Kidou Senshi Zeta Gundam

A good series that is ultimately ruined for adults by yet another whiny teenage brat of an MC and romance subplots that move way too quickly. On a mission to be able to watch newer UC Gundam series, I decided to watch some of the older stuff. I love the mature themes surrounding the series but frankly, the MCs in these old series are awful. I fail to understand how you can take a mature plot about death, space wars, and politics and decide to add a rebellious teenager into the mix. I came extremely close to giving up on trying to watch the series due to the MC's constant tantrums, where he lashed out at everyone for any reason. Being "just a kid" is merely a lame excuse when you control a hulking robot capable of death and destruction. 16, 18, what difference do two years really make? You don't magically become a different person once you hit the age society deems you fit to be held accountable for your actions. Imagine how society would react to a 16-year-old assaulting someone because they made fun of their name, assaulting and running from the police, and stealing expensive military equipment then handing it to terrorists. I doubt they would laugh it off as him being "just a kid" like people love to say to counter any criticism of Sunrise's MCs. The romance is weird. New-types being immediately drawn to each other seems like just a convenient excuse to add drama and romance without character development. With every bit of drama that occurs on-screen, I was just shaking my head because I felt so detached from all the characters.

Zeta is my second Gundam series after having completed 00 like a year ago, I must say that overall, the series is very good. One of the things that interested me the most was to compare the 1980s version of the "Gundam future" with the one we see in 00 and I have to say I'm very pleased. I was expecting something very old-school like the old Star Trek series but was met by excellent mecha and spaceships design, as well as the overall universe the story takes place in. Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is a sequel to the first series from 1979 and tells us the story of Kamille Bidan, a Newtype soldier fighting for the AEUG against the corrupt and evil Titans. Among the important characters are allies Emma, Captain Bright, Fa, Four Murasame and of course, Quattro AKA Char Aznable. Antagonists Bask, Jerid, Yazan, Paptimus Scirocco and many others also make appearances during the entire series and make for intense and awesome fights all around the 50 episodes. I'm not an expert when it comes to animation and sound but I honestly liked the style in Zeta Gundam. As I mentioned, I was expecting something similar to the old Star Trek TV shows but was surprised by the designs of some of the mobile suits which look much better than mechas from modern shows. I loved the Zeta Gundam, Palace Athene, The O, Baund Doc, etc. Don't underestimate this series for having been created in the 80s, it's as good as anything from 2000+. But while mostly good, I have to say that many parts in the middle are slow-paced and a bit boring. Some of them even feel like filler. A lot of episodes feature what seems to be random, pointless fights between the AEUG and Titans and sometimes, it's tricky to keep track of what's going on because the storytelling isn't the best. But the beginning is very intense and interesting, just like the ending (my God, that ending). And don't get me wrong, the middle is extremely important and has a lot of excellent parts too. With that said, I come to the conclusion that this is in fact an awesome anime and I'm very happy that I watched it, now in 2013-14. Together with 00, Zeta Gundam makes me an even more hardcore Gundam fan and I'll keep watching the rest of the series. The animation, design, soundtrack, fights and story are very good. 100% recommended.

When I started this show, I wasn't expecting it to become one of my favorite shows I've watched. My introduction to the Gundam Franchise was The Origin manga, which was so beautifully drawn and put together that I kind of expected all of the 80s Gundam shows to fall flat in comparison to the newer, more retrospective manga. While I think Zeta Gundam is more flawed than the original Mobile Suit Gundam, especially the manga, it most definitely did not fall flat. In fact, it blew me away. This show has a lot of problems. The animation, while it doesn't inhibit the enjoyment of the story, is obviously dated, and doesn't really have the same retro-y visual appeal that 90s stuff like Evangelion, Cowboy Bebop, or Gunnm do. Dialogue is sometimes awkward, and very often unclear or dense, and episodes often start in the middle of events, after some unspoken timeskip, without much explanation of what's going on until halfway through. There's some pretty strange discussion of gender, there's some weird depictions of relationships, and a LOT of women getting fridged. A lot of this show feels like they were making it up episode to episode with no real plan. Counterpoint: this show is fucking awesome. Even with all of its flaws, I love Zeta Gundam, and I believe that's its biggest strength. For all the moments of weird writing choices, there's an equal amount of moments where this show feels like a well oiled machine (pun intended) of a mecha anime, functioning perfectly as intended. For all the silly moments, the world feels real, and the characters do too - broken, irrational people struggling against the bleak galaxy they inhabit. This show leans heavily on the original Gundam, but it also expands on it in ways that go beyond gimmicks, showing real thematic depth that lends itself as much to realism as it does philosophical contemplation. In the moments where the pieces all fit together, this show feels like it creates something larger than itself, and you can't help but be drawn in. The best thing this show can do is sell you on itself, and for me, that's exactly what it did. This is my space odyssey, this is my saga, this is Mobile Suit Gundam, and I think I'm here to stay.

