Anyone up for a Gundam Unicorn watch-along?

For anyone still wanting to pick-up Gundam Unicorn then it may be worth checking out Amazon.fr as they are selling most instalments (including Volume 7) for around the £50 mark; Volume 1 is only £22 including postage.

It may be Amazon France but the stock is the European version (English covers etc) and they will most likely ship from the UK Warehouse (I ordered Volume 7 - as it worked out £52 including postage as opposed to Amazon UK's £87 price tag - and I got it the day after it had been posted - was sent from UK Warehouse and it's European version).
 
Nice tip! I bought most of mine by mail order from JP Books but Amazon France is so easy to use that it's a great alternative :D

R
 
I'm bang on this by the way! I've been wanting to get into G damn for a while. I assume this is pretty much as good a starting place as any?
 
vashdaman said:
I assume this is pretty much as good a starting place as any?
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I'm usually the first person to express the opinion things should be watched in order but oddly enough yes, I think it would work fine.

You'll miss out on the odd in-joke and reference but they're doing a pretty good job of explaining the history of the UC timeline to anyone new to the world. It would be interesting to know what impression of the franchise you get from just watching Unicorn and whether it makes you want to watch the earlier shows.
 
I still don't quite understand why these are so expensive - I can understand high price tags for collectors editions or imports, but as far as I understand these are just barebones discs in a standard case?
 
Lutga said:
I still don't quite understand why these are so expensive - I can understand high price tags for collectors editions or imports, but as far as I understand these are just barebones discs in a standard case?
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They're imports with localised BD cases. They're not special edition imports so they don't come with the lovely first press extras, but the on-disc content is literally the same as the Japanese version and it was a rare simultaneous worldwide multilingual release.

I think the reason that availability in the UK is so bad is entirely because Beez were looking after it and they vanished early on, which meant that the rest had to come via special orders. There were indications they wanted to make it special at the start with bonus postcards etc but by the end all of that treatment was gone.

R
 
Seeing as beez no longer exist, does that mean all the most recent editions are just imports then, or do the likes of Amazon still get local stock?
 
Lutga said:
Seeing as beez no longer exist, does that mean all the most recent editions are just imports then, or do the likes of Amazon still get local stock?
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I have no idea what Amazon's arrangement is, but I think a portion of the US-bound stock gets sent here for the other small distributors like JP Books. It was coming out exactly the same time as the JP/US equivalent. Amazon's insane pricing implies they're doing something weird, like importing from the US themselves.

R
 
Yeah, that's why I was wondering, as if there was a 'proper' UK distributor I can't see them charging those prices.
 
When Amazon has an "insane" price for something these days I assume the weird thing they are doing is simply assuming they can get away with it. ^^;
 
ayase said:
You mean there might actually be FOUR people interested in discussing a show at the same time (if HdE resurfaces)? that's got to be a record for 2015.

Seriously though, that's great. Let's talk, why not? How is the most Gundam and why?
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ARRRRRGHH!!!

I literally just saw this thread was active again and realised I'd started it. Sorry, peeps - I forget what happened to distract me, but I'd expect it was a deluge of comic book stuff. I've been lettering funnybooks non stop since November, and some of the gigs I've had have been pretty hard work to nail down, for one reason or another.

I did indeed sit down and watch through Unicorn at the rate of one episode per evening whenever it was, though. Lotsa fun! And I'd forgotten the fact that the final episode was a 90 minute feature.

I thought it was great to see a Gundam series with such high production values. So much about it feels like the stops were really being pulled out. Theatrical grade animation, AMAZING music, appearances of mobile suits from all throughout the UC timeline ... I was just a tiny bit disappointed that there wasn't a bit more done to break with the well worn tropes of the franchise. And at times during that final episode, it felt like it was overstaying its welcome.

But, this is Gundam, and I love Gundam above all robot franchises. And it was, let's be honest, a bloody good Gundam.

Were I to review it for AUKN (and I can't, coz it hasn't got a UK release) I'd give it a solid 8 out of 10.
 
