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Mar 7, 2025
You know how in romance shows 90% of the issues are communication errors that all could be solved because people won't just be honest with each other? That is the first half of this show, except not to do with romance, to do with the main plot and story.
20 Episodes in and both Holland and Talho have still told our protagonist absolutely nothing about his sister, father or who Eureka is. In fact, they don't even tell her who or what she really is. And it causes a multitude of issues. At one point we have an episode about the 'Coralian' but once again, only
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2 characters actually know what it is and won't tell anyone what it means or of the danger anyone is in or what is going on. Corin Nander and his two friends who become vital to the story later on also do not really get an introduction here.
Our protagonist himself is also a really stupid annoying kid, and I say this as someone who has watched nearly every Gundam series. Yes, there are far worse mecha protagonists out there (especially in the bad Gundam shows), but this one annoys me in a disappointing way. Because there are times when he grows and has some incredible moments. Episode 15 was a standout for me and gave me hope for his growth as a character, but then after that, he goes right back to being stupid. It's annoying because there are a lot of shades of a great character here, and the other thing holding him back is the other characters. Because nobody tells him anything that is going on, he is clueless and ignorant and nearly gets himself and other people killed. And most of this isn't even his own fault, it is that of the writer and the characters for not telling him anything. And that's what is disappointing, it feels like he is purposefully being held back by a writing decision as opposed to just being a bad-written character.
Thankfully, in the second half of the series pretty much everyone becomes much better characters and a lot of these flaws are no longer present.
A bit before episode 30 the series changes and starts to actually lock in and get serious. Charles and Ray were great characters with a good arc, Rentons grandfather got an amazing moment too.
The second half of the series is a much higher quality and the story feels like it matters, there are genuine stakes and it does lead to an interesting and emotional conclusion.
Seeing the development of our male and female leads, as well as Holland, Anemone and Dominic was a joy. And I am happy with the ending each character got to their arcs and how they changed throughout the show's runtime.
Watching Eureka slowly change her from human-like to more alien, and seeing how her love interest and the kids reacted to that and accepted her was a heartwarming moment. A key theme for this show is acceptance and joining together as one and I think it tackles this in a unique and thought-provoking way.
The primary human antagonist was not a very interesting villain, however, and mainly served to add depth to Anemone and Holland's characters. As his own character, he was unfortunately pretty flat.
If you cut this show's runtime by about 30-40% and put more time into the characters and heavy themes, as well as present us with a slightly better villain, this show could have been an easy 10. Unfortunately, when the first 20 episodes of your show answer 0 questions and are something you have to get through to get to the real meal, it does hold the show back from a higher rating. Still extremely enjoyable and fun regardless!
Reviewer’s Rating: 8
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Mar 7, 2025
The concept of a world ruined and destroyed by war is a strong setting, and while Turn A still handles this concept in a more unique way than any anime out there, After War Gundam X still manages to tell an impactful and enjoyable story, with a great message and a lovable cast. The only thing really holding this show back is the first 10 or so episodes of the show.
After War Gundam X was intended to be a 50-episode show but got cancelled so the full story was put into 39 episodes instead. You would think this would make the pacing worse but in
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fact it has the opposite effect, most fans say they prefer the second half of the show as a lot more happens at a good pace. The middle part of this show onwards is absolutely spectacular and makes you think that if they intended for it to be a shorter show from the start, it could have been a genuine masterpiece.
There are some very strong themes and ideas presented in this world. The captain of the ship has a phobia of piloting due to PTSD from being one of the people who pulled the trigger on a terrible nuclear-level weapon during the Great War. The idea of both sides of the war deciding it is better to kill each other and wipe each other out rather than end the conflict, and how this affected all the inhabitants of planet Earth. While there is a new Federation Government movement, the Earth still has only like 50 million people as opposed to billions, and the majority of the population is living in poverty or are Vultures (scavengers, similar in concept to that in the SEED Astray Manga) using weapons and technology left over from the war to survive. The search for Newtypes is a way to take power back again and gain control of what is left of humanity. There are so many different smaller factions and groups that all have their own motivations and story and it creates a feeling of the world being real. You would think this is all too much to tell in a 39-episode time frame, but the show manages to do it by having some big overarching plot but a multitude of small arcs usually 2-4 episodes in length, each one with a new message and story to tell.
