soundtrack is still amazing. The other themes are great at accomplishing the feelings their scenes intend, as if to sell them even more than the writing can. Not a huge amount of these pieces are overtly memorable, but they sell their scenes extremely well, which is still a good thing in its own right.

The dub is pretty solid as well, even if I only recognize one cast member. Some moments for some of the characters do feel week, especially in comparison to the Japanese voices, but there are an equal amount of really strong moments. The most notable performance is Johnny Yong Bosch as Daryl Lorenz, and he does do a good job and probably has the least amount of moments that feel even slightly off. Then again, he is in did he most prolific dub actors in anime, and he does do some rather emotional characters, so that's to be expected of him. While I do prefer the Japanese voice acting on this one, the English dub cast did a pretty good job with this one.

ENJOYMENT: 10/10

I had a lot of fun with this anime. The slick soundtrack, the awesome battles, the striking feeling of hellishness in war, and the breathtaking visuals were all a real treat to witness, and the characters and writing were no slouch either. Sure, some moments were a bit iffy and weird, but it was truly an adrenaline rush of a series. I simply wish I would get more, and with a second season on the way, that same high seems likely to reach me again. Plus, seeing a Perfect Zeong in action is something that makes my inner fanboy come out, it's that cool.

OVERALL: 9/10 RAW SCORE: 88/100

Interestingly, I would say that Gundam Thunderbolt is the perfect Gundam anime for newcomers, no matter which version you go for. It hits on all of the major themes of Gundam with a proper tone and decent characterization and writing, it has kickass action, and it doesn't really require much background knowledge. Even disregarding that, both this and the original OVA are truly solid Gundam anime that deserve all of their fanfare and I'm sure that the manga is just as good. Can I say that either version of Gundam Thunderbolt is the best of the bunch? No; there are some UC Gundam anime that surpass this, such as Gundam Origin. This is just a side-story after all, and it would be weird if a side/story was superior to everything else in the franchise. Even still, this is definitely worth watching, even if you are new to Gundam. With all that said, I bid you adieu.

Gundam Unicorn represents the plight of people in the U.C. timeline at their best. Thunderbolt represents the plight of people in the U.C. at their worst. Unicorn portrayed war as a tragedy, but not in any capacity did it capture its true essence for what it really is: a horrifying calamity that sweeps myriad lives in its wake and cares not for name, face, nationality, or best intentions. Tomino has written Gundam shows where people often switch allegiances on the fly. A Tomino show this is not: the people here are committed and locked in their allegiances; no character has a chance to switch sides, ... no character wants to switch sides. The forces, both of which we see, are under a soul-crushing weight, like ants in a torrential downpour, being thrown and battered by their own circumstances, including one scene where they're given their orders to defend a sector to the death, to the shock of only one person. The higher-ups acknowledge the "heroicism" of their acts, but the film, in its brilliance, has a tone portraying their acts of war as anything but. It's carnage, it's malevolent, it's unsympathetic, it's macabre. Melodically, the film's music carries with it no melancholy to describe the visions of death it portrays. The battlefield is instead personified through music through Charlie Parker-style jazz: chaotic, improvised, and without solid structure- a sound decision, cemented further by one of the jazz-loving protagonists who feels the unpredictability of the battlefield like he feels improvised jazz.

Thunderbolt is a story of humans utterly ensnared within cruel times, of overblown military budgets and desperation, of those once passive to the times swept into frenzied fever. The spread and escalation of war is a result of the failure of leadership at the highest levels, and Thunderbolt captures failures of leadership at a small scale. Atrocities beget atrocities, unfolding into each respective side's umpteenth measure to snuff the other out, in a tense climax to the action with depictions of bodies upon bodies. Except unlike in SEED, both sides are treated as neither hero nor villain, but as small pawns in a deadly game of chess, the larger scale or outcome of which isn't even depicted or known. Innocence is lost. The soul dies, and the shells of what were once men become beasts that crave only the hunt. What to the protagonists were quests to quell the nightmare of war obliterated their humanity, for now they are the nightmare.

The truth is you, the reader, too, are an insignificant subject of a societal system, the direction of which is far beyond your control. Should civility break down and give you the choice of whether to hide from the fire, or to become that which lights it, will you be the one getting torched, or are you the one holding the torch?

Art is outstanding, understandly so since this is a fairly recent release.

Story wise, I'll give it an okay. They are certain plot lines that are extremely interesting included in the movie, but unfortunately they aren't really that well developed. Too many things get crammed in and they didn't really do a good job of trying to get you up to snuff on what in the world is going on at the beginning of the movie.

The sound mixing feels a bit all over the place. Not sure if they intended it to be that way... but I know that I'm not really a big ... fan of it.

Overall, 7 out of 10. It's definitely not a masterpiece, but if you enjoy Gundam and you need your fix of those space wars, this will certainly help you feed that addiction.

Longtime fans of the Gundam franchise know the Universal Century is the most explored timeline in the series in terms of content. Gundam Thunderbolt is an entry set chronologically around the end of the One Year War presented in Mobile Suit Gundam (UC 0079), is this entry a worthwhile addition to one of the most important event in the UC Gundam timeline? Not necessarily, but it's certainly a spectacle worth watching for longtime fans.

