Kidou Senshi Gundam: The Origin
Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin

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(Minor Spoilers Alert)
Talking about THE ORIGIN is kinda complicated, since in addition to being a love letter from its author to a specific series, it has enough differences from the series directed by Yoshiyuki Tomino to stand out on its own merits.

However, seeing it as a replacement for the original series is absurd, since there will be differences in characterization and storytelling if the reader is planning to get into the animated Universal Century, but despite this, THE ORIGIN does it stand up well on its own? Yes, it does.

Story:
"It is the year Universal Century 0079, and the eighth month of a vicious war between ... the Earth Federation and a breakaway nation of space colonists, the Principality of Zeon. The story follows the crew of the warship White Base, as they fight to ferry the experimental RX-78-02 Gundam mobile suit to the Federation base at Jaburo."

The story is practically the same, but with changes that are mostly positive, such as making clear the route that the White Base takes on its journey to Jaburo, earlier foreshadowings of the Newtype concept, or the story arcs focused on the past of the Zabi and the Deikun family that leads to the beginning of the main conflict.

And while the story remains the same, it no longer feels so tied to the monster-of-the-week format that the original series had, meaning the Gundam doesn't always have to appear in every chapter, and we could even say that the story is more cohesive.

Not to mention the attention to the small details that make the difference, like delving deeper into certain characters that were minors in the OG series, or even how the first volume begins with the narration that kicks off each episode of the OG series, or how a specific chapter has the lyrics of a closing song, waiting for you to think of it or play it on whatever device you have at hand; we could even mention that it also adds a bit of what we saw in the sequels like Z Gundam or Char's Counterattack, something that is understandable, since Yas had no plans to give sequels to this manga, since for him, the 1979 series is the only one for him, and it is the only one with which he has any kind of responsibility as a member of the creative team.

Characters:
While the characters are the same, there are certain moments that show this wasn't written by Tomino, and that's not necessarily a bad thing, although it could be a bit of a surprise to readers who just saw 0079. Many of Char's virtues are exaggerated, but in the final stretch we see him at his lowest point, or how Bright seems a bit grumpier than in the original series. But even with those details in mind, it is clear that Yas did not want to alter the arc of each of the main characters, and even wanted to expand them just the right amount.

Art:
Yasuhiko's art is simply superb.

And this isn't limited to his drawing style, but also to how he arranges the panels to make the conversations and quieter moments flow smoothly. Not to mention the impeccable battles, which, when they happen, are incredibly satisfying to read. There are even panels that use frames from the original series as a base, but with much more detail. For the art alone, this is one of those mangas that you have to read in physical form, even if it is a bit expensive.

Conclusion:
Mobile Suit Gundam THE ORIGIN is not only a highly recommended science fiction war story that anyone can read, it's a passion project from a man who understands the message Tomino wanted to convey over 40 years ago, and the fact that he was able to adapt it to another format, and that the themes the story touches on still feel relevant, speaks volumes about both the source material and this retelling.

While I said this manga can be enjoyed as a standalone story, I don't recommend it if you plan on watching the Gundam anime set in the Universal Century, not only because of the differences between the manga and the anime (as well as other canon issues), but also because this isn't just another Gundam manga, it's a love letter to the origin of this massive franchise.

Trust me, and read it.

Gundam is one of what I consider to be the legendary series, a story that was told in 1979 and is now at the point where the children who grew up with it are now making their own contributions to the saga, and in a way that enriches the saga, not destroys it. You know, the opposite of its near-contemporary, Star Wars, which has been reduced by a collection of untalented narcissists in a shambling monster completely unrelated to its roots. But we are here to speak of Gundam and the superiority of its contributors, not of the Disney-mutiliated abomination wearing Star Wars the way ... a serial killer would wear the face of a cherished friend before making the next murder.

Broad strokes of a quite familiar story: In the middle of a war, the youth Amuro Ray ends up in possession of a prototype mecha known as the Gundam. Conscripted into service in order to protect the warship that carries both this weapon and civilian refugees with no other choice, he must use the Gundam in battle against one of the most dangerous men in the universe: Char Aznable, the Red Comet.

