<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/2015-12-02Mobile Suit Gundam Part 1 Limited Collector Box.jpg">
<b>Review of Mobile Suit Gundam #1 by Ian Wolf</b>
<em>"One who conquers himself is greater than another who conquers a thousand times a thousand on the battlefield." - Buddha.</em><br>
It must be said that watching this series at this current time, while MPs were in the middle of debating about whether or not to launch air strikes on Syria, made me feel uneasy. Perhaps it was appropriate, because this series does show the horrors of war on both sides. <br>
There is also a feeling of amazement at watching this series because of its importance. The <em>Gundam </em>metaseries is one of most successful and long-running sci-fi franchises around. We in Britain have <em>Doctor Who</em>, the Americans have <em>Star Trek </em>and <em>Star Wars</em>, and the Japanese have this.<br>
This, the original <em>Mobile Suit Gundam</em> which began in 1979, tells the story of the war taking place in Universal Century 0079 (2079 AD), a time at which humanity has started to colonise nearby space by building large space stations under control of the Earth Federation. One of these, Side 3, has declared independence, calling itself the Principality of Zeon, and has since declared war on the Federation. Following eight months of fighting and with half the population of humanity killed, the war is at a stalemate but Zeon has a slight advantage using a form of mecha or "Mobile Suit", the most famous of which is the bright red and super-fast Mobile Suit controlled by their ace pilot Char Aznable, aka The Red Comet.<br>
The beginning of the anime proper starts in the colony Side 7, controlled by the Federation, which has sent their latest warship <em>White Base</em> to collect their secret weapon: their own Mobile Suit. However, the Zeon forces soon follow <em>White Base </em>and attack. One of the people caught up in the battle is Amuro Ray, the son of the man developing the weapon in question. Amuro discovers the Mobile Suit, named "Gundam", and despite the chaos and death around he manages to read the instruction manual that comes with the Gundam in order to fend of the Zeon attackers. Amuro, his friends, and dozens of refugees escape aboard <em>White Base</em>, now captained by Bright Noa following the deaths of the commanding officers on board. Amuro is made the chief Gundam pilot, and together they start to make the journey back to Earth, then later to fight the Zeon forces that occupy vast areas of the planet.<br>
During his time on board, however, Amuro not only has to face the enemy, but also his own inner demons caused by his actions. He comes to realise the horrors of war, what the conflict has made him do, and what he has become. Amuro is not the only person facing problems: Bright has to deal with being the commander of a battleship full of civilians and soldiers who are not properly trained. One of the members of the ship's crew, Sayla Mass, has a deep personal relationship with Char, a man who also quickly becomes Amuro's fiercest rival. Char too has his own personal battles with the ruling elite of Zeon, planning a private vendetta again the ruling Zabi family. <br>
It is well documented that when <em>Mobile Suit Gundam</em> was originally aired, it did very badly in terms of ratings and popularity. When you watch it you can see certain elements that make you question the quality of the show, and indeed how it later became so huge. Take the events of the first episode. In it Amuro sees people being killed, but despite seeing such horrors unfold he is still able to calmly read the instruction manual to the Gundam and operate it effectively. That I just do not buy: surely any teenage boy would be scared out of their mind in the situation and not be able read the manual properly, let alone work the machine.<br>
There are also other points that nag at the viewer: the repeated use of certain pieces of animation for example. You repeatedly see Amuro being shaken inside the Gundam in exactly the same way after he has been attacked. Whenever <em>White Base </em>is breached in space, the crew release what look like gigantic balls of bubblegum to seal the hole, which land in exactly the same spot every time. There is also the somewhat comical issue of Char Aznable's name: why would you want to name your main antagonist after Charles Aznavour? Concerning the actual release itself there is not that much in the way of extras: just textless opening and closing, plus some trailers. The main extra people will probably want is the collector's edition box to store the Blu-ray volumes in.<br>
However, as you allow yourself to be drawn into the story, you begin to see its merits. For starters there is the issue of the technology: this was probably the first "Real Robot" mecha series, in which the technology used in the mecha tried to relate to actual scientific principles. Then there's the plot of the series and the relationships between the characters. You have Amuro and his internal conflict. During the anime we see him form new friendships with his crewmates, but also test and at times break those relationships when he comes to realise his actions. You also have the relationship between Char and Sayla, and Sayla's relationship with Zeon. <br>
On top of this there is the issue of death, and the way it is dealt with. When a major figure from the Zeon side is killed, one senior member of the Zabi family is keen to use it for the purpose of propaganda and does so. When a major member of <em>White Base</em>’s crew is killed, it shocks the entire crew to the point of utter despair.<br>