I won’t lie, I picked up this series before the original series. In retrospect I understand how absurd that is. Trust me, I am thoroughly embarrassed by having admitted that. But this was recommended to me, and I watched the first episode on a whim. Much to my surprise, by the time the episode finished I was not only in shock, but thoroughly confused. Not so much by the plot, but because of how erratic characters were from the start, specifically that Kamille kid. I thought this kid’s actions were so violent and over the top. “This kid had to have had trauma from an event in 0079, huh?” was my only rationalization for his behavior. I was also left wondering why this place called Side 3 was under attack for a hardly discernible reason. So I did my homework, watched the original MSG, and came back to Zeta. Confident that I’d be less confused. NOPE, Kamille’s nonsensical actions along with seeing the AEUG lauded as the protagonists of sorts still eluded me. Had I only known what was in store for me beyond that first episode. This series is often duped as the darkest Gundam series in the franchise. So why is such a dreary Gundam installment one of my all time favorite anime? Also to the people on MAL who said you can watch this without having seen the original series, stop putting out misinformation, or else… The original Gundam had its share of moments with melodrama, dealing with death, deceiting your comrades, and judging others by what they appear to be rather than who they actually are. Zeta takes this concept and runs buckwild with. Death up the wazoo, killing your family, killing your romantic partner, killing your mom, killing your dad, killing your personality. Lots of killing. Don’t forget all the crying, fighting, and slapping. To say that this is a step in a more serious direction than 0079 is an understatement. That’s not to say that “edgier=better”, but there were situations in the original Gundam where the situations felt weightless. Or at the very least, like everything’s going to turn out okay. The same cannot be said for Zeta. You can never tell which characters will live or die, and from the get-go the situations have much more emotional baggage behind them. Within the first few episodes, Kamille is being blackmailed with his mother’s life on the line, and his father sides with the titans. If there’s one thing this show doesn’t do, it’s kid around. One thing this show does do, is have excellent visuals. Unlike many I enjoyed 0079’s artstyle/animation, and still do. However it goes without saying that I preferred Zeta’s grittier, shadow heavy, battle hardened character designs. And its dark, ambiguous chic is visually impressive and pleasing to look at. I think of Zeta’s artstyle as the prime example of gritty, stouthearted mid 80s mecha anime. The dark atmosphere exacerbated by the show’s use of dirty pastel colors fills the show with a looming sense of dread and much like the characters, you never know what’s lurking beyond the shadows. It should also go without saying that the mobile suits have also gotten a huge visual upgrade since before. With much more attention to detail giving the suits steely and rugged designs. Minus Char’s and my favorite Suit, Haman Karn’s. Also known as the “AMX-004 Qubeley”. With its smooth and swift design, it nicely contrasts the other more rigid suits in the series. Appearing like a hybrid between a moth and an elegant knight. With white being its primary color, and touches of pink and purple throughout its troughs. Despite Zeta’s darker aesthetic, it still has a shimmery sheen of an optimistic light glossing over it, an accolade only mutually exclusive to Zeta, and Zeta alone. Another mutually exclusive positive aspect of Zeta is the way its characters are written. If it’s not abundantly clear by this point, the characters can seem psychotic. In fact, I’ve heard many call the cast and their actions chaotic, schizophrenic, idiotic, and erratic. And those are all well deserved. That’s why Zeta’s writing and its characters are my favorite aspect of this show. More so than any anime I’ve seen thus far, Zeta perfectly articulates what it's like to act under pressure, acting on raw emotion over reasoning. Never have I ever seen a show present the panic and seemingly outrageous decisions most people would realistically make in times of war or under extreme amounts of pressure. This show demonstrates exactly why more anime shouldn’t include the MC’s internal thought process. It makes these situations more true to life, and unpredictable. You can only sit there and speculate what’s going to happen next, there’s hardly any rhyme or reason to the actions these characters do in the moment, just like in times of distress. Not many shows do that in the same way that Zeta does, which it excels at. In fact, Kamille’s entire reason for joining the AEUG is because of his raw and visceral hatred towards the titans. Not for some noble cause, he just wants revenge. Kamille is an angsty, insecure teenager who acts on impulse and resorts to violence as soon as possible. Much like Kamille, the rest of the cast is just colorful and big in their personalities. My favorite being Char. Now with an even bigger appreciation for Earth, and even lower opinion of Zeon, decides to side with the AEUG. He takes on an older brother/mentor role towards Kamille. Don’t be fooled by me duping him as such, Char still struggles with opening up his emotions and being straight forward. Char tries his hardest to not only keep his cool, but to also look the part. But even Char himself is prone to emotional outburst. And that goes for all the characters in this show. No matter the faction, they are always at wits end and make little to no sense in their actions. Usually when people work together towards a shared goal there’s a sense of relief especially if everyone’s on the same page. Not with Zeta, in fact engaging with each other usually makes the situation they’re in worse than it needs to be. It’s also in Zeta that we’re introduced to cyber-newtypes who act as off putting and weird as the process required to create them. The only characters with a modicum of common sense and good moral judgment aboard the Argama are Cpt. Bright and Emma. The latter of which isn’t present much in the latter half of the series. Leaving Bright to once again take on the role of the Argama’s babysitter. On the complete opposite spectrum of Bright and Emma you have Recoa. Like many, Recoa was one of my least favorite characters for some of her actions down the line. Though upon some research this may not be entirely a fault on the writer’s behalf. There’s a point where she begins to lament about how she’s never been treated like a woman. Feeling as if men use women and “humiliate” them. Many suspect that “humiliate” in this context is a rough translation of a japanese word/phrase that alludes to feeling shameful, particularly after being a victim of sexual assault. This makes her feel more comfortable in the arms of Scirocco (Axis leader/professional groomer) who, on the surface, treats her more like a woman, than Char who’s too cool for school. Despite their erratic nature, the characters and their relationships to one another are the heart and soul of this show. And trust me, I can write another essay detailing my favorite and least favorite aspects of each and every character, but I’ll spare you the pain…for now. Instead I’d like to switch my attention to the show’s aural department. Firstly with that initial opening, I may hum “Anime Ja Nai '' more often to myself. But nothing got me more psyched for an episode than hearing “Toki wo Koete '' by Mami Ayukawa. Those epic drum tom hits and snare snaps sounding like a rocket is being shot, that begins to gradually increase in speed before turning into a lucid and cool upbeat space synth song is an audio experience second to none. Couple that with the visual flair of the opening. Where the mobile suit’s eyes i…

(Minor spoilers) While a lot of sequels these days do little to expand on the original source material, and in some cases actually make the original worse just by existing, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam genuinely earned the status of being the sequel to one of the most revolutionary anime of all time. It takes all of MSG's concepts and ideas and cranks them up to 11. Newtypes get fleshed out amazingly, and the post-war period is depicted as gritty and not all sunshine and rainbows. Zeta is substantianlly darker than its predecessor, having no qualms with slaughtering characters left and right, depicting the universe's political inner workings with the darkness and moral ambiguity that would be expected of real-world politics, and only giving the main cast a pyrrhic happy ending. The best part of Zeta, however, is Char Aznable. Returning from MSG, and now under the alias of Quattro Bajeena after finalizing his revenge plot from the previous entry, he now tries to forget his past and change himself for the better. It's awesome seeing him struggle with his new life yet being filled with hope, something he didn't have in MSG. By the series' end, however, Char is defeated in battle and escapes, but once again loses everything, even some of the people he considered his new family, which ties into his motivations in Char's Counterattack. Kamille Bidan, the main character, is a massive bitch for a big chunk of the series, and in the first few episodes is a legitimate menace to society, but like Amuro, he matures and grows into a soldier. Speaking of Amuro, he does show up at points, and despite his grudge against Char and vice versa, they eventually get over themselves, if only temporarily, and fight together on the battlefield, which was really awesome to see. I won't talk about much else because everyone and their dog on the internet has already written literal essays on why Zeta is the definitive Gundam story and whatnot, but I'll say this: The animation, sound design, music, characters, pacing, and story are a massive step up from MSG, and it is more than a worthy sequel.

