THIS IS AN ANIME ONLY DISCUSSION POST. DO NOT DISCUSS THE MANGA BEYOND THIS EPISODE.
----------------------------------------
The main problem this movie faces is that it just isn't nearly as good as December Sky. I still think Bandit Flower is an impressive film that is a good addition to the Gundam franchise.
Gundam Thunderbolt was able to deliver again some amazing action sequences. I was able to import the 4K version and I was extremely impressed. I was also impressed that Bandit Flower is exploring a time period that isn't well developed from what I can tell. I always wondered by the Titans formed out of the Earth Federation after the One Year War, but Bandit Flower is doing a good job showing that the Earth Federation wasn't as victorious as it felt after watching the original Gundam.
The main problem with Bandit Flower is that the movie decided to make no attempts to progress the story. December Sky endeavored to tell a complete story from beginning to end, while Bandit Flower was a 90 minute hype video for the next movie. This is one of the few times where I wish there was an exposition dump, because it wasn't clear what was even going on for most of it. I still don't know why the Earth Federation and the Zeon Remanent fought each other in what I assume was the antarctic. It looked like they just needed a battle for the movie. It was also frustrating that movie didn't bother to provide answers until the last scene. It took all this time for everyone to finally learn what was at stake.
My biggest issue is that the movie wastes Io Fleming and Daryl Lorenz. Their duel was the central line through December Sky, but now they're just there doing action stuff. Neither of them really developed in the movie, and the only interesting thing is that both are still caught by the women of their past. That's a really cool thing, but I don't feel it was strong enough as its own thing.
I don't quite know what to think about Bianca Carlyle. She's the only new character I found particularly interesting, but she isn't explored. Her tattoos were an awesome symbol to show that there is much more about her than we've seen, and she has good chemistry with Io that was interesting to watch. I particularly enjoyed Cornielius's reactions. There is tremendous potential for some awesome plot points with her, but it looks like that will have to wait for the next movie. |