Turn A Gundam I: Chikyuukou

Not a good replacement for the show. It's not good for a rewatch either, I would say the value is for fans who loved the original and want to see the differences.

This movie cuts out a lot. The character of Will Game does not appear despite being a major plot point of the original. The content of the first 10 episodes or so go by at lightning speed, but admittedly, the pace improves by the halfway point.

Like I mentioned, the main appeal of the film is to catch the slight differences in dialogue and animation, which could be fun for a diehard fan. Do not ... try to use this as a replacement for the show.

Let me star by saying for as long as I can remember I have been a Gundam fan and upon watching the series proper Turn A Gundam quickly became my favorite and I understand that part of the story gets lost in a compilation film, but that being said of all the Gundam compilation movies Earth Light and subsequently Moon Light Butterfly are the worst. Turn A stands out from all other shows in the franchise with it's heavy focus on the people, what drives them, the politics behind it all, constantly splintering factions and underhanded double crosses. It cuts out all the ... charter development and interactions that makes the emotional scenes that make it into the film so emotional, minor charters that play a bigger roll later in seres get no screen time or explanation of who they are or why they are or why all of a sudden are they fighting for the other side. The credits are a mess of quick unexplained clips from the show that lead into the second movie so if you don't watch the entire credits you will be even more confused when watching the second film.

Long story short take the extra time and watch the actual series, it may not be as action packed as other Gundams and can feel like it drags on but it is so worth it!