Zeta Gundam, the highly praised sequel of the classic 0079 series fails to learn from the predecessor and improve from its mistakes; Chiefly the main plot structure and the characters development. STORY As I said before the main plot feels contantly weak due to the fact that most of the episodes, until the last arc, are just used to show random gundam battles that change nothing in the long run; this and the fact that there is a lack of a clear goal except a vague"win against the Titans" make the show really slow and nearly impossible to binge, we have a few exception, namely the earth arcs that don't last more than a few episodes and add something really valuable to the characterization of the protagonist. We have a few problems caused by the fact that there's a lot of forced drama(character that fall in love for no reason mostly) and a lot of convenience to make some things happen(shots that should kill a mobile suit that won't kill other mobile suits, a character that should have died that come back to life for no reason and some really absurd politics) As the pioneer of the real robot genre I can say that this rule wasn't always respected, near the end it happens a really forced plot point that could disqualify this anime from this genre. CHARACTERS While the plot structure was developed similarly to the original 0079 series the character development is the main point of disadvantage compared to its predecessor. One of the things that I really appreciated and a lot of people loved of the original show was how it treated the zeon faction at least before of the acknoledge of the fact that they were almost a fascist party, it was kinda morally grey and they had a charismatic frontman named char that through the series was explored leading to us to sympathize with him. Instead here we don't have for a good amount of episodes a real face who represents the Titans and even when a character eventually shows up you won't see any background or any development from him and until a certain point really late in the series he won't even act he will just command others. About the protagonist it's a bit tricky to talk about him, until the last 10 episode I quite despised him for it's writing, he would never think about what happened nor show any change of real growth unlike Amuro but in light of the last episodes I must say that it was quite coherent his development. Now the main problem it's not the main protagonist or the antagonist but the rest of the cast except a few ones: Fa is basically a fraw bow 2.0, she is the most basic girl ever without any personality trait except she's caring towards the protagonist and the kids(yes, even here there are kids for no reason at all)She will be really obnoxious until really later on the series, she's not a really bad character but the amount of time spent watching her doing her things was really annoying. Reccoa probably is the worst character of all , she's really dumb and has this pseudo-sexist philosophy that can't really make her character one worth of appreciation. Katz starts well but then the forced drama with another character will really ruin his character I can't think of him of anything but a pawn of the writer to make stupid things happen. We will see the return of Amuro, he's not the worst character by far but at a certain point the plot leads you to think he will be manipulated by someone, then off camera this sublot will be resolved for no reason apparently. The best characters were by far Char that acts really consistently all throughout the plot and Haman, I won't spoil anything about her but she looks like she is the only one who acts for accomplishing something, we won't see her past even though I'm sure it'll be explained in some other series, at the contrary of the other antagonist she really gets her hands dirty and doesn't stay quietly waiting for something to happen. ART & SOUND This could be considered the biggest improvement compared to the first series, even though it has some recycled animation throughout the run this series it's a lot more consistent, there aren't fights that really stand out for their animation but you can see a that a lot more effort went in this series, to be fair I think it's a double-edged sword using the space as a background,sure it saves a lot of money because you won't have to to pay someone to draw the backgrounds but you'll also lose a lot of dynamism;As for the directing I will complain a bit about the fact that this series doesn't never emphasise its dialogue, this creates a lot of problem with the pacing because you will probably be bored to death when they speak and won't understand the meaning of some battles and some information will just slip out because it'll never be brought up again or you will have a long ass explanation that cames out of nowhere;Using the same camera angles constantly doesn't help, if it's a 12 or 24 episodes anime I'll probably don't mind but when you use the same camera angles for 50 episodes when 2 characters interact it's difficult to not notice. The sound was pretty good to be honest, the op really fits Z gundam themes and the ending is catchy, the voice acting was on point constantly and unlike its predecessor the audio editing with the soundtrack is almost always well executed (to explain myself better just watch the scene of Gundam soldiers of sorrow at 2:02:49, the music starts,it doesn't even finish or fade out and after a minute or so there's a terrible cut).

Zeta Gundam is a major improvement from MS Gundam, which aired around 6 years before it. When I say improvement, I really mean it. Zeta improved MS Gundam in all available metrics. In a nutshell is a great series, with a fresh take on the UC. Let me list all my thoughts about Zeta and compare it to MS Gundam. I`ll not compare it with the newest shows because it makes no sense. Story: Standart UC storyline. Zeta is set some years after the events in MS Gundam, so you will see all the old characters again in a new political intrigue going on. I think that this is what better describes the story of Zeta: new political background and intrigue. MS Gundam was more of a war story, with war-related issues. Zeta is still set in a similar environment, but now is something more on "Two groups linked with bigger groups, fighting a guerilla fight". It is not an open war like MS Gundam. The political aspects are now more of a cold war, with backstage politics. This is good, because it expands on MS Gundam, and tries to enrich the UC. The only downside is that from ep 12-20 more or less the show gets a little too slow. But that is corrected later. Zeta has also one of the darkest tones of any UC story, losing only to Iron-Blooded Orphans and Thunderbolt in my opinion. Zeta is also heavy on the Newtype lore, which will be a major theme, so be ready for that. Particularly, I am not a fan of the Newtype lore, which I think is usually badly explained and kinda lame. I am much more adept of the Coordinator lore from Seed and Seed Destiny (if you don`t know, Seed is basically a remake from MS Gundam for the new generation, and Seed Destiny, is a remake from Zeta). The Innovators from 00 are also a better kind of "enhanced human". Still, Zeta expands on this topic and you get more uses of this feature and some background. Art and Sound: HA! Now we are talking. This is BY FAR the canyon that separates Zeta from MS Gundam. Art and Sound are 1000% improved. The soundtracks are more enjoyable, the same as the sound effects. The art is so much better that it looks like a different show altogether. I'll explain to you why: between 1979 (original MS Gundam), Bandai started to sell the Gunpla sets, which were a sales success. Thanks to the new building kits, Bandai injected money into the franchise, so it could improve and generate more building kits. Thanks to this arrangement the show was able to jump 15 years into the future in terms of quality. Character: Well, they are good. Similar to MS Gundam. Kamille can be quite annoying, and its love affair is even more annoying, but I feel that this is the only aspect that MS Gundam achieved a better score. They were more interesting in MS Gundam, although not so complex as they are in Zeta. Let me summarize: Zeta = more complex motivations and intricate relationships; MS Gundam = Better developed. As always some characters steal the scene, such as Quatre and Bright, and some of them are straight-out lame, like Four and Jared. You need to see to evaluate this yourself, because opinions may vary A LOT in this aspect. Mechas: Thanks to the new investment, mechas became a wonder in Zeta. Gundam MK II is beautiful, and Rick Dias (yes, that's an MS name) has a cool design, very different from the standard Zaku. Even the Zakus are distinguished in Zeta when compared to the other Gundams. The Hyaku Shiki, which would be the inspiration for Akatsuki from Seed and Phenex from Unicorn, is a badass amazing mecha as well. I have absolutely no complaints about the mechas. Overall Zeta is a major improvement from MS Gundam, with 10x better sound and art, an expanded universe, amazing mechas, and a darker tone to everything. Story and politics stand out, but you might find some downgrade in some characters. Still, one of the best UC stories and environments out there.