HdE said:
I thought it was great to see a Gundam series with such high production values. So much about it feels like the stops were really being pulled out. Theatrical grade animation, AMAZING music, appearances of mobile suits from all throughout the UC timeline ... I was just a tiny bit disappointed that there wasn't a bit more done to break with the well worn tropes of the franchise.
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In agreement with this, the quality is stunning. This is really what I wanted but didn't really get from the Zeta movies, where the new scenes were a wonderful homage to the original style but was also rather jarring when cut into that same original animation. I'm even more excited for Origin now, if UC productions are now Gundam's "Premium" line then consider me very happy indeed.

The tropes point is an interesting one - I can easily see how people not as invested in the franchise as you or I could become very tired of what is essentially replaying the same stories, but then all stories do that to an extent, there is nothing new under the sun. Also, a central part of most Gundam stories is the harm caused by and the futility of war, but also how humanity seems compelled to replay the conflicts of the past in perpetuity (and the inability of those who would rather not be involved in conflict to avoid being drawn in anyway). So it feels sort of fitting, in a way.

Episode 3 - [anaheim scheming intensifies]
See? See? ZZ did bring things to the franchise! That was a twist I didn't see coming but in hindsight really should have done - I hope everyone who ever talked sh*t about Ple/Puru feels bad now. This is quite a feelsy Gundam actually, more so than I'd expected. Banagher has had a nice mixture of Amuro and Kamille moments and a better attitude than either of them, but can he find and bitch-slap Captain Bright and go down as the greatest Gundam protagonist of all time? Stay tuned to find out. It would be nice to get inside his head a little more, so we can gain greater insight into who he is as a person beyond his role in the story (something I'd also say goes for Audrey, but as she was largely absent from this episode I can forgive that for now). We've had hints, and surely Marida's comments about them being "two of a kind" can't be as throwaway as she made them out to be. Hmm. It felt like there was quite a lot of action in this episode and not so much plot, but the story is doing a good job of keeping me guessing.
 
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Episode Four - Do you see what I did there?
Speak of the devil. Verbal Bright-slappings and very real beat-downs in what's probably the best episode so far, certainly the most dramatic. Zinnerman gives Banagher one of the most succinct and accurate explanations of human society ever seen in an anime (how come so many people see and understand these things yet nothing ever changes? Humanity is truly doomed), we get some beautifully choreographed destruction, a nice helping of tragedy and and one hell of a cliffhanger. I'd continue, but it's almost 6am which means it's time for bed.

I do finally feel like I'm getting to know Banagher better, which is nice even if what I'm seeing is that amalgam of previous protagonists I sort of expected. His relationships with the other characters are at least evolving in slightly more interesting ways, Zinnerman and Riddhe seem particular ones to watch from this point out - In how they view him for his actions and how he views them. I am starting to wonder if his friends Micott and Takuya really had a reason to exist though, so small a part they've played in the story. Perhaps if he'd know Loni longer instead the events of this episode might have felt more significant.

That casual modelling shot of Amuro on Bright's wall though. And is there good in Alberto after all, or is he fully under the thumb of Illuminati Milf?
 
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MAN! My bottom lip wobbled at that bit with the picture of Amuro!

Mega spoilertastic stuff follows now:

It always stuck in my craw how the franchise so easily did away with both Char and Amuro. Going into Unicorn blind, I was actually, naively hoping that maybe - JUST MAYBE - there might be some massive rug pull. In fact, I even thought for the slenderest of moments that the picture of Amuro might be foreshadowing for him walking through the door and saying 'GUESS WHAT, SUCKERS! I WAS NEVER DEAD!

But no. That ain't how MSG works.

I thought it was an interesting development that the official line from Sunrise is that Full Frontal actually WAS the spiritual embodiment of Char, that is to say, a vessel for the man's desires and ideals. And the ending hints at something ever-so-slightly paranormal in that regard.

I also noticed - unless I'm mistaken - that Amuro's voice wasn't one of the newtype spirits that spoke to Frontal before his death. So... dare I still nurture hope?


