UC 0093. After a
near eight year absence, former Zeon Ace Pilot Char Aznable returns to the
spotlight with the goal of finally forcing humanity’s full movement into
space. With a new Neo Zeon force at his
side, Char’s relentless campaign takes shape and losses are high. Opposing him are the Earth Federation’s elite
Londo Bell unit, whose members include Legendary Federation captain Bright Noa
and the very first Gundam Ace Amuro Ray.
But behind all of the politics and heated tensions, could there be more
to this epic fight that anyone realizes?
Could this all be a ruse for Amuro and Char to settle a rivalry that has
been going on since the One Year War?
Either way, the story that began in Mobile Suit Gundam reaches a
dramatic and pulse pounding ending.
I did a special journal a while back to commemorate the
35th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam and I made it no secret that
despite my love for Mobile Suit Gundam Wing (the Gundam that got me into
Gundam), Char’s Counterattack is the best example of a near perfect Gundam
experience. And in a way, Wing and
several other entries in the Gundam Universe owe a lot to this film simply
because if it did not do so much right, it would not have paved the way for
Gundam Wing, Seed or 00. But with the
right mix of high stakes action and deep, emotional drama and a strong pair of
leads, Char’s Counterattack blazed a bright trail for Gundam’s future.
In my review of Endless Waltz I spent a bit of time
talking about how the story seemed more accessible to those who had seen the
Gundam Wing series rather than a fresh eyed audience. While Char’s Counterattack isn’t perfect in
this regard, it is far more successful.
That’s saying plenty considering while Endless Waltz followed up the
events of one television series, Char’s Counterattack has the task of following
three: Mobile Suit Gundam, Zeta Gundam and Gundam ZZ. And while not all of the major players from
those stories are present for the events of the film (though would’ve been
welcome nonetheless such as Char’s sister Sayla from Mobile Suit Gundam or Char
and Amuro’s protegee Kamile from Zeta Gundam) it doesn’t hurt the overall flow
of the movie. The people who are here
are the people who need to be here: Amuro and Char. Char himself actually does a good job through
grand speeches and one important flashback (containing a cool cameo from the
original RX-78 Gundam) fills everyone in on what needs to be known and what
will drive the films plot right to its conclusion. In short, you don’t have to be well versed in
the Universal Century saga up to this point to like this movie, just jump in
and hold on. As much an equal win, those
who have been following events til now will be well rewarded with a satisfying
climax worthy of such grand storytelling.
Speaking of grand, the scope of this movie is the
standard by which all other Gundam mediums (film, OVA and TV series) should be
judged. Dozens of Mobile Suits dash
across the screen of stars amidst a flurry of heavy cannon fire, laser beams
and a lot of bullets. This is helped a
great deal by the amazing animation that holds up even to this day, this is one
of the best looking entries in the Gundam franchise. The animation quality also means that the
titular Gundam and its fellow Mobile Suits look great. This goes double for Amuro’s ultimate version
of his long time partner, the Nu Gundam, this thing is a beast and the ultimate
culmination of advance machinery and Amuro’s skill as it can wipe out
battalions on its own. Same goes for
Char’s Sazabi, the Red Comet’s equally ultimate fighting machine that can match
the Nu Gundam blow for blow.
The many stories of Mobile Suit Gundam may showcase a lot
of shiny giant robots but it has been evident from the original series that
it’s not about the Gundams we come to care about but the people in the cockpits
of these mighty machines. And while
certain romantic interests like Chan Agi or the bratty Neo Zeon prodigy Quess
or Bright’s love blind son Hathaway may not be the most memorable of this cast,
the rest of the characters present make up for them. Amuro, Char and Bright Noa all return to
close out their time in the Gundamverse (though Bright does appear as a central
character in Gundam Unicorn, the story that follows this movie timeline wise). Amuro and Char’s rivalry is the stuff of
legends: two men who have battled over Mobile Suit skill, Newtype philosophy,
and, inevitably, even tragic romance.
Their constant verbal spars make it clear that these two could be great
allies and they even mention they were once upon a time (Zeta Gundam). The films plot also makes it fun to guess if
Char really is serious about his little Earth evacuation plan via asteroid or
if he really does just want to settle things with Amuro once and for all. Amuro seems the bit more focused of the two. While he does despise Char for past events,
his loyalty is to his allies and his best friend and Captain Bright Noa. One stand out sense for those who watch
Mobile Suit Gundam then jump to this, is the state of Bright and Amuro’s
friendship. Once not able to stand each
other, they now stand as brothers in arms, determined to save the Earth no
matter the cost. But Char is also
equally likeable. He’s not even really
that bad of a guy though his tactics could be a lot less destructive. Question Char’s motives about his endgame
like his allies do but he’s still someone you could side with, making the final
knock down Mobile Suit fist fight between Amuro and Char a battle for whom you
could root for either man…though personally I side with the Nu Gundam but
that’s just me.
While I did mention her briefly above, I do have to take
a moment to nitpick Char’s Counterattack’s one problem that keeps it from being
truly perfect: Quess. From the moment
you first meet her there is nothing to like and she doesn’t do anything to win
any favor. She’s a brat who tries to act
like she is the wisest and most important human in the world when she is
anything but and wants the world and her way in the fraction of a second. I mean just look at how she latches on to Hathaway
then Amuro then Char in the span of roughly 20 minutes? It’s almost laughable to see how gullible she
is when Char takes her under his wing and makes her believe she is his one and
only. In the end even one sort of
selfless act doesn’t redeem her character and Quess ends up being far from the
tragic character she was probably envisioned to be and more of a character you
cant wait to see bad things happen fall upon.
I heard once that Yoshiyuki Tomino, the original creator
of Gundam, meant for this to be the grand finale and all of the stops have been
pulled out. Whether you are satisfied
with the ending of the film or not, the mission is accomplished and a chapter
of the Gundam Saga is concluded. Char’s
Counterattack brought to the table everything fans of Gundam wanted: action,
drama, romance, conflicting ideals, closure and lots and lots of Mobile Suits. With the end moments, a new era of Mobile
Suit Gundam could be ushered in free of constraints of the Universal Century to
start anew (or in some cases even able to build upon previously established
events i.e. 08th MS Team, Gundam 0080 and Gundam 0083). However, if this was truly meant to be the
end of Gundam then it was done so beautifully and epiclly. Very few franchises manage to live up to expectations
and even surpass them. Char’s
Counterattack is one of those instances and illustrates everything that makes
Mobile Suit Gundam truly legendary.
And speaking of a new era of Mobile Suit Gundam, next
time to conclude Gundam Month (wow that was fast) we’ll take a look at one of
the franchises big attempts to start sort of fresh and anew with Mobile Suit
Gundam F91
9/10
No comments:
Post a Comment