March 2nd, 1985 the second series of Gundam made its debut, Zeta Gundam. While the 0079 movies may have put Gundam on the map, it’s Zeta you still hear people discussing to this day. Revered by many as a classic, and one of the best mecha anime of the 80s, Zeta’s a big name, but does it hold up to it? Let’s rock. PLOT: Universal Century 0087, the One-Year War between the Earth Federation and Zeon is long over, however peace is not to be had. In response to the remnants of Zeon, the federation has created a police-like military organization called the Titans to control Zeon and other spacenoid groups to prevent them from uprising and resisting the Federation’s control. To do this the Titans have been given borderline free reign to do whatever they see fit to do their job, no matter how atrocious it may be. In response to the unchecked reign of the titans, a resistance group called the Anti-Earth Union Group (or simply AEUG) has risen up to fight back. During an AEUG mission led the mysterious blonde pilot who always covers his eyes and his past named Quattro Bajeena to the colony Green Noa, a young man called Kamille Bidan steals a prototype Gundam Mk. II belonging to the Titans. The two cross paths and Kamille ultimately ends up joining Quattro on the Argama as it sails out to fight the Titans. From the get-go we have a story both similar and dissimilar to the prior series. Once again we have a young man piloting a Gundam on a white ship as it battles enemies, but instead of being a traditional soldier, we’re now following a rebellion. It takes awhile for the plot to get truly moving, but when it goes it goes. The Titans are a hateable cast of villains, unlike the Zeon of the first series the Titans are mostly irredeemable. The Titan cast is likeable at best and cartoonishly evil at worst. There was never a Ramba Ral style villain where it felt like that without the war they’d be our friend. As it goes on the plot gets more and more interesting with webs of betrayals, cyber-newtypes, and even the remnants of Zeon. Especially of note is the ending of Zeta, which without going into detail, is both narratively satisfying, thematically resonant, and quite shocking for a series aimed at young audiences. Very few series have an ending that really make me sit back and consider it like Zeta’s and that’s a good thing for Zeta. However the story is not without its flaws. The first 10 episodes can be kind of a drag, and the once again episodic format can lead to some weak and borderline filler episodes. I feel the series could’ve shaved off 10 episodes and be better for it. The biggest problem I had with Zeta however, is the amount of things that happen off-screen and details the series feels like it doesn’t need to give to the audience. Many a times I found myself confused or questioning stuff and just had to concluding that some change happened off-screen. Characters swap ships on both sides with little notice, and operations fly by with people hardly mentioning it. It made the whole experience way less cohesive. The series also had a few cases of trying to emulate the original series for no good reason, such as bringing kids on board the Argama half-way through. It made sense for the White Base to have kids but the Argama really didn’t need them and it just felt like poor decision making. However by the end I felt that the pluses far outshine the negatives and ultimately lead to this series being one hell of a ride. 8/10, it’s good, messy, but good. Ending earns a whole point on its own. CHARACTERS: Let’s start with Kamille Bidan himself. Kamille starts off as an obnoxious brat, a lot of my early enjoyment was seeing people beat the shit out of him, but he honestly grew on me, and by the end he’d gone through quite the character arc. He’s a good mc, but takes a damn long time to become that. Luckily he’s not alone. Let’s discuss the overly familiar looking Quattro Bajeena, doesn’t that scar look familiar? Might he be the Red Comet of Zeon? No he can’t be… But he is definitely a highlight of the series. The audience is invested in him from the get-go, and throughout the series we see him mentoring Kamille and doing some amazing stuff in his own right. He’s only human and has his flaws too, but whatever flaws they may be are something you forget when you see his speech during the Day of Dakar. Zeta’s also notable (by the audience and Kamille) for its sizeable female cast. Emma, Reccoa, and Fa Yuriy are all notable female characters put in powerful roles. Even if Reccoa’s later arc may inspire some ire from viewers they’re all great characters with their own interesting arcs. Another thing I’ve got to give Zeta a lot of credit is for how it used the returning characters from the first series. My boy Bright Noa shows up in episode 1, and many of the White Base members make some kind of reappearance (not really a spoiler because it’s in the opening). We get to see how they’ve lived their lives since the events of 0079, and they have many interesting scenes without it ever feeling like the series is too dependent on them (save for Bright). The problem I had with Zeta characters, is a lot of them act out and act irrationally. Now this isn’t necessarily bad character writing, but when someone acts out and takes a mech, does something stupid with it, and the next day is piloting a mech again it raises a few eyebrows. It can also get obnoxious with how many characters are being overly emotional twats, but I never found any of the Argama crew to be entirely irredeemable idiots. They were just flawed people in a stressful situation. The Titans on the other hand had what I felt to be a relatively lacking cast. While the character of Jerid and his varied love interests were all likeable, with Jerid himself being a standout likeable douche, aside from Jerid they didn’t get character arcs. Otherwise like Titans consisted of pitiable cyber-newtypes, hand-rubbing schemers, and straight up assholes. Aside from the cyber-newtypes none were very redeemable. The cyber-newtype Murasame Four was notable but limited by her limited screen time. They tried to make Paptimus Scirroco into a new Char, but he just felt way less interesting than Zeon’s red comet. The ultimate leader of the Titans, Jamitov, was just a bog standard evil politician. All in all only Jerid and Four were interesting characters, and only Jerid lived up to much potential. While you didn’t have any Garmas or Ramba Rals to make the war seem like a curse causing good people to die on either side, the Titans did fill the role of hateable villain well. Without going into too much detail, I do want to give a shoutout to Haman Karn. She was a rather engaging character but pretty much everything about her involves spoilers. 8/10, a lot of good characters, a lot of hateable villains, but most of the best characters are repeats from 0079. VISUALS: Now probably the biggest improvement from 0079 is the animation. The noticeable errors of 0079 are gone, replaced with some truly gorgeous and fluid animation. Zeta has a lot of sakuga packing, and when it wants to move well it damn does. However when it doesn’t care it’ll freely use a lot of cheap tricks that the skilled eye will notice, but what doesn’t? The actual art of the series I’m less in love with. There were less moments of truly interesting visuals than 0079, but being okay is okay. The character designs were mostly fine, with a few (Jamaican in particular) being very dull. The mecha design is a mixed bag with me. The designs feel way less varied than 0079, with a lot of mechs feeling like the same skeleton with different overly ornate decorations. As cool as they looked I found myself just shaking my head and saying “Really?” at some of the more over-ornate designs. However the thing that bugged me the most was the Titans using Zeon-esque mechs. Being part of the Earth Federation you’d assume they’d use Federation mechs, but instead they use mechs designed like…

