Well, that is a way to start a show.
The Gundam Franchise has become a staple of Japanese Culture. It is the anime responsible for making giant robots fighting each other, a thing. By this point, the franchise is nearly 40 years old and today it is still culturally relevant with each new entry selling head and shoulders above its peers. My most recent foray into the past was with the original Mobile Suit Gundam released in 1979. It was a good show but was weighed down by pacing issues and the concept of ‘Newtypes’ that I did not feel was sufficiently explained. Going into Zeta Gundam, I have anticipated it being much darker than its predecessor as it is this series where Gundam creator, Yoshiyuki Tomino, gained the nickname ‘Kill’em All Tomino’. Zeta Gundam is dark but I have to say, it is probably one of the strangest anime I have seen thus far.
It is the year 0087 UC, 8 years after the end of Earth Federation’s war the Principality of Zeon. The Earth Federation became corrupted due to their complacency during the aftermath of the war and founded a Group called the Titans, an elite task force whose sole purpose is the decimation of the remnants of the Zeon Empire. They are known for their cruelty and take advantage of their position to attain anything they desire. In response, a rebel group called the AEUG is formed with its sole purpose being the destruction of the Titans and to attain rights for the Spacenoids. The story follows a young man named Kamille Bidan, who is dragged into the AEUG and tries to discover what is principles truly are and his place in this galaxy of war.
A major difference between Zeta Gundam and the original Gundam is its sense of scale. The original Gundam felt much more expensive due to the battles being held with battalions and large numbers of soldiers. Zeta Gundam’s story is told during skirmishes and covert ops which make the sense of scale smaller and allows a much more intimate story. The lack of a singular goal in the narrative may make the plot feel meandering but too much surprise, the story is well told to an extent. Time never feels wasted and nothing drags along like in the original Gundam. But my main issue with the story has to be its pacing. The show moves along so fast, scene transitions come off abrupt and may leave a bad taste in your mouth. The pacing also removes some of the impacts of the deaths of some important characters and how they impact other characters. It felt rather jarring. And there are moments where the execution of more series scenes made me laugh due to the poor visual execution of the scene or the sequence of events leading up to it.
One of the strangest things about Zeta Gundam is, there are some heartfelt moments in here. I never thought Tomino was capable of that kind of sentimentality in his anime. There are at least one or two moments in this show where characters just ruminate on events and you can feel the pathos. These moments are some of the best in the show. And the ending is probably one of the most empty and borderline nihilistic and bleak outlooks I have seen in a show since texhnolyze. Hell, the last 10 episodes are such an insane whirlwind of emotions.
The cast of Zeta Gundam is indeed the crux of the show, more specifically, the main character Kamille Bidan. I have never met a character more selfish, reckless, petty, brash and stupid as him. And yet, I have never been more enamored with a character like this. Although he is all these things, he always maintains a strong sense of self and principle throughout the main experiences he has in the story. He is probably one of the least likable characters in an anime that I had to watch, yet I like him nonetheless.
The cast is just as vain as Kamille which will leave you grating your teeth in rage at any moment. During my first watch through of the show, I hated it. I did not understand why these characters were so selfish and illogical, until I decided to think it over. All the characters in this show are written in a specific way and every action, even illogical, is a byproduct of their own personality. The characters behave in selfish ways because that is who they are; it is not because the plot dictates them to behave that way. By understanding that, it made my appreciation of the show that much greater.
Characters from the original Mobile Suit Gundam make their appearance as well. Char Aznable returns and we are able to get a deeper look into his character than ever before. Behind the man known as the infamous Red Comet, is someone who is strongly principled and wants to live life on his own terms and no one else. His longtime rival, Amuro Ray, makes a return and his character arc is perhaps my favorite in the show. He struggles with PTSD from the One Year War and makes him fearful to pilot a mobile suit. There was a particular scene where he begins trembling as he goes to pilot a mobile. Zeta is sprinkled with little moments like this that add to the depth of its cast.
Zeta Gundam is a show that you need sit on for a while in order to appreciate. The more you think about the relationships, the characters, the relationships and the moments of silence, the more you gain a deeper appreciation for what the show is trying to accomplish as a whole. Yes, there are moments that are patently ridiculous and you will want to laugh out loud but it is offset by the brutally depressing moments that give the show its sense of equilibrium. I can’t guarantee you will like Mobile Suit Zeta Gundam on your first viewing, but if you give it a chance, maybe you will understand that Kamille’s a man’s name and Kamille is, indeed a man.