Righty - now onto other things:

That point I made about the tropes of the franchise being repeated so often. I've kind of fallen into the expectation that an OVA series is where big departures can be made .If you look back at Stardust Memory, The 08th MS Team and War in the Pocket, they all break to a large extent with the more predictable developments we see in the longer series. There's still death and tragedy, and the need to get new and shinier Gundams on screen so the kids (and adults) can obssess over getting their model kits is ever present. But it feels that bit more sophisticated and even adventurous.

Unicorn only disappointed me in the sense that it didn't feel like it was continuing the trend of the previous OVA series. It felt more like a TV style plot writ large and rendered really beautifully. There were some character deaths I predicted from a mile out Oh, look - Marida Cruz is a cyber newtype, I'll bet she goes down in tragic, epic circumstances... OH LOOK! There goes the Khasatrira in a ball of flames! and the moral ambiguity stuff is only really interesting if the characters really support it (and they do) and you haven't seen it a billion times before.

But like I say, lots of this goes with the turf. Seeing a few well-worn plot elements trotted out was well worth it for the proper advancement of the UC timeline.
 
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Not uncovering that second spoiler there 'cause the first one already revealed one character's death I didn't know about (although this is Gundam and frankly, no-one's safe and I knew that going in).

Re: Char & Amuro - Tomino probably envisioned Char's Counter Attack as the end of the UC story and wanted to give his original heroes a fitting send-off, which was certainly what they got. We do have Origin to look forward to though, which should expand nicely on their beginnings.

As for the paranormal, the very idea of Newtypes is one of mental and spiritual awakening (will be interested to hear Vash's thoughts on that if he does watch, he's a lot more into that stuff than I am) and the idea of people being linked to each other and able to communicate telepathically (and even from beyond the grave) has long been a feature of Gundam. So I'm quite happy for things to get weirder and willing to entertain the possibility of spirits inhabiting the bodies of others. It's a universe with a lot of mysteries, really. I quite like that not even the characters seem understand a lot of the stuff that goes on.
 
Episode 5 - Black and white and red all over
I... I don't want this to end. The storyboarding / direction / music cues this time were nothing short of perfection - I liked the music earlier on but I'm beginning to see what you mean, HdE. This episode felt like it really turned everything up a notch with regards to using it well. Certain moments (falling Audrey, Bright talking with Banagher in the hanger, Marida in full breakdown mode and Banagher saving the ship with the help/thought of his dead comrades) even made me a little emotional.

Well Riddhe's become a bit of a single minded loon. He may have his reasons but it's honestly a bit creepy, let it go man.

It's nice to see Captain Bright again and have him take an important role the plot, although it's sad Hirotaka Suzuoki didn't live to voice him one last time. Bright's overall character arc strikes me as particularly realistic, as someone who's now closer in age to him than the protagonists (which is a little depressing) - He seems to have relaxed into his role, become more accepting and trusting of the pilots, possibly recognising that as Newtypes they may know more or better than he does (still doesn't suffer fools gladly though, he seemed to see Riddhe's character flaws right away). Perhaps the change mirrors a change in society and management and leaderships style too, but either way it's nice to see such a central and ever present character change over time in the subtle but noticeable ways Bright has. He's always there and he always does his best to help, even if the people around him do have a tendency to die or go insane.

This episode also had the largest number of "Oh sh*t" moments by far (major spoilers and five more censored swear words follow)
Through the course of the episode my thoughts went something like this: "Oh sh*t Marida's going to die. Oh sh*t, Zinnerman's dead. Oh wait, no he isn't... Oh SH*T, RIDDHE's dead! Oh sh*t Marida really IS going to die after all (this time for sure). Oh hey, Riddhe survived... But how's he going to get out of there without his MS? ... OH SH*T"

On to the next...
 
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Your last couple of posts really highlight (for me) some of the franchise's stongest points, Ayase.

(Incidentally, I don't think that character death in my first spoiler has ever been officially confirmed outside of Tomino's own novels - and even then, only as far as a listing as 'KIA' in official records - so who knows, maybe one day... Could be that Amuro's pulling a Shiro Amada, holed up in some log cabin with a smokin hawt laydee somewhere while everyone mourns him as a war hero. I personally don't like to believe that he's dead.)