Waring this review may contain spoilers. Frist impreions, so my first impression was that this is going to be a continuation of one of the most important anime of the 1970s and also considering i have gundam in my username name so why wouldn't i watch it and review it. Story, 7/10 7 years after the one year and stardust happened an elite military group known as the Titans have come to power who job is to hunt down the remaining Zeon forces, but soon after the organisation devolves into a tyrannical group that opposes the local space colonies and becomes even worse than the very Zeon forces that they where fighting, but hope is not lost as a ragtag group known as the AEUG have come to challenge this tyranny and hopefully restore freedom. Our story begins with main character Kamille who to make a long story short in a temper tantrum steels a prototype Gundam unit and joins the AEUG. so basically zeta Gundam did attack on titan years before attack on titan even did it, but jokes aside lets get into the real meat of this review. So when compared to the original gundam series, zeta gundam is a lot more focused and polished. When it comes to the of the idea of war is bad and what's happenens during war, like the pure destruction of city's, forests and other locations or the lost of human or wildlife during this confits. Like for example There are entire scenes where its dead humans and animals in the backdrops of destroyed cities and jungles on fire. while at the same time talking about political and ecological themes like for example humanity should leave mother earth behind and take to the stars, before war and contamination destroys the planet and most importantly the human race with it, or the political theme of how the space colonies should have the right of self-govern and not have to bow down to the whims of a super-government. Those kind of messages I feel are quite relevant today considering the grave predictions from ecologists or how member states of the EU are leaving because of various reasons. But for the negative and there are quite a few problems with this series, Like the main conflict which is about as black and white as you can get as the Titans are portrayed in a way that makes you not care about them while making the aeug out as the good guys. Which goes against what other series or Gundam shows have done by showing the negative and positive aspects of both sides But no such things happen in zeta. because let's be honest about 99% of the Titans themselves are more are less a band of stick up the ass knight templar grade psychopaths who give zero fucks about civilian deaths, commit wholesale war crimes and most importantly disregards and even undermines the authority of the government. Which makes the aeug completely justified in almost any act they do, even though they could have made it a bit more morally ambiguous. The next nail to stick out is while zeta Gundam focus on the horrors of war it also has a big focus on the human element which is both this series of the high and low point. On the one hand, the drama is stort of justified because they are in a middle of a war. but on the other hand, its used for over the top mellow drama that overstays it's welcome and I am not joking when I say that almost every episode either has someone getting the shit beat out of them or the emotions running at an all-time high which leads to more drama. Which in retrospect derails a lot of the series stronger points. Another one of Zeta Gundam problems story-wise is that the pacing is very slow and there are quite a few moments where I am like oh my god get to the fucking point already and there are episodes that feel like filler like the one episode where this woman thinks Kamille is her older brother and I found this episode along with a few others completely unnecessary and episodes like that don't really contribute anything to the overall narrative or themes. But While we are on the topic of themes I do want to mention that while I feel that some of the presentations of these themes are kinda dated when compared to other series that talks about similar ideas, but I would say it does a lot more with the content when it comes to more recent series. Characters, 6/10 So main character Kamille oh where to i start with this dude. Well Kamille is probably one of my lest favourite gundam protagonists, more and less for the reason he is exactly like eren yanger from attck on titen. At the start he is this reckless and arrogant teenager that's full of angst and while I like to appreciate what he brings to the series. Becuase that pure blind anger fits pretty well in a war setting and his reactions feel a lot more organic than compared to Amuro's reactions that felt at times a little robotic. Now i will say that he goses though i little bit of character development as he become more motivated to bring an end to the war not just for himself but also the people around him. Which is better than i going to kill every last titen and gargle on there blood motivation he had which he still hasn't dropped completely. When it comes to the side cast of characters, there are quite a lot of new characters with also some old favourite added in like amuro ray and Char Aznable. When it comes to the cast as a whole they all have sort of personality and quite a few of them go though some nice character development and fleashing out Like for example, Amuro development is basically him getting over the past and moving forward or Emma who was once a member of the Titans but joined the aeug when she realizes that things aren't as black and white as she first thought as let's be completely honest the Titans aren't exactly the most honest or kindest bunch. But the elephant in the room character wise is that zeta gundam has some of the worse character handling i have seen in a gundam show so far not counting gundam seed. There are just tons of death and betrayal left and right. for one example the character Reccoa who about 3/4 into the series, she betrays the AEUG to the Titans with reason being that men are mean and she wants a strong man in her life, so bottom line it was feminism and toxic masculinity to blame. But jokes aside that's just one example in quite a few I can name where characters just go off the fucking rails because reasons that make no sense in the grand scheme of things or situations that are being blown way out of proportion, Which also results with more slaps to the face or at worse another beating. Like the human drama almost drags the characters down to the abyss as character motivations become extimety hard to follow as character will continuety switch sides Becuase reasons. But one thing that kinda saves it are the character interactions and relateships. One of my favourite being Amuro and Char interactions because where pretty interesting considering their history together or how char and Amuro are in this mentor figure role for Kamille which is also pretty cool as well. But the rest of the character interactions feels very disjointed because almost every episode someone is beating slapped and the shit beaten out of them out of there comrades, and this problematic because for a military group like the AEUG there is no sense of comradery or any cohesiveness what so ever. Its like they took a bunch of assholes, put them in a room together and sied hay you guys are now a team, go fight titans and good luck. Art,7/10 for the time it came out Zeta gundam had very good art and animation because sunrise knew how to do a good bugget, and considering how clanky and stale some series from the 80s looks visual wise. Zeta gundam has aged pretty well considering and I would say the dated aspects of its visuals adds some grittiness to the whole series, which helps the show portray war in a more honest way. On the negative side though the backgrounds are slighty above average and the mech battles are kinda meh. When it comes to character design its mo…

After viewing the original Gundam I made my way to its sequel. Here goes. One thing I immediately appreciated about Zeta was the time skip and change of characters, it shows more of the world and leads to new things to witness instead the plot and characters we've become accustomed to. However, you really are put right in the middle of it, as for the first few episodes I was quite confused as to what was going on and who the titans were, or anything that had happened in those seven years. Thankfully exposition was given and a clearer image is acquired, but for those first few episodes I did find it hard to get attached. The shift in morality, I believe, is a good inclusion as it follows through on what was established previously, how the tides of war can change, this series is much more political motivated which may not be for everyone, but for myself I found the question of mankind's attachment to a decaying earth to be an engaging one, and even had my opinion changed on the whole matter. The plot structure is similar with a new threat each episode while character development and subplots run underneath, if it isn't broke don't fix it. However, one aspect I found disappointing was the Titans themselves, they were portrayed as just so stereotypically evil that on some occasions I found it hard to take them seriously, there are some hints towards the beginning that they may change such as their stance on hostages, but nothing ever comes of it. Also one recurring element I found dull was how Kamille tries to convince four or five different female's to convert to his perspective, each time it's never very new and you get accustomed to it quickly. On the side of smaller nitpicks, why did Char bring two kids onboard, there's never any explanation and all they do is cause trouble and how for a place as big as space people really do seem to bump into each other a lot, also anyone can easily steal a mobile suit. I felt conflicted on Kamille, I liked the fact that in personality he wasn't similar to Amuro but I did find his constant outbursts of emotion to be somewhat aggravating. For someone who found it incredibly easy to run away from home you would've thought he would run away from being a pilot in a heartbeat. I understand that he's not supposed to be a soldier and acts on emotion but I didn't find him as relatable, however, it's possible that you may. As expected he becomes stronger and finds his place, similar to how Amuro did, in fact their development is almost the same, even to the point of both of their fathers being gundam designers. I preferred the end result of Kamille much more as he still has his independent spirit while struggling with the realities of war but managing to be a competent pilot, I just wish that his introduction didn't leave me with constant questions or apathy. Char makes a return and is as enjoyable as he was previously but manages to get more development, I found his internal struggle to be quite interesting, admittedly I would have liked it if he has some more screen time and was put in more situations where he wasn't just calm and collected. The returning characters all seemed to fit a role and their inclusion felt welcomed and necessary instead of tacked on. It was great seeing how they've changed and the new struggles they've been placed under, Amuro being a good example. Much like MSG there are an abundance of characters so I can't mention them all but i felt as if they were hit or miss for the most part, I don't particularly mind as when writing multiple characters I understand that it may be quite taxing. The animation has been heavily improved since last time, the battles are a lot more fluid and there's much more detail in the mechs, characters and environments, it pretty consistent throughout and is generally a really good feature of this series. That and the character designs are as great as ever with masses of variety and unique looks. The soundtrack is much more varied this time and has a more orchestral score, they elicit a more personal response and generally there are more tracks. Ultimately I did enjoy Zeta, I was engaged and never felt like putting it aside. However, being a much more ambitious project with its delve into politics and serious themes there's more for it to handle, I would still recommend it to anyone interested and anyone wanting to continue Gundam.