Unfortunately, this doesn't include the first 9 episodes. The first 9 episodes follow a 'Newtype of the week' formula, introducing many forgettable characters such as large armies of vultures that I do not know if we even got the names of before they all died to our protagonist. Who at this early point in the story basically solves every issue with the Satellite Canon armed Gundam. This weapon creates a microwave blast that causes devastating damage, possibly surpassing that of a Mega Particle Cannon found on a Space Assault Carrier or Battleship. Damage only a Gundam like the Turn A or the nuclear weapon-armed GP02 could do. We are introduced to a character who has PTSD from using this weapon 15 years ago when the highest level of genocide in this world's history happened. And a Newtype girl who feels the spiritual and psychic death of everyone who gets eradicated by this blast. And yet, basically, every other episode they resort to using this weapon to save the day and succeed in their battle. Are we overwhelmed with enemies? let's use the Satellite System. There's a big mobile armour? Let's use the Satellite System. Are we too slow to outrun this blast? Let's use the Super-microwave energy beam from you guessed it, the Satellite System. Thankfully, as previously stated, this problem goes away after the first 10 episodes, when the show starts to get heavier and think about the repercussions of things like this.
Episode 11 onwards the show takes a massive jump in quality and the tone gets more serious. We are introduced and expanded on Newtypes as well as cyber newtypes and human experimentation. We are shown a world where a lot of people are not 100% certain of their cause and are still trying to find their place of belonging. And we are even treated to a beautiful episode fleshing out the two other pilots who aren't the protagonists. From then on the show proceeds to tackle heavier themes such as animal poaching, animal experimentation, power struggles and the struggle of being a soldier where you have little control over the commands of the higher-ups. And even race wars between nations of different beliefs and backgrounds.
Instead of one-off Vultures that we are introduced to in an episode and then are killed the episode after or in the same episode, we are given more characters who take a larger role in the story and they are all given somewhat interesting arcs. In fact, pretty much every character that I did not like at first became a character I was invested in over the course of the story. This show has a much bigger and better cast than you are led to believe at the start. The two pretty girls who help with the ship are full-on characters with their own arcs, and the romance subplots for most characters are also handled well. It's much better than the Gundam shows that came before.
There are many remnants from the war 15 years ago, and you see how it affects each character in their own way. And how the younger cast who weren't around for that awful dark time for humanity can affect and bring hope to the older generation who have known nothing but despair.
The final arc for this series really solidified this as one of my favourite anime and one of the best Gundam series. Seeing the cast all fight to get our protagonist into space to save Tifa had me stressed out and cheering them on. And then watching a character who they had an effect on in early arcs of the show come up to save them hit me emotionally and showed just how impactful all the cast's actions are on the supporting characters and the world in general. Garrod and Tifa
Garrod taking down an entire space laser and making a colony stand down after tricking them into giving Tifa back was a power move and in character for him, this is one of the many moments that solidifies him as one of the most badass and likeable protagonists in the series. He does what he wants and he doesn't take shit from anyone. I will never forget when Ennil made a move on him and he shot her, he wasn't having any of that, hilarious. But not just him, the entire cast is likeable and gets their own arcs throughout the show's runtime, and all are handled with care.
The finale was special. And how this show concluded the war between both factions and found an answer to Newtypes, is an ending I will never forget. This rivals Turn A and Unicorn for the best end to a Gundam series, and not just Gundam, but all anime. The smile on my face as we skipped forward 6 months and seeing how everything wrapped up was one very few shows have ever managed to make me feel. I absolutely adore this show and this will always be one of my favourites, I am so glad I gave it a go.
