Kidou Senshi Gundam: The Origin

In the year 0068 of the Universal Century, Casval Rem Deikun's life is thrown into chaotic disarray after the assassination of his father, a prolific figure in the crusade towards civil rights for people who live away from the Earth's surface. Casval and his sister Artesia receive aid from soldiers who were loyal to their father, and the siblings are whisked away from their home, separated, and thrown into a twisted fate that sees them come into their own as soldiers and adults.

Years before stealing the name Char Aznable or his "Red Comet" moniker, Casval must contend with the rise of a militarized version of his father's ideology and his own vengeful nature as intergalactic war molds him into a legendary mobile suit pilot.

[Written by MAL Rewrite]

Aznable, Char Main

Tanaka, Mayumi Japanese

Mass, Sayla Main

Han, Megumi Japanese

Ray, Amuro Supporting

Furuya, Toru Japanese

Noa, Bright Supporting

Narita, Ken Japanese

Haro Supporting

Arai, Satomi Japanese

Ral, Ramba Supporting

Kiyama, Shigeo Japanese

Zabi, Mineva Lao Supporting

Zabi, Garma Supporting

Kakihara, Tetsuya Japanese

Shiden, Kai Supporting

Furukawa, Toshio Japanese

Sune, Lalah Supporting

Hayami, Saori Japanese

Yasuhiko, Yoshikazu Director, Storyboard, Character Design, Original Creator

Imanishi, Takashi Director, Storyboard

Fujino, Sadayoshi Sound Director

Itano, Ichirou Episode Director, Storyboard, Key Animation

Reviews

Mar 22, 2024

KrenZane

Recommended

*Begin in the future*

~~

Modern animation for a story almost 40 years old already, and a prequel at that. One can't help but be in awe at the longevity seemingly exhaustless for the Gundam franchise. I get spawning shows casting different characters from different timelines or Sides, or another sort of universe if there are (I wouldn't put it past them) across the years due to the inherent expanse of the series, but revisiting the origins from such a long time ago and amassing more important details so as to increase its breadth is quite simply a power move. A fresh new look for the ancestral ... narrative, The Origin offers vibrance (at times coming off as comical, thus out-of-place) and clarity for the fleshed-out history of the One-Year War.

The Principality of Zeon always had that air of intrigue around them solely for the sinister halo encircling the Zabi family. That Char and Sayla both also hail from Zeon adds further substance to that party. Of course, not to forget Ramba Ral and Hamon, too, who were both blessed by elucidation. That is to say, Zeon has been far more interesting than the Earth Federation, and I am glad that they were given special focus here. It is proper as well to approach the prequel like that, for it makes more sense to present the origin of the conflict in the eyes of the antagonistic element, so to speak.

The Origin made it clearer that even the common people of Side 3 disagrees with the colonizers; there is always a different perspective in conflicts. Succeeding then were the plans of the Zabi family to ascend as rulers utilizing the voices of the masses, winning their hearts with resistance, though not without underlying motives of their own. Tides have stirred and we're made witness to political dramas during sensitive times.

One thing that had me satisfied with this season is the inclusion of "war guilt". As Vice Admiral, Dozle assumes one of the authoritative positions commanding a large population of soldiers. I always thought he had the purest heart among his family of snakes and glory-blind immatures, like the trope of a large brute with a soft heart. Indeed, sentimentality was in him when he was the only one who had shown vulnerability enough to have a family of his own amongst his siblings. As a sort of climax to his character was his guilt after carrying out Gihren's plan, that Side 2 catastrophe which killed half of the population. He showed extreme signs of regret, hesitance, doubt in the humanity of the plan. But right after that breakdown, in the majesty of his kid, he was made to be convinced that war is about protecting families by crushing others, that fault shall not be found in the blood of his hands but in the blood of the fallen. Somehow or another, he had to reconcile with the fact that he was also responsible for the greatest disaster of mankind to date, and his brain distorted his views to block out feelings of guilt by equipping such a mindset.

See, I am glad for that showcase of guilt. It was something so essential within the Zabi family, for it shows that there is still that common humanity found somewhere from at least one person in that unit, though it did become inevitably spoiled. The theme of how family must be conserved is evocative in Gundam, more so it must be in the Zabi family. To Dozle, this war is to protect his family, thus he abides in the theme in a twisted way. It is quite the same with Zeon's Sovereign; he treats his children with love, especially Garma as the youngest, and laments at the unfolding of Gihren's sullied heart endangering the country with his god-complex-powered whims, Zeon being deemed as Degwin's family himself too. Kycilia, well, she's still enigmatic to me. Though she's in cahoots with Gihren in many schemes, and presumably instigated the murder of Sasro their brother, she deemed it the pits of despicableness that Gihren had no care for the life of their father, moving her to kill her eldest brother in Season 1. Lastly, Garma, well he wants to be validated as a child of nobility, taking tunnel-vision means outside morality to childishly preserve his family's honor.