Zeta Gundam differs significantly in tone from Mobile Suit Gundam, as it has a darker atmosphere. The series has a constant sense of foreboding as if the entire system is on the brink of collapsing into a despotic nightmare. Even the victories earned by the AEUG in the show's early stages feel hollow and Pyrrhic, as they often take one step forward and two steps back. While the story is interesting, my issue lies with the main cast. Although they have strengths, I must say that they often fall flat. They come across as two-dimensional and overly transparent in their motivations. For example, I had mixed feelings when Reccoa Londe's true internal conflict was revealed. On the one hand, I understood her frustration and disgust, but on the other hand, her behavior in the past thirty-something episodes made more sense. However, I found her and many of her co-stars difficult to follow. While immoral or amoral characters can still be interesting, the overemotional hypocrites and irrational malcontents on display in this show simply tried my patience. Kamille, in particular, is an obnoxious and heavy-handed hero who, even at sixteen years old, cannot come to terms with his girlish name. Even worse, he blames his parents for all of his petty miseries. Although he shows a glimmer of hope in the fourth episode when he forgives Jerid Messa, a crass idiot who caused him unspeakable harm, Kamille quickly relapses into a string of unconvincing melodramas. While comparisons with MS Gundam's Amuro Ray are inevitable, the show often encourages them. Amuro's trials transformed him from a carefree child to a tormented adolescent to a self-aware man, and his confidence grew with his knowledge of the Gundam, creating an endearing symbiotic relationship. On the other hand, Kamille has an unbridled attitude and sees the Zeta as nothing more than a badge to prove it. One of the things I enjoyed was the return of original characters after the One-Year War. Bright, for instance, is now an experienced officer and a family man, a far cry from the inexperienced officer he was in the original Gundam, tasked with managing a ship full of civilians. On the other hand, Amuro's character is dealing with the war's consequences, including pseudo-house arrest and surveillance by the Federation government due to his Newtype abilities. Nonetheless, the most intriguing character in the returning cast is Char Aznable. It is not a big reveal that Lt. Quattro is the Red Comet himself. Char's character growth is as significant as Kamille's in the series. With the downfall of the Zabi family, Char's focus is no longer on vengeance. Instead, he wants to help humanity by implementing his father's teachings and moving humanity into the vast expanse of outer space. On a technical level, the show still looks fantastic, even by today's standards. The mobile suit designs are still visually striking, and the animation is improved. Combat is much more fluid, and the battles are generally directed better, though there are still some animation mistakes, such as inconsistencies in rank insignias. The overall enjoyment of Zeta Gundam is not determined by its outstanding performance, as it doesn't have one. The real question is whether the viewer has the patience to wait for it to get better. I can attest that it does get better during the more focused final act, and die-hard mecha fans will appreciate its sophisticated and complicated narrative.

In accordance with the brutality of it's prequel, Mobile Suit Gundam, Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam followed after greatly, improving everywhere it had previously lacked before. Beautifully improved animation and Mobile Suit designs, a brilliant continuation of the story and characters after a long time skip, a hauntingly sounding orchestrated soundtrack used impressively in execution, and even more chaotic space battles, furthering the self-destruction of mankind. The structure of the dialogue, pacing, and progression of the story all flowed amazingly. As the episodes went on, there is massive build up as the political struggles savage the colonies, and death soon follows. Alongside the old cast, as they slowly get pulled back again into a new war, a bright and shining new cast emerges. Kamille follows in the spirit and greatness of Amuro and Cosmo from space Runaway Ideon. A hot tempered boy with many insecurities, he many times too honestly confronts and fights. He has a soft side, and yet the tragedy is the war begins to break him mentally as he gets accidentally throw into it and becomes an important part of it. After meeting Jerid, a furious new rivalry begins as they become the Amuro and Char of Zeta. From within different corners in space, the peace that was achieved eventually expired, as new powers begin to emerge with lustfully brutal ambitions. The Titans emerged in order to prevent the Zeon from reviving, and yet the leadership of the Titans has a different agenda. Through political trickery, they begin to take over the federation through key campaign victories and force. Thus, their corruption expanded, until it was met by the creation of the A.E.U.G. Among them is Quattro Bajeena, who immediately is shown to be a fake identity and is actually the supposed deceased Char Aznable. As a key member of the A.E.U.G., he once again enters a new war to fight the Titans and to secure peace. Still, he seems more of an independent force with his own agenda above it all. He may be a man that lives for war. He might even have a love for it. Without war, Char seems to be the type of man that loses purpose. He is fighting because he has noticed the rise of the corrupt Titans. Then again, despite that this seems to be a noble cause, he admitted early on in this series that being a soldier is the only way he knows how to live. He needs an enemy. I would have a bad feeling if he didn't have one. As a result of all this, he never married as to bring a potential family into all this madness. He now seems much more level headed and not as sadistic as in Mobile Suit Gundam. Despite that, just his appearance alone still scares people. As he grows his resistance, he begins to take notice that the crew of the White Base is slowly re-emerging, including Amuro, and fighting alongside him against the Titans. There is an irony in this as they were his mortal enemies just a few years ago. As the struggle continues, he gets thrown into and propped up as a leader. Despite this, he is not one to be leader. He'll throw his pride away if he has to, and make speeches if need be, but what really is he up to? The mystery of his character continues. Among the Titans and Federation, there is an obvious third power slowly rising. The Zeon are still around. It's clear as it was shown in the prequel that the baby of the Zabi survived. They are the 3rd key into opening a possible end for the human race. The Newtypes get expanded upon. It's an interesting theory, that as humans venture out into space, they begin to evolve and develop a new sense. This is a power that later on gets abused as humans try to manufacture it as a weapon of war. This gives people abilities that probably inspired how sensing worked later on other anime such as Dragon Ball. If I was to complain, I wasn't satisfied in how some character were teased, and barely there. It felt so shameless in one character as she didn't even speak. I also found it odd that the former crew of the White Base seemed to just accept Char. This is odd because Char was trying to kill them beforehand and caused a lot of their own comrades to die. Kai seemed to be the only one with any kind of sense about this. You could say the war brought the necessity of them to have to struggle together, and yet I still found it a bit strange for Char to be breaking bread with both the strict and disciplined Captain Bright and Amuro. The limitations are there as it is an older work, and yet I have more respect for how natural they try to make movement and body language feel with the characters as it puts to shame a lot of lazy still frame and slide show animation that still goes on today on a grand scale. In the second half of the story, even more new characters appear that definitely make an impact and change the story a lot for the better. The war intensifies as Tomino reaches brutality that nears that of Ideon. I can't deny this was one of the best experiences I've been able to have with anime. This was everything I wanted it to be and more.