Lastly, there is the relationship between this military conflict of the future, and our conflicts of the past. Many critics in the past have compared the Principality of Zeon to Nazi Germany, with its use of a fascistic "Seig Zeon" chant, and in later episodes (not included in this collection) this comparison is even made in the show itself. However, I would also contend that it has similarities to the Germany of the First World War, partly in the style of uniform and partly in terms of the characters. This is perhaps seen most clearly with the Red Comet being arguably an allusion to the Red Baron.<br>
However, perhaps the thing that is most impressive about this collection is not the content of the anime, but the fact it's been given a release in the first place. For starters, there is the issue of age. Dating back to 1979, this is possibly the oldest TV anime series ever released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the UK. The only older anime in the UK that I can think of are a few <em>Lupin III </em>films and <em>The Little Norse Prince</em>. If this release is a success then it could pave the way to seeing larger numbers of older anime being given a release in this country on Blu-Ray. <br>
The other impressive thing about this anime is who is behind its release, being distributed by All the Anime in the UK and Right Stuf in the USA. Now personally I think these are the best active anime distributors in their respective countries at the moment, so it is great to see them working together. But more importantly than this is another big factor: I believe that this is the first time that a licence that has been taken up by Right Stuf has been released by a UK company. Some anime distributed by Right Stuf was released in the UK in the past (e.g. <em>Martian Successor Nadesico</em>, formerly released by ADV), but this is the first time that a series that Right Stuf has control of in America has since gone on to be licenced for a release in our country.<br>
This is a big deal, because Right Stuf has such a wide and diverse range of anime on offer. It distributes the anime of Osamu Tezuka (<em>Astro Boy</em>, <em>Princess Knight</em>, <em>Kimba the White Lion</em>), other early series of great importance like the shojo classic <em>The Rose of Versailles</em>; modern hits such as the utopian sci-fi <em>Aria</em>; it even sells boys' love titles like <em>Junjo Romantica</em>. With such a portfolio being opened, I now hope that All the Anime starts to seize the opportunity and invest in other titles that Right Stuf has had a part in, and brings Blu-Ray releases of these anime to the UK where they can only help to improve and diversify the current market.<br>
<em>Mobile Suit Gundam </em>is therefore a series to see, despite some of the faults, because of its importance in anime history, the world it helped to develop, and because this release might result in other bigger titles coming forward.<br>
<b>Final score: 9 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-02MobileSuitGundam_3.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-02MobileSuitGundam_4.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-02MobileSuitGundam_2.png">
<b>Review of Mobile Suit Gundam #1 by Ian Wolf</b>
<em>"One who conquers himself is greater than another who conquers a thousand times a thousand on the battlefield." - Buddha.</em><br>
It must be said that watching this series at this current time, while MPs were in the middle of debating about whether or not to launch air strikes on Syria, made me feel uneasy. Perhaps it was appropriate, because this series does show the horrors of war on both sides. <br>
There is also a feeling of amazement at watching this series because of its importance. The <em>Gundam </em>metaseries is one of most successful and long-running sci-fi franchises around. We in Britain have <em>Doctor Who</em>, the Americans have <em>Star Trek </em>and <em>Star Wars</em>, and the Japanese have this.<br>
This, the original <em>Mobile Suit Gundam</em> which began in 1979, tells the story of the war taking place in Universal Century 0079 (2079 AD), a time at which humanity has started to colonise nearby space by building large space stations under control of the Earth Federation. One of these, Side 3, has declared independence, calling itself the Principality of Zeon, and has since declared war on the Federation. Following eight months of fighting and with half the population of humanity killed, the war is at a stalemate but Zeon has a slight advantage using a form of mecha or "Mobile Suit", the most famous of which is the bright red and super-fast Mobile Suit controlled by their ace pilot Char Aznable, aka The Red Comet.<br>
The beginning of the anime proper starts in the colony Side 7, controlled by the Federation, which has sent their latest warship <em>White Base</em> to collect their secret weapon: their own Mobile Suit. However, the Zeon forces soon follow <em>White Base </em>and attack. One of the people caught up in the battle is Amuro Ray, the son of the man developing the weapon in question. Amuro discovers the Mobile Suit, named "Gundam", and despite the chaos and death around he manages to read the instruction manual that comes with the Gundam in order to fend of the Zeon attackers. Amuro, his friends, and dozens of refugees escape aboard <em>White Base</em>, now captained by Bright Noa following the deaths of the commanding officers on board. Amuro is made the chief Gundam pilot, and together they start to make the journey back to Earth, then later to fight the Zeon forces that occupy vast areas of the planet.<br>
During his time on board, however, Amuro not only has to face the enemy, but also his own inner demons caused by his actions. He comes to realise the horrors of war, what the conflict has made him do, and what he has become. Amuro is not the only person facing problems: Bright has to deal with being the commander of a battleship full of civilians and soldiers who are not properly trained. One of the members of the ship's crew, Sayla Mass, has a deep personal relationship with Char, a man who also quickly becomes Amuro's fiercest rival. Char too has his own personal battles with the ruling elite of Zeon, planning a private vendetta again the ruling Zabi family. <br>