Outside the Zabis, there is natural love for one's family in the likes of the Deikuns. It extends to found affectations for Teabolo, the Aznables, and even one's own pet. The relationship of Amuro and Tem, too, was given emphasis as one sort of rough in quality time. There is warmth, then there is loss, opting Sayla to eventually realize that Zeon and the Earth Federation are madmen no different from one another. Everyone is taking away something important to them.

On the topic of the Deikuns I should finally talk about Char, who is actually not Char because Char was only someone else that looks like him. Casval Rem Deikun, Edouard Mass, Char Aznable--many identities for a standout character.

I want to highlight his character arc as a soldier of Zeon. It makes Char more mysterious when we aren't granted access to his inner thoughts in his interactions with the Zabi family, specifically Dozle and Garma (and for that matter I don't think the creators ever showed what was going on inside his mind explicitly). Especially during the times he was close with Garma, there were snippets radiating suspense, the tension felt by the viewers unaware for the prey. Such direction heightens intrigue on the true motivations of Casval. What did he feel being under the command of Dozle, being praised as the hero of Zeon? His countenance showed no sign at all of the deep-seated hatred he must have on his family. Instead, he was obedient, no fang bared.

About that, I just had some misgivings when as young Casval he declared to Kycilia that he'll make the Zabis bow down to him, but he himself was absent in the deaths of Degwin, Gihren, and Dozle. He seemed less of a vengeful spirit because of that. Well, though he offed Kycilia and Garma in one way or another through his involvement, "letting them bow down" is different from taking their lives, for the former preserves the objects' existences only for the sake of subjugation. I guess I'll need to watch Zeta and the following UC seasons first to truly understand his actions. I guess Newtypes really are first and foremost for him.

Some other things I want to write out just in bullets.

- I mentioned earlier that sometimes the anime was comical, making it out-of-place. The attitude of character movement seemed out of a slice-of-life comedy which made victim even lieutenants of the army. I'm just more used to the army being rigid that this fluidity unnerved me to the end. We have high-ranking officials acting like caricatures, and the majority of others following suit in almost cartoony fashion. I don't know, I just couldn't get used to this in Gundam. It's like it didn't take itself seriously. The vibrance permeates throughout, which I'm glad of as it makes it an easier watch--I mean everything is lively and expressive in times of joy and grief, making it a more emotional show giving a breath of fresh air to the dreariness of Season 1, and adding grandiosity to the likes of Gihren sells him out surely, but still I can't justify for the team need of its affixing to the general cast.

Another gripe from a passing thought: why does the EFSF not have a Char, or someone similar to him? I get that he's a prodigious Newtype, and we have Amuro, sure, but really they have no other notable pilots. Zeon has the Tri-Black Star at the very least. Earth has Amuro of course, then I guess Hayato, Kai, and Sayla? Maybe they should count. Tianem and Revil aren't pilots, so I'm excluding them. That is to say, names are more glorified on the other side. The sheer number of the EFSF must harbor some big names. Eh, it doesn't really matter.

These don’t really take away a lot of my enjoyment, just a bugging discomfort.

- There is much implication of spirituality in the series. Deikun was spouting a lot of arcane things in his first appearance, and he really is treated as if he had a divine possession. He mentioned Gaia, which is a primordial god in mythology. There is Gihren and his god complex. There is Degwin mentioning Cain and Abel. There is Char saying that the second act of the war after Revil intervened in the Antarctic peace talks is one without God. Newtypes have a very transcendental hue to them. I'm interested in what they have in store for this.

Sayla's consecutive losses was just sad. She's such a strong girl, more than she is given credit for.
And I guess that's it.

Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin fulfilled its duties decently. There were no plotholes I have noticed--the team truly was meticulous in seamlessly threading together the narrative despite the large gulf between the years. Due respect was given indeed. I had fun with this, it is always a joy knowing how the story unfolded in reverse chronology. I got answers, the civilians were given focus, and still some questions, though they serve as magnetic entities luring me to the next phases of my watch experience.

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by KrenZane (36)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Sep 22, 2024

_Lazaroth_

Mixed Feelings

(LAZAROTH REVIEW - LONG - NO SPOILERS)

This anime is both Brilliant and Disappointing.