Eight years after the events of 0079's One Year War, conflict has broken out again in the solar system and Gundam's Universal Century continues. Story: 10/10 The story is by far the best part of Zeta Gundam. Highly political in nature, Zeta Gundam is a good depiction of a conflict breaking out over ideological differences, the lust for power and the remainders of a defeated ideology and their supporters. Tomino lives up to his reputation and wrote a story in his signature style, in which plot armor is relatively uncommon, cynicism (influenced by his fragile mental health at the time) prevails and the very nature of the military conflict drives people both well- and worse-adjusted into misery. The story also increases in quality in the second half of the anime, but the first half also very good. The ending... is a stroke of brilliance by Tomino and will leave you in awe. Art: 7/10 Zeta Gundam is a typical mid-80s mecha anime. It's pleasant to look at and the character designs are good. However, it's mostly unremarkable and certainly no Mamoru Oshii movie when it comes to visuals. Sound: 8/10 The soundtrack is good and listening to it as a standalone is rather enjoyable. In my personal opinion, the second Opening theme and "Fleet Battle" stand out from the soundtrack. Characters: 7/10 Zeta Gundam has some very complex and interesting characters whose arcs extend across multiple Universal Century shows, OVAs and even movies. Yet Tomino's infamous weakness in writing character interactions is also prevalent through the series. Despite that, there are some characters that I really enjoy, and others that I didn't really care about. Nevertheless, some of the fan-favorite most-disliked, have actually surprisingly good character arcs. Enjoyment: 9/10 Zeta Gundam is a classic of the mecha genre, but I only recommend watching it after having seen the original 1979 anime or the movie trilogy from the early 80s. Nevertheless, the political intrigue, the interpersonal drama, the kill em' all (probably not all) approach of Tomino, the mecha action and the fantastic ending make Zeta Gundam a very enjoyable series. Beware of spoilery previews though. Overall: 9/10 It's a very good anime, and if you enjoy the Gundam Universal Century, you will also enjoy Zeta.

The episodic nature of the pacing I could forgive on the first Gundam, but I ain't giving the same concession for Zeta. It should've been the more mature series plot wise. While MSG started weak and became really good towards the ends MSZG does the inverse route. The need for every episode to have a fight hurts suspension of disbelief and characterization. Towards the middle I could just envision Jared and Kamille high fiving each other, sighing and being like: "aw shit, here we go again". And fighting each other like it's another day on the job. Char not being the antagonist is another blow to the show, because he was at his peak as Zeon's Red Comet. Being a shell of himself through Zeta and only shining in a few spots (I know it's kind of the point, but still, they could've written better antagonists). Now I will give credit where it's due and I really feel like the Cyber Newtypes plotlines were pretty good and should've been the focus. Also, how many times did they let Sarah escape from the Argama? A total of 3 times, like, shit man how many years into the future and anyone can launch from your ship without any kind of authorization? Bright was heavily nerfed. In his prime he would've "corrected" the fuck out of the main cast by the halfway of the show. Also, Titans being created solely to destroy Zeon's remains and then allying with them? Like, man maybe I'm too thick and missing something, but there's no reasoning or conflict for them to do it. They just really hate the protagonists, and are really evil. In MSG by the point the White Base is departing from Jaburo, the Earth Federation realizes Zeon is acting completely stupid by spending so much effort trying to destroy it, that they task the White Base as decoy operation. This was really smart writing because it gives a reason why they fight so much and moves the White Base "character forward". Unfortonately, for the Argama, apparently only them and the Radish make up the A.E.U.G space forces. So, most eps will have filler reasoning to make them engage in combat. Again, maybe I'm too thick and wasn't paying enough attention. But it seems the overall quality of the plot is inferior to that of MSG. As for animation and sound it's a leap of an improvement. They really nailed the style. Not watching the guncannon animation cycle for the 57th was definetly an improvement. Also, the ending is completely inconclusive and I much prefer the Newtype mindfuck of the original MSG.

Compared to the first season, the protagonist is much more murderous, that is, at one point he does not stop killing people that I liked. But when it comes to interacting with specific enemies there is a very good development of characters, all very particular, that I liked a lot. The introduction of the characters from the previous season is very organic, very little forced so I applaud the writing, screenwriter. The ending seems both good and bad to me, it is very tepid but it delivers. The truth is very good anime of wicks apart, it shows you the odd tit Xd. En español: Comparado con la primera temporada el protagonista es mucho mas asesino o sea esta en un momento no para de matar gente eso me gusto. Pero a la hora de relacionarse con enemigos específicos hay un muy bien desarrollo de personajes todos muy particulares eso me gusto mucho. La introducción de los personajes de la temporada anterior es muy orgánica, muy poco forzado así que aplaudo al escrito, guionista. El final me parece tanto bueno como malo, es muy tibio pero cumple. La verdad muy buen anime de mechas aparte te muestra alguna que otra teta Xd.

I finished this show a while back, but it's taken me awhile to write this review, in part because, despite all its flaws and to its enormous credit, Zeta Gundam really emotionally affected me. Overall, Zeta manages to both build upon the formula, characters, and themes, of the original series whilst also underwriting most of its few optimistic aspects - and nowhere is this more clear than how the series chooses to end. The first Gundam at least ends with most characters alive, albeit horrifically scarred by war, and the central conflict ended, albeit at great cost. Despite all the trauma there is a possibility of recuperation left open. The final stretch of Zeta in comparison solemnly feeds character after character - who have had ample time to develop in meaningful ways - into the meat grinder of senseless conflict. As such the story of the show - of the characters we were largely concerned with - comes to and end, despite the fact that the larger conflict they were caught up in is nowhere near its conclusion. The only room for optimism, for a future where friends and lovers aren't forced to watch each other die (or even find themselves having to try and kill each other), is displaced onto the newtypes and the emergent collective subjectivity they are shown to represent. But even this hope of an emancipated future is pretty bleak, the implication being that as long as humans remain human meaningless conflicts will continue to produce meaningless suffering - and newtypes, like Four and Kamille, will always be caught up in this torment, until eventually the human is completely overcome. Note that that process of overcoming is itself necessarily dependent on the meaningless suffering - the newtype collective consciousness is, afterall, full of dead people chewed up and spat out by the war - the shows shimmer of hope is, then, that, eventually, at some long off unspecified point, enough collective dead trauma might weigh heavily enough on the present to get people to stop hurting each other. It really is unrelentingly bleak, and I can't say I want to watch another Gundam series, or another Tomino work, any time soon - but you can't say its not more compelling, and more accurate, than lots of other media you'd watch, especially those that take war as their subject, which can easily slip into propagandistic justification even whilst they try to be 'serious' and 'raw'. One big advantage the show has over its predecessor is that it can lift many characters out of it, ready made. The show is hugely successful here, especially with the choice to make Char/Quattro something like a lead character. Many of the best moments involve interactions either between two old characters - Chars relationships with both Amuro and Bright particularly standing out - or between old and new - as with Char and Kamille or Reccoa (both also great). (As should be clear from this, Char's character remains incredibly compelling). Add to this the fact that almost all the new characters are excellent, and Tomino's characteristic dialogue - which never exposes anyone's insides too much, leaving you to engage with everyone as something like real people, with obscure hangups, desires, and torments - and you get an ensemble of conflicting figures, on almost all sides, that feel real enough to sell the feeling helplessness in the face of the inescapable conflict they get drawn into. As the new characters go, Four, Emma, Reccoa (despite her characterisation feeling a bit dated), and Fa are great, and, for reasons I can't quite explain, I find Kamille to be a far superior protagonist to Amuro, perhaps because he feels a little less cynical and a little more caring. The only real weak point here is the lack of an antagonist quite as compelling as Char was in the original series - Haman Karn comes close (despite only really appearing in the latter third of the series), but everyone on the Titans side feels quite weak in comparison. Other than this minor flaw, the only other problems are to do with the shows length. It really didn't need to be 50 episodes long, and some arcs and characters probably could have been cut completely (Rosamia, for example). People tend to call Evangelion a depressing show - but, ultimately, it ends with an explicit, optimistic, nod to the possibility of affirming existence (yes, even in the movie, although the optimism there is much reduced). Zeta does no such thing. But, despite the fact it left me feeling like shit for about a week, I'd absolutely recommend it - just maybe take a few breaks between the last 15 episodes rather than watching them all in one go like I did.