Thunderbolt,unlike the other spinoff set up in the One Year War Gundam: War in the Pocket, focuses on two pilot protagonists from Zeon and the Earth Federation respectively. The story is extremely ... simplistic, after a fated first encounter both protagonists chase after each other battle after battle while showcasing the struggles of the fierce war for each side. The final days of the One Year War are a wonderful setting to the cruelest parts of conflict, desperation and extreme measures bordering on war crimes are portrayed like never before in the franchise.

The execution of these serious aspects can feel overtly edgy at times, mostly due to the tonal dissonance of the excessive usage of music and flashbacks for such a short story. Character development relies a lot on these short flashbacks, feeling like a proxy to add depth to characters of such an combat focused story.

The animation is solid enough, the incredibly detailed characters sometimes feel jarring in contrast to the stylized mecha animation. The usage of 3D background elements and environments also somewhat distracts from the well executed battle animation.

Thunderbolt is mostly known for its usage of jazz music as soundtrack, a first for the Gundam series. While creating a cool atmosphere, the usage of full tracks and only sounds effects during certain scenes slighty affects the pacing of the plot. In my personal opinion, Gundam Thunderbolt might have been better as an jazz AMV, skipping its somewhat trite plot.

Overall, Thunderbolt is a fun side story. For such a short runtime, the story's message is clearly stated: war is brutal for everyone and has no winners. The in-universe borderline anachronistic technology presented might bother purist fans, but is a fun enough way to spend a boring night.

A brutal showcase of war from the perspective of the front line, I don't think I've seen a Gundam installment as dark as this one, at least not for a small scale conflict. It keeps up a strong pace, especially considering it's a compilation of previously existing episodes. The animation is also very good, I didn't notice any reused animations and everything was easy to follow and pretty detailed. The music is one of the more standout aspects of this film with each of the main characters having their own recognizable genre of music that they listen to, the Jazz music in particular complemented the ... chaotic nature of Io's action scenes which I really liked. But the most interesting aspect of this film is how disturbing the everything is, it's really dark and does a great job at conveying the feeling of a drawn out battle where both sides are desperate and on their last legs. What I also noticed is that there really is no need to watch any other Gundam series to get context on this film, it works very well as its own standalone story. If you can find a way to watch it then I'd recommend you give it a watch.

For what this was, this felt pretty effective. The animation quality is strong, the characters get only flashes of backstory but it works well enough to give them some depth, the use of music is decently strong (albeit the choices should probably get more exploration) and we get some really hardcore moments representing the horrors of this war. The desperation of the Zeon and what they're willing to do is particularly strong, since we know this is near the end of the war and in a period where they know they're losing. Their willingness to mangle or even kill themselves and their compatriots to get ... any kind of leg up over their opponents is played well, and watching both sides fight over the ruins of Side 4, where this war began, really does hit harder if you know the history of this series. It's a nice touch.

That being said, it is still light on character motivations, most of the non-central two characters are easily disposable and lack any meaningful backstory, making those horrifying moments of war feel somewhat empty. Why one of our leads (Io Fleming) is such an effective pilot of the Gundam and his backstory with his girlfriend (Claudia Peer) are half-baked - her story particularly feels like it was jammed in there with only limited explanation. It's an effective movie insofar as what it is trying to do lands, it just doesn't have the kind of emotional attachment or strength of character writing that makes a Gundam series really connect with an audience. Still, it's a worthwhile watch, even if it doesn't reach the heights of other series in this timeline.

After watching the second movie and thinking about this, I've changed my thoughts to Mixed Feelings. Despite my rating being pretty good, and I still think this movie stands well enough itself, I'm torn on whether it's worth getting invested in this series. There's a reason the rating drops off for the second movie, so just be prepared for disappointment if you're going forward with it.

I'm not really a fan of gundam but this movie/ova was really good. the soundtrack is very unique. but what really makes this movie work is the rivalry between the 2 main characters Io Fleming (played by Nakamura, Yuuichi known for his role of gojo in jjk) who has a great performance and Daryl Lorenz and there rivalry is built up great in this movie especially when the reason we watch mecha comes in.. the giant robot fights which are great in this movie. btw don't watch the next movie/season this one ends perfectly fine and the next movie is mid at best and ends ... on a cliffhanger and then the show got cancelled and it probably wont come back.

When I don't like a compilation movie, my first instinct is "well, maybe the full series is better," but I'm not sure how that could be. One of the problems I had with "December Sky" was its lack of characterization or an explanation of what the particular battles being fought were about. The first is conveyed through brief flashbacks for artistic reasons, which is fair enough. The latter may have been intentional, but it didn't feel deliberate enough to make me give it a pass. So most of this movie felt like mobile suits zipping around for no reason, blowing people up for shock value ... alone. And then they bring in child soldiers to double down on that in a terrible way.

It's edginess for edginess's sake is what it is. Gundam is usually a lot more thoughtful than that.

Also, I don't know why people give a shit about the jazz element considering the audio mix prioritized it under *bullets* 90% of the time. Couldn't even hear it.