"Mobile Suit Gundam: Origin - Advent of the Red Comet" is a prequel anime to the first ever Gundam anime from 1979. However, the anime sometimes fails to feel like it is in the same universe.



Story/Action/Characters:

The anime sometimes completely goes against everything its retro sequel stood for. The tone and vibe are sometimes all over the place and feels so starkly different from the original Gundam to the point of absurdity. The contrast is INSANE at times, something that you just CANNOT do when you are a direct prequel. Consistency is ... key, lest they feel utterly alien to each other. This anime uses a lighter, sometimes even childishly comedic tone, that does not mesh well with the tone conveyed in the original anime. I get whiplash when a tough man booms about ordering the killing billions of people in the worst war crime imaginable only for him to get comedically shocked by electricity with a stupid face. The subject matter does NOT match the vibe they are setting, to the point of parody. It is by far the most egregious thing this anime does. To make matters worse, the tone and vibe bounce up and down often like a yo-yo, rather than being consistent, leading to the anime feeling like it has a lack of identity and integrity. This problem does thankfully lessen the more episodes you watch, but it is still a problem even later in the anime. As much as I hate to say it, these two shows feel nothing alike. Especially if you watch them back-to-back like I did. It goes without saying, but this anime fails to achieve the same atmosphere that the original anime conveyed so brilliantly. It does manage to do so in some points, however.

The pacing is also extremely fast. You can barely wrap your head around one plot point before another three have already happened. It damages the immersion that the 79' anime had. Yes it is unfair to compare a long running anime to a one-off season of 13 episodes, but even for a 13 episode or 6 OVA episode series, it still feels very tight. Perhaps an extra few OVAs and episodes would help alleviate the tight pacing issue. Just like the tone contrast problem, this contrast between the original anime and the prequel is also egregious as it further alienates the two. A prequel should feel like an proper extension or beginning to its sequel series, but these two feel like they are set in two entirely separate universes. The fast pace harms the plot because nothing is built up properly, nor is there enough jumping between perspectives like how the original anime showcased the POVs of both the Federation and the Zeon Empire. This anime may be focused on the Zeon side, which I will praise later, but I still wanted more Federation viewpoints to immerse myself deeper into the conflict between the two sides.

I love that we got more backstory, this was exactly what I wanted from the original anime. However I just wish it was longer and properly paced to fit with the original anime. Still, the awesome reveals and the catalyst events that led to the start of the one-year war were brilliant and answered a lot of questions while changing my opinions on many characters for the better. Speaking of, a lot of characters feel either very similar or identical to their sequel counterparts, which I really enjoyed seeing. Alas, some characters are completely different, like Kycillia. She was a scheming femme fatale in the original anime, whether as she is an overbearing, female badass with an overwhelming aura of masculinity in this prequel. They don't feel like the same character, though this may be intentional as it is hinted she adopted her more submissive persona in order to curry favour with Gihren in order to sway things in her favour that she could not do while she remained in her aggressive and butch demeanour. If this is the case, then that is genuinely brilliant, however if it isn't, then I dislike that the two characters feel so different from each other, as it seems like lack of artistic integrity.

Char's excellent and fun to watch mindgames and intellect are on full display in this anime and I love it. He's an amazing and iconic character, but I still feel like I wish there were at least some mystery to his character. I loved every moment he was on screen after he fled his home and grew up. The anime's first episode might just be one of the worst episodes of anime I've ever seen (more on this later), however things REALLY begin to pick up after Casval adopts the identity of Char Aznable. The extra dimensions this anime gives many of its characters are great and totally put into perspective many of their actions in the sequel, which is also why I really liked the dynamics some characters had with each other in this anime, particularly the dynamic between Char and Garma. The reveal of what sparked the one year war and subsequent dooming of half the human population was incredible, it feels like it's actually built up like an real world war would be, and is one of the things that doesn't suffer from the build-up problem that this anime has. The implications it has on the character that was a catalyst for it and the emotions and burden they must be feeling for being responsible for such a heavy act totally puts into perspective the utter lengths that this character will go to in order to achieve their goal. It is one of the best things this anime does and is in keeping with the themes of the original anime.

One of the BEST things this anime does is portray the Federation in a bad light, or rather, in a an unbiased light. It tells a side of the war that the original anime did not, because we were biased by viewing it through the lens of the Federation army. The way this anime shows that there are no good guys in war and conquest is reminiscent of some of the themes from the original anime, while actually being a unique aspect we hadn't seen until now. It does suffer from the tone problem this anime presents because such atrocities are often muddied by extremely obvious and unwarranted comedic relief. The comedic relief in the original anime was subtle and few and far between, fitting for a war story. The way this anime handles comedic relief despite its abhorrent setting reminds me of a quote from Tim o' Brien:

"If a story seems moral, do not believe it. If at the end of a war story you feel uplifted, or if you feel that some small bit of rectitude has been salvaged from the larger waste, then you have been made the victim of a very old and terrible lie. There is no rectitude whatsoever. There is no virtue."

