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Just like the show, there's good kernels of ideas we could wrestle with: is it possible to have peace and completely get rid of weapons, what is the purpose of a solider during peacetime, is all the sacrifice of battle worth it? But just like the show it's ham fisted, stumbles all over itself, and is generally ridiculous. At least with this it's not too front and center most of the time and the fact that they had to write a tight 90 minute story probably helped. But why would anyone follow a 9 year old in a coup d'état? The animation is absolutely beautiful, ... full of fluid awesome fight scenes with only the occasional blemish. And the updated Gundam designs are super slick. I enjoyed it not for its story but for its visuals, and just like the show I'll always have a fondness for it. Watched the sub since that's all Crunchy had.

I loved this as a kid, so I figured it would be nice to check back in on this. That was a bad idea. The story telling and dialogue are insanely clunky and all over the place. Which is a shame, because there are some nice ideas that peak out throughout the series: how does war affect soldiers, how can true lasting peace be obtained, what is the nature of human kind, etc. This is to be expected of a Gundam show, it's always come for the cool robots stay for the political and personal intrigue. And the Gundams are still cool, make no mistake. ... The animation is solid, and there are some cool fights occasionally but nothing super awesome. Very few of the characters are likeable, have any sort of sensible motivations, or act like real humans. This show is an absolute mess, but I see what it could have been and it'll still hold a fond place in my heart.

It's world building is done very well and very naturally and feels so legit and lived in. It's done in a way that's very show and don't tell which makes it so easy to fall into. It's a light fantasy setting, which is neat since you don't see that in anime very often. The CG is sparse but does kind of stand out, but still isn't the worst I've seen. There's some very nice animation on display here at times. The premise and some of the ideas I think that hey were going for are interesting, but the way it's presented is disjointed and some ... of the character actions confused me, which both hurt some of the intended dramatic emotional beats. On the whole I was conflicted but ultimately didn't like it.