Now we just need Bandai to remember it exists so we can get some actual model kits for the Gundam and Mobile Suits in the series
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Mar 6, 2025
DO NOT WATCH THIS PLEASE WATCH THE ORIGINAL SERIES IT IS A MASTERPIECE!
As if the first film wasn't criminal enough in cutting important content. This film starts off already in space after a multitude of events have happened, meaning it literally skips like 10 episodes.
The Adeskan people and the orbital elevator are completely skipped and not in this film. Removing one of the best and most thought-provoking arcs. Not only that but removing this arc as well as the episodes following it means we have no idea how our protagonists even got into space in the first place.
This also means Corin Nander's story is
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skipped, and even more unforgivable than that, Teteth's character has been removed from the show entirely. She had her one moment in the first film but we never got to see the resolution to her story or her death, she was just cut and forgotten.
Kafka and Muron are also given much less screen time which really hurts the characters, as in the original they don't have a lot to begin with but they still grow on you as you watch them grow as people.
The scene with Harry taking Kihel was changed and shortened however this change was actually for the better in my opinion, as it makes it more clear that he had no intent to harm her. This was the only okay change, unfortunately.
How the people of Earth even landed and were allowed on the moon was also cut completely. This means episode 40 is also cut which is a vital moment for the people of the moon being reunited with Dianna and Loran. As well as a conflict with Sweatson who is basically a background character and not a key figure like he was in the actual series.
Because Guin and Loran (along with the rest of the cast) got way less time to develop as characters, his betrayal and Loran's reaction didn't feel earned and this arc was rushed too, only lasting a few minutes.
The building of the Almaiya as well as the moonrace people coming out of their pods and Dianna rallying them was cut completely, instead jumping to them already being on the ship and landing on Earth.
Sweatson being killed by his supposed ally was also meaningless in this film because both characters had barely any screen or development time.
Thankfully, the stunning visuals and soundtrack from the original show are still present and will leave you in awe. The ending sequence showing what happens to everyone after the war is not cut and is shown in full. This film is carried heavily by the quality of the source material but did nothing transformative or to improve on it, instead just taking away from it. Please, watch the original show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 5
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Feb 17, 2025
DO NOT WATCH THIS PLEASE WATCH THE ORIGINAL SERIES IT IS A MASTERPIECE!
Gundam has a history of bad compilation movies. Both Gundam and Zeta were around 50 episodes and each got a trilogy of films that missed an extreme amount of important content, the Zeta films were especially outrageous. So turning this 50-episode show into just 2 movies was already a recipe for disaster.
Turn A Gundam in my opinion is one of the greatest anime series of all time and should be watched in its entirety.
The speed this film moves at is insane. You will see 10 seconds or so of a scene from an
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episode and it will cut to the next scene and then repeat, so many cuts.
The characters are not introduced, we are just thrown into the story without any setup. The relationships are also affected by this as a lot of them do not feel as genuine or earned as they do in the series.
The Moonrace and Earth's communication and invasion was cut extremely short. The meeting between Dianna Counter and Guin's people was also rushed to save time. Episode 8 is completely missing and this in my opinion was one of the best episodes in any Gundam series and it has a major turning point for our protagonist that we do not see here.
Episodes 13 and 14 are also skipped and this might be the most criminal change of them all. Cutting out Will Game as a character entirely is a choice that also removes a vital development point for Dianna and to an extent Loran. This also means Teteth's proper introduction is skipped.
Lily Borjano is also hardly present in this movie which is worrying considering how an important character she is to the story. And Sochies character is done a major disservice in this as her romance subplots are barely touched upon yet we still have the second person she fell for die and it is nowhere near as impactful as in the show.
Fortunately, Turn A Gundam is such incredible source material that we still have some of the heavy scenes even if they are rushed and worse here. Sochie burying her father is still present. Dianna posing as Kihel breaking down in front of the grave is still there and impactful.
The visuals are still spectacular too, as is the soundtrack. And the final fight sequences as well as the later arc with the nuclear bomb were still an insane spectacle.