In a show where I just watched half of humanity die in front of my very eyes, I should not expect the creators to be trying to make me laugh.

War has no good guys. And the way this anime portrays that fact is one of the only ways this connects it to its father anime in terms of atmosphere and theming. I found myself rooting for the "bad guys" (Zeon) over the "good guys" (Federation). Sure, when the villain or antagonist is the main viewpoint of a piece of media, like the criminal you play as in "Grand Theft Auto" games, you don't typically root for the police or other standard good guys, do you? However despite the two sides being bad guys, the Federation are the lesser evil in this universe. Although I think it was an brilliant idea to have us root for the Federation's comeuppance by the Zeon Empire. Despite the Zeon's dictatorship and over-the-top evil nature, the Gundam universe has shown us definitively that at the end of the day, they are all human, and ultimately, that's the root of evil. Unlike animals, we don't act on instinct, we have the ability to freethink, and hence, evil is a human creation.

The "Origin" of many things in this anime are awesome. Full stop. Especially the Mobile suits. While it could've been longer, the introduction of the Mobile Suits into this universe was splendid. You can feel their impact immediately as humanity realises that the scope of war has now changed forever. Char's scenes with the mobile suit, despite seeming out of the blue that he has sudden mastery over it with no military Mobile Suit training realistically, are at least very epic.

The action is decent but mostly unmemorable, barring one or two amazing moments. The final battle is genuinely great however and features some incredible choreography. I don't have much to say on it honestly, It's just decent with some banger moments here and there.



Animation/Art/Music:


For someone who just came off of the 1979 original anime, the anime was instantly far too "clean" for me due to the contrast. But that's also just a problem that I have with modern anime in general. The contrast is my own fault for watching them back to back, but I still wished we had some sort of film grain in our anime these days to make it look less plastic. Alas, onto this section we go.

2D animation is just average, with some very small snippets of good animation here and there.

The CGI is not the best, particularly for a modern show. The worst thing about the Mecha genre after the late 2000's was the switch from 2D to CGI mechs. I cannot fathom why they would downgrade like this for no reason. It shows a lack of backbone. The crowd CGI is laughably bad, but at least the Mecha and vehicle CGI are pretty decent to actually good at times, but nowhere near as good as other shows like Chainsaw man or 86, though that may be a slightly unfair comparison since they came out a few years later. Still, the CGI can actually take away from the designs of the Mechas, particularly the "one eye" the Zeon Mobile suits have, as they are no longer shrouded in black, and instead, the CGI clearly shows that the "eye" is just a camera on a swivel, lessening the scary and oppressive design.

Music is either painfully generic or just painful, full stop. Some tracks are actually grating and insulting to the scene and audience with how poorly they are placed and composed to the point of parody. Many tracks fail to sell the scene, particularly the song at the end of episode one with the confrontation between Char and Kycillia, one of the reasons why I DESPISE that episode. There are VERY few tracks that are good. Considering how memorable the music from the original anime was, I see this as a massive downgrade.

The cinematography is usually really tight. So many scenes are just very close up shots that make it seem like characters are not even in the same room as another, or just standard camera work that loses the subtle brilliance of the camerawork did in the original anime that I forgot to mention in my review of that anime until I saw the juxtaposition from this anime. It's hard to explain, but when you watch the two side by side, you will see it too. The 79' anime gives so much more room for the characters to breathe, whether as Origin has usually claustrophobic camera work. Some of the battles have amazing choreography however.

From what I've seen, the anime adapts the manga pretty much page for page visually. I just wish they had stuck to the tone of the original anime in order to be more fluid and consistent.



Overall:

"Mobile Suit Gundam: Origin - Advent of the red comet" often doesn't feel like a direct prequel to the original anime, leaving me disappointed. However there are some brilliant aspects and moments in this anime that I am thankful I watched it for. The backstory and origin of so many things being revealed such as Char, the one-year war, and mobile suits, are incredible. But I don't think I can recommend this to anyone who isn't that attached to the Gundam franchise already. It's a good supplemental show, but I don't think it's strong enough to stand on its own, or even be enjoyed by someone with only fleeting interest in the franchise. Still, I'm glad I watched it, even if I couldn't stand some small parts of it and only found it to be highly decent overall.