It is well documented that when <em>Mobile Suit Gundam</em> was originally aired, it did very badly in terms of ratings and popularity. When you watch it you can see certain elements that make you question the quality of the show, and indeed how it later became so huge. Take the events of the first episode. In it Amuro sees people being killed, but despite seeing such horrors unfold he is still able to calmly read the instruction manual to the Gundam and operate it effectively. That I just do not buy: surely any teenage boy would be scared out of their mind in the situation and not be able read the manual properly, let alone work the machine.<br>
There are also other points that nag at the viewer: the repeated use of certain pieces of animation for example. You repeatedly see Amuro being shaken inside the Gundam in exactly the same way after he has been attacked. Whenever <em>White Base </em>is breached in space, the crew release what look like gigantic balls of bubblegum to seal the hole, which land in exactly the same spot every time. There is also the somewhat comical issue of Char Aznable's name: why would you want to name your main antagonist after Charles Aznavour? Concerning the actual release itself there is not that much in the way of extras: just textless opening and closing, plus some trailers. The main extra people will probably want is the collector's edition box to store the Blu-ray volumes in.<br>
However, as you allow yourself to be drawn into the story, you begin to see its merits. For starters there is the issue of the technology: this was probably the first "Real Robot" mecha series, in which the technology used in the mecha tried to relate to actual scientific principles. Then there's the plot of the series and the relationships between the characters. You have Amuro and his internal conflict. During the anime we see him form new friendships with his crewmates, but also test and at times break those relationships when he comes to realise his actions. You also have the relationship between Char and Sayla, and Sayla's relationship with Zeon. <br>
On top of this there is the issue of death, and the way it is dealt with. When a major figure from the Zeon side is killed, one senior member of the Zabi family is keen to use it for the purpose of propaganda and does so. When a major member of <em>White Base</em>’s crew is killed, it shocks the entire crew to the point of utter despair.<br>
Lastly, there is the relationship between this military conflict of the future, and our conflicts of the past. Many critics in the past have compared the Principality of Zeon to Nazi Germany, with its use of a fascistic "Seig Zeon" chant, and in later episodes (not included in this collection) this comparison is even made in the show itself. However, I would also contend that it has similarities to the Germany of the First World War, partly in the style of uniform and partly in terms of the characters. This is perhaps seen most clearly with the Red Comet being arguably an allusion to the Red Baron.<br>
However, perhaps the thing that is most impressive about this collection is not the content of the anime, but the fact it's been given a release in the first place. For starters, there is the issue of age. Dating back to 1979, this is possibly the oldest TV anime series ever released on DVD and Blu-Ray in the UK. The only older anime in the UK that I can think of are a few <em>Lupin III </em>films and <em>The Little Norse Prince</em>. If this release is a success then it could pave the way to seeing larger numbers of older anime being given a release in this country on Blu-Ray. <br>
The other impressive thing about this anime is who is behind its release, being distributed by All the Anime in the UK and Right Stuf in the USA. Now personally I think these are the best active anime distributors in their respective countries at the moment, so it is great to see them working together. But more importantly than this is another big factor: I believe that this is the first time that a licence that has been taken up by Right Stuf has been released by a UK company. Some anime distributed by Right Stuf was released in the UK in the past (e.g. <em>Martian Successor Nadesico</em>, formerly released by ADV), but this is the first time that a series that Right Stuf has control of in America has since gone on to be licenced for a release in our country.<br>
This is a big deal, because Right Stuf has such a wide and diverse range of anime on offer. It distributes the anime of Osamu Tezuka (<em>Astro Boy</em>, <em>Princess Knight</em>, <em>Kimba the White Lion</em>), other early series of great importance like the shojo classic <em>The Rose of Versailles</em>; modern hits such as the utopian sci-fi <em>Aria</em>; it even sells boys' love titles like <em>Junjo Romantica</em>. With such a portfolio being opened, I now hope that All the Anime starts to seize the opportunity and invest in other titles that Right Stuf has had a part in, and brings Blu-Ray releases of these anime to the UK where they can only help to improve and diversify the current market.<br>
<em>Mobile Suit Gundam </em>is therefore a series to see, despite some of the faults, because of its importance in anime history, the world it helped to develop, and because this release might result in other bigger titles coming forward.<br>
<b>Final score: 9 out of 10</b>
<b>Additional screencaps</b>
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-02MobileSuitGundam_3.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-02MobileSuitGundam_4.png">
<img src="http://www.animeuknews.net/img/uploaded/screens/2015-12-02MobileSuitGundam_2.png">