I will say that I found certain episodes and developments in Unicorn to be a bit of an emotional wrench. And Gundam does that stuff very well when it's at its best. Unicorn does especially well when it comes to creating complex characters, though - holy HECK is Riddhe an odd fish, or what? I also really liked what they did with Zinneman. Is he a bad guy with honourable motives? Or just a bad guy? Or is he a good guy who uses unethical means (exploiting Banagher) to achieve his goals?

Also, one thing I have to say: Is nobody going to mention the Gundams in this show?

The Gundams... OMG... OMFG THE GUNDAMS!!!

This series is, let's be brutally honest, full on filthy ROBOT PORN! It's so great to see a show that acknowledges the broader UC timeline by featuring such a wealth of the designs that previously appeared. And the original designs, from the grunt suits like the Jesta and the updated Nemo, right up to the Unicorn and the Banshee, are all absolutely superb.

And there's an update of an old MS from the original series coming up in the final episode. I won't spoil things by saying which one, suffice to say that the original design looked dorky as all get out... but this updated one is TERRIFYING.
 
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Despite this being my first proper Gundam show, having just read Ayase's posts in this thread, I feel they pretty much sum up exactly how I feel about the show so far, so I really don't have a lot to add unfortunately. But that could well be because it's 6am and I too have just finished ep 4, time for bed for sure. I am hugely enjoying it though.
 
Well, as my avatar might suggest I finished the last two episodes. I think it probably goes without saying that major spoilers follow.

"Nobody wants an outcome like that" (very self-aware, Gundam) "I'm gonna drag you back here! How are you supposed to hold Mineva like that?" even if what we're actually witnessing here is Riddhe holding back human evolution with appeals to the flesh, it was still rather moving. The guy got his stuff together and turned out okay in the end. And all it took for this realisation was killing poor Marida *sob*

That glimpse of Sayla in the Core Booster... Now if ever there was a character who was criminally underused in the UC, it's Sayla. So many opportunities could have been taken to grow Char's character or further complicate his and Amuro's relationship through Sayla that were just ignored in favour of adding new female characters instead - Imagine if Beltorchika or Chan Agi had been Sayla instead. Hell, imagine an alternate universe where Sayla filled Haman's role. But no. She showed up what, once in Z and once in ZZ and has been otherwise completely forgotten about? You would have thought the sole living heir to Zeon Zum Deikun would have been a little more important, especially in the post-Char world.

Char seemed to grow in Zeta then regress in CCA... I sort of expected Frontal to be a bit more reasonable an antagonist than he was. I suppose Char's single-mindedness (and ultimately, ruthlessness) has been well established. And to be fair his plan to simply ignore the pathetic mewling of the backwards people of Earth and let them wither and die like the relics of the past they are to pave the way for a better future was pretty sound, by my reckoning (I sort of wish he was on the stage with Farage et al. the other night, we're really missing radical progressive representation in the world today). Banagher and Audrey are fairer people than I - My avatar now seems appropriate.

And sorry HdE, I meant your second spoiler rather than your first, it was Full Frontal's death I was unaware of at the time rather than Amuro's.

One of the great things about Gundam is the fact that few people are actually "villains" (and even those who do terrible things usually have their reasons). It always goes to pains to explore both sides of a conflict. I think back to Zeta - while Jerid was a dick he was still very human, and he and Kamille's hatred of each other stems mainly from the fact they keep accidentally killing each other's loved ones. The Mobile Suits in Unicorn really were something else. See I quite like the Zeong, but the Neo Zeong (I see what they did there) was indeed a much improved and impressive update. I've never been a huge fan of Zakus, personally. Or GMs, which just seem like the Daewoo Matiz of Gundam. Still wouldn't say no if I was given one, but I'd be a bit disappointed. Qubeleys and their variants are still the Zeon MS of choice for me.

And come on Vash, there must be something more to say about your first Gundam experience! Expectations vs. Reality? Favourite characters and Mobile Suits? How you find the whole world of the Universal Century and whether you feel it's explained well for new viewers?
 
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