This film is carried heavily by the quality of the source material, there is no proper reason to watch this over the superior 50-episode series which is genuinely incredible
Reviewer’s Rating: 6
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Feb 10, 2025
Turn A Gundam -
Victory walked (well, more like drowned) so Turn-A could not just run, but go into space. The idea of using older technology and stuff like helicopters was wasted and not used to its potential in Victory. After apologising for that mess of a show, you can tell that Tomino had something to prove with this, and boy did he succeed.
This is a completely original and different series, not just for Gundam but for all sci-fi. I cannot think of another piece of fantasy media that has so seamlessly combined older technologies from the 1930s, like Biplanes, with futuristic mecha and robots.
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The stark contrast between the Earth inhabitant's technology and the Moonrace's makes for great visuals and an interesting world.
As the episodes continued, I kept pleading, please, Tomino, don't ruin this. Don't throw in some weird uncomfortable shit like in all of the 90s Gundam series. Please, no sexism, no woman-hating, no weird cuck arc, no woman who joins the opposing side and simps for a genocide enjoyer, etc... But it never came. The curse is broken. The only weird thing in this show is the protagonist being a femboy and some characters wanting him to be a girl but that doesn't take away anything from the show and is only a minor complaint thankfully.
Episode 8 was a turning point for me. I think this was when I knew, this show was going to be something special, something different. It was when the show started to really hone in on the ambiguity and just how morally complex humans are and war is. Instead of being robotic spies, the people who were sent to scope out Earth actually felt happy in their new home and grew attached to the people there. I don't know how else to put this except, the characters in this show all feel human. Whether it be the angry citizens for losing their homes, the soldiers going against their chain of command fueled by vengeance, the people who just want a place to belong, or those who want peace, every character in this world feels alive and complex, and has their own story. At the end of episode 8, Loran reveals who he is to the world and at this point I realised, this show was something special.
By the midpoint of the story, the cast has already grown an insane amount, especially the girls who swapped places. Both of them have faced many new harsh realities and had a major effect on those around them as well.
Universal Century has not handled nuclear weapons very well. Usually, they use other things such as gassing and the big Colony Drop, as more of a metaphor for Nukes. The nuclear-armed Gundam in Stardust Memory was hardly part of the plot, one was used in an episode of 0079 but was stopped by Amuro, and there was one in Zeta Gundam that was used in an impactful way, even if the build-up to it was a bit out of nowhere. But no UC Gundam had really focused and handled the topic with care before this point. Turn A does and it does it magnificently. We really get to see the terror up close and watch it divide people, scare people and change people. And bring to light humanity's true colours. The only other Gundam series to do this is surprisingly, SEED.
Gundam SEED's entire war was started after a rogue extremist faction of Earth used nuclear missiles to destroy a colony. And its conflict in the second half becomes a fight of two radicalised factions in an arms race with each other, while many create a third faction wanting peace, and rebel in their respective armies. I believe the main inspiration for this was Turn A Gundam. It's fitting that the last Gundam to be painted on cels was to be followed by the first digital-coloured series (SEED), which would also inspire it in a big way. The discovery in Turn A Gundam that the end to the war was nuclear weapons (later to be revealed to also be the Gundam), that caused damage so irreparable that many people fled to live on the moon for 2000 years to let the Earth heal, assuming most had gone extinct, and the people who remained on there would have to start from the beginning again. At the start of this series, you see everyone on earth is in technology that barely compares with the early 1920s of our time, and the revelation is this is because the damage from the war long ago was so devastating it sent humanity's progress back in time is an extremely powerful and well-written message.