Bonus:

This is my second GUNDAM anime, I watched it right after the original anime from 1979: "Mobile Suit Gundam". If I had watched this FIRST, I may have enjoyed the '79 anime less, because I'd go into the anime thinking that the franchise was supposed to be lighter in tone and vibe and to expect comedic relief despite the subject matter being so atrocious. So people's opinions on this anime may be different from mine depending if they saw it first or second, but most people would've seen it after the original anime.

I am not going to let this speedbump slow me down on my GUNDAM franchise binge! I really like this universe and find it promising, especially after the perfect character work of the original anime and my boy Char being a brilliant character. This anime had its moments, but it was a disappointment with some brilliant aspects to it.

Yes I uploaded this review twice, one for the TV version and one for the OVA version.

Animation: 6/10
Music: 3/10 (The OPs and EDs seem great though!)
Characters: 3-8/10 ( flip flops at the beginning :/ )
Plot: 8/10
Action: 6-7/10
Ending: 8/10


Overall: 6.6/10

Reviewer’s Rating: 6

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by _Lazaroth_ (49)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Sep 8, 2024

N_Erwann

Not Recommended

This serie is useless. As a Gundam fan, I can say it's useless.
Every Gundam series try to tell something, in the original trilogy, it's about the responsibilities of the first aggressor, the oppression of the new generation, the feeling of vengence, etc. In SEED it's about what's a human and that the most important are the feelings inside, in IBO it'll be about a life of battle that is better than a life of salvery, etc, etc.
What tells us THE ORIGIN? "Well, this is this guy and he is kinda crazy" Wow, awesome and you had nothing more? In this rich universe that is UC, ... there was nothing more? And this is the serie that is recommended by all these people to start the saga? Bullshit, you better use your time to watch the original serie or any other Gundam show that looks cool for you because this one is useless.
Plus, what is the point in making a modern looking serie for people who already don't want to watch old-style animation? Nah, just watch a modern Gundam, there's already plenty of them.

Reviewer’s Rating: 5

What did you think of this review?

Nice 0

Love it 0

Funny 0

Confusing 0

Informative 0

Well-written 0

Creative 0

More reviews by N_Erwann (2)

Show all

Read more

Show less

Open

Gift

Report

Yoshikazu Yasuhiko Directed Anime Watchlist

by TheCoolGuy82

8 Entries · 2 Restacks

Modern Anime Doesn't Suck

by Ash_li

50 Entries · 333 Restacks

3-9 episodes

by spuq

50 Entries · 73 Restacks

Compilation Trilogy for 'Kidou Senshi Gundam: The Origin' OVA Announced

The official website of the Kidou Senshi Gundam: The Origin (Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin) original video anime announced a three-part compilation movie on Monday...read more

Sep 2, 11:39 AM by Vindstot | Discuss (11 comments)

North American Anime & Manga Releases for July

Here are the North American anime & manga releases for July Week 1: July 2 - 8 Anime Releases Basilisk: Kouga Ninpou Chou Complete Collection Blu-ray (Anime Clas...read more

Jul 1, 2019 2:44 PM by Sakana-san | Discuss (2 comments)

	Poll: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Episode 2 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Fortress_Maximus - Oct 24, 2015	65 replies	by ForeverTraitor »» Nov 9, 2:44 PM
	Poll: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Episode 6 Discussion Led_Wayline - Aug 8, 2018	29 replies	by Beatnik »» Oct 7, 1:36 PM
	Poll: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Episode 5 Discussion ( 1 2 ) Tokoya - Sep 27, 2017	50 replies	by Beatnik »» Oct 7, 9:42 AM
	Poll: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Episode 4 Discussion Boltz - Nov 19, 2016	43 replies	by Beatnik »» Oct 7, 3:19 AM
	Poll: Mobile Suit Gundam: The Origin Episode 3 Discussion ( 1 2 ) zurgboy00 - May 21, 2016	68 replies	by Beatnik »» Oct 6, 12:13 PM

Top 16 Best Space Anime of All Time [Updated]

We all enjoy looking up at the night sky, and watching the stars. And quite often we wonder what exactly is going on...out there in deep space. Fortunately, there's a ton of excellent space anime which will clue us in and make our imaginations run wild!

by MisterD98

510,846 views

Collection

The Timelines of Gundam: Ultimate Beginner's Guide

Gundam is one of the largest anime franchises today, made up of more than a dozen TV shows, as well as movies, OVAs, and more. With so many stories split up into multiple timelines, it can be tough to know where to start. But don't worry. This comprehensive Gundam guide will help light your way.

by NicWat10

549,889 views

RecommendationCollectionActionSci-fi