Oh man am I a sucker for shows that have prior leads returning in roles where they no longer have to fit into the straightforward protagonist/antagonist story arc and instead are free to have more interesting development. And Zeta certainly fulfills this promise, using a handful of characters from the granddaddy in (mostly) new and interesting roles that don’t overshadow the main narrative, although I would be lying if I didn’t wish we got a little more of Amaro and bad boy Kai. Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for the new cast who are almost entirely irrational to an unrelatable degree and without any interesting consistent growth or arcs. The show also suffers from being stretched way too long, and lacking the quirky variety of its predecessor ends up becoming incredibly repetitive. For instance, there is an arc focusing on a sympathetic enemy’s death which is followed by the same enemy appearing alive without explanation, only to die again in the same ‘tragic’ way, before the arc repeats itself a few more times for good measure with increasingly less compelling copy cat characters. Probably the most interesting aspect of the show is the unique mostly earth orbit space faring sci fi setting Zeta inherits and expands on from its predecessor, but i'd still like to see more done with it. The series’s mech design sense also has to be noted, which is certainly unique for the Gundam franchise and produces a few gems, but also largely doesn’t seem to fit into the overall franchises design sense while also not being as absurdly unique as turn A. Iconic mech designs: 3.5/10 (Zeta, Hyaku Shiki, mk ii, marasai?) Kai: 2/10 (+1 for being Indiana Jones, but why must Tomino tease us with greatness?) Physical 'disciplining': 11/10 (“Violence… isn’t right”) Characters that care when a Nemo is destroyed: 0/10 Big Zam: 0/1 Ending satisfaction: 2/10 Episodes without someone launching who's not supposed to be: 11/50 Angst: 8/10 Char trustworthiness (according to him): 10/10 (“I’ve never betrayed anyone in my entire life!”) Female characters not motivated mainly by dat man meat: 2/9 (Emma, Haman) Sunglasses effectiveness at hiding identity: 3/10 (it worked for Superman) Psychedelics: 7/10 (psychic energy drain…?) Unintentional memes: 7/10 (“I came here to laugh at you”)

Zeta is a Technical improvement over the Original MSG in near every aspect. The animation is much better, I prefer the suit designs, and the overall look of the show. I feel as though the Music (both the openings AND the score) are near on par with MSG and do an excellent job of amplifying the intensity of some of the more important moments of the show. That being said, Zeta's plot suffers from repetition, I'll refrain from going into detail and summarizing the story, but it feels like they recycle the "romeo and juliet" arc an annoying amount. However, aside from this structure getting old, I still love (most) of the characters in Zeta, all the returning characters continue their development in a satisfying way, and the new ones are for the most part just as well done.

Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam is the sequel to the original Mobile Suit Gundam and follows the crew of the Argama of the AEUG as they fight against the malevolent Titans. Story 9/10 The story is basically the same as the story from the original Mobile Suit Gundam only replace the White Base with the Argama and Amuro with Kamille. However, there some big differences between the two shows in terms of story which I liked. First, Zeta Gundam is a lot darker and has a lot more death overall. For example, there's an episode where we see a colony that the Titans released poison gas in and you see all these human skeletons and dead bodies just floating in the ruins of the colony. If I was a kid this would give me nightmares. The Titans have no problem with killing civilians who resist them. Second, the conflict in Zeta Gundam isn't just man vs. man like it was the original Gundam. It's also man vs. society because the AEUG isnt just fighting the Titans, they're fighting for the rights of all people born in space (or "spacenoids") as the Earth Federation doesn't care about the Space Colonies or what the Titans do to them. Characters 8/10 Kamille is a good character, but one thing I dislike about him is how similar he is to Amuro. They're both cocky and, at first, have trouble taking orders, but get more skilled as the show goes on and learn more about their new type abilities. However, one thing that sets Kamille apart from Amuro is how much tragedy he has to overcome. I already mentioned how much darker Zeta is than the original Gundam, but despite the deaths of his friends and his own heartbreak Kamille keeps fighting and never gives up. Jerid is a Titan pilot and more of a minor villain, but what I love about him is how passionately he hates Kamille. If his own comrades are in the way, he'll shoot through them to get to Kamille. He reminds a little of Sasuke from Naruto by how he's driven by this all-consuming need for revenge. Reccoa is another good character, but it's her motivation that confuses me. She's constantly saying things like "I'm a woman first, and a soldier second" and "I'm doing this because I'm a woman". I'm not a woman so maybe that's why I have no idea what she's talking about. Char (or Quatro) is now a protagonist and acts as a teacher and leader to Kamille. What I like about Char is, much like in the original show, he's able to keep calm under pressure and never panics or acts irrationally. Furthermore, I like how Char has genuinely noble intentions and wants to create a better world for all of humanity. Some other characters I really liked were Sarah, Four, and Rosamnia who were all new types and Titans. They're each such tragic characters who hate fighting, but the Titans just view them as living weapons since, as new types, they're natural mobile suit pilots. It's made even more tragic by how much Kamille wants to help them, but can't. Art 8/10 The art style and animation have both really improved since the original show. The designs of the mobile suits are a lot more detailed and the animation is more fluid as well. Also, there's a lot of new mobile suits introduced as well like the Psycho Gundam and mobile suits that can transform from a mobile suit to a mobile armor thereby greatly increasing their speed and maneuverability. Overall 8/10 Zeta Gundam was a great sequel to the original Gundam, but I think what prevented me from enjoying it as much was just how similar the story and some of the characters were to the original show which almost made it feel predictable. It's still a great story with good characters, however, and does advance the over-arcing plot.

Gundam Z. The most iconic. The most popular. The undisputed king and grandfather of all mecha anime. The depth and breadth of the philosophical themes woven into this story are truly impressive. It is, first and foremost, an anti-war statement, and the Japanese know better than anyone the horrific consequences of war and the responsibility for war crimes. A distant, distant future, where technology is hundreds of years ahead of ours, is, by and large, no different from our own. People are still greedy, ambitious, and cruel. The main characters, mostly children, are dragged into the very hell of war. Through the prism of their childlike view of the world and their forced early maturation, many psychological and philosophical themes are revealed to us. The anime is filled with political intrigue, military battles, and vivid emotions. Dozens of different characters are entangled in a vast plot web, each driven by varying political views and motives. Betrayal, friendship, love, and revenge are just the main themes of this epic. A mature space opera with a deeply tragic and somber atmosphere and one of the best soundtracks of the entire 1980s. The only subjective drawback is the excessive density of events. The anime doesn’t forgive inattentive viewing in the background, and if you pause while watching, it will be very difficult to follow the plot. It was a different era, with a different pace and audience; the anime has stood the test of time because it tackles timeless themes, but for my taste, it’s too complex and overloaded with events and dialogue.