There's another thing Turn A handles better than the rest of UC Gundam too, small tribes, religion and their people. Gundam ZZ massively failed with the Moon Moon episodes, and we don't even need to mention Reconguista in G, but Turn A succeeded in this and was handled with care. Because the Dark History (the history that led to Earth's initial ruin) is mostly unknown, it led to many smaller groups and factions forming their own beliefs and systems. Our protagonist was part of one that worshipped a statue, not knowing the statue itself was a Gundam the whole time. In episodes 32 and 33 we are introduced to the Adeskan people, a small tribe of people who built a religion based on the Orbital Elevator, calling it the 'Ades Tree.' These people have survived since before the catastrophic world-changing war started, their goal is to prevent another calamity. Based on the giants (mobile suits) lights in the sky and the sky turning red (all of the explosions including nukes) that brought ruin to Earth. The designs are original too, the Adeskan king wears a crown which is a Mayan take on an astronaut helmet. This arc also allows us to see even older technology like spears and archery used vs mobile suits, something you will not see in any other Gundam series.
This arc is one of many that have showcased how differently war affects everyone in this living and breathing world. At this point in the story, Guin is becoming more ambitious and ruthless, Dianna Counter has been overtaken and the queen has lost her power. The people in this world are all driven by their own goals and have their own stories.
Episodes 43 and 44 in which the Dark History was finally revealed to the people of Earth and the Moonrace gave me chills. Seeing all these famous events and conflicts from the Universal Century, and showing that the Turn A nearly wiped out all of mankind on Earth. And from then on it becomes a battle to try and stop history repeat itself and break the endless cycle of human conflict. The Climax of this series is so insanely good it gives Unicorn a run for its money.
The action is some of the best in all of Gundam and to be honest for me personally, all of anime. The contrast and difference in machinery and eras is something you won't see anywhere else. And seeing mechs and soldiers fight on the moon in a limited fashion trying their best to limit casualties and damage to the city isn't something we really see focused on in most shows of this genre.
In the final episode, we cut to a time skip, showing us how everyone is living their lives now that everything is over. Very little dialogue is said from this point, just music as you watch the conclusion. And I don't know why but just seeing everyone together, had me crying until the credits rolled. Unicorn is the only other Gundam to have an ending that leaves me this happy and complete. The conclusion to this show is one of my favourites in all of anime. This is without a doubt, the best thing Tomino has ever worked on, and is a show I will remember for the rest of my life.
Reviewer’s Rating: 10
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Jan 23, 2025
(Make sure you still watch the original series first. As these movies do miss out a lot. However, unlike the first two, I can recommend you watch this one afterwards as it presents us with an alternate ending and some better action. And maybe watch the new scenes from the second movie but skip the rest of it too).
The meeting with Axis and Haman is cut short. Char already had barely any screen time in the previous two movies, which makes this a poor choice. The second meeting with Haman is also worse as the moment of Char having to beg Haman for help is
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cut short, once again, making his character less developed than in the show.
Similar to most characters, Reccoa got much less time in this trilogy than the anime so her change to go simp for the Scirocco on the opposing side seems even more dumb than it did in the original. She still goes on to the conclusion of 'I hate all men, men are bad' blah blah, what a waste of a character.
There is a character who is handled better in this movie trilogy though, Fa. In the previous film, they gave her and Kamille some much-needed relationship-building moments. And in this film, they are closer than in the anime as well. This makes their relationship at the end of Zeta and during ZZ onwards a lot more believable, as Kamille is less cold to her and she is more affectionate to him. They also remove the sexist weak woman subplot in which Bright refuses to let Fa pilot things because she is bad at it, and this is a change for the better in my opinion. Along with that, Fa is given more time to shine in the action as well.
Sarah is even less of a character in these movies than she was in the anime. However, I think giving Sarah and Katz less time was intentional, as rather than taking on the task of trying to flesh the characters out they purposefully gave them less screen time. However, this does make Katz's and Sarah's deaths even more comical than they already were.
Thankfully, Zeta's epic finale is still intact, with a great showdown in the theatre and then in space. In fact, we get new animation and a longer fight that makes Kamille's final fight with Scirocco a more fun and pleasing spectacle.