Unlike other remakes and reimaginings, this manga was illustrated by the animation director of the original Gundam, Yasuhiko Yoshikazu. Not only a man intimately acquainted with one of the most defining science fiction franchises, he himself is a legendary mangaka: every panel is drawn by hand, using art brushes, without any of the modern technologies that have made drawing manga easier, all of it in a solo effort. That means all the work in modern manga that requires a small team to do (the storyboards, panel arrangement, character positioning, and penciling without guides (the shapes other artists use to orient themselves and the action)) was done by one elderly Japanese gentleman. Well, the man's a legend, so the art is excellent, with a distinctive style that recalls the original Gundam anime, but also surpasses it with the cleanness of its lines and the compelling action Yasuhiko-sensei's art conveys. The layout and action flows from one panel to the next quite naturally, and there is definitely a sensation of being drawn in a manner similar to an anime. The art is as much of a carrying point as the story.

On the topic of the story, it's a retelling, but it's not a retelling the way the West does things, where the original story is forgotten in favor of using the franchise name to tell some worthless hack of a "creative's" totally unoriginal fanfic (Rian Johnson). Yasuhiko-sensei instead moves <i>events</i> to make the story flow more cleanly than the original Gundam did. The broad strokes remain the same, but the timing changes in a way that makes the narrative flow more rapidly, while fitting in more backstory that was lost in the original series.

Anyway, for Gundam fans of old and for new readers, it's a must-read. A true masterpiece created by an actual master who worked on the original series, it is Gundam at its quintessential finest. The volumes are still being published in the West, so gather them all up and devour them as time enables, as the story is timeless, the heirs to its tradition continue to love this franchise, even if it is recently starting to show some cracks in the foundation (Witch from Mercury? Who thought that Gundam Utena was even remotely a good idea?)

Coming from the anime, I must say that it is really not for the people liking the good aspect of it but rather the more juvenile one.

The Origin depends on a two facets logic, we will be shown one or the other all the story and there are some moments when those two parts meddle with each others. Which should be a good thing, if their affinity wasn't so disastrous.

You have the "evil" part. The characters are depicted to some extent, we are actually lacking the why at many instances having simply a personality but it is still worked around and their strategies/feelings aren't bad. ... They often talk around the point leaving a feeling that many is left unsaid and will come back later, it is unfortunately not the case.
Those are interesting enough to make us want to dig up more about most of them. As it is a war after all, it is still easy to understand that not everyone can have the spotlight.

Then comes the "good" side. Shallow, actually almost none of the characters stay in mind. The MC is just a brat, which is understandable since he is a brat. Point is that he is the deeper character on the good side making all the other just awful.
They win all their fights. Because of a sixth sens, Gundam, kids, miracle, just because.
And guess what happen when the "good" side win? They spit on the "bad" one.

That is basically the more let down element of The Origin: The more interesting ones, that actually do a war, use strategy, have some motivations, a personality, get trashed by the bland ones thanks to some sixth sens, OP mecha, kids or whatever.
Once you get the formula, all their determination, fight to death, just change to some comic relief.
They'll just lose for no reason after all. How can we take them seriously?

Now, let's say that there is absolutely no reason even for those miracles to happen.
Gundam? A mobile suit prototype. The research on the enemy side is actually farther in, so they shouldn't be able to do something that overpowered. Let's add the fact that revolutions with the engine and alloy can't be done out of nowhere.
Sixth sens? New Type particularity. A sens developed by humanity going into space. MC's coming from earth, how the hell is he a new type? Most of them come from his crew while the enemy, the actual people from space, almost don't have them. Again, research is more advanced on the opposing side, and yet, it is always used against them.
Kids? I would rather avoid the subject. It was just awful.

So what is The Origin?
A the good guys win story.
Simple right?

That being said, it isn't high level writing to begin with.
Many are left unanswered, most of the important dialogues feel like people talking with themselves rather than each other, no character development only fight after fight, the love parts are only here to show the cruelty of war and sprout out of nowhere with no foretelling, characters are mostly characters without actual origins founding them, you get good lessons about how wars can be fought alone to be shown the contrary all along.

I would probably not even gotten interested if the animation actually adapted the beginning of the manga.
It is the spirit of the story, the past arc being just a spin-off in it.