After the war is finished, we are given new scenes showing us how other characters such as Mirai, Amuro, Sayla and Kai are doing, as well as all the survivors from the battle. We are then treated to Tomino's alternate happier ending to Zeta. Rather than getting PTSD, going into shock and becoming disabled for half of ZZ, Kamille is fully intact and we get him and Fa reuniting after the battle is over. An emotional happy moment of the two of them together, floating and crying in space with joy. I absolutely adore this ending and much prefer how their relationship was treated in these movies. As a celebration of the 25th anniversary of Gundam and the 20th anniversary of Zeta, I acknowledge and appreciate this happy alternate ending.
Reviewer’s Rating: 7
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Jan 22, 2025
DO NOT WATCH THIS, WATCH THE ANIME SERIES.
And we are back again, and the skipping from the first film continues here and is just as outrageous. Beltrochika's introduction was extremely condensed. Her relationship and introduction to and with Amuro are basically not there, which is an insult considering she is the canon mother to his child in Char's Counterattack novel. It also skips a lot of Amuro's internal struggle to decide to fight again.
Kamille is once again given less time to shine and develop versus how he did in the anime series. And Katz, who was already one of the weakest written characters in the
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show, gets even less development here. Sarah suffers a similar issue and is even less developed than before. In fact, they give her more moments to make her appear even more like an asshole and less human, which is a completely wrong decision in my opinion. They give her a new scene where she is kind to the children and says she will protect them, as she then proceeds to abandon them to join the opposing force. Making an already unlikeable character whose one personality trait was she was a simp for one of the antagonists even more unlikeable, what a bold writing choice.
The trip to space as well as the trip to Tokyo all happens in the first 10 minutes. Beltorchika's initial dialogue with Kamille is not here. Mirai's introduction and meeting with Amuro is completely skipped, as is meeting Luio & Co. Stephanie Luio is just on board the ship and with the crew now and it is not explained as we never got her introduction. Mirai's kidnapping is also completely removed. Four and Kamille's introduction is also short and their relationship gets less time just like Amuro and Beltorchika's.
The Psycho Gundam Tokyo climax was also shortened and less impactful. We barely see any of the impact or repercussions of what happened. Instead, we cut to the next confrontation with the Psycho Gundam. We also skip all the crucial dialogue with Amuro, Char and Kamille explaining Lala, Newtypes and the special connection Kamille has with Four.
There is one more major change in this arc, Four's death. She is shot in the head and dies immediately instead of the shoulder and slowly dying while trying to keep going. This removes all the moments of her struggle, her final words and her conversation with Kamille. This makes one of Kamille's main turning points much less impactful and is a disgrace. Making her death more violent would have been fine in theory, as long as we still got to see her fighting for him and believing in her feelings for him, but we got none of that.
There is, however, one change that is for the better. Fa and Kamille's relationship is given some much-needed scenes that the original show was lacking. Their relationship feels more believable. Instead of hugging after reuniting they awkwardly try and kiss but both have helmets on so it is a mess and they laugh about it together. This change was nice and one of the changes fans actually asked for. If the whole film was giving us what we wanted instead of removing key story moments then it could have been great.
Captain Bright's breakdown in his room alone in reaction to his video message from his kids was completely removed and instead, we get him watching it with headphones on in a meeting for like 2 seconds and then it cuts off. Just like with the first movie, and like most of the cast, his character arc is mostly missing from this film.
The combination of new and old animation was also a lot more noticeable in this film. A scene where some mobile suits showed up happened and then in the next frame they were completely different colours and different details and I had to pause because it caught me off-guard.
Watch the scene of Fa and Kamille reuniting, and skip the rest of this film, a waste of time, please watch the anime series instead, the anime is iconic and is one of the most beloved in all of Gundam.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jan 22, 2025
DO NOT WATCH THIS, WATCH THE ANIME SERIES.
I was not going in with high hopes, as I was told this compilation trilogy is jarring and adds new animation to some parts but doesn't remaster the full thing, so it was going to be inconsistent. But it wasn't as bad as everyone made it out to be, at least in this movie anyway. That being said a lot of the action sequences seemed rushed and it felt like they added even more camera shake effects (when there was already too much in the original). 80% of the action has your screen shaking and it is offputting
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to me.
I also wasn't prepared, for just how much is skipped. And this film skipped and cut A LOT. Kamilles' introduction is missing vital parts that cause Jerid's hatred for him. Fa, Captain Bright and Emma's introductions were also shortened, none for the better.
Kamille's parents have even less development and the death of his mother is extremely rushed. Which adds to his rivalry with Jerid being even less believable. The plot with his dad was completely changed to a much shorter version, which also makes his dad out to be even more evil than before. Removing this subplot also means Emma's character is basically skipped entirely. We miss out on her struggle and moral compass, on her going against orders and joining the AEUG.
The scene where Char's name is first mentioned to Kamille is also changed, less impactful and then cuts to characters going to get lunch.
The heaviest part of Zeta's first act is also removed. The one where they visit a colony that had been wiped out and see all the remains of the inhabitants. Instead, they show Emma a video of it on a laptop for 2 minutes. And then they move on.
The entire Jaburo arc is cut down to 20 minutes and so much is skipped I honestly don't know where to start. Not only does this miss out on giving Kamille and Char development, but it also gives us a weaker and shorter introduction for Amuro, Katz, Kai and Hayato.
Kamilles whole struggle as a character throughout the first quarter of the show is about whether he even wants to be a soldier or not and how he is hesitant to join the war, but in this, he proudly deems himself one to Fa and has no struggle at all, a complete change in character.
The music was okay but I have 0 other things to praise. The final sequence changes with Amuro and Char were neat, that's about it. There is no reason whatsoever to watch this recap movie, it is an inferior and far worse version of the original show.
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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Jan 19, 2025
A lot of the complaints from the previous movies and the original anime series are still present here.
The Towasanga faction characters are still underdeveloped and we do not care about them. There's a character called Rockpie who dies in the first 15 minutes and we know literally nothing about him whatsoever outside of he had a girlfriend called Mashner. Mashner is another character we also know nothing about besides the fact she wore big earrings and loved Rockpie. She also dies later on in the film, along with the crew on her ship, who we know nothing about. These characters were given too much
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screen time for characters with 0 backstory or substance whatsoever. This applies to every character from Towasanga except Raraiya (even then, she is pretty underdeveloped and is mostly just a trope character).
The G-IT Laboratory characters don't really get any story or extra moments too. All of them are flat and I don't even know their names. I remember one had pink hair and that is about it. They smile and enjoy their first battle as they slaughter a ship of Towasangans,, and they hang around Captain Mask now, but that's about it. There is no actual personality there.
Once again, time is also wasted on Bellris love for his sister. He freaks out when she calls him 'Bell' and the other girls freak out about it too. You'd think after the other film where he cried in the forest after finding out his crush is his biological sister, they'd drop this weird stuff and instead flesh out and give more screen time to his relationship with Nodero. But no, as with tradition in UC Gundam, he has to have a childhood friend who loves him and he ignores and treats her like shit. Whether it be Victory, 0079, Zeta or ZZ, it seems they never stop this trope.
However, there is a relationship that gets more focus in the film version. 'Captain Mask' and Mannys is slightly more developed, they get a few more moments together and lines of dialogue. We get more reasoning behind Luin Lee's hatred for Bellri, even if it is mostly stupid. Even Manny says he's being unreasonable and jumping to conclusions but he doubles down. I understand he is supposed to be from a race of people that have faced discrimination, but it is handled poorly and he just comes across as the type of angry hater who would leave mean comments on someone's YouTube video. During his confrontation with our protagonist, he basically calls him racist or classist and makes an assumption he is 'looking down on him' even though at 0 points in the series has Bell ever done anything to come across that way. And Manny is still another dumb girl who will go around and kill people she doesn't know, in a war she doesn't care about just to impress the guy she likes (just like Quess, Katejina and the other poorly written UC girls before her).
This is the final arc and the final film, and SU-Cordism is still hardly touched upon. I know Gundam in general has not had much success when handling religious and cult themes (outside of the Thunderbolt manga which is amazing), but I would have liked to see them at least try. The concept was introduced at the start and not really used since, outside of the Pope who is constantly passed around through every ship just sitting and doing nothing. We could have given time to focus on humanity on Earth's reactions to the taboo being broken and the truth behind the photon batteries and the Venus Globe. But like the overwhelming amount of characters, factions and ideas introduced, it is underused and just adds more to the list of things in this show that are lacking in depth. It feels like they tried to add way too many ingredients to the pan, it was overflowing, but then hardly cooked any of it at all.
The action is still plagued by constant camera or screen-shake effects that make you dizzy and are offputting. And the G-self is still the most overpowered Mech in the universe so there is never any concern for the protagonist losing in any capacity.
The characters are so aware of the protagonist being overpowered and 'lucky' that Captain Mask and Manny literally complain to him in battle that they are tired of him winning and everything going his way. Sol was I, the viewer. At one point Bellri was about to get shot and die but he's so 'lucky' that a bird flew in the way and made the gun miss.
The finale is still as stupid as in the original show. He talk no jutsus and ends all war in the universe by just asking people to stop. And just like the show it skips to everyone immediately being happy and okay with each other, like nothing happened. No explanation. 500 years of war ended with a kid saying 'please stop fighting' and everyone is friends now.
The only change real change in the ending is post credit sequence that shows Bell doesn't abandon Noredo and actually comes back for her. You know, that relationship that we got barely any time on cuz they wasted 80% of the story of him chasing after his biological sister instead of his childhood sweetheart. That being said, the ending of him with Noredo was nice and shows what we could have had if this series wasn't a complete mess.
Reviewer’s Rating: 3
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Jan 15, 2025
And the cringe continues. Just like the last movie we once again see our protagonist crying over the fact he fell 'in love' with his sister.
And just like before, we still have a really underdeveloped supporting cast, with too many factions and characters to keep even trying and care about them as a viewer. I was hoping the G-IT Laboratory and Towasanga characters would get development this time around, but that was wishful thinking. We still know very little and do not care about half of the cast, and they keep introducing more characters even at this late point in the series.
The stupid fight
...
by the Ocean Ring is also unchanged. All parties are required to avoid gunfire and using weapons near its exterior, as it could endanger hundreds of thousands of lives. Despite this, a character does and causes a hole in the colony which could wipe out all the inhabitants. He then decides he did a bad thing and sacrifices himself to fix the hole, the hole that HE MADE, he is the one who put everyone in danger in the first place. Who is this man? And who are his companions? I have no idea because they get 0 development or backstory.
However, it is not all doom and gloom, the latter half of this movie is entirely original. A big change from the series which gives us a much more cohesive and interesting battle than what was going on at this point in the anime series. The action itself still isn't anything special and is plagued by the camera-shake effect but it is still the largest-scale battle in the series and slightly memorable.
Unfortunately, it ends abruptly as the G-self is given a new weapon that just Thanos snaps everything it touches and disintegrates them with his new weapon called 'photon torpedoes.' So just like usual, the battle had no stakes because the protagonist's mobile suit was too overpowered.
That being said, this moment gives us the best scene in the series. We watch Bellri our 'hero' just wipe from existence an entire force by himself and he gets to see all the remains of the mobile suits and hear the echoes of all the people he has killed and have a breakdown. This is the only part of Reconguista that had emotional weight to it and it sucks that we didn't get more moments like this.
We also get a new and improved fight between Bellri and 'Captain Mask.' The beam saber usage is visually appealing and this is by far the best fight in Reconguista as a whole. We also get slightly more time dedicated to Manny, but both herself and her love interest are still lacking in development.
The last third of this film is new and different and for the better. This is the only film so far to be a major improvement on the original. That being said, it is still Reconguista and not on par with any other UC Gundam series outside of the other famous low points (IGLOO, Victory, ZZ etc).
Reviewer’